新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/05/19

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

Shane Bigham with you on this Monday, May 19th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Violence against Chinese nationals in Vietnam is having an impact on bilateral relations...
Authorities are blaming the East Turkistan Islamic Movement for the train station attack in Xinjiang late last month
And Chinese workers in Northern Cameroon have been attacked. Some blame Boko Haram.. .
In Business... declines in real estate prices have been recorded in more Chinese cities...
In sports...victory for Chinese hurdler Xie Wenjun
In entertainment...A Sgt. Pepper tribute album...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be overcast today with a high of 31 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 17.
Shanghai will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 23.
Overnight, it will see slight rain with a low of 18.
In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 26.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 19.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 35.
Kabul will have slight rain with a high of 17.
Over to North America.
New York will be cloudy today with a high of 21 degrees.
Washington will be cloudy with a high of 23 degrees.
Honolulu, slight rain, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will be overcast with a high of 19 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China suspends bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam
 
Anchor
The Chinese government says it will suspend some of its plans for bilateral exchanges with Vietnam.
The move comes in response to the deadly violence against Chinese nationals in the country.
CRI's Ding Lulu has more.
Reporter
The announcement is from Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, commenting on possible repercussions stemming from the violence in Vietnam.
So far at least two Chinese nationals in Vietnam have died and more than 100 others have been injured.
Along with the bloodshed, Hong says property has also been damaged, and the climate for proper bilateral cooperation and communications has been sabotaged.
He adds that China will also consider taking further measures according to the situation's development.
China has also lifted the level of the security warning for Chinese tourists in Vietnam, warning its citizens not to travel to the country.
Some major Chinese travel agencies have also suspended their Vietnam tour services.
Meanwhile, five ships have been dispatched to Vietnam to evacuate Chinese nationals caught in the deadly anti-China violence.
The vessels set off from a port in Haikou, China's southmost province of Hainan.
Zhang Jie is Hainan's deputy director of Maritime Safety Administration.
"We have sent captains who are capable of performing this kind of work. Sea charts have been updated. The ships are new and we have completed inspections."
Also on Sunday several hundreds of Chinese nationals have been taken back by charted flights arranged by the Chinese government.
16 critically injured people are now receiving medical treatment.
China's foreign ministry says more than three-thousand Chinese nationals have already been evacuated from Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government has expressed its regret over the violence and ordered an end to the anti-foreign protests.
The deadly attacks against Chinese personnel and companies in Vietnam come after China frustrated a series of provocative moves by Hanoi to disrupt the work of a Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
ETIM terrorist behind Xinjiang railway station attack
 
The terror group known as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement is being blamed for last month's attack at a train station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Officials in the region say the attack was planned by Ismail Yusup, from somewhere outside of China.
Ten members of the group slashed people and set off explosives at the exit of the South Railway Station in Urumqi, early in the evening on April 30th.
The explosion killed two terrorists.
The other eight have been arrested.
Chinese police are looking for Ismail Yusup with help from International authorities.
 
 
Cameroon condemns attack to Chinese camp
 
The government of Cameroon has condemned an attack on a Chinese company's camp.
A group of unidentified gunmen attacked a camp in northern Cameroon on Friday night, leaving one Cameroonian soldier dead, one Chinese employee injured and ten others missing.
The Chinese company is engaged in a road improvement project co-financed by the World Bank and the Cameroon government.
A spokesperson says that the Cameroon government will "spare no effort" to find the missing Chinese employees, who are believed to have been abducted.
No group has claimed responsibility to the attack yet.
However the attack took place at the northern border between Cameroon and Nigeria, a stronghold of the Boko Haram rebels.
Lu Qingjiang, the political counselor in the Chinese embassy in Cameroon, says that they can not verify the identity of the attackers yet.
"The Far North region of Cameroon is less than 30 kilometers away from Nigeria. The situation there has been unstable with incidents of foreigners being abducted by the Boko Haram group. We are now mainly focused on the aftermath of the attack but I also want to warn Chinese nationals in Cameroon not to travel to this area in the north."
The attack took place as Cameroon President Paul Biya was attending a security summit in Paris to explore measures to counter Boko Haram.
"The problem with Boko Haram is that it is no longer only a Nigerian problem, it is becoming a regional problem, if not a problem for the whole of Africa. So we are here to declare war on Boko Haram, we will chase them and we will defeat those terrorists."
The summit was called by French President Francois Hollande after Boko Haram abducted 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria in early April.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and representatives from Chad, Niger, Benin, the United States and Britain were also attending the meeting.
Leaders at the summit have promised to take coordinated measures to fight the Islamist group, which extends its reach to five African countries.
It concluded with promises to coordinate border patrols, pool intelligence, and track trafficked weapons to cope with Boko Haram.
 
