新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/06/04

 
The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you on this Wednesday, June 04th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
NATO officials have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and the US president has announced a billion dollar military deployment...
Voting in Syria's presidential election has wrapped up...
And Egypt's former top military commander has been confirmed as the country's new president following elections last week...
In Business...China and Russia are to create a new credit rating agency...
In sports...the semifinals at the French Open...
In entertainment...the guest list for the Shanghai Film Festival has been announced...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 31 degree Celsius.
Overnight it will be clear and temperatures should drop down to around 21.
Shanghai will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 26.
Overnight, it will still be overcast with a low of 20.
In Chongqing, it will see some showers with a high of 29.
Overnight moderate rain and lows are expected to be around 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 39.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 24.
Over to North America,
New York will have moderate rain today with a high of 26 degrees.
Washington will have some rain with a high of 30 degrees.
Honolulu, overcast, 29.
Toronto, Canada, will have moderate rain with a high of 25 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be rainy with a high of 16.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
NATO enhances collective defense, reaffirms support for Ukraine
 
Anchor:
Nato is set to bolster its defence capabilities in central and eastern Europe after the US president pledged 1-billion US dollars worth of military deployments to Europe.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter:
Ukrainian acting defense minister Mykhailo Koval has met his NATO counterparts in the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Brussels.
Koval praised NATO for the "overwhelming support" offered to Ukraine.
"I must tell you that we received today the most important help, the total support of the whole alliance. As I told you, 21 ministers spoke and all supported us, it is very important for us."
He also said that the operation against rebels in the east of the country was going "according to the plan" and was expected to be successful.
The two-day meeting in Brussels was supposed to help set the stage for the US-led alliance's forthcoming meeting in Wales.
NATO has pledged to bolster its defence capabilities in response to Russian actions in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
"Today we made clear that NATO looks forward to working with the new president of Ukraine and is committed to supporting reforms in Ukraine's security and defence sector. In the weeks to come we will finalize a comprehensive package of long-term measures to make Ukraine's reforms more effective and its armed forces stronger."
The announcement came hours after the US president pledged 1-billion US dollars to boost military deployments to Europe.
"Today I'm announcing a new initiative to bolster the security of our NATO allies here in Europe. Under this effort and with the support of Congress, the United States will preposition more equipment in Europe. We will be expanding our exercises and training with allies to increase the readiness of our forces."
Obama's announcement came at the start of a three-country swing through Europe.
He is set to meet with Ukraine's newly elected president Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday.
The Russian side says it may withdraw from the 1997 Nato-Russia Founding Act if there are major NATO deployments in eastern and central Europe.
Russia is also set to reorganize its armed forces to strengthen military potential and troop mobility.
NATO has suspended all practical civilian and military cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
However, it opted to keep its political dialogue with Moscow open.
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
 
 
Syria wraps up presidential election
 
Syrians have concluded a one-day presidential election.
Voting time was extended for an extra five hours due to the large number of voters, finally ending at midnight.
More than 15 million eligible and registered voters were expected to cast their ballots for the country's three presidential contenders, including incumbent President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's Higher Judicial Committee said the turnout was "beyond expectations."
In one polling station in Damascus, voters crowded inside the building with pro-Assad banners and flags to show their support for the current leader.
"It is the smallest duty to vote by blood. I think the elections are the best way to express our opinion. We are with President Bashar al-Assad until the end of our lives."
"He (Assad) is a symbolic leader who deserves to be elected by blood.　He will lead the country to be better, safer and more stable. These elections are an accomplishment just like the Syrian army accomplishment. The elections complete the accomplishments of the army. May Syria stay well with its leader."
Syrians living in Lebanon also stood in long lines at border crossings to cast their ballots.
The vote is taking place despite rejection by the opposition and their Western backers, who have dismissed the poll as a "farce".
Opposition rebels have even threatened to unleash attacks against polling stations to disrupt the process.
Rebels in Damascus suburbs have fired mortar shells, almost hitting security headquarters.
The election is the first held in half a century.
Previously, there have only been referendums to support Assad and his late father who was in office from 1971 to 2000.
 
 
Q&A with Hua Liming
 
ANCHOR:
For more on the Syrian situation, CRI's Xie Zhao spoke earlier with Hua Liming, former Chinese ambassador to Iran and now a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.
BACK ANCHOR: Hua Liming, former Chinese ambassador to Iran, talking to CRI's Xie Zhao.
 
