新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/05/15

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

Paul James with you on this Thursday, May 15, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Mass protests have broken out in Turkey following Tuesday's mining disaster which has left over 300 dead and missing.
National talks have taken place in Ukraine in an attempt to try to ease tensions in the country's restive eastern regions.
A 2nd day of talks is set to take place later today in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 grouping.
In Business... certain experts calling for stimulus here in China amid new stats suggesting the economy is still slowing down.
In sports... Spanish side Seville taking this year's Europa League title.
In entertainment.... the latest edition of the Cannes Film Festival has opened in southern France.
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 28 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 14.
Shanghai will be sunny during the daytime with a high of 27.
Overnight, it will be cloudy with a low of 19.
In Chongqing, it will see showers with a high of 20.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 17.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 32.
Kabul will have slight rain with a high of 17.
Over to North America.
New York will see slight rain today with a high of 22 degrees.
Washington will also have slight rain with a high of 28 degrees.
Honolulu, overcast, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will have heavy rain with a high of 20 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 21.
And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Turkey will feel a shared pain for mine collapse: Erdogan
 
Mass protests have broken out in Turkey in connection with Tuesday's deadly mine collapse.
An explosion at a mine near the city of Soma in western Turkey has left at least 276 dead.
Around 100 others are still trapped underground.
Their fate remains unknown.
Turkish Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed an international trip to personally oversee the rescue operations.
"I would like to say that, the pain we've left behind is not just that of the brethren we have lost, it is our shared pain, the pain of 77 million."
However, Erdogan's trip to Soma has been met with anger.
Demonstrations have broken out, not only in that city, but across the country, demanding is government's resignation.
Protesters say a lack of effective measures are in-place to curb workplace deaths.
"Together with this explosion, we've seen that no precautions were taken, the lives of the workers were not valued, and their lives were put in danger for more profit."
The protests come on the heels of a move by the Edrogan government to scuttle an opposition-led motion in parliament a couple of weeks ago to increase mine inspections in the same region where the disaster is taking place.
 
 
Ukraine holds roundtable talks without pro-Russia groups
 
Anchor
Ukrainian government has held talks on the potential decentralization of power in Kiev.
The meetings have not included pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine, making it unclear as to what the results of the meeting can deliver.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter
Ukrainian lawmakers and international mediators have taken part in the meeting, which has been focused on the situation in the country's eastern regions.
The meeting is part of a peace plan crafted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The OECD is a security group that includes Russia and the US.
As part of the meeting, Ukraine's central authorities have crafted plans to address disaffection in eastern Ukraine by forging a decentralization agenda which might cede greater powers to regional governments.
However, no pro-Russian groups, who have already declared independence, have been included in the talks.
Interim Ukranian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk says there will be no dialogue with armed opponents.
"Our key goal now is peace and quiet in our country and this peace and quiet must be and can be achieved through political and diplomatic means and we are going to have dialogue with all those who do not have weapons in their hands, don't shoot and kill and kidnap peaceful citizens."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is on-record saying its necessary to ensure equal participation of all regions of Ukraine for the national dialogue to succeed.
The White House is echoing this suggestion.
White House spokesperson Jay Carney:
"Now we understand certainly the unwillingness of the Ukrainian government to have participants in these roundtables who literally have blood on their hands, but those who represent the regions where there are issues that merit serious dialogue around constitutional reform and levels of autonomy for different regions as it relates to the centre are certainly part of this effort and we commend it."
The meeting this week comes after the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence after two referendums over the weekend.
It also comes as the Ukrainian government prepares to hold a presidential election to permanently replace former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
His ouster by the Ukrainian parliament is what's led to the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine.
Mykhaelo Okhendovsky is the head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission.
"We would really like to see a high turnout for these elections and only then can the elections be a stabilising factor in this country as well as something that can settle all of these conflicts in Ukraine."
Pro-Russia activists in Luhansk have already declared they will not participate in the elections.
Ukraine's interim government is calling on Russia to recognize the upcoming elections.
At the same time, Russia has been calling on Ukrainian authorities to withdraw their troops from eastern Ukraine.
But at the same time, in a move to soften its tone, the Russian government says it will resume gas price talks with Ukranian authorities if pays off part of its mounting gas debt.
The offer comes on the heels of Kiev securing a new loan agreement worth over a billion euros.
Russia's state-run gas giant Gazprom contends Ukraine owes it around 3.5-billion US dollars.
The Russian side has hiked its gas prices for Ukraine by as much as 90-percent following the ouster of Viktor Yanukovych.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
Iran and world powers continue nuclear talks in Vienna
 
