新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/05/23

 
The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
This is Friday, May 23, 2014.
 
Survivors of yesterday's deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang have been recounting the details of what took place in Urumqi.
The Chinese government is refuting Vietnamese suggestions that China is trying to "stir up trouble" in the South China Sea.
Clashes have been intensifying in eastern Ukraine ahead of a Presidential election in that country on Sunday.
In Business, the Chinese government is moving to make it easier for foreign investors here in China.
In sports, China's men's team is bounced from the Thomas cup badminton tournament.
And in entertainment, the new X-men movie has hit Chinese movie screens today.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will see thundershowers tonight with a low of 20 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow will also have some rain with a high of 25 degrees.
Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 20. Clouds will still roll into Shanghai tomorrow, with a high of 27.
Chongqing will have showers tonight and tomorrow, with lows tonight down to 21 and highs tomorrow of 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia
Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 36.
Also cloudy in Kabul with a highs only to 21.
Down in Australia
Sydney, cloudy, highs of 23.
Canberra, cloudy, 16.
Brisbane, sunny, highs of 24.
And finally, Perth will be rainy and a high of 16.
 
 
You can follow us on our weibo account at t.qq.com/BeijingHour, or wechat account: the Beijing Hour, or email us directly at [email protected].
 
 
Top News
 
 
China Xinjiang Attacks Condemnation- Injured, families strongly condemn Urumqi terror attack
 
Anchor:
Survivors in this week's deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi are speaking out about what exactly happened Thursday morning.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter:
The bloody attack took place in an open-air market in Urumqi, leaving at least 31 dead and 94 others hurt injured.
62-year old Shareguli Shayiti is one of those injured in the attack.
"I was about to buy some beef and some dates, and I saw everyone around me start pushing and running. I don't know how I fell over, all I know is that I did fall over. When I stood up I found my hand was fractured.
79-year old Tian Jufeng also survived the attack.
He says he's lived near the open-market for 16-years.
"The fire burst out suddenly and I didn't know what was happening. When I turned around, a car was already on top of me. I felt like there was no-one around and struggled to crawl out."
The injured, including Shareguli and Tian, are expressing strong indignation against the attackers.
Chinese authorities are also strongly condemned the attack, and are vowing to work harder in fighting terrorism and safeguarding social stability in Xinjiang.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"In response to the attack, Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to solve the case quickly and severely punish terrorists, and to spare no effort in maintaining stability. The Chinese government is confident and capable of cracking down on violent terrorists."
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack has also sparked strong condemnation from the international community.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has issued a statement, saying "there is no justification for the killing of civilians."
The United States, Russia, France and the European Union have also issued condemnations.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.
"The United States strongly condemns the violent terrorist attack today May 22 against innocent citizens in a market area near People's Park in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. We offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to the victims, their families and all of those affected by this tragedy."
The attack is the deadliest in Urumqi since violent riots broke out in the regional capital in July of 2009.
This latest incident comes just weeks after an attack at a railway station in Urumqi, which killed three and left 79 others injured.
 
 
China urges Vietnam to stop interferences: spokesman
 
The Chinese government has released a new statement, refuting Vietnamese authorities' comments which have accused China of stirring up tensions in the South China Sea.
The statement follows a meeting between Vietnam's Prime Minister and the Philippine President in Manila.
Nguyen Tan Dung says Vietnam and the Philippines are deeply concerned about the current situation resulting from China's practices, which they say violate international laws.
They are both calling on the international community to strongly condemn China.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says the accusations are groundless.
"Now they are distorting the facts, conflating right and wrong on the global stage, blackening China and making unreasonable accusations against China. Just who is the one who is repeatedly challenging other countries' sovereignty? Who is the one who is causing tensions in the seas? Who on earth is destroying peace and stability in the South China Sea? Facts speak louder than words."
Tensions have been running high after attempts by Vietnamese boats to disrupt Chinese efforts to drill for oil in the South China Sea.
The dispute has resulted in a series of violent protests targeting Chinese and other foreign interests in Vietnam, resulting in the deaths of at least 2 Chinese nationals and injuries to more than a hundred others.
This forced the Chinese government to evacuate around 4-thousand Chinese nationals working and living in Vietnam.
 