 
Russia-China ties to expand: Putin
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country's cooperation with China has reached its all-time best and ties are ready to expand.
Putin made the comment before attending the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia slated for Tuesday and Wednesday in Shanghai.
Putin, who will also pay a state visit to China on the sidelines of the summit, says he will hammer out future objectives with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Russian President says the two countries should give priority to enhancing cooperation in economy, science and high technology.
Over 20 international leaders including 11 heads of state will attend this week's CICA summit.
CICA member states are expected to issue a Shanghai Declaration on commitments to strengthening strategic coordination.
The CICA was set up in 1992 and now has 24 member countries and 13 observers.
 
 
Forces loyal to retired general attack Libyan parliament
 
Forces loyal to a retired Libyan general have attacked the country's parliament, detaining some 20 lawmakers and officials.
Witnesses say the attackers rode in on trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and armoured vehicles.
"We do not want any more militias or displays of arms. And Tripoli is considered a civilian city and we do not want anyone coming here and terrorising us, like what happened today."
Retired General Khalifa Hifter's spokesman says the attack is part of an effort to rid parliament of Islamists.
Hifter has blamed officials for allowing extremist forces to exert considerable influence in the country.
The retired general has been carrying out attacks against Islamist militias in the country's second largest city, Benghazi, since Friday.
At least 79 people have died and 140 injured in the fighting.
Hifter claims he is trying to purge the city of terrorists, but the interim government defines it as a coup.
Libya's parliament is divided between Islamist and non-Islamist forces who have bickered over appointing a new government and holding new elections.
Earlier, the Head of Libya's military police demanded the dissolution of the interim parliament, saying the country's constitutional assembly should take over.
 
 
26 Egypt MB supporters jailed to 10 years over violence
 
An Egyptian court sentenced 126 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to 10 years in prison over violence that erupted last August in Kafar Sheikh Delta province.
The defendants were accused of storming police stations and inciting violence following the ouster of the former president Mohamed Morsi last July.
Security forces used excessive force to disperse two major pro- Morsi sit-ins in mid-August last year in the capital Cairo and in Giza, leaving about 1,000 killed and thousands of others arrested.
In response, Morsi-supporters staged anti-police rallies across the country that resulted in the storming of police stations in dozens of provinces.
The Brotherhood was blacklisted by the interim-government last December as a "terrorist organization."
Nearly 700 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were sentenced to death last month.
 
 
Modi visits Hindu temple town after winning strongest mandate to govern
 
India's newly-elected leader Narendra Modi has visited one of his two constituencies -- the north Indian temple town of Varanasi.
The Hindu nationalist leader took part in a Hindu ceremony on the banks of the river Ganges, where hundreds of people had gathered to greet him.
In the last phase of the mammoth Indian election, Modi was denied permission to hold a rally in the city due to fear of law and order problems.
His Bharatiya Janta Party, or BJP, has alleged that the city's election commissioner was politically motivated in issuing the order.
In his address to his supporters in Varanasi, Modi lashed out at the Congress Party, the outgoing ruling coalition.
"We have seen governments being formed from coalition, but for the first time, it seems that even the formation of recognizable opposition in the Indian Parliament would require some sort of coalition. Until now, there is no strong opposition. The people of the country have slapped them in such a way that they have to first try and set a recognizable opposition in the first place."
Outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress Party suffered its worst ever defeat in this year's general elections, ending its decades of dominance of Indian politics by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
Modi's BJP won a landslide majority in parliament.
With more than six times the seats of its closest rival, Modi gained the most decisive mandate to govern for any leader since 1984.
That will give the 63-year-old former tea-seller ample room to advance economic reforms to bring the emerging Indian economy forward.
Modi will be sworn in as the new prime minister on May 21.
 