Iran and the P5+1 are now poised to begin drafting a final deal on Tehran's nuclear issue as their negotiations enter into the second day in Vienna today.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is the lead negotiator for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.
Michael Mann is her spokesperson.
"We are moving to a new phase in the negotiations when we start pulling together what an outline of an agreement could look like. We've already got the Joint Plan of Action, that was agreed in November, and has been implemented since January 20th. This is about going the further step, of dealing with all the remaining issues that have to be dealt with in the comprehensive agreement."
Under a temporary deal in November, Tehran agreed to cap its nuclear activities in return for an easing of sanctions.
However, despite the end of the interim agreement looming, wide differences still exist, particularly when it comes to the size of Iran's uranium enrichment program.
Iran has long-insisted its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only, despite concerns by the international community that Iran could be working toward creating a nuclear weapon.
 
 
Chinese FM discusses South China Sea friction with Indonesian counterpart
 
The Chinese government is calling for restraint from the Vietnamese side amid the continuing tensions in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reportedly made the call during a telephone conversation with Indonesia's foreign minister.
Indonesia is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations, to which Vietnam is also a member-state.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
"Wang Yi said China's position on safeguarding its legitimate sovereign rights and interests is firm and clear and will not change. China and Vietnam are conducting necessary communication on the current situation. We urge the Vietnamese side to calm down, respect China's sovereignty and jurisdiction, and not to attempt to further complicate and aggravate the situation."
The new statement follows violent protests against Chinese-owned businesses in southern Vietnam.
Thousands of Vietnamese protesters have been storming and looting factories in the province of Bihn Duong.
The unrest has forced the closure of around a thousand factories.
More than a dozen of them have been burned down.
Anti-China sentiment has been on the rise in Vietnam amid the growing dispute over the Xisha Islands, which is claimed both by China and Vietnam.
The unrest began last week after Vienamese ships attempted to disrupt a Chinese oil drill from entering the waters in around the Xisha Islands.
 
 
Over 10,000 Chinese officials probed for corruption in Q1
 
New official government stats show the crackdown on Chinese-government corruption is on the rise.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate now says more than 10-thousand officials have been targeted in corruption investigations through the first-quarter.
This represents a nearly 25-percent increase over the same period last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a campaign against so-called "flies" and "tigers."
"Flies" are lower-level officials, while "tigers" are high-ranking party members.
Of the over 10-thousand people investigated during the first-quarter, 57 of them hold positions controlling prefectural-levels or above.
Over a dozen of those officials have already been removed from office and are facing criminal probes.
 
 
Two sick U.S. hospital workers cleared of MERS infection
 
A pair of US medical professionals first-thought to have MERS have been cleared of having the virus.
The hospital workers in Orlando, Florida were initially suspected of having contracted the Middle East Respiratory Virus after having come in-contact with an infected colleague.
However, tests now show the two are not infected.
A 44-year old medical professional has been hospitalized with the disease in the same Orlando hospital after returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The patient is the 2nd reported case in the United States.
So far MERS has been reported in 14 different countries.
Of the over 500 people who have been infected, nearly 150 have died.
 