 
Egypt's Sisi officially declared president
 
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been officially declared the new president of Egypt.
Anwar El-Assi, head of the electoral commission, announced the results of last week's election, saying the former military chief won a landslide victory with nearly 97 percent of the vote.
"Based on this information, the winner of the position of President of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the elections is Mr. Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil al-Sisi."
The result also shows more than 25 million out of the nearly 54 million eligible voters cast ballots, giving a voter turnout of around 47 percent.
After the announcement, thousands of people have been gathering at public squares in the country, celebrating the new president's victory.
"I am so happy that el-Sissi won and happier that the army is now ruling our country, and happy that we got rid of the Muslim Brotherhood's rule. The most important thing that we need to regain is security and end Brotherhood protests."
"We congratulate the Egyptian people and el-Sissi and we are calling upon him to restore security and end the Brotherhood."
Sisi gained wide support from Egyptians after toppling President Mohamed Morsi last year.
 
 
Outgoing Libyan PM waits for power transfer
 
Libya's outgoing prime minister says he will not hand over power until the results of a judicial review are released.
Abdullah Thinni earlier refused to transfer power to prime-minister-elect Ahmed Maitiq, saying a parliamentary vote had given "contradictory results."
Thinni says he has been in contact with his successor and says they have "no disagreements" but adds the main problem now stems from deep divisions within Libya's parliament.
The Libyan parliament has been stuck in a political deadlock between secular and Islamist interest groups since the 2011 popular protests that toppled the country's former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
 
 
Spanish Prince Felipe to succeed his father
 
The Spanish government has approved a law that will regulate the process to see Prince Felipe succeed his father King Juan Carlos in an emergency cabinet meeting.
King Juan Carlos announced his abdication on Monday.
Currently Spain does not have a law that precisely regulates abdication and succession.
Mariano Rajoy is the Spanish Prime Minister.
"Spain is a democracy. In a democracy, the law is very important. Now we see some people asking for a referendum, some people asking for a change, some people asking for something else -- everyone who wants to change the rules of the game can do so but they must use the tools established in the legislation and propose a constitutional reform in courts."
The law covers the abdication process opened by the King's decision, for which there is no precedent in Spanish history.
Now that the law is approved by the cabinet, it will go to the Spanish Congress and then the Senate for approval.
The institutional process until Felipe is proclaimed as King Felipe VI will last between three and six weeks.
June 18 has been proposed as a possible date.
 
 
Colombia, FARC resume peace talks in Cuba
 
The Colombian government and the country's rebel group have resumed peace talks in Cuba's capital of Havana.
Humberto De La Calle is the Colombian government's lead negotiator to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
"We have sealed these agreements not for the FARC, even though we are trying to end the conflict with them, but for all Colombians. We are convinced that these agreements represent the necessary changes so the conflict doesn't ever happen again."
Reparations for victims of the fighting and their families are one of several priority issues the two sides agreed to discuss during the talks.
These are the first talks since Oscar Ivan Zuluaga won the first round of Colombia's presidential elections.
Right-wing Zuluaga won the most votes in the first round but not enough to avoid a run-off set for June 15.
He has been opposing negotiations with the rebels.
FARC says the group will wait until the second round of voting before assessing how its outcome might affect negotiations.
 
 
Germany to launch criminal probe into U.S. spying on Merkel's phone: media
 
A German newspaper is reporting that a federal prosecutor will launch a criminal investigation into alleged hacking of Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone by the US National Security Agency.
However, mass-spying on German citizens by the NSA, for the time being, will not be under formal investigation.
The report states that the prosecutor does not found enough evidence to warrant criminal proceedings at this time.
The investigation is described as being "symbolic" since it is virtually impossible to gather evidence on the activities of the NSA on German soil.
 
