新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/04/29

 
 
The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Paul James with you this Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
Russia promising to do what it can to secure the release of a group of European observers being held captive by pro-Russia activists in eastern Ukraine.
Japan is hoping to secure a seat on an international panel looking into the disappearance of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
North Korea today cut short a live-fire exercise along its disputed maritime border with South Korea.
In business, new stats show this country's steel industry has been battered through the first quarter.
In sports, a couple of matches set for this evening in the Chinese superleague.
In entertainment, a singer from Taiwan has launched his latest concert series in Hong Kong.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 13 degrees Celsius. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 29 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 13, cloudy also tomorrow, with a high of 24.
Chongqing will be cloudy, 15 degrees the low, sunny tomorrow with a high of 28.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 38.
Kabul, cloudy, 28.
Over in Australia
Sydney, rainy, high of 22.
Canberra, rainy, 17.
Brisbane, overcast, 28.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 21.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Russia vows to help free OSCE observers in Ukraine
 
ANCHOR:
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk is calling on lawmakers in his country to amend the country's constitution to grant more power to local governments in a bid to ease tensions in Ukraine's restive eastern regions.
Yatsenyuk has called on all political parties to approve the constitutional amendments before the presidential election is held on May 25th.
The comments comes as Russia promises to help free a number of detained European observers in eastern Ukraine.
CRI's Qizhi has more.
REPORTER:
The Russian side says it's already making some headway in helping secure the release of 7 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The group is being held by pro-Russia activists in the city of Slovyansk.
Meanwhile, officials from Russia and the EU have agreed to hold talks connected to Russian natural gas supplies to Ukraine early next month.
The Ukrainian authorities have yet to confirm their participation in the meeting.
Word of the meeting comes on the heels of the United States slapping new sanctions on seven Russian government officials and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.
"We've consistently felt that there are a range of officials with close ties to President Putin who have supported these illegal acts in Ukraine that we can target here."
In addition, the US is also putting sanctions on the export of high-tech materials which can be used in the Russian defense industry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The ideas raised by our Western partners to impose sanctions on some Russia industries - above all on the military industry - is aimed, first of all, to preclude import replacements, and thus to continue our dependence on Ukrainian factories. It is an attempt with unfit means. We will find an adequate replacement. We will survive and move forward, and our partners will fail."
Meanwhile, a small group of US Army paratroopers have arrived in Estonia as part of move by NATO to bolster its support of eastern European countries.
Jeffrey Levine is the US Ambassador to Estonia
"It's an opportunity to have US forces on the ground, we'll have training with the Estonian forces, they'll be learning together and this is a great opportunity for them to work together."
In another development, a pair of Russian ships have returned to the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey to join their fleet in the Black Sea.
For CRI, I'm Qizhi.
ANCHOR: For more on the situation, CRI's Xie Zhao spoke earlier with Gao Fei, professor at China Foreign Affairs University.
…
BACK ANCHOR: Gao Fei, professor at China Foreign Affairs University, speaking with CRI's Xie Zhao.
 
 
Ukraine interim PM comments on gas deal with Slovakia
 
Ukraine and Slovakia have signed a gas delivery deal.
As part of the agreement, at least one-fifth of Ukraine's annual natural gas needs will be delivered from Slovakia.
The deal is another step toward Ukraine's attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
"The Ukrainian government and Naftogaz made a decision to start the process of suing the Russian company, Gazprom. Today pre-arbitrage paperwork was sent to the Gazprom. According to contract conditions, over a period of 30 days, Gazprom has to give a clear response to a few questions. The first is over the question of price. We insist the price that was set at the beginning of this year is the market price. And we insist to continuing to make payments at this price."
Russia recently raised the price of gas for Ukraine by around 90-percent and is planning to ask for advance payments.
 