 
Forest fire threat heightens in Portugal
 
Fire protection officials in Portugal are warning the country is at high risk of forest fires in around 20 regions across the country.
Local meteorological officials have increased the warning to the maximum level.
Approximately 70 forest fires are current burning in Portugal.
2-thousand unemployed people have been contracted to help extinguish the blazes.
Forest fires last year in Portugal cost the country's struggling economy nearly 35-million euros.
 
 
Wearable Tech to Change the World by Zhang Jin
 
Anchor
Scientists, industry observers and wearable technology entrepreneurs have gathered in Tel Aviv to discuss advancements in the fledgling technology.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter
Have you ever imagined manipulating 3D images in the air like "Iron Man"? "Space-glasses," a wearable computing device, is making such an experience a reality.
During Israel's first wearable tech conference, Steve Mann, the "father of wearable computing" and chief scientist behind the augmented-reality glasses, says users will be able to interact with virtual objects in the real world with the device.
"The digital eye glass helps people see better and also gives you computer-mediated reality, something I call natural user interfaces where you'll touch and gage the real world naturally."
The conference features Robert Scoble, an American technical evangelist and the author of new book "The Age of Context". Scoble says five technology trends are going to change the world, including wearable computing, big data and data computation, sensor data, social networking and location data, and devices featuring such technologies will make our lives easier.
"It's trying to get ahead of you. It's trying to know your context, what you are about to do. It's trying to assist you as you are living your life. That's really where the steps going. This is going to change everything. Glass or watch shows your tweets, your friends of Facebook, and on and on. If it knows your context better, it can serve you better."
The wearable technology has been applied to various fields, such as health and security sectors, and has a great market prospect.
Misfit Shine, a small metal disc that you can wear in a number of different places on your body, has now been sold in 32 countries and is especially popular in China. Sonny Vu is the CEO of the device's manufacturer.
"It tracks how much you walk, how much you swim and cycle, just about any sport. And it also tracks your sleeping, how long you slept, and how well you slept. It's something that you can really wear all of the time. And most importantly, it's beautiful. You can synchronize with you iPhone or your Android phone and it tells you all sorts of useful information and gives you insight into how you are living."
Another product, which has drawn the interests of Chinese entrepreneurs to the conference, is a kids' GPS watch. Daniel Ivesha, president of the producer, says it is designed to help guarantee the safety of children.
"Normally a kid's life is filled with routine, he sleeps in the same place every night, he goes to school every day the same place, and our application remembers all these locations and establishes a safe zone. So as a working parent, you can sit in your office and receive notification, your son has arrived at school, your son left school, your son is on his way home.... We also have a panic button that if something happens, he can alert the parents immediately."
Shen Haiyan, vice president of Qihoo 360, says China has a large market potential for such smart devices. The company is also developing its own smart devices for Chinese users.
"The prospect of smart devices will be great. It will make our cities smarter, make our home smarter, and make our personal management smarter, such as health, security, information and activity management--so it is very meaningful."
For CRI, I'm He Fei.
 