 
Rally in Kiev marks 70th anniversary of deportation of Crimean Tatars
 
A rally was held in Kiev on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of the deportation of Tatars from the Crimean peninsula.
Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian supporters joined the gathering, which saw candles placed on the ground in the shape of the peninsula.
Crimean Tatars leader Mustafa Dzhemilev took part in the commemoration.
"Today we are talking about what was done and what should be done to overcome the consequences of the deportation. This year, our rallies are prohibited (in Crimea). Even without the military, the Crimean Tatars will have a demonstration anyway, another thing that local authorities will try to restrict. But this is consolidating people more."
Thousands of families were relocated in the 1944 Soviet deportation operation - mainly to central Asia.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Crimean Tatars have been trying to return to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia earlier this year.
 
 
3 arrested over Turkish mining disaster
 
Three people have now been charged following the mine disaster in Turkey that killed 301 people.
The suspects are accused of negligence and of being responsible for multiple deaths.
Prosecutors say they are among 25 people taken into custody.
Bekir Sahiner is a prosecutor.
"In total, 25 people have been detained including the chairman of the board. Six of them have been sent to the Soma criminal court with a demand of arrest, three have been arrested after interrogation."
The arrests follow allegations by miners that the company failed to heed safety concerns.
The mine at Soma, southwest of Istanbul, collapsed last week after an underground explosion.
It is the country's worst-ever mining disaster.
Hundreds of people have taken to the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, protesting against the mine operators and the government.
Baran Gencoglu is a demonstrator.
"Today we gathered here to celebrate the miners who died in Soma. A national mourning period was declared throughout the whole country. However, we think that it is not enough just to declare a mourning period. This should also be seen as the beginning of a struggle."
Authorities say the formerly state-run mine has been inspected 11 times over the past five years.
A preliminary report points to several safety violations in the mine, including a shortage of carbon monoxide detectors.
 
 
Serbian town under floodwaters
 
The Serbian town of Obrenovac remains under high floodwaters as emergency workers prepare for the water to crest on a river nearby.
Authorities say 12 bodies have been found so far. The town is 30 kilometers southwest of Belgrade.
Radivoje Tomic is a local resident.
"My children are still inside the town, near the town high school, and I'm trying to get to them. I've spoken to them over the phone, and they haven't been evacuated yet. I've felt nothing but sympathy for the people inside for the last three days, as has everyone else."
Meanwhile, floodwaters are also threatening the country's biggest coal-fired power plant in the area.
Parts of the Nikola Tesla plant and a nearby mine that provides its fuel are already underwater.
Emergency workers have stacked sandbags along nearby River Sava, as water levels are expected to peak later.
The Balkans has seen its worst flooding in decades, with 25 people dead and tens of thousands of people forced from their homes.
 
 
Saudi Arabia reports 2 more MERS coronavirus cases
 
Health authorities in Saudi Arabia have reported two new cases of MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and one new death.
Despite tough measures to prevent the spread of the virus, new cases and deaths are now being reported daily in the country.
There have been more than 500 confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia since 2012.
That includes 169 deaths.
According to Arab News today, scientists who lead the fight against the deadly virus said that the next critical front is to understand how the virus behaves in people with milder infections, and to find out who might spread the illness unaware of having it.
 
 
Glaciers in west Canada in rapid melt: report
 
A report says glaciers in Alaska and western Canada are in rapid retreat and pose a major climate-change issue.
The information is detailed in the American state-of-the-union report on climate change, also known as the National Climate Assessment.
It's feared that some glaciers in the Rocky Mountains could be gone by the year 2030, with most of the rest gone by the end of the century.
The water from these ice sheets will raise ocean levels by 30 centimetres or more, affecting ocean currents and the global climate.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
Let's get a preview of what's set to take place in the business world this week.
Here's CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter
This week, investors will eye the latest US Federal Reserve meeting minutes as well as a speech by Chair Janet Yellen.
The US central bank will release the minutes from its latest meeting this Wednesday, while Yellen is scheduled to deliver a commencement address to NYU graduates at Yankee Stadium.
In terms of US economic data, Thursday will offer reports on weekly jobless claims, the PMI manufacturing index, existing home sales, leading indicators, and the Kansas City Fed manufacturing index. On Friday, there is the latest report on new home sales.
Investors also will get reports on Germany's producer price index on Tuesday. The euro-zone current account and consumer confidence report are due Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the Bank of England will release minutes from its latest meeting. Eureo-zone PMI manufacturing and services data is due on Thursday along with German first-quarter GDP and IFO data.
On the corporate front, Hewlett-Packard, Gap, Tiffany, Vodafone and Target are among companies scheduled to release earnings in the coming days.
 