 
Japan requests to join international expert panel on MH370 probe
 
Malaysia says Japan has requested it be given representation on an international expert panel connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Malaysia's acting transport minister also says he's asked Japanese authorities for deep-sea scanning equipment as part of the new phase of the search.
The new phase in the hunt for MH370 will eliminate surface searches, and will focus instead on an underwater sonar search for clues to the missing plane.
Mark Binskin is the vice-director of Australia's Defence Forces.
"From experience I know what it takes to bring this type of air operation together and to conduct, importantly,　conduct safe operations, and you should be all commended,　from every nation that participated, for that. Operations like this are not easy. Operating at maximum range, often in poor weather, low level, stressful and challenging environment, sometimes dangerous, often frustrating."
The cost for the new phase of the search, which is expected to be around 60-million US dollars, is being paid by Malaysia, Australia and China.
The search for missing flight MH370, which has been underway since March 8th, is already said to be the most expensive search operation in history, with costs well into the hundreds-of-millions of dollars.
 
 
S.Korean president apologizes for ferry sinking
 
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has issued an official apology for the South Korean ferry disaster.
"How should I apologize for the failure to prevent the accident and for the insufficient initial response in order to comfort the pains and sufferings of relatives of the victims even for a moment? I am sorry to the people and heavy-hearted that many precious lives were lost."
Park has also visited the joint memorial altar in Ansan to mourn the victims.
So far 193 bodies have been pulled from the sunken ferry.
109 others are still trapped below the surface.
Divers are reportedly struggling with the heavy currents.
In the wake of the ferry disaster, Park has promised to create a new "National Safety Office" tasked with dealing with large-scale emergencies.
South Korean prosecutors have charged all 15 crew members from the sunken ship with dereliction of duty for not helping passengers off the sinking ship.
 
 
North Korea starts live-fire drill near inter-Korean border
 
A live-fire drill by North Korea along its disputed maritime border with South Korea on the west side of the Peninsula came to an abrupt end today, just minutes after it first began.
The South Korean side says the North fired off around 50 artillery shells for about 10-minutes this afternoon before abruptly brining the exercise to an end.
None of the North's shots penetrated South Korean-controlled waters.
Despite this, the exercise did put South Korea's defense ministry on alert.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok.
"The North's conducting shelling drill toward southern waters implies its provocative nature. If its artillery shells fall on the side of the Northern Limit Line we will consider it as a provocative act and will sternly respond."
People living in 5 islands along the disputed border were moved out of their homes ahead of the North's pre-announced exercise.
A squadron of South Korean fighter jets were also scrambled as a precaution.
The live-fire exercises come around a month after the DPRK conducted similar drills in the area, which culminated in the two sides trading shots at one-another.
 
 
49 militants, 5 soldiers killed in eastern Afghan attack
 
A major battle in Afghanistan has left over 50 people dead.
The Afghan defense ministry says 49 insurgents and 5 Afghan soldiers have been killed in the fighting, which broke out Monday and has lasted into this Tuesday.
Afghan authorities say more than 500 insurgents have attacked an army base in a region about 100-kilometers south of the capital, Kabul.
The insurgents, members of the Taliban, are said to include a number of foreign fighters.
One Afghan solider has reportedly been taken hostage.
There have been a growing number of attacks as part of this year's spring and summer fighting season.
 
 
Obama concludes two-day state visit to Philippines
 
U.S. President Barack Obama has wrapped-up his two-day visit to the Philippines.
The Philippines is the last leg of his four-nation Asia trip, which also saw him make stops in Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.
Before leaving Manila today, Obama address both US and Filipino troops at a military base in metro Manila.
As part of the speech, Obama says the United States is committed to defending the Philippines.
The two countries reaffirmed their alliance by signing a new 10-year military pact on Monday.
As part of that speech, Obama also paid homage to Filipino veterans who fought side by side with U.S. soldiers during World War II.
 
 
PIK on Indian Elections
 
ANCHOR:
Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir have arrested hundreds of young Muslim protesters.
The sweep comes ahead of more voting in the restive region as part of India's multi-stage parliamentary elections.
Voting in a new part of Kashmir is set to get underway tomorrow.
The previous round of voting in Kashmir only saw voter turnout of just under 30-percent.
Resentment of India's control over the region runs high.
For more on the voting in Kashmir, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke with Maalan Narayanan, Director of Planning and Development with Generation Now Media in India.
…
Malaan Narayanan with Generation Now Media in India speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
 