 
China says Syrian draft resolution would complicate situation
 
The Chinese delegation to the United Nations is moving to clarify its reasoning for vetoing a proposal to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
Wang Min is China's deputy permanent representative to the UN.
"China believes that any action to seek recourse in the ICC for prosecuting perpetrators of serious violations should be conducted based on the premise of respecting state judicial sovereignty."
The comments follow a UN Security Council meeting where both China and Russia scuttled attempts to have those accused of war crimes in the Syrian conflict arrested and tried in The Hague.
Wang Min says the international community should be patient and firm, and stick to pushing for a political settlement.
"What is most urgently needed now is to urge the government of Syria and the opposition to immediately bring in a ceasefire and end violence so that a third round of the Geneva negotiations can be resumed to push forward the political process and start a political transition."
The original resolution was put forward by France.
The International Criminal Court can't begin investigations into alleged war crimes in Syria without the backing of all 15-members of the UN Security Council, because Damascus is not a party to the ICC.
 
 
Thai military leader summons politicians
 
Thailand's military leader has summoned more than 100 key political figures to a meeting in Bangkok, a day after announcing a military takeover of the government.
Ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the acting prime minister and his government, as well as protest leaders are among those summoned to the meeting.
On Thursday, the Thai military suspended the constitution, banned gatherings and detained a number of politicians, saying order is needed after months of turmoil.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha has appointed himself the new prime minister until someone can be found to serve the post full time.
Prayuth says the takeover will not affect international relations.
However, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is urging Australians in Thailand to exercise a high degree of caution following the takeover.
"We urge Australians to exercise a very high degree of caution. Be very careful about their personal security and safety and given the volatile political situation to avoid political demonstrations or sites where demonstrations have taken place in the past. We know that the military is out and about, there is a curfew, but we do urge people not to go to the protest sites."
There are close to 30-thousand Australians thought to be living in Thailand.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government also says it's keeping a close eye on the situation in Thailand.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"China is paying attention to the recent development of the situation in Thailand. China hopes that all parties in Thailand will keep restraint and strengthen dialogue and consultation so as to restore national order at an early date. "
Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Chinese tourists in recent years.
 
 
Clashes flare up ahead of Ukraine elections
 
Fighting has intensified in eastern Ukraine between government and anti-government forces, just days before Sunday's presidential election.
Authorities in Kiev have ordered a mass deployment of troops in the area around the city of Luhansk in an attempt to stop the vote from being disrupted.
Anti-government forces in the Luhansk region have declared martial law this week after 13 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a surprise attack outside the city of Donetsk.
As the fighting escalates, locals say they're living in fear.
"They started shooting before sunrise. Something blew up and I asked what it was. I think they bombed the bridge".
Ukraine has been in turmoil for months.
Anti-government protestors in the eastern parts of the country have declared independence from Kiev and have pledged to derail the Presidental election.
Authorities in Kiev now admit it will be impossible to stage the vote in certian areas in the east.
 
 
Two Koreas accuse each other of lying about shelling
 
The two Koreas are refuting one-another's story of who is responsible for a shelling incident off their disputed maritime border Thursday.
South Korea says North Korea's claim that it didn't fire at a South Korean warship is a blatant lie.
Seoul also says Pyongyang has threatened to bombard its military vessels.
The North's military has rejected as "sheer fabrication" Seoul's assertion that it fired two shells in the vicinity of a South Korean naval vessel on patrol near the sea border last night.
The ship was not damaged.
South Korea responded by firing five rounds into the waters near a North Korean military vessel.
Earlier this week, a South Korean naval vessel fired warning shots to turn back three North Korean patrol boats that allegedly crossed the disputed sea boundary.
Pyongyang has since vowed to retaliate.
"We unhesitatingly clarify before the world our will to settle accounts with the villains of the South Korean puppet army right now if they are to fight us at any cost."
South Korean residents living on the islands around where the Thursday's shelling has taken place had to be evacuated from their homes.
 
 
Philippines and Indonesia resolve sea border dispute after 20 years of negotiations
 
The Philippines and Indonesia have signed a new agreement to resolve a sea border dispute after some 20 years of negotiations.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.
"This is a milestone agreement that is founded on the principles of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It serves as solid proof to our steadfast commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue the peaceful and equitable settlement of maritime concerns."
The Philippine President and outgoing Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have been trying to work together more closely.
The two have also signed agreements connected to anti-terrorism and higher education.
 