 
Call-in with Mike Emerging property market bust in small and medium sized Chinese cities
 
Anchor
New data shows more Chinese cities are reporting month-on-month drops in new home prices.
The National Bureau of Statistics says of 70 major Chinese cities, eight recorded declines in April, double the number recorded in March.
Price gains were recorded in 44 cities, down from 56 the month before.
For existing homes, prices increased in 35 cities month on month in April, down from 42 cities in March.
For more on what's happening in the property market here in China, we're joined on the line by Mike Bastin, visiting professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
1. What does the current trend tell you about the health of the real estate market right now?
2. What's the possibility of the real estate bubble bursting?
3. With real estate cooling, what other sectors of the economy are at risk? Any risk of a hard landing?
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
 
 
APEC roadmap to plan free trade area
 
A ministerial meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has reiterated its resolution to draft a roadmap concerning the establishment of a Free Trade Area for Asia-Pacific.
The decision was reached at the annual "APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting" which wrapped up in China's eastern city of Qingdao on Sunday.
Sun Yuanjing, an official in charge of trade affairs under the Ministry of Commerce, says APEC first formally started discussing the concept of a Free Trade Area for Asia-Pacific at its summit in 2006, and China now wants to give the process another boost.
"Many free trade agreements have been signed around the world, and the concept of integration has been spreading globally. There is no consensus so far on the rules and standards in this regard. So, what we need to do is study and analyze the universal qualities of all the existing free trade zones, and then discuss the future of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific."
The official also said the proposed free trade area will not contradict other free trade arrangements in the Asia Pacific region, like the US-proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The roadmap is expected to be finalized within the year.
APEC's 21 members contributed approximately 57 percent of the world's GDP and 46 percent of world trade last year.
 
 
Proposal on minimum wage rejected in Swiss referendum
 
Swiss voters have rejected the world's highest minimum wage.
A referendum on Sunday has seen the defeat of an initiative that was launched by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions.
Labour leaders had gathered more than 100-thousand signatures since 2012 to get this initiative on the ballot.
The union had been calling for a minimum wage of 22 Swiss francs, or roughly 25 US dollars an hour. That's over 155 RMB.
More than 76-percent of voters rejected the idea. The majority of voters in all regions rejected it. Voter turnout was over 56 percent.
There were mixed views on the streets of Geneva.
"No I am not really disappointed because I voted against it. We always think of others but I don't think it's ideal for Switzerland,"
"Yes, I am disappointed because there is still a big difference in wages between rich and poor people,"
Sunday's vote is the latest in a slew of initiatives being put to voters to try to address the widening income gap in the generally egalitarian country.
 
 
China's biggest bank gets approval for Kuwait branch
 
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country's biggest bank, has got final approval to open a branch in Kuwait, which wants to free up its banking sector.
The last approval comes from the Kuwait Finance Ministry.
ICBC got approvals last year from Kuwait's central bank and cabinet.
It will be the bank's fourth branch in the Gulf Arab region after Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Kuwait, a major oil exporter, said in March it would allow foreign banks to open multiple branches, part of a strategy to spur growth.
International names have been able to operate in the country since 2004 but, until this year, had only been able to open one branch. This is ICBC's first branch.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China suspends bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam
 
China is to suspend some of its plans for bilateral exchanges with Vietnam in response to the deadly violence against Chinese nationals in the country.
So far at least two Chinese nationals in Vietnam have died and more than 100 others have been injured.
China has also lifted the level of the security warning for Chinese tourists in Vietnam, warning its citizens not to travel to the country.
Meanwhile, five ships have been dispatched to Vietnam to evacuate Chinese nationals caught in the violence.
More than three-thousand Chinese nationals have already been evacuated from Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government has expressed its regret over the violence and ordered an end to the anti-foreign protests.
 