 
Tornadoes kill at least 11 in south in second day of severe weather
 
A search for survivors following a series of powerful tornadoes this week rolled through parts of the US midwest and South.
A fresh round of tornadoes have left at least 11 people dead in Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi.
"Heard blocks hitting cars above me, glass flying all around down in the pit where we were. To see trees twisted and snapped like what they are now, it's nothing I've ever seen in my life, and it's nothing I ever want to see again."
Severe storms across the United States this week have so far left at least 26 dead.
This is tornado season across parts of the US known as "tornado alley," which is a section of the US midwest and south which is commonly hit by severe storms this time of year.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks 
 
Asian markets turned in a mixed performance this Tuesday, as investors continued to monitor events in Ukraine.
Trading activity remained light as the Japanese market was closed today for a national holiday.
Chinese shares rose sharply, snapping a four-day losing streak, as investors cheered encouraging earnings reports from a number of Chinese companies.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite added nearly one percent.
The Shenzhen Component gained almost 1 and a half percent.
And Hong Kong's Hang Seng also rose one and half percent.
Australian shares hit a six-year high before reversing direction to end notably lower, dragged down by banks and miners.
The benchmark ASX200 dropped almost one percent.
South Korean shares fell modestly on foreign fund selling.
The benchmark KOSPI shed a fraction of a percent.
Finally, in Singapore, the Straits Times trimmed around a third of a percent.
 
 
Chinese steel industry makes big losses in first quarter of 2014
 
New data shows steel firms here in China are reporting combined total losses of more than 2-billion yuan through the first three months of this year.
This is in sharp contrast to the 3-billion yuan in profits the steel industry earned during the same period of last year.
Just under half of the 300 plus Chinese steel companies monitored by China Iron and Steel Association have suffered losses in the first quarter.
Steel prices through March are down over 11-percent year-on-year, dropping for seven consecutive months.
By the end of last month, steel inventories here in China are up more than 40-percent compared to the start of this year.
 
 
Alibaba Has Acquired 16.5% Stake in Chinese Video Service Youku-Tudou
 
Anchor:
China's internet powerhouse Alibaba and partner Yunfeng Capital have bought some 1.2-billion US dollars' worth of shares in Chinese online video service Youku-Tudou.
The deal gives Alibaba a 16.5-percent stake in Youku-Tudou.
Yunfeng holds 2-percent.
Jonathan Lu, CEO of Alibaba, will join Youku-Tudou's board.
For more on this, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Gao Shang, analyst with GuanTong Futures.
…
Back Anchor:
Gao Shang, analyst with GuanTong Futures, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Sohu loses US$79m on increased expenses
 
China's online company Sohu.com is reporting a first-quarter loss of nearly 80-million US dollars.
That compares to 23-million US dollars profits a year earlier.
The Chinese web portal is citing higher expenses through an expansion of its games and mobile businesses.
Sohu's online advertising revenues are up 51-percent.
Sohu also says its mobile video traffic has surpassed its PC-based traffic through the first quarter.
But the company is warning its shareholders it expects losses of around 50-million dollars through this current fiscal quarter.
 
 
Ctrip buys into Tongcheng Network
 
Chinese travel booking website Ctrip is buying a stake in Tongcheng Network worth 200-million US dollars.
Suzhou-based Tongcheng operates ly.com, a local attraction ticket service provider.
Ctrip's CEO says the deal will help support ly.com's operations.
Ly.com is China's leading attraction ticket retailer.
 
 
Samsung's mobile phone sales decline
 
South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is reporting an increase in its net profits through the first quarter.
The company has made 7.5-billion US dollars in the first three months.
This is up from the 7-billion earned in the final quarter of last year.
Samsung is reporting a 4-percent decline in sales from its mobile phone unit through the first quarter.
But its operating profits from the sector are up 18-percent quarter-by-quarter.
The success of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones has been one of the biggest drivers of Samsung's growth in recent years.
 
 
Nokia names Rajeev Suri as new CEO ;Nokia posts loss on lower mobile sales
 
Nokia has named Rajeev Suri as its new CEO.
Suri is the former head of Nokia's Solutions and Networks division.
The announcement comes just days after Nokia completed the sale of its devices and services division to Microsoft.
Suri will take over on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Nokia is also out with its first quarter results.
The company is reporting a net loss of 330-million US dollars.
Nokia has seen its revenues fall 15-percent to 3.6 billion US dollars over the period.
The decline comes amid a 17-percent drop in sales in Nokia's mobile network operations, which accounts for almost 90% of the company's revenues.
 