 
UNICEF Initiative Takes Root in China
 
ANCHOR
A United Nations-led child welfare initiative is being expanded to more parts of China following its initial success.
CRI's Luo Yu has more.
REPORTER
The initiative, called 'The Child Welfare Director', is a cooperation project between UNICEF, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, together with Beijing Normal University.
Xu Jianzhong is an official from civil affairs ministry.
"Initially, we have implemented this pilot project in 5 provinces including Henan, Sichuan, Shanxi, Xinjiang and Yunnan, covering 12 counties with 120 villages to address the needs of children affected by HIV and AIDS."
The project helps vulnerable children gain a birth certificate and residence identity.
The certificate in turn will give them easy access to education, health care and other social benefits.
Since its launch four years ago, the program has benefited more than 70,000 children in China.
Xu Jianzhong says more children are expected to be included.
"In the long run, we dedicate to expanding to all the villages in China, just like the 'barefoot doctors'. "
In light of its positive results in China, the program will also be trialed in other parts of the world.
Dan Toole is the UNICEF Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific.
"The 28 countries that I covered want to know what's working in China. It's a combination of us together that actually creates change and makes innovation and excitement and change for and with children if possible."
Experts and academics have held a dialogue at Beijing Normal University to disucss the experience and lessons learnt in the China pilot.
It's part of this year's global celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The UNICEF has also declared this year as the Year of Innovation for Equity.
For CRI, I'm Luo Yu.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the closing numbers in North America and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Jordan Lee.
Reporter
U.S. stocks pulled back Wednesday, as investors dabbled in profit-taking after record highs were hit earlier this week.
A surprising rise in U.S. wholesale prices also raised concerns about increasing inflationary pressure, which could prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to hike interest rates earlier than expected.
As a result, the Dow slipped 0.6 percent.
The S&P 500 shed 0.5 percent.
The Nasdaq dropped 0.7 percent.
Among the corporate decliners, the biggest drag on both the Dow and the S&P 500 was IBM, whose shares shed 1.8 percent after the company revealed it expects its hardware-division profits to be flat this year.
Other decliners include John Deere, which fell 2 percent.
Wal-Mart shares dropped half a percent.
The New York Times lost nearly 5-percent after an unexpected announcement that the managing editor will take over as executive editor.
Over in Europe,
All three major indices ended flat amid limp corporate results.
Both the UK's FTSE 100 AND Germany's DAZ saw slight gains, while France's CAC 40 dopped less than 0.1-percent.
 
 
More Stimulation Needed for Steady Growth
 
Anchor
The latest stats out from the National Bureau of Statistics are prompting concerns the Chinese economy isn't going to pick up in the near future.
This is setting-off calls from economic observers for more stimulus to keep the economy from slipping further.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter
Official data from the NBS show that China's property development climate index dropped 0.61 points from March to about 95 points in April.
But Pan Jiancheng, deputy director-general of the China Economic Monitoring Analysis Center at the NBS, says the total amount invested in the property sector is still huge.
"The decelerated growth-rate in property investment is partially due to the fluctuation in the property market. Another reason is that the base figure of last year, which is used to make comparison, is high. If you look at the rate by average figure, the investment in the real estate sector is still high. The growth rate is also steady."
In April alone, the country's industrial added value rose 8.7 percent from a year earlier, but the growth rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than in March.
Niu Li, an economist at the State Information Center, says that in general, the downturn pressure in China's economy is obvious.
"From the figures we can see that all the growth rates in investment, consumption and industrial sectors are much lower than expectations. First of all, the year-on-year industrial growth rate is still lingering below 9 percent. This is very low and reveals that the manufacturing industry is still facing severe overcapacity. The major driver in our economic growth, which is fixed asset investment, is cooling down. Plus, the nominal consumption growth rate is much slower than our expectations. This shows that the performance of consumption is not very good."
Wang Jun, deputy director of the Consulting Research Department at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, says policy adjustment is needed to stabilize the economy.
"Under the condition of not changing the basic policy environment, some minor policy adjustment is necessary, either in terms of financial or currency policy. For instance, in the second half of this year, I think lowering the benchmark interest rate on a large scale is also an option."
Wang Jun adds that some precautions are necessary to avoid big fluctuations in the property market.
Home prices in some 70 major Chinese cities grew at a slower pace in March.
On Tuesday, Chian's central bank issued a statement, urging commercial banks to improve their housing finance services and give priority to loans for first time homebuyers.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
ICBC to accelerate the granting of mortgages for home buyers
 
Anchor
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has announced plans to step up mortgage lending.
ICBC's come in response to a central bank call for the country's commercial banks to be quicker in approving and issuing loans to "eligible" home buyers.
The new policy moves comes amid falling home sales and cooling home prices across the country.
Official data shows residential property sales have dipped just under 8-percent through the first quarter.
For more on this, we are now joined by CRI's financial commentator Cao Can.
Questions
1. Will ICBC's move spur home sales?
2. What has been driving down home sales? (economy) (housing market)
3. What impact might the new guidance have on the non-performing loan ratios?
4. Do you anticipate more local governments may ease housing purchase restrictions?
Back Anchor:
Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.
 