 
ETIM terrorist behind Xinjiang railway station attack
 
The terror group known as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement is being blamed for last month's attack at a train station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Officials in the region say the attack was planned by Ismail Yusup, from somewhere outside of China.
Ten members of the group slashed people and set off explosives at the exit of the South Railway Station in Urumqi, early in the evening on April 30th.
The explosion killed two terrorists.
The other eight have been arrested.
Chinese police are looking for Ismail Yusup with help from International authorities.
 
 
Russia-China ties to expand: Putin
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country's cooperation with China has reached its all-time best and ties are ready to expand.
Putin made the comment before attending the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia slated for Tuesday and Wednesday in Shanghai.
Putin, who will also pay a state visit to China on the sidelines of the summit, says he will hammer out future objectives with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Russian President says the two countries should give priority to enhancing cooperation in economy, science and high technology.
Over 20 international leaders including 11 heads of state will attend this week's CICA summit.
CICA member states are expected to issue a Shanghai Declaration on commitments to strengthening strategic coordination.
The CICA was set up in 1992 and now has 24 member countries and 13 observers.
 
 
126 Egypt MB supporters jailed to 10 years over violence
 
An Egyptian court sentenced 126 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to 10 years in prison over violence that erupted last August in Kafar Sheikh Delta province.
The defendants were accused of storming police stations and inciting violence following the ouster of the former president Mohamed Morsi last July.
Security forces used excessive force to disperse two major pro- Morsi sit-ins in mid-August last year in the capital Cairo and in Giza, leaving about 1,000 killed and thousands of others arrested.
In response, Morsi-supporters staged anti-police rallies across the country that resulted in the storming of police stations in dozens of provinces.
The Brotherhood was blacklisted by the interim-government last December as a "terrorist organization."
Nearly 700 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were sentenced to death last month.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
HEADLINE
SOUTH CHINA METREPOLITAN DAILY
SUMMERY
Over one hundred flights at Baiyun airport were delayed by the rainstorm in Guangdong province on Sunday.
Some passengers got refunds and altered tickets from the airport.
The airport has resumed normal operation and warns passengers to keep an eye on weather condition and flight changes as the rainy season gets underway.
BEIJING MORNING POST
HEADLINE
Yellow River's four-lane rail bridge in use
SUMMERY
The first four-lane railway bridge over the Yellow River was put into operation on Friday, replacing a two-lane span which had been in service since 1960.
The new bridge in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan Province, is about 100 meters away from the old one.
The 2,200-meter-long bridge is resistant to big floods and has a life span of 100 years.
BEIJING TIMES
HEADLINE
300 firms leaving Beijing to reduce smog in capital
SUMMERY
Beijing will move those heavy polluters out of the capital before October to reduce smog and speed up industrial reform, according to authorities.
The companies, which have high water and energy consumption, include construction material and furniture manufacturers.
Beijing authorities are also drawing up guidelines to encourage polluting enterprises to move out and are cracking down on illegal plants that cause pollution.
BEIJING YOUTH DAILY
Chemical spill contaminates China river, drinking water affected
SUMMERY
Water utility companies along the Fuchun River in east China's Zhejiang Province stopped drawing water from the river at noon on Sunday following a chemical spill in its upper reaches.
The spill happened at around 3 a.m. on Sunday when a tanker truck carrying tetrachloroethane overturned on a road in Tonglu County and some of its content spilled into the Fuchun River.
Tap water was cut off at noon.
CHINA DAILY
HEADLINE
UFOs crashed in Heilongjiang were rocket parts
SUMMERY
Authorities have identified objects that fell into Northeast China as parts from a carrier rocket or a satellite.
Experts in the province have conducted analysis to identify the objects and the authorities are communicating on the issue with relevant parties.
Reports of several unidentified objects which appeared to have fallen from the sky began circulating on Friday.
XINHUA
99 couples married in Xinjiang group wedding
SUMMERY
They got married on Saturday in the biggest group wedding ever held in northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region
Those who tied the knot during the ceremony in Markit County are from three ethnic groups -- Uygur, Han and Hui.
PEOPLE.CN
HEADLINE
Dispute with neighbor triggers China suicidal blast
SUMMERY
An explosion killed two people and injured another three in east China's Anhui Province Friday.
local government said the incident started with a neighborhood dispute.
Further investigation into the case is ongoing.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Capture the Magic of Ballroom Dance
 