 
Panasonic reports first annual profit in three years
 
Japanese electronics giant Panasonic is reporting its first full-year profits in 3-years.
Panasonic has posted profits of 1.2-billion US dollars for its fiscal year ending in March.
This, following a loss of over 7-billion US dollars a year earlier.
The company says cost cutting and a weaker yen have boosted its profitability.
Panasonic is forecasting a 16-percent jump in net profits to 1.4 billion US dollars in this current fiscal year.
Panasonic has more than 600 business units.
Sales in its appliances division are up 10-percent from a year ago, which has been mainly driven by a surge in consumer spending in Japan ahead of the rise in the country's consumption tax.
 
 
Oil giant BP reports $3.2bn profits
 
British Petrolium is reporting significant decline in net profits through the first quarter.
BP's profits are down 23-percent to 3.2-billion US dollars, one billion dollars less than a year ago.
BP says its first quarter results have been affected by write-offs in its exploration activity, as well as lower production.
But the company is still increasing its dividend by 8-percent to 9-dollars-75-cents a share.
This is BP's second dividend increase in six months.
 
 
ABB profits drop 18% as power systems struggle
 
Swiss-based power-and-technology group ABB is reporting an 18-percent drop in first-quarter profits.
Through the three months, ABB's net profits have fallen to some 540-million US dollars.
Analysts had been expecting ABB to earn around 730 million dollars this quarter.
The results come as Zurich-based ABB, the world's largest maker of electricity grids, continues to sell off parts of its business.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Russia promises to help liberate European monitors being held by pro-Russians
 
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk is calling on lawmakers in his country to amend the country's constitution to grant more power to local governments in a bid to ease tensions in Ukraine's restive eastern regions.
Yatsenyuk has called on all political parties to approve the constitutional amendments before the presidential election is held on May 25th.
The comments comes as Russia promises to help free a number of detained European observers in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian side says it's already making some headway in helping secure the release of 7 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The group is being held by pro-Russia activists in the city of Slovyansk.
 
 
Japan requests to join international expert panel on MH370 probe: Malaysian official
 
Malaysia says Japan has requested it be given representation on an international expert panel connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Malaysia's acting transport minister also says he's asked Japanese authorities for deep-sea scanning equipment as part of the new phase of the search.
The new phase in the hunt for MH370 will eliminate surface searches, and will focus instead on an underwater sonar search for clues to the missing plane.
 
 
DPRK starts live-fire drill near inter-Korean border: YTN
 
A live-fire drill by North Korea along its disputed maritime border with South Korea on the west side of the Peninsula came to an abrupt end today, just minutes after it first began.
The South Korean side says the North fired off around 50 artillery shells for about 10-minutes this afternoon before abruptly brining the exercise to an end.
None of the North's shots penetrated South Korean-controlled waters.
Despite this, the exercise did put South Korea's defense ministry on alert.
The live-fire exercises come around a month after the DPRK conducted similar drills in the area, which culminated in the two sides trading shots at one-another.
 
 
Mortar attack kills 12 in Damascus
 
At least 12 people have been killed and around 50 others wounded in a mortar attack in central Damascus.
Syrian state media is reporting four mortar shells have hit a mainly Shiite community in the city.
The attack comes just a day after President Bashar al-Assad registered to stand for re-election, defying calls to step down as a way of ending Syria's civil war.
 