 
International Engineering Science and Technology Conference held in Beijing
 
Anchor:
Experts from around the world have gathered in Beijing to discuss the future development of engineering science and technology.
CRI's Xie Zhao reports.
Reporter:
At the two-day International Engineering Technology Conference held in Beijing, Zhou Ji, Dean of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, explains the importance of engineering science and technology.
"Engineering science and technology is a powerful engine for innovation as humankind develops its civilization and a significant contributor to the economic and social development of countries all over the world".
Engineering science and technology has exerted a tremendous influence on people's lives in such ways as concrete building construction, city infrastructure and transport and nuclear power generation.
But as it develops, a growing number of people are beginning to worry about the side effects, such as the leak of radioactive water at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant.
Xu Mi, a leading expert in fast reactor technology at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, says such concerns are reasonable.
But he notes the safety in the nuclear industry is improving.
"It is getting safer, as all countries have learnt the lessons of Fukushima. Many countries such as the U.S and France are continuing with their nuclear power projects without any hesitation because they are confident that their nuclear power technology has developed to a mature stage. China has also accumulated some experience as well. The authorities have also studied how to improve the safety issue. We can ensure the safe operation of our nuclear power stations as long as we pay more attention to meteorological, geological and environmental factors."
At the conference, Chinese president Xi Jinping says China should strengthen cooperation with other countries in this field.
"China will deepen international cooperation in engineering technology to a greater extent, and strengthen cooperation in major technology engineering projects, to solve common problems and jointly create a brighter future."
Irina Bokova, secretary general at the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, says UNESCO will continue its cooperation with China.
"The complexity of challenges calls for new approaches to science as a whole. To support states in shaping a new global development agenda for sustainability after 2015, and in all this, China plays a leading role. We see this leadership in the sciences, we see it in education. China is a champion country of the United Nation Secretary General's Global Education First Initiative."
Over 1500 experts from 15 countries and regions have attended the two-day event.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
First off, let's take a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.
Joinning me on the desk, CRI's Cao Yuwei.
Reporter:
U.S. stocks erased earlier losses but still closed in negative territory Tuesday. The losses were slight, one day after investors pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 into record territory.
The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite Index each lost 0.1 percent.
Analysts expect the U.S. unemployment rate to edge up to 6.4 percent in May from a five-and-a-half-year low of 6.3 percent in April.
On the corporate front, Ford's shares were up 0.7 percent after the giant auto maker revealed that sales of its new cars and trucks climbed 3 percent in May.
General Motors stated that its dealers delivered more than 280,000 vehicles in the United States in May, up 13 percent compared to a year ago, marking the company's best total sales since August 2008. Shares of the company rose 1.1 percent.
In Europe, the markets were generally down, as the Eurozone inflation rate dropped 0.2% in May, raising concerns of deflation.
Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 each dropped 0.3 percent, and Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.4 percent.
 
 
China tops UN-sponsored list for renewable energy industry, investment
 
A new UN report ranks China as the number-one nation in terms of investment in renewable energy.
Key findings in the Global Status Report will be released today, at the UN hosted Sustainable Energy for All Conference.
As of the end of 2013, China, the US, Brazil, Canada, and Germany top the list of countries in terms of installed renewable power capacity.
The report also states that China's new renewable power capacity in 2013 surpassed new fossil fuel and nuclear capacity for the first time ever.
 
 
Chinese building materials sector sees slower rise
 
China's building materials sector has recorded slower growth in the first four months of this year as a cooling housing market has dashed hopes for rapid expansion.
Cement output grew a mere 4.3 percent from a year ago in the January-April period, slowing 4.2 percentage points from last year's growth.
The output of flat glass also rose 4.3 percent year on year between January and April.
As a result, the housing market, a major consumer of the country's cement, and flat glass, showed more signs of cooling.
 
 
Russia and China to create joint rating agency
 
Anchor:
Russia and China have reached an agreement to create a joint credit rating agency.
Russia's finance minister says that the new rating agency will be modelled on existing agencies.
He also says the agency will "be apolitical."
Currently three western agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch dominate the ratings market.
Joining us live to talk about this is Benjamin Cavendar, associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
Back Anchor:
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai
 
 
U.S. to impose anti-dumping duties on steel wire from China, Mexico
 
The United States says to will impose anti-dumping duties on steel wire from China and Mexico.
The U.S. International Trade Commission confirmed in a final ruling that the PC tie wire from China and Mexico were sold in the US at less than fair value and the U.S. industry is "materially injured .
Chinese producers and exporters now face anti-dumping duties ranging from just over 31 percent to just over 35 percent. Mexican producers and exporters face duties around 10 percent.
The United States imported an estimated 31 million U.S. dollars worth of PC tie wire from China last year.
China has repeatedly urged Washington to abide by its commitment against protectionism and work with China and other countries to maintain a free, open and just trade environment.
 
 
Chinese users expect to gain from Apple's iOS 8
 
More details about the function of Apples's iOS 8 have been revealed.
The turn-by-turn navigation feature will be available in the new version of Maps.
This has been welcomed by many Chinese users, who have complained about its absence in previous versions of Apple's built-in maps.
iOS 8 is also said to be integrated the lunar calendar.
Apple says it will allow third-party programs that will make it easier to type in Chinese.
 