 
UN approves sanctions against Boko Haram
 
The UN Security Council has approved sanctions against Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.
Under the sanctions, the group will be added to a list of al-Qaida-linked organizations subject to an arms embargo and asset freeze.
This is the extremist Islamic which has kidnapped close to 300 schoolgirls and is threatening to sell them into slavery as wives or concubines.
Boko Haram is also accused of being behind this week's twin bombings in the Nigerian city of Jos which left over 100 people dead.
 
 
Gunfight near Indian consulate in Afghan city ends, 4 gunmen killed: official
 
Afghan officials say at least four gunmen have been killed in an attack on the Indian consulate in the western city of Herat.
The gunmen opened fire on the consulate with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
Two Afghan police officers have been injured in the fighting.
The Indian government says all its personnel are safe.
It is not yet clear who is behind the attack, and what the motivation may have been.
India has been a long-standing rival of Pakistan, which is where many militants operating in Afghanistan hail from.
 
 
PIK ON European Parliament Elections
 
ANCHOR:
Elections to the European Parliament have kicked off in Britain.
Millions have flocked to polling stations to decide who will represent them in the European legislature.
A total of 73 seats in European Parliament are up for grabs from England.
The UK Independence Party has topped most opinion polls in Britain in recent months.
Results of the elections are scheduled to be announced on Sunday.
Britain and the Netherlands are the first two countries to start European Parliament elections this year.
For more on the elections, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King spoke earlier with Frederik Erixon, economist and director of the European Centre for Political Economy.
 
 
Landmine blast injures 4 in S. Philippines
 
Four people have been hurt in a landmine explosion in the southern Philippines.
The group were in a police car, heading to investigate an arson, when the vehicle hit the landmine.
At the same time, the Filipino military has discovered a number of other mines hanging from trees in the same area.
A leftist-insurgent group is believed responsible for setting out the explosive devices.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks
 
Asian stocks rallied today following upbeat U.S. economic data.
The Market Economics preliminary index of U.S. manufacturing has hit 56 this month, which is up from 55 in April.
Any reading above 50 signals expansion.
Other economic data from the US shows pre-owned home sales are up for the first time in four months through April.
As a result, Chinese shares closed higher today, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up over half a percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index gained nearly 1 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended the trading week virtually flat.
Taiwan's weighted index closed up two fifths of a percent
In Japan, the Nikkei hit a 3-week high, up nearly 1 percent.
South Korea's KOSPI ended almost flat.
Australia's ASX was up a fraction of a percent, and Singapore's Straits Times up nearly half a percent.
 
 
China eases approval process for foreign investment
 
China's National Development and Reform Commission is planning to relax the approval process for foreign companies planning to invest in China.
The plans include adopting two-tiered system of "limited approvals" and "general registration," rather than the existing "all-round approval" mechanism.
At the same time, national security reviews will also be strengthened.
The government is changing some of the requirements to make the review process more streamlined.
 
 
China stops investigation into IDC monopolistic practices
 
The National Development and Reform Commission has ended a monopoly investigation into US-based firm InterDigital Communications.
This comes after the wireless communications firm agreed to stop discriminatory charges on Chinese companies and begin negotiations on patents.
Wang Yanhui is the secretary-general of the China Mobile Phone Alliance.
"According to our estimation, if Chinese enterprises hand in the 2%, it will cost Chinese consumers nearly 6 billion yuan."
IDC owns many critcal patents in the wireless telecom sector.
It has been charging a 2-percent premium for Chinese companies to use its patents, eight to a hundred times that charged for companies from other countries, like Apple, Samsung and Nokia.
The NDRC launched its anti-monopoly investigation last June.
 
 
China to increase gas price
 
The retail price of gasoline and diesel is rising here in China starting from tomorrow.
The National Development and Reform Commission is increasing the pump-price of gas by 0.05-yuan per liter, and diesel by 0.06-yuan per liter.
The increase is the third of the year.
 