 
Death Toll Rises to 7 in Car-ramming Case
 
The death toll from Monday's attack with a motor vehicle in the city of Fuzhou in Fujian has risen to 7.
12 others are recovering from injuries after a man drove a vehicle through a crowd of pedestrians.
The victims include 3 children from a nearby primary school and members of families who had arrived at the school to pick them up for lunch yesterday.
The 37-year old driver is said to have been distraught about his marriage breaking up, and decided to intentionally plow through the crowd.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Xinhua
"Beijing to raise tap water price in May"
The cost of household water in Beijing will rise next month.
According to the plan by Beijing authorities on Tuesday, the lowest tier water price will rise from 4 yuan to 5 yuan per cubic meter from May 1, for households with an annual consumption less than 180 cubic meters, which covers 90 percent of households.
Households with an annual water consumption ranging between 180 and 260 cubic meters will be charged 7 yuan per cubic meter. The water price for annual consumption over 260 cubic meters will rise to 9 yuan per cubic meter.
Beijing held a public meeting to discuss the changes on April 17.
Beijing News
"Housing problem pains young workers in Beijing"
A survey conducted among 5,000 members of China's "post-80s" generation revealed that nearly 80 percent of young workers cannot afford a residential property in Beijing.
About 75 percent of young people who own a home in the country's capital said they rely on their parents' financial support.
More than half of young people living in Beijing are renters, including those holding graduate degrees.
A researcher from the University of International Business and Economics, says an education advantage plays a limited role in improving living conditions in China.
Statistics show that 84 percent of local Beijing youth are forced to live with their parents due to a lack of money for a rental or private home.
Housing has been a main obstacle in marriage and starting a family for young workers; the percentage of unmarried individuals is higher than those who own a home in Beijing.
AP
"Google: Driverless cars are mastering city streets"
Google's self-driving cars' project leader has said test cars now can handle thousands of urban situations like an obstacle course of stray walkers, bicyclists and blind corners.
Project director Chris Urmson wrote in his blog that they are optimistically heading toward an achievable goal -a vehicle that operates fully without human intervention.
The company has said its goal is to get the technology to the public by 2017. In initial iterations, human drivers would be expected to take control if the computer fails. The promise is that, eventually, there would be no need for a driver. Passengers could read, daydream, even sleep _ or work _ while the car drives.
Los Angeles Times
"Girls called "too fat" are more likely to become obese, study finds"
New research suggests calling a girl "too fat" may increase her chance of being obese in the future.
Researchers at UCLA report that 10-year girls who are told they are too fat by people that are close to them are more likely to be obese at 19 than girls who were never told they were too fat.
Researchers also found that girls who were labeled too fat by a family member were 1.6 times more likely to be obese at 19. While girls labeled by a non-family member , the figure is 1.4 times.
And that's regardless of what they weighed at the beginning of the study.
A researcher said making people feel bad about their weight can backfire. It can be demoralizing. And when people feel bad, they often reach out to food for comfort.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
More college graduates pick work instead of taking advanced degrees
 
Anchor:
A new survey shows there is a growing number of college graduates opting to join the work force, rather than pursue advanced degrees here in China.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
Yuan Guisen expects to graduate this July.
She says more than half of her classmates are currently looking for jobs, including herself.
"I want to be economically independent. Starting work now will help me accumulate work experience at an early stage, but I also won't give up on pursuing higher education in the future."
A poll conducted by recruitment firm Zhaopin.com shows more than 76 percent of China's university students say they want to work after earning their degrees this summer.
This is up from 73.6 percent last year and from 68.5 percent in 2012.
Yuan Guisen is one of those who have already signed a contract here in Beijing.
"The job meets three of my conditions: it is closely related to my major, it's a role that I am interested in and the salary will sustain my lifestyle in this big city."
But unlike herself, Yuan Guisen says some of her classmates have decided to go back to their hometowns to find work because of the high cost of living in the capital city.
"The expenses are huge whether you are renting an apartment or buying a property. Some of my classmates are going back to second or third-tier cities to work. They don't need to worry about finding a place to live. The cost of living is also lower, although the salaries aren't as high as in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou."
Figures from Zhaopin.com show university graduates are looking toward second-tier cities for better job opportunities and lower property prices. And Suzhou tops the "competitive index" for cities, with an average of 90 graduates competing for each job.
Other second-tier cities, such as Xi'an, Nanjing and Wuhan have also made it into the top 10 on the index.
Zhang Zhixin with Capital University of Economics and Business says this country's university education system is facing structural adjustments.
"It's like it has reached a turning point. Our higher education system needs structural adjustments. More and more companies, as well as students, are realizing people with practical skills, rather than students who have focused on academia alone, may have the upper hand in the job market. University education tends to focus more on core work skills."
Figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security show that more than 7 million university students are expected to graduate this year, an increase of 4% from last year.
The annual Zhaopin.com survey also shows around one-fifth of respondents will choose to extend their education after graduation, while about 3-percent hope to start their own businesses.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Live score of Guangzhou R&F vs Shanghai Greenland Shenhua
 