 
China Mobile unveils first packages after gaining pricing autonomy
 
China Mobile has unveiled a set of new payment packages for its customers.
This comes as regulators ease pricing restrictions on the three major telecom providers here in China.
China Mobile is cutting its monthly rates by around 50 percent in some cases.
The company is also doubling the monthly-maximum data allotments from one-G to 2-G's for the company's 4G service.
China Mobile is also allowing as many as 4 users to share one package.
Meanwhile, China Unicom is set to unveil a new set of offers on Saturday.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Mass demonstrations over Turkey mine collapse
 
Mass protests have broken out in Turkey in connection with Tuesday's deadly mine collapse.
Demonstrations have broken out across the country, demanding the resignation of the government of Recip Tayyip Erdogan.
Angry relatives of the victims have booed the Prime Minister during his visit to Soma.
Around 100 miners are still believed to be trapped underground.
The official death toll from Tuesday's explosion is 276.
Demonstrators say a lack of effective measures are in-place to curb workplace deaths.
The protests come on the heels of a move by the Edrogan government to scuttle an opposition-led motion in parliament a couple of weeks ago to increase mine inspections in the same region where the disaster is taking place.
 
 
Ukraine holds roundtable talks without pro-Russia groups
 
Ukrainian government has held talks on the potential decentralization of power in Kiev.
The meeting is part of a peace plan crafted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
As part of the meeting, Ukraine's central authorities have crafted plans to address disaffection in eastern Ukraine by forging a decentralization agenda which might cede greater powers to regional governments.
However, no pro-Russian groups, who have already declared independence, have been included in the talks.
The meeting comes as the Ukrainian government prepares to hold a presidental election to permanently replace former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Pro-Russia activists in Luhansk have already declared they will not participate in the elections.
 
 
Chinese FM discusses South China Sea friction with Indonesian counterpart
 
The Chinese government is calling for restraint from the Vietnamese side amid the continuing tensions in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reportedly made the call during a telephone conversation with Indonesia's foreign minister.
Indonesia is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations, to which Vietnam is also a member-state.
The new statement follows violent protests against Chinese-owned businesses in southern Vietnam.
Anti-China sentiment has been on the rise in Vietnam amid the growing dispute over the Xisha Islands, which is claimed both by China and Vietnam.
The unrest began last week after Vienamese ships attempted to disrupt a Chinese oil drill from entering the waters in around the Xisha Islands.
 