 
China's cloud computing market to boom: report
 
New industry analysis is suggesting the cloud computing market here in China is going to almost triple, reaching 6 billion U.S. dollars by 2017.
China Telecom says this means the market is expected to see annualized growth of over 25-percent in the next 3-years, much higher than the global average of 17-percent.
Cloud computing itself involves running programs or applications from a centralized source on the internet, allowing users to save drive space on their various devices, and giving users more access to various products and services.
 
 
China's domestic navigation system guides Pakistan
 
China's domestically made Beidou navigation system has set up a network in Pakistan, the first time Beidou has been added to a foreign country.
Beijing Unistrong, one of the developers of Beidou, says the network in Pakistan includes five base stations and one processing center, covering Karachi.
The second stage of the network is expected to cover the whole of Pakistan.
 
 
Doug Young on corporate news of the week
 
Anchor:
It's been another busy week on the corporate front here in China, with JD.com's IPO exceeding expections.
Shenzhen-based online video site Kuaibo has been fined 260 Million Yuan For Rampant Piracy.
For more on these events, The Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
Russian-Chinese gas deal not to affect EU supplies: IEA
 
The International Energy Agency says the new 400-billion dollar gas deal between Russia and China will not affect gas deliveries to the EU.
The IEA's Head of Gas, Coal and Power division, Laszlo Varro, has made the comments at a meeting in Austria.
Varro says the gas destined for China is "completely new," and the gas to be delivered to Europe would remain untouched.
He also says Russia will continue to be Europe's largest supplier of gas.
 
 
World Economic Forum on East Asia concludes in Manila
 
This year's World Economic Forum on East Asia meetings have wrapped up in Manila.
The 3-day talks addressed issues of inequality and economic growth in the face of destructive "mega-disasters."
Panelists noted that Southeast Asia faces "unique" climate-related challenges, given its vulnerability to extreme weather and rising sea levels.
The Philippines is still struggling to recover from Super Typhoon Haiyan.
The next WEF on East Asia will be held in Bali, Indonesia next year.
 
 
Domestic demand doubles Germany's growth in Q1
 
Germany's economy has doubled its growth through the first quarter, driven mostly by domestic demand.
The adjusted GDP of the Europe's largest economy increased by 0.8 percent in the first three months.
This is up from the 0.4-percent growth seen in the 4th quarter.
The last time Germany's GDP grew on a quarter-on-quarter basis was three years ago.
Germany's central bank is cautioning that growth is slowing in this current quarter because of poor weather and political uncertainties connected to Ukraine.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Urumqi survivors speak out
 
Survivors in this week's deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi are speaking out about what exactly happened Thursday morning.
The bloody attack took place in an open-air market in Urumqi, leaving at least 31 dead and 94 others hurt injured.
A 79-year old who survived the attack says the vehicles used in the assaults plowed through the crowds at the open-air market very quickly.
Chinese authorities are strongly condemned the attack, and are vowing to work harder in fighting terrorism and safeguarding social stability in Xinjiang.
 
 
Congo warlord gets 12 years in jail
 
The International Criminal Court has sentenced a former Congolese militia leader to 12 years in prison for aiding and abetting war crimes.
Germain Katanga was found guilty in March, only the second person to be convicted by the ICC.
He has been convicted for his role in the 2003 massacre of hundreds of villagers in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fighting at that time then escalated into an inter-ethnic conflict that left around 50-thousand people dead.
 
 
Two Koreas accuse each other of lying about shelling
 
The two Koreas are refuting one-another's story of who is responsible for a shelling incident off their disputed maritime border Thursday.
South Korea says North Korea's claim that it didn't fire at a South Korean warship is a blatant lie.
Seoul also says Pyongyang has threatened to bombard its military vessels.
The North's military has rejected as "sheer fabrication" Seoul's assertion that it fired two shells in the vicinity of a South Korean naval vessel on patrol near the sea border last night.
The ship was not damaged.
South Korea responded by firing five rounds into the waters near a North Korean military vessel.
Earlier this week, a South Korean naval vessel fired warning shots to turn back three North Korean patrol boats that allegedly crossed the disputed sea boundary.
 