In Football,
Here in the Chinese Superleague,
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua have just kicked off against Guangzhou R&F.
Guangzhou, playing away, currently sit fourth in the table on 17 points. A win here could temporarily slide them up to second in the table just behind their great rivals Guangzhou Evergrande.
That match is currently on.
But then tomorrow it's a huge day in Chinese football.. Some highlights will be Evergrande vs Shanghai East Asia FC, Beijing vs Jiangsu Sainty and Shandong Luneng against Changchun Yatai.
 
 
Arsenal hold top 4 position after 3-0 defeat over Newcastle
 
Meanwhile in the English top division Arsenal are back on the brink of securing a Champion's League place after defeating Newcastle United three – nil.
The gunners went ahead after 26 minutes after Laurent Koscielny poked in Santi Cazorla's free kick.
Shortly after this Mesut Ozil struck to double their lead just before the break.
The German was also instrumental in the side's second half goal as he crossed to Olivier Giroud who struck the back of the net.
Arsenal have topped the league for more days than any other side this season, but as Ozil and Aaron Ramsey were injured during a critical moment they have now slid down to a coveted fourth spot with two games remaining.
After last night's impressive display Arsenal fans as well as the manager Arsen Wenger have been left wondering what might have been had the side not been so plagued by injury
"we had Walcott and Wilshere and Ozil and Ramsey and Koscielny all out we have been 17 times top of the league at the crucial period of the season we have lost many players and we went to the FA Cup final after playing Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham and in the Champions League we went out against Bayern with 10 men so we have shown we have potential, but we want more next season and hopefully we can do it but lets finish this season."
In their next two games the Gunners will take on West Brom and then Norwich city who will be likely fighting to stay in the top flight on the last day of the season May 11.
 
 
NHL Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Los Angeles score wins
 
Over in the NHL playoffs, Evgeni Malkin notched a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins got past Columbus 4-3 on Monday night to clinch their first-round playoff series in six games.
The hat-trick is Malkin's 10th career three-goal game.
They now await the winner of the New York-Philadelphia series.
The Rangers lead that series 3-games-2.
Elsewhere tahe Minnesota Wild have forced a critical Game-7 after thrashing the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 at home at the Xcel Energy Center.
Zach Parise scoring the winner for the Wild mid-way through the 3rd before Minnesota sealed the game with a pair of empty-net goals.
The decider will take place in Colorado on Thursday.
And in Los Angeles, the LA Kings have also forced a decisive game seven in their series against San Jose.
Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar each had a pair of goals as Los Angelese skated to 4-1 victory at Staples Centre.
With the victory, the Kings become just the ninth team in NHL history to force a seventh game in a playoff series after losing the first three.
The winner will face the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks in the second round.
 
 
Miami Heat defeat Charlotte Bobcats to reach Eastern Conference semi-finals
 
In Basketball
Miami Heat have beaten the Charlotte Bobcats to sweep the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
LeBron James scored 31 points to help his side to a 109-98 victory.
After the game James was feeling good about the way his side are playing:
"Well for us, I mean the best thing about this series is that we improved every game. That was the most important thing. And to see how we came out tonight, even though they had a man down, we wanted to come out with the same mindset that we had in game three. And we didn't want to turn the ball over, wanted to get good shots. And once again on our 39 field goals we had 25 assists. So that was big time."
The Heat will await the winner of the Brooklyn-Toronto series, which is tied 2-2 for the moment.
 
 
Donald Sterling civil rights honour revoked
 
Meanwhile in the latest development from the Clippers controversy, civil rights organization, the NAACP has decided it will not honour Donald Sterling with a lifetime achievement award from its LA chapter.
The 80-year-old clippers owner who has owned the team since 1981 allegedly made racially charged comments in a recorded conversation which have caused mass outrage across the sport.
Sterling had been slated to receive the honor on May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Los Angeles branch of the nation's oldest civil rights organization.
Donations made by Sterling are also going to be returned the organizations says, although a figure has not been given.
Ron Hasson, is an NAACP National Board Member
"We can't shame him just by simply saying don't do that anymore. It has to be severe enough so that he, or anyone who puts out those racial statements against people of color, so they can be dealt with appropriately. And not just a mere slap on the wrist."
Sterling's purported comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his team's games have overshadowed the NBA's opening playoff round and prompted an NBA investigation.
The NBA is planning a news conference to discuss the probe later today.
 