 
Eurozone inflation rate fall adding pressure on ECB
 
Eurozone inflation fell to 0.5% in May, down from 0.7% in April and well below the European Central Bank's 2% target.
The fall means the ECB will be expected to take steps to boost growth and counter the threat of deflation when it meets on Thursday.
Concerns over deflation in the 18-member Eurozone have been rising, as inflation has decreased over the past year.
Falling inflation affects economic growth as consumers delay purchases in the hope of picking up bargains, and businesses postpone investment.
Earlier, ECB president Mario Draghi hinted that the bank's policymakers would act soon to try to counter deflation fears.
Analysts say the central bank could cut its deposit rate to below zero and reduce its main borrowing rate to address the problem.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Talks betwwen China and Kuwait to strengthen friendship, cooperation
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with his Kuwaiti counterpart here in Beijng.
The two have pledged to cement their friendship and boost cooperation.
Among various fields, Premier Li Keqiang especially notes that China is willing to participate in Kuwait's railway projects and voices support for closer cooperation in the energy sector.
Kuwait expressed a willingness to increase high-level visits between the two countries.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation deals.
The Kuwaiti Prime Minister is in Beijing for a 4-day visit.
He is also due to attend the opening ceremony of the ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.
The meeting will kick off on Thursday in Beijing.
 
 
NATO enhances collective defense, reaffirms support for Ukraine
 
NATO is set to bolster its defense capabilities in central and eastern Europe.
The decision comes after the NATO defense minister had a meeting in Brussels amid escalating tensions in the Ukraine.
It also comes hours after the US president pledged 1-billion dollars worth of military deployments in Europe.
Russia has earlier responded to the NATO decision, saying it will reorganize its armed forces to strengthen military potential and troop mobility.
Kremlin also says it may withdraw from the 1997 Nato-Russia Founding Act if there are major NATO deployments in eastern and central Europe.
 
 
Syria wraps up presidential election
 
Voting in Syria's presidential election has wrapped up.
It ended at midnight local time, five hours later than originally planned because Tuesday's turnout was heavier than expected.
More than 15 million eligible and registered voters were expected to cast their ballots for the country's three presidential contenders, including incumbent President Bashar al-Assad.
Syrians living in Lebanon also stood in long lines at border crossings to cast their ballots.
The vote is taking place despite rejection by the opposition and their Western backers.
Rebels in Damascus suburbs have fired mortar shells, almost hitting security headquarters.
 
 
Egypt's Sisi officially declared president
 
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been declared the new president of Egypt.
The electoral commission made it official, announcing the results of last week's election by saying the former military chief won by a landslide. He took nearly 97 percent of the vote.
The result also gives a voter turnout of around 47 percent.
After the announcement, thousands of people have been gathering at public squares in the country, celebrating the new president's victory.
Sisi gained wide support from Egyptians after toppling President Mohamed Morsi last year.
 
 
MERS death toll surges to 282 in Saudi Arabia
 
The death toll linked to an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Saudi Arabia has surged.
The country's health minister says the agency has recalculated the number of coronavirus cases and has determined the disease is responsible for 282 deaths.
There have been 688 cases in Saudi Arabia since the first one was identified in 2012.
Before the review, the ministry had been stating 575 cases of MERS with 190 deaths. The review was done in order to attain a more accurate understanding of the virus outbreak.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Crackdown on cult intensifies after killing at McDonald's
Summary
The Ministry of Public Security said the crackdown and investigation concerning the cult called Quan neng shen or the Church of the Almighty God will mainly be conducted in Shandong province.
The comments come after the arrest of five cult members who are accused of beating a woman to death at a McDonald's restaurant last week.
The ministry also says Chinese police will "severely attack" religious cults and punish those who participate in such movements.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Jiangxi official removed from office
Summary
Authorities said on Tuesday Zhao Zhiyong, a senior official in East China's Jiangxi Province, has been removed from his post for suspected disciplinary violations.
Zhao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China or CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee, was sacked by the CPC Central Committee recently.
Zhao was directly removed from the office without a previous investigation within the party.
THE BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Security measures upgraded for college entrance exams
Summary
Beijing police will deploy armed patrol vehicles and policemen to schools for the coming collage entrance examinations this weekend.
As part of the anti-terrorism campaign, police forces will be doubled in some key areas.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Pregnant nurse beaten by patient's family
Summary
Central China's Hunan Province has launched an investigation into the beating of a doctor and a pregnant nurse by family members of a patient.
A doctor and a nursewho is five months into her pregnancy were attacked by family members of a lung cancer patient early on Monday.
The provincial People's Congress is paying close attention as the assailants allegedly include legislative staff member.
Police are looking into the case in a hospital in Changsha.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
2 dead, 2 missing in new round of rainstorms
Summary
A provincial flood control headquarters in southern China says downpours swept 59 counties in the southwestern province of Guizhou.
Nearly 400 houses collapsed.
Rain was forecast to continue until last night in Guizhou.
XINHUA
Headline
China punishes 422 porn websites
Summary
The State Internet Information Office said on Tuesday that China has investigated and punished 422 websites as part of a national crackdown on online pornography.
Since the beginning of this year, the office has closed more than 4,800 accounts on social networking services including WeChat, Weibo, blogs and online forums.
More than 9,000 advertisements and over 300,000 pieces of information with pornographic content were deleted.
Authorities will promote a long-term mechanism to strengthen management of the Internet.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Robots Go From Fiction to Reality at Hong Kong Conference
 