 
Mining tycoon sentenced to death
 
A court in Sichuan has handed down the death sentence for former mining tycoon Liu Han following his conviction for organizing a criminal gang and murder.
His brother, Li Wei, has also been sentenced to death.
The verdicts follow the first trials for 36 members of an alleged mafia-like gang led by the elder Liu.
The Sichuan-based gang is being described as the largest criminal group of its kind on trial in China in recent years.
 
 
6 killed in south China landslide
 
Three more bodies have been recovered from a landslide in South China's Guangdong this Friday, bringing the death toll from Thursday's rain-triggered slide to 6.
The landslide hit yesterday afternoon in the city of Heyuan, which is about 150-kilometers northeast of the Pearl River Delta.
One other person managed to survive the slide.
Heavy rains have been hammering the region for the past three days.
A landslide Tuesday in the city of Zhaoqing, to the northwest of the region, left two people dead.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Xinhua
"China's first environmental court inaugurated"
China has got its first special court for environmental cases opened on Friday in east China's Fujian Province.
The court affiliated to the Fujian Provincial Higher People's Court has recruited 12 environmental, agricultural, marine and mineral experts as technical consultants.
Entrusted by the court, the consultants can appear in court as litigation assistants to provide technical consultation and interpretation.
According to an official from the high court, Fujian was approved as China's first "ecological civilization demonstration zone" in April to explore and pilot judicial protection of the environment.
Since 2009, several county and city-level courts in the province have experimented in setting up divisions specializing in forestry, mining, water and resources, atmosphere and water pollution cases.
These courts have explored judiciary measures of protecting and restoring the environment, which instruct violators of environmental laws to shoulder responsibility for reparations after environmental damage.
China Daily
"Education industry links student fitness to advancement"
China's education authorities have issued administrative orders calling for annual assessment of students' physical status and school evaluation systems that involve physical education.
According to the order, all public schools from primary to higher education level should organize student fitness tests including a 50-meter sprint, 1,000-m run, lung capacity test and pull-ups every year, and are required to record the results in students' files.
The tests results will also be graded into four levels and will be considered as key evaluating factors for students' graduation and college admission exams.
However, details about how much the test results would count haven't been announced.
To guarantee the quality and class hours of physical education, the new order also requires that the performance assessments of school officials and regional education chiefs be related to the development of physical education in their respective areas.
Officials and school leaders who fail to implement annual fitness tests or guarantee enough exercise for students will be criticized publicly or excluded from promotion and awards.
The Telegraph
Nest kills 'Wave' smoke alarm feature amid safety concerns
Home automation company Nest, owned by google, has released an electronic update for its Protect smoke alarm to disable the 'Wave' feature, which was deemed to be unsafe
Google bought over Nest Labs for 3.2 billion US dollars in January.
Nest has released an automatic electronic update for its Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, after lab tests revealed the device could be unsafe.
Nest Protect has a feature called 'Wave' that enables the user to temporarily silence their alarm with a wave of the hand.
The company halted sales of the smoke alarm and disabled the Wave feature last month, after lab tests revealed that some users could disable the device unintentionally.
Nest chief executive Tony Fadell said at the time that Nest had identified the problem itself, and was not aware of any customers who had experienced the issue.
However, it decided that the best thing to do was immediately disable the Nest Wave feature to resolve the issue and remove any safety concerns.
Yahoo News
Red Cross: More than half of Americans can't swim.
Heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend, millions of Americans will go for a swim in the nation's oceans, lakes, rivers and, of course, swimming pools.
But the Red Cross says that more than half of all Americans, and two-thirds of African-Americans, cannot meet a basic set of water safety standards.
The Red Cross says its trying to cut drowning rates by 50 percent over the next three to five years.
To achieve that goal, the Red Cross is launching training programs in 50 cities across 19 states, reaching an estimated 50-thousand individuals.
Statistics show that there are around 36-hundred drowning deaths each year in the US.
A hundred years ago, the scene was very different. In 1914, Americans were just beginning to embrace swimming as a recreational activity.
However, almost no one knew how to swim and lifeguards were virtually nonexistent.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Top Classical Music Groups played in the busiest area of Beijing
 