 
Shanghai FTZ to see 1st private bank soon
 
The first privately-owned bank is poised to be established in the Shanghai free trade zone.
Shanghai-based conglomerates Fosun Group and Juneyao Group have been tipped as the first to receive the green light to open a private bank in the FTZ.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission is allowing 10 private companies to establish five private banks in the FTZ.
A division of the Shanghai banking regulator is going to oversee the new private banks.
The private banks are going to enjoy a relaxed loan-to-deposit ratio.
The ratio regulates the maximum amount of loans a lender can extend based on the deposits it holds at any-given time.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
BEIJING NEWS
HEADLINE
GSK bribery case moves forward
SUMMERY
Procecutors are now reviewing bribery investigation into GlaxoSmithKline.
After ten months of investigation, police have now handed over their files to prosecutors to determine whether a criminal case should go forward.
GSK has been accused of offering millions of US dollars worth of bribes to doctors to prescribe their drugs.
BEIJING MORNING POST
HEADLINE
Chinese families getting smaller
SUMMARY
An official report on family development is suggesting the size of the Chinese family is getting smaller, with single-person households on the rise.
The report published by the National Health and Family Planning Commission suggests low birth rates, late marriages and population migration are factors in the dwindling size of Chinese nuclear families.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
HEADLINE
Neptatism through fake documents
SUMMARY
A government official in Guangdong has punished for providing government positions for his sons through fake documents.
The man's sons had their educational backgrounds, personal records and work experience forged to get them the positions.
A number of others in the case, including the two sons, have also been sanctioned as a result.
CHINA DAILY
HEADLINE
Yao Ming suit
SUMMERY
A court in Beijing has accepted a case connected to deceptive advertizing connected to Yao Ming.
The petitioner claims the fish-oil products he purchased via a Guangdong-based company did nothing to reduce his memory loss.
Yao Ming has promoted products by said-company.
GLOBAL TIMES
HEADLINE
Arms trainers to Xinjiang
SUMMERY
The ministry of public security has dispatched teams to Xinjiang to provide weapons training to local police to deal with terrorist situations.
The team of 30 will be in Xinjiang for three months.
This follows a call by President Xi Jinping for a major crackdown on terrorism in the region.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
SWAT teams join railway patrols
SUMMERY
Tactical police units are now part of railway police patrols at Shanghai's main railway stations, as of this week.
The move follows the deadly attacks on the railway stations in Kunming and Urumqi this year.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Art Basel Hong Kong opens with growing interest in Chinese contemporary art
 
Anchor
The 2nd annual Art Basel Hong Kong Fair has opened in Hong Kong, with more than 200 galleries and around 3-thousand artists taking part.
CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.
Report
Art Basel has been the world's leading art fair since it was established in 1970. It is held annually in the Swiss city of Basel and at Miami Beach in the US.
The Hong Kong edition was launched last year by Art Basel's Asian Director Magnus Renfrew. With China's booming economy, the art market is also thriving. Magnus Renfrew says the art market is getting more mature in the country.
"Every year we get more and more applications from China but the quality is really going up every year. The gallery system is developing in China. It's a relatively young scene but people are beginning to really see the important role the galleries play in building and sustaining art for the long term. The rapidly developing audience is developing not just in Shanghai and Beijing, but in other cities across China."
The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing's 798 Art District has been invited to participate in the event. Its director Philip Tinari says Art Basel Hong Kong is a meeting place between China and the rest of the world in the field of art.
"You see an expansion of the program, new things like the art film section and of course, more galleries, more exhibitions and more institutions in Hong Kong. It's very firmly established on the international calendar. Many people from China come. It's easy for them to travel here, yet it is also highly international."
Other artists from both home and abroad are also excited to see Chinese works at Art Basel Hong Kong.
"I can feel that there is a growing interest in China's contemporary art scene among overseas artists. They closely follow our new developments. I am glad to see more familiar faces from China this time in Hong Kong."
"I was really shocked and surprised to see these younger artists really taking on their own identity and making their own works of art. It doesn't even necessarily look like they are from China. I like the fact that it's becoming more global."
Bringing together leading artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and critics from across the world, Art Basel Hong Kong is on until this weekend, and is jam-packed with exhibitions and talks.
For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Sevilla beat Benfica in penalty shoot out for Europa League title
 
Spanish side Sevilla have won their third Europa League title in nine seasons this morning as defeated Benfica after a tense penalty shoot-out finale.
Both clubs wasted fine chances throughout the match to end full and extra time goalless.
In the battle of the keepers Sevilla's Beto saved two shots against the Portuguese side, firstly by forward Oscar Cardazo and then Rodrigo who failed to deceive him with a stuttering run up.
The Sevilla goalkeeper thus helped his side to a final 4-2 victory.
This win ensures that Spanish sides make a clean sweep of Europe's season ending competitions. The final of the Champion's League on May 24 will be between two clubs from the country's capital, Atletico and Real Madrid.
 