ANCHOR:
The ongoing annual International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Hong Kong is attracting developers and academics from across Asia to talk how robots can help humans in many ways.
The details are from CRI's Cao Yuwei.
REPORTER:
With the theme of "Robotics and Automation: Technologies Enabling New Economic Growth", this conference focuses on helping humans, with many 'service' robots on display.
Jason Jin, an Assistant Research Engineer at Robotics, shares his ideas on how robots can help.
"Before this technology was developed, students mainly focused on math or physics, learning a single subject in those fields. But as this technology is developing, children can make physical contact with what they are learning. Robotics is an integrated subject, including electronics, mechanics and computer science, etc. So robotics has great educational potential. Now the development of robotics provides children with some more suitable learning tools."
Aside from educational purposes, robots can also be used for human care, work in danger zones, and menial labor.
Julian Ware is an exhibitor at the conference who specializes in using robots for outdoor research.
She says the potential for what robots can do in the real world is not far from what Hollywood has imagined in films in the last decade.
"Obviously there's a lot of entertainment value in those movies, but in those same movies you'll see autonomous vehicles, I think we're only a few decades away from that."
Robotic arms, mostly used for rehabilitation and medical purposes, are also widely seen in the conference.
Some people expect robots will help promote social development by taking over menial work, leaving humans with more time for bigger jobs.
An example of that is the Baxter, created by renowned Australian roboticist Rodney Brooks.
It is a low-cost and user-friendly factory robot which can be programmed simply by moving its arms.
Jenssen Chang is the general manager at Shanghai Gaitech Scientific Instruments Co Ltd.
"I mean, robots can replace the labor. I mean, to repeat a low-level task. At the same time, you can train the people to do something advanced. This is the so-called development for society."
The conference runs until Thursday.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Sharapova, Djokovic advance into French Open semi-finals
 
We'll start off with the latest news from the French Open,
Second-seeded Novak Djokovic beat eighth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the sixth time.
Djokovic will next meet Latvian Ernests Gulbis who knocked out Roger Federer in the fourth round.
Gulbis reached his first career Grand Slam semi-final by dumping Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3,6-2,6-4.
----
On the women's side,
7th seed Maria Sharapova fought back from one set down to reach semi-finals with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza.
Sharapova will play Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the semis.
Bouchard booked her berth in the semis after downing Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5.
----
In women's doubles action,
Top seeds Peng Shuai and Su-Wei Hsieh battled through to the semi-finals after a tough 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over fifth seeds Cara Black of Zimbabwe and India's Sania Mirza.
This is the second time the pair reached the semis at the tournament since 2009.
Peng said in an interview with CRI that she and Hsieh will keep their momentum in the semi-finals:
"In reaching the semi-finals at the French Open we have enjoyed our best play so far at the tournament. I think we are pretty confident on the clay court after previous matches. Now Hsieh and I will try to keep this momentum in the semi-finals."
 
 
NZ's men rout SA, Germany and China win in women's draw at Field Hockey World Cup
 
There were wins for Germany's and China's women at the Field Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands.
Germany was a 3-1 winner over South Africa in Pool B.
China clinched a 3-0 win with Peng Yang's second goal over world No.3 England.
England is now in the unenviable position of having lost both of its opening games.
Over in the men's tournament,
New Zealand thrashed South Africa 5-0.
 