Anchor:
A number of international performers have been playing shows in one of the busiest areas of Beijing as part of the National Center for the Performing Arts music festival this month.
CRI's Chi Huiguang has more.
Reporter:
It is a wonderful experience to listen to such beautiful music at the church. The well-known British a cappella vocal ensemble, the King's Singers, is singing the "Song of the Traveling Son," or "You Zi Yin", an ancient Chinese poem, in the St. Joseph's Church on Wangfujing Street. This is one of the many public performances of the May Music Festival hosted by the National Center for the Performing Arts.
Chris is the tenor in the group; he tells the story of the group's name.
"The group was initially founded from the King's College, Cambridge University in 1968.and the singers, we are all from the King's Cambridge. So it's an obvious name: King's Singers. Now we are from all over the place. We even got one guy from New Zealand. But we are very, very proud of our history, at King's College Cambridge. That's why of course we've kept the name after 46 years."
When founded, "The King's Singers" was formed by six choral scholars. The group has always consisted of six singers in total, with their membership changing over the years. There have been 23 members who have joined the group since it was founded. And the group has received many awards, including two Emmies.
Though there are just six singers, the audience could hear the sounds of a chorus with dozens of singers, plus an orchestra. They gave a vivid performance using both hands and vocal imitation skills, creating a spectacular sensory experience. There are also two "super-tenor" in the choir, both of whom use a special singing method to make their male voices as soft as a female's to reach the highest vocal range, the so-called "Voice of the Holy Spirit".
Earlier that morning, the NCPA brought the Leipzig Quartet from Germany to perform in Xiehe Hospital, one of the most renowned and busiest hospitals throughout the country.
Chen Mingyan is a doctor at Xiehe Hospital. She is also the coordinator for the performing project.
"Here is the main street of our hospital. The hospital often organizes some activities to enrich the lives of the medical staff and the patients. I am so happy that the NCPA invited the famous German Leipzig Quartet to perform here. They're really good; the audience consists of doctors, nurses and the patients. The classical music is very helpful for both the patients to recover and medical staff to relax. I like the performance very much."
"Let the music flow into the city" is the philosophy of the NCPA. For the May Music Festival, the center has been presenting classical music at the Forbidden City, as well as schools, hospitals, residential communities, museums and shopping malls, to promote classical music to the public.
Just as Chris, one of the members of the King's Singers evaluated:
"I think it's very important to have our reach like this, where people can come and experience different kinds of music, particularly in such a beautiful setting. I think it's really, really valuable. I think it's really great to know what music exists in this amazing city. I think any kind of forums which allows people to experience something new and allows people to come together is a brilliant one."
 
 
Sports
 
 
China lost to Japan in Thomas Cup semi-final
 
In badminton,
In a shocking upset, the Chinese men have failed to advance to the Thomas Cup final after being overwhelmed by Japan 3-0 in the semi-final.
Japan's win ended China's five-year winning streak at the tournament.
Japan will face the winner of the semi-final between Indonesia and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Chinese women have cruised into the Uber Cup final with a 3-0 win over South Korea.
 
 
Carter-Williams heads 2013-14 All-Rookie Team
 
In the NBA,
Today is an off day in the conference finals.
Miami will look to take a 2-1 series advantage at home on Sunday morning, Beijing time, as they play host to Indiana in Game-3 in the eastern conference final.
There is some off-court news from the NBA today.
The Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams is the top selection to this year's All-Rookie Team.
Michael Carter-Williams is the only unanimous selection to the first team.
He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists, 6.2 rebounds, leading the rookies in all the three categories.
The Orlando Magic's Victor Oladipo, Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz, Mason Plumlee from the Brooklyn Nets and Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks have also been selected to the first team.
Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel is set to make his NBA debut in this year's summer league.
Noel missed the entire season this year because of injury.
Noel was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2013 Draft with the sixth pick.
He was then traded to the 76ers for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday.
 