Anchor
At the ongoing "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival, an art troupe from Brigham Young University has brought its premiere team to China, aiming to captivate audiences with the magic of ballroom dance.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter
Stretching his body in the concert hall of Tsinghua University, 24-year-old AJ Heaps is warming up for the show in the evening. Having traveled to China with his grandparents in 2005, the country is not a strange land to this American student. However, this is his first time coming here as a dancer.
"I am excited to be here for dance. The cool thing I like about dance is that something could be communicated without words. So here we are, performing for Chinese audiences. We can convey the emotion behind our pieces just with our bodies, with music. "
AJ and his peers might be fresh faces, but the art troupe they belong to - the Brigham Young University Performing Groups - is familiar to Chinese audiences. Thirty five years ago, as a project of cultural exchange, the musical theater group from BYU came to perform in Beijing.
Edward Blaser, director of performing arts management for the group, recalls that tour in 1979.
"It was Young Ambassadors, which is a musical variety show. But it's mostly musical dance from Broadway and Disney, music that people recognize in the west. They learned a few songs in Chinese, some folk songs. But the audience loved it."
At this year's "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival, it is the ballroom dance company that will shine on the stage. As the champion of the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival, the team is going to showcase its most famous piece: "Capture the Magic."
The artistic director of the company, Linda Wakefield, explains.
"It was one of our competition medleys. So I would say, this was one of the dances that we worked the hardest on. The routine itself is pretty much new. It's not even a year old. So we are excited about that, for both medleys. We have Latin medley and ballroom medley. "
But what makes the show really stand out is unique humor and creativity; turning off the stage lamps and using fluorescent light, dancers all wear black to present famed Nintendo video games characters. Ninja Turtles chase after bad guys, Pac-Man starts to eat dots, and Super Mario races through the mushroom kingdom. The familiar music and light-hearted humor can tickle the funny bone of any visitor.
(SB, audience1, male, Chinese)
"I think this show is really good. Although the names of these dance pieces, such as waltz and cha-cha, they all sound familiar, the choreography is really fresh. "
"The performance is excellent. Those dancers are very devoted and passionate. The show is really contagious. "
Along with Beijing, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company will perform in Shanghai, Hong Kong and three other Chinese cities during this May.
BACK ANCHOR:
CRI's He Fei reporting
 
 
Sports
 
 
Shanghai hurdler Xie Wenjun beat world championship medalists to win the Shanghai Diamond League
 
From the Diamond League in Shanghai, Chinese hurdler Xie Wenjun earned a suprise win in the men's 110-meter event.
The 23-year-old Shanghai native set a personal best of 13.23 seconds and won his first title in the Diamond League by beating last year's three World Championship medalists.
"My feeling is unbelievable because it's also my dream. It's an honor to win the race in my hometown. It's also an affirmation to my training in the past few years. I believe there are more victories waiting for me to achieve."
Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France finished second and the bronze went to defending champion David Oliver of the United States.
In other results last night, American sprinter Justin Gatlin won the men's 100 meters clocking 9.92 seconds.
"You know, just the start, just had to make sure that I get from the blocks. All my competitors are fast starters. I want to control the race. By the middle of the race, I just bring it home. You know the fans were very excited."
Jamaica's Nesta Carter was 0.2 seconds back in second and American Michael Rodgers was third.
And in pole vaulting, France's Olympic champion and indoor world record holder Renaud Lavillenie won the men's event with a mark of 5.92 metres.
Greece's Konstadínos Filippidis and China's Xue Changrui both had best jumps of 5.62 metres to tie for second place.
 