 
Roger Federer Crashes Out Of Italy Open
 
Roger Federer has crashed out of the Italian open earlier than expected with a second round defeat to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Federer had been hoping to get his claycourt form back in gear after skipping last week's Madrid Open to attend the birth of his twin boys, but now at least he'll get to fly home early to spend some more time with them.
The record 17-time grand-slam winner seemed reserved to the loss.
　"Unfortunately it happened this way today," said Federer afterwards. "You know I think we both struggled at times in the wind today and at the end there was, you know, a shot here or there that decided the match."
The Fourth seed made a promising start takeing the first set 6-1 but in the windy dusty conditions Chardy fought back with some brutal forehand winners and saved match point in the tiebreak before sealing victory 1-6 6-3 7-6 (6).
Great Britain's Andy Murray seemed more comfortable with the swirling winds to ease past Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-2 7-5.
The seventh-seed will face Austrian Jeurgen Melzer in the next round.
AND Rafa Nadal - fresh from winning the Madrid Open - has battled through to the third round in Italy defeating Frenchman Giles Simon 7-6(1) 6-7(4) 6-2.
BJH/Sport Serena Williams shows no sign of injury defeating Andrea Petkovic at Italian Open
In the women's event Serena Williams eased past Andrea Petkovic of Germany winning in straight sets 6-2 6-2.
The top-ranked American showed no signs of suffering from the left thigh injury that forced her to withdraw from the Madrid open just over a week earler.
Williams plays her compatriot Varvara Lepchenko in the next round, whom she defeated in straight sets in their only previous encounter in Brisbane in 2013.
She will be seeking her 652nd professional match win, which would tie her with sister Venus for 10th place on the Open Era list.
 
 
NHL & NBA playoffs
 
It's an elimination Thursday in both the NBA and NHL this morning, with all four games in both leagues seeing teams possibly hitting the golf course early.
In the NBA,
The Miami Heat are looking to finish off the Brooklyn Nets at home.
The Heat hold a 3-1 series advantage.
A victory will put the Heat into the Eastern Conference finals against either Indiana or Washington.
Indiana missed out on a chance to advance to the finals yesterday morning after getting hammered by the Wizzards 102-79.
--
In the West,
It's San Antonio looking to put the nail in Portland's coffin.
The Spurs come into this morning's game also holding a 3-1 series advantage, despite being outplayed by Portland 103-92 in Game-4 on Monday.
Tip-off in that game is 9:30am Beijing Time.
---------
In the National Hockey League,
The Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens are locked in a winner-take-all Game-7 right now, in Boston.
The Canadiens managed to stave-off elimination with a 4-nothing shutout of the Bruins on Monday morning.
--
And out west,
Despite starting out with a pair of losses to open the series, the Anaheim Ducks are in-position to eliminate the upstart Kings from the playoffs later on this morning as they take on the Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Kings, who came from 3-nothing down in their first series to defeat San Jose, and then win 2-straight on-the-road in Anaheim, have lost their next three-straight, and face elimination at home.
Puck drop in LA is set for 9:30am Beijing-time.
 
 
Wenger not complacent ahead of FA Cup final clash with Hull
 
In English football
Arsenal are hoping to end a nine-year wait for trophies this weekend as they take on Hull City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The Gunners have not lifted a trophy since 2005 when Arsen Wenger's side beat Manchester United to win that year's FA Cup on a penalty shootout.
This season, Arsenal spent 128 days at the top of the table, more than any other side but fell away in the last few months as Manchester City won their second Premier League title in three years.
Under criticism for his lack of trophies, Wenger pointed to his team's record of 17-successive seasons in the Champions League:
　"I don't believe that we need any warning. We know that a final is a final, that Hull is a Premier League team. They can pass the ball, they can create chances and it's just down to us (to) perform well on the day of the game and we just want to focus on that," he said.
　　
Hull finished 16th in the table with 37 points, four above the relegation zone and Wenger said they would not take Bruce's team lightly, even though they won both Premier League encounters this season.
　　　　
The FA Cup final kicks off at 4pm GMT on Saturday, that's at midnight Beijing time.
 