 
Canadiens beat Rangers 3-2 in Game 3
 
In NHL playoff action,
The Montreal Canadiens have begun to try to claw their way back into their Eastern Conference Finals, getting past the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime this morning.
The Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk tipped in a pass at the right post just over a minute into the extra frame.
In just his second career NHL playoff game, Canadiens' goaltender Dustin Tokarski stopped 35 shots.
Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the Rangers, but couldn't pull out this win.
The win cuts New York's series lead to 2-1.
The Habs will look to even the series on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden before heading home for Game 5.
--
Game 3 of the Western Conference final is set for Saturday in Los Angeles, with the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks even at a game a piece.
--
In NHL news off the ice,
The New York Islanders have inked goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a new 4-year, 18-million dollar deal.
The Islanders aquired Halak from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 4th round pick.
Halak was involved in a series of trades before this year's trade deadline.
He was traded from the St. Louis Blues to Buffalo in the deal which saw goaltender Ryan Miller go the other way.
But before Halak even played a game with Buffalo, he was then traded to Washington where he finished out his season with the Capitals, who failed to make the playoffs.
 
 
Finland, Czech Republic into semi-finals of WHC
 
A couple of upsets from the World Hockey Championships last night...
The Czech Republic has advanced to the semi-finals after upsetting Team USA 4-3.
And Finland is also through after getting past Canada 3-2.
Those two teams are set to meet in the semi-finals tomorrow in Minsk.
In other quarter final action from last night, it was Russia putting an end to France's surprise run at the World Hockey Championships, downing the upstart French club 3-0.
Russia will now face Sweden in the other semi-final, after the Swedes edged hosts Belarus 3-2.
 
 
Dustin Johnson shoots 65 to take Colonial lead
 
In golf,
American Dustin Johnson has fired a bogey free 5-under-par-65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Colonial in Texas.
Tim Wilkinson of New Zealand is tied for second place with four others, after firing a four-under-par-66.
Australian Adam Scott, playing in the tournament as the world Number-1 for the first time, struggled, firing an opening round 71, leaving him at 4-over.
====
At the BMW PGA Championships in England,
Denmark's Thomas Bjorn has set a course record with a 10-under-par 62 in opening round of the event, carding 8-birdies and and eagle.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy turned in a 4-under 68.
McIlroy says he is impressed by Bjorn's performance.
"Thomas (Bjorn) played a phenomenal round of golf out there this morning. 10-under-par is, around this place, something I didn't see at the start of the day. But, I mean four-under has got me in the top ten, a pretty rare position for me in this tournament. So I'll try and keep myself there."
　　
World number three Henrik Stenson finished the day tied for 15th.
If Stenson finishes higher than Adam Scott does in Texas, he will vault into the world number-1 position.
====
In the LPGA,
Scotland's Catriona Matthew holed a bunker shot for an eagle to finish with an eight-under-par-64 to take the first-round lead in the Airbus LPGA Classic.
England's Charley Hull sits alone in 2nd at minus-7.
Guangzhou native Lin Xiyu had a solid first round, firing a 3-under par-69.
That leaves her tied for 18th.
Taiwan's Tseng Yani finished her first round at minus-1.
 
 
Victories for Delbonis and Simon at Nice Open quarters
 
In tennis,
On the men's side at the Nice Open in France,
Seventh seed Argentinan Fredrico Delbonis got past American John Isner to reach the semi-finals with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 victory.
Gilles Simon is also through to the semi's after cruising past Carlos Berlocq 6-4, 6-1.
Earlier in the day, reigning champion Albert Montanes of Spain defeated Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in the first quarter-final.
In the other quarter-final, Russia's Dmitry Tursunov fell to Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
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On the women's side,
In the WTA's Strasbourg quarter-finals,
American Christina McHale is through after Kazahkstan's Zarina Diyas pulled out of the match with an injury in the 2nd set.
Monica Puig of Puerto Rico is also through after defeating German Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4.
 
 
Australia and Japan advance to final in AFC Women's Asian Cup
 
In soccer,
China's national women's team has been knocked out of this year's AFC Asian Cup tournament, after going down to Japan 2-1.
Japan is now set to meet Australia in the finals, after the Aussies edged South Korea 2-1 as well.
China will now take on South Korea for 3rd place in a match tomorrow.
Australia and Japan will duel for the title on Sunday.
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In Europe,
German side Wolfsburg came from 2-nil down to beat Sweden's Tyreso FF 4-3 in the UEFA Women's Champions League final in Lisbon to retain their title.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
X-Men: Days of Future Past out in China today
 
(X-Men)
The new X-men film has hit Chinese theatres today.
"X-men: Days of Future Past" tells the story of out of control robots designed to take on the mutants, but who soon turn on all of man kind.
Unable to combat them in the present, the X-men find a way of sending Wolverine 50-years into the past to unite the X-men in two times zones to fight their common enemy.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is widely-expected to dominate the weekend box office here in China.
The film stars Hugh Jackman, Peter Dinklage and Fan Bingbing, all of whom were here in Beijing recently to promote the film.
 