 
Juventus set points record in the Italian Series A history
 
In football,
First, in Serie A, Italian champions Juventus has set a new all time record of 102 points in a single season after beating Cagliari (call-yar-ee) 3-0 last night.
Juventus clinched its third title in a row last week with two games to spare. It's the first ever Italian club to reach the 100-point milestone.
The win came just one day after coach Antonio Conte signed an extension with the club, keeping him until 2018.
Meanwhile, AC Milan defeated Sassuolo 2-1 victory, but it's too little too late as they will miss any European competition next season after finishing in seventh in the league.
Parma has qualified for Europa league next season after beating Livorno 2-0 and clinching sixth place in Serie A.
In other major European leagues during the weekend,
Bayern Munich's season title tally has increased to four after the team clinched this year's German Cup with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
In Spain, Atletico Madrid sealed its first La Liga title in 18 years following a 1-1 draw at Barcelona.
And Arsenal lifted its first trophy in nine years after the team recovered from two goals down to defeat Hull City 3-2 in the English FA Cup final.
 
 
Guangzhou Evergrande regains leader position following a 4-1 victory at Hangzhou
 
Over here in the Chinese Super League,
Title-holder Guangzhou Evergrande has regained sole possession of the league leader after thumping Hangzhou Greentown 4-1 last night.
The away win helped to boost Guangzhou to the top with 30 points, while Beijing Guo'an lost its share of the top spot in the league after losing 2-1 to Shanghai Shenxin on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Shandong Luneng has snapped its three game losing skid after a 3-all draw with Shanghai East Asia last night.
Shandong is now ten points behind leaders Guangzhou Evergrande in fourth. Shanghai East Asia has the same number of points but sits in the fifth position because of goal differential.
 
 
Indiana takes Eastern Final opener
 
In the NBA playoffs,
Paul George scored 24 points and dished out 7 assists as Indiana beat Miami 107-96 and took a 1-0 lead in the opening game of the eastern conference final.
Five other players from Indiana scored in double digit, with David West and Roy Hibbert each providing 19 points.
LeBron James led the Heat with a double-double, 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwyane Wade added 27 points.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Flaming Lips to release Sgt Pepper's tribute album
 
(Sgt Pepper)
The Flaming Lips have announced that they'll be releasing their own version of the Beatles album - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The American group said the album will be called "with a little help from my fwends" and feature collaborations with other artists such as Moby and..... Miley Cyrus.
The Album is due out in October BUT the version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds featuring Cyrus has already been released..
In 2009 the group made a similar tribute to Pink Floyd's iconic album Dark Side of the Moon.
Proceeds of the Beatles Tribute album will go to people struggling to look after their pets in the Flaming Lips hometown of Oklahoma city.
 
 
Salma Hayek defends Cannes red carpet protest
 
At the Cannes Film Festival,
Hollywood actress Salma Hayek has defended her decision to stage a mini-protest on the red carpet.
The Mexican starlette - - broke with festival protocol on Saturday by holding up a sign calling for the release of the 200 schoolgirls being kept hostage in Nigeria.
　　"I've always been involved with the cause of fighting for women's rights and I took the opportunity because there were going to be so many photographers to exert pressure and remind them we want these girls back, they have to do something about it.　Even though there is a film festival and I'm so honored to be here and excited about my film, we don't want to forget about it for a minute,"
She's the latest star to lend her name to a social media campaign appealing to their captors to set them free.
 
 
Expendables cause chaos at Cannes
 
Also at Cannes,
Some of Hollywood's biggest action stars caused total and utter chaos as they rode in on a tank. – Yes I said a tank!
Sylvester Stalone, Dolph Lungren, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Wesley Sniped caused total and utter Bedlam as they waved from the tracked vehicle to swathes of adoring fans.
These are just some of the big names who feature in Stallones latest action fest.. The Expendables 3.　　
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 14th to 25th May.
 
 
Star Wars Stars Shooting
 
(Star Wars)
The latest film in the Star Wars Franchise has begun shooting.
Star Wars Episode VII, directed by JJ Arams is the first film in the series to be released by Disney after George Lucas sold the rights to them in 2009.
Earlier a photo showing original cast members set the internet message boards alight.
Little is known about the new film except that it is set around 35 years after Return of the Jedi and will center around a group of young leads for whom there was an open casting.
The film is set from release in December next year.
 
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Violence against Chinese nationals in Vietnam is having an impact on bilateral relations...
Authorities are blaming the East Turkistan Islamic Movement for the train station attack in Xinjiang late last month
And Chinese workers in Northern Cameroon have been attacked. Some blame Boko Haram.. .
In Business... declines in real estate prices have been recorded in more Chinese cities...
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.