 
Park Ji-Sung retires from football
 
South Korean Park Ji-sung has announced his retirement from football ending a career that took him to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and saw him become the first Asian to play in a UEFA Champions League final.
Park's industry, energy and work ethic made him a favourite of Alex Ferguson during his time at Manchester United and his performances in England and with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven helped raise the profile of Korean soccer around the world.
The 33-year-old had already called time on his international career after the 2011 Asian Cup.
Park said he could not continue to play at the highest level because of knee issues but says he ends his professional career with no regrets.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
"Grace of Monaca" opens Cannes Film Festival
 
"Good evening, it is an honour to declare open the 67th edition of the International Cannes Film Festival."
This year's Festival in southern France has begun, but with some controversy this year.
The opening of the annual Cannes festival has premired "Grace of Monaco".
Directed by Olivier Dahan, it stars Nicole Kidman as screen icon Grace Kelly, who became the Princess of Monaco after marrying married Prince Rainier.
Kelly died in a car crash in the principality, not far from where Cannes is located.
(Grace of Monaco)
The royal family in Monaco has criticized the film as a "farce," saying it bares no relation to reality.
The film portrays the turbulance Grace Kelly is said to have had in dealing with royal life.
Nicole Kidman says the idea of the film is not to slander the Monarchy in Monaco.
"Obviously I feel sad because I think that the film has no malice towards the family or particularly towards Grace or Rainier. It's fictionalised obviously.　We've said that. It's not a biopic. There's the essence of truth but as with a lot of these things, you take dramatic license at times."
This year's jury is led by New Zealand director Jane Campion, who won the top prize in Cannes in 1993.
She's used the opening news conference to take a swipe at what she feels is sexism in the film industry.
"Excuse me gentlemen but the guys do seem to eat all of the cake. And it's not that I resent the male filmmakers, I love all of them, but there is something that women are thinking of doing that we don't get to know enough about. And it's always a surprise for the world when a woman filmmaker does come out and you get a more feminine vision."
Zhang Yimou is also due to showcase his new film "Gui Lai", or Going Home.
The film itself is not in-competition.
Chinese director Jia Zhangke is on this year's competition awards panel.
"I think it is an honor for a film to played at the Cannes Film Festival, regardless of the section it entered.　I think we should clap for Zhang Yi Mou."
This year's Cannes Film Festival runs until May 25th.
The winner of this year's Palme d'Or will be announced on May 24.
 
 
Conan O'Brien's 'Conan' talk show to stay through 2018
 
Its been announced Conan O'Brien will continue his hosting gig on his late-night talk show on TBS through 2018.
O'Brien moved to Turner Broadcasting System's TBS channel in 2010 after his split with NBC.
His late-night show averages more than 860,000 viewers per episode.
TBS says O'Brien helps bring "an incredibly young audience to TBS."
 
 
'Searching for Sugar Man' director dies at 36
 
The family of Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul have confirmed he took his own life.
The "Searching For Sugarman" documentary director was found dead this week outside Stockholm.
He was only 36.
Bendjelloul's family says the director had been struggling with depression.
"Search for Sugarman" follows the life and career of American singer Sixto Rodriguez.
Rodriguez career never took off in the United States.
However, his music later became famous in apartheid-era South Africa without him even knowing about it.
The documentary helped resurrect the career of Rodriquez, who is now touring in the US.
 
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Mass protests have broken out in Turkey following Tuesday's mining disaster which has left over 300 dead and missing.
National talks have taken place in Ukraine in an attempt to try to ease tensions in the country's restive eastern regions.
A 2nd day of talks is set to take place later today in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 grouping.
In Business... certian experts calling for stimulus here in China amid new stats suggesting the economy is still slowing down.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.