 
IOC VP Rio 2016 Olympic Preparations 'Worst' Ever Seen
 
International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates has called preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics the worst he's ever seen.
The Australian said the IOC has taken "unprecedented" action by placing experts in the local organizing committee to ensure the Games go ahead.
Coates, who has been involved with the Olympics for some four decades says they are very concerned adding that construction on some venues has not even begun yet.
This news comes just ahead of the 2014 World Cup which kicks off in 44 days time.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Yoga Lin on 'Speaking in Tongues Tour'
 
Singer Yoga Lin from Taiwan has begun his "Speaking on Tongues" tour, which is taking him to Taipei in May and Shanghai in June.
Lin kicked off the tour at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
The 26-year old says he picked Hong Kong as his first stop to show his support for his fans there.　
"About six or seven years ago, when I started performing concerts, my first show outside of Taiwan was here in Hong Kong.　So I'm very grateful to have your support along the way, " he told the audience during the show.
The show in Hong Kong has been a mix of old and new music.
Lin also sang covers of Hong Kong songs originally done by Eason Chan and Sandy Lam.
Lin made his debut on the Mandarin music scene in 2007 when he became the first winner of talent show "Super Star Boulevard" in Taiwan.
Lin was just a college student at the time.
2014 is an important year for Lin, as he'll be taking a break from music to take part in his mandatory military service on Taiwan.
 
 
Beyonce and Jay Z announce live tour across the US
 
Beyonce and Jay Z have announced a live tour called "On the Run" across the US.
The tour will see the husband and wife team perform 16 dates between June and August.
Billboard Magazine has labelled the couple the most powerful people in music.
The two also hit the headlines after their raunchy performance of Beyonce's hit "Drunk in Love" to open this year's Grammys ceremony.
One dollar from each ticket sold on the new tour will go to Jay Z's self-named "Shawn Carter Foundation" which supports students in higher education.
Beyonce and Jay Z aren't going to miss the money.
The couple reportedly took home an estimated 95-million US dollars in 2012.
 
 
Rihanna sued by former head of security
 
Barbadian pop singer Rihanna is being sued by her former head of security for allegedly making defamatory comments about him.
Geoffrey Keating from Ireland is suing the 'Diamonds' singer for statements contained in an email written in July of last year.
Details of the email have not been revealed, though the suit describes its contents as "nauseatingly offensive".
The suit also claims Keating's security business has been damaged by Rihanna's undisclosed allegations.
Keating served as head of Rihanna's security detail during her tour which ran between October of 2012 and July of last year.
Meanwhile, Rihanna is currently gearing up for her North American 'Monster' tour with rapper Eminem.
 
 
From Dusk Till Dawn TV series airs Tuesday in the US
 
Cult horror film "From Dusk Till Dawn" has been adapted into a TV series, and is set to air in the US this Tuesday.
The original film, directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino, stared Salma Hayek and George Clooney.
Hayek played the role of the vampire queen in the film, which helped estabish her as a name in Hollywood.
The role in TV is going to be played by Mexican-born actress Eiza Gonzalez, who says she hopes the small screen version will do the same for her.
"I went through a four hour makeup to become the culebra, the vampire, and it's going through fangs, scales, fingers - everything - claws, teeth. It was just insane and for me I love the dance and the sexy part of it but I really love the dark side of it."
Both Rodriguez and Tarantino have also taken part in the production of the first season of the new TV series.
The series has already been picked up for a second season.
 
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Russia promising to do what it can to secure the release of a group of European observers being held captive by pro-Russia activists in eastern Ukraine.
Japan is hoping to secure a seat on an international panel looking into the disappearance of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
North Korea today cut short a live-fire exercise along its disputed maritime border with South Korea.
In business, new stats show this country's steel industry has been battered through the first quarter.