 
San Antonio Spurs speak ahead of finals with Miami Heat
 
In the NBA,
The San Antonio Spurs will be looking to avenge last year's loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals when the two teams return for a best-of-seven showdown.
The Spurs booked their spot on Saturday by beating Oklahoma City 112-107 in overtime, in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.
Spurs Guard Tony Parker, who missed the second half of Saturday's game due to a sprained ankle, says he is resting for the upcoming championship series.
"I feel better. I think my hamstring got hurt because I was playing on a bad ankle. It was perfect timing to get five days (rest) and to get better and to be ready for game one (Versus the Miami Heat)."
Game one is on Thursday at San Antonio.
 
 
David Beckham hints at playing return
 
Former England captain David Beckham has hinted that he may be prepared to come out of retirement.
Beckham expressed his wish to get back in the game in an upcoming BBC documentary titled, David Beckham: Into the Unknown.
Beckham has not played professionally since last May.
He has since announced plans to launch a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, having previously played for the MLS franchise in Los Angeles.
 
 
Entertainment
 
Angelina Jolie admits 'scared' of new role on visit to Shanghai
 
Angelina Jolie said she was apprehensive to take on her new role as she promoted Maleficent in Shanghai yesterday.
Malificent is one of Disney's most popular villains since she appeared as the wicked fairy in the 1959 animated feature "Sleeping Beauty," in which she casts an evil spell on the princess.
"The idea of playing this character scared me a bit because she was somebody I loved as a child and I also just thought this is such a big performance, such a big voice. There is no half way to go about playing somebody like this. So as an artist, I was a bit shy to take it on and I thought that's why I needed to. I read the script and I was extremely moved. I thought it was just one of the best scripts I've read."
The modern reimagining of that fairytale in "Maleficent" allows Jolie, who turns 39-years-old today, to show the hurt that sparked her character's evil side and how she overcomes it.
The movie will be screened in mainland Chinese cinemas from June 20.
 
 
Shanghai Film Festival Guest List Announced
 
Staying in Shanghai,
The guest list for this year's Shanghai Film Festival has just been revealed.
The opening ceremony will be graced by the likes of Nicole Kidmanm, Hugh Grant, Hayden Christensen,as well as Rain and Song Seung-heon.
The closing ceremony will see Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst and Son Tae-yeong among those walking the red carpet.
I can't give all the names however as the Shanghai Film Festival is a major showbiz event in Asia and it's expected that more than 400 hundred celebrities will attend this year's ceremony.
The festival runs from June 14 to 22.
 
 
Jonah Hill apologizes for homophobic slur
 
Hollywood actor Jonah Hill has apologised for using a homophobic slur against a paparazzi photographer, who was bothering him
"The star of Moneyball" and "Wolf of Wall Street" was caught on video snapping at a cameraman who was badgering him.　
The actor appeared on Howard Stern's radio show saying that he was sorry and that there was no excuse for his language.　
He said that he was especially angry with himself as the word used was not something he would ever normally say. Adding that he had been a gay rights activist since birth and grown up with homosexual family members.
Hill, who is set to appear in the comedy sequel "22 Jump Street" soon, said the photographer had been following him around all day saying hurtful things about him and his family and he had just played into his hands.
 
 
Rihanna turns head at New York Fashion Awards with invisible dress
 
(Rihanna Clip)
Barbadian singer Rihanna has caused quite a stir, turning up to the red carpet for the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in a barely there dress.
The 26-year-old star wore a sheer gown at the event in New York which was decked with more than 200,000 Swarovski crystals and it left nothing to the imagination.
Somewhat ironically, she was being honoured with the Council's Fashion Icon award.
 
 
Lorde increases N America tour dates
 
(Lorde Clip)
Kiwi singer Lorde has announced an extensive North American tour.　The two-time Grammy Award-winner previously had a limited sold out U.S. tour in March, but she will now hit more than 21 cities, beginning in Philadelphia in September and wrapping in Austin in October.　
The tour promotes the 17-year-old's critically acclaimed debut album "Pure Heroine."
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
NATO officials have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and the US president has announced a billion dollar military deployment...
Voting in Syria's presidential election has wrapped up...
And Egypt's former top military commander has been confirmed as the country's new president following elections last week...
In Business...China and Russia are to create a new credit rating agency...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.