 
Chinese actress Yao Chen visits Lebanese refugees
 
(Yao clip)
Yao Chen, a popular Chinese actress who serves as goodwill ambassador to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has visited Lebanon to raise awareness of refugees.
She has met with a refugee family who were forced from their home amid the fighting in Syria.
Yao Chen also travelled to a school the UN refugee agency built for Syrian refugees, where she presented stationery specially prepared for the children.
Yao has 68 million followers on Weibo.
 
 
Ryan Gosling first film 'Lost River' dubuts at Cannes
 
Canadian actor Ryan Gosling has premiered his first film at the Cannes Film Festival.
(Lost River)
"Lost River," which the 33-year-old also wrote, is one of 19 competing in the "Un Certain Regard" category for emerging directors.
The film tells the story of a young man, who along with his mother and little brother, who are one of a handful of families that hasn't cleared out of a down trodden neighborhood in Detroit.
Gosling says the film seemed to develop sponaniously.
"You know this was an idea that had a life of its own. It was something that immediately, once I sort of verbalized it, it had momentum. It was something that I became an employee of it. It was moving past and people were working on it and suddenly there were actors, we were shooting or editing, now we are here and I still feel like I am trying to catch up."
"Lost River" has been directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
Gosling worked with him previously in the films "Drive" and "Only God Forgives."
The Danish director is also on this year's jury.
 
 
"Jimmy's Hall"premieres at Cannes
 
(Hall trailor)
British director Ken Loach has premiered his film about 1930s Ireland at the Cannes Film Festival.
Written by regular Loach collaborator Paul Laverty, "Jimmy's Hall" is inspired by local legend Jimmy Gralton.
Barry Ward stars as the communist activist, whose initiative to host dances, art lessons, book clubs and singing classes, caused clashes with the clergy and Irish authorities.
"Jimmy's Hall" is set to hit British theatres on May 30th.
 
 
Justin Bieber, Sharon Stone, Jane Fonda and more at amfAR gala
 
(Bieber clip)
Pop star Justin Bieber is among a sea of celebrities who have turned out for the 21st annual amfAR Gala, an event that works to raise money for AIDS research.　
Sharon Stone, who's been involved with the charity foundation for years, says it's a fight that has been paying off.
"Well you know, it's something that I've done for the majority of my adult life and it's so satisfying now that we are here with a cure in pediatric AIDS and we are working for a cure and a vaccine for adults. You know we really are aiming to do that by 2020 and with all of our friends coming back and being so generous and so supportive.　We feel really good about that."　
This year, one of the centerpieces of the annual auction is a gilded mammoth skeleton donated by British artist Damien Hirst.
 
 
Actress Kathleen Turner talks about starring in new play in the West End
 
American actress Kathleen Turner has returned to London's West End after an eight year absence.
In a new comedy-drama called "Bakersfield Mist," Turner plays Maude - a 50-something bartender who is convinced her thrift store artwork find is a Jackson Pollock original worth millions.
Tony-award winner Ian McDiarmid plays an art expert who arrives at Maude's trailer park home to inspect the artwork and determine its authenticity.
"We are in Maude Gutman's home. Now this is a trailer in a trailer park in Bakersfield Mist and, as Maude describes herself, she is a scavenger and a pack rat and everything you see before you she has scrounged out of thrift stores and junk shops and Salvation Army. It's all things other people have decided to throw away."
In speaking about the role, Kathleen Turner says she loves art, but has no idea how much money her personal collection is worth.
 
 
RECAP
Survivors of yesterday's deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang have been recounting the details of what took place in Urumqi.
The Chinese government is refuting Vietnamese suggestions that China is trying to "stir up trouble" in the South China Sea.
Clashes have been intensifying in eastern Ukraine ahead of a Presidential election in that country on Sunday.
In Business, the Chinese government is moving to make it easier for foreign investors here in China.