Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this evening.

South Korean President arrives in Beijing on an official state visit

Kevin Rudd is officially sworn in as Australian Prime Minister

Egyptian President now calling for an independent commission to amend the country's constitution.

Business, China's industrial enterprises registered strong profit growth in May.

Sports, Red Bull driver Mark Webber announces he is to leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.

Entertainments, Rumors now circulating over who will be the special guest acts at this year's Glastonbury Festival, England.

Plus Special reports takes a look at China’s agricultural insurance market.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 22 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow thundershowers with a high temperature of 33.

Meanwhile Shanghai will have light rain to moderate rain tonight, with a low of 21,　light rain tomorrow, with a high of 26.

Lhasa will have showers tonight, 12 degrees the low, also showers tomorrow with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, thundershowers, with a high of 35.

Kabul, sunny, 33.

Over in Australia

Sydney, rain, highs of 18.

Canberra, overcast, 16.

Brisbane, rain, 20.

And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 21.

 

 

Top News

 

 

South Korea president arrives in Beijing for visit

 

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is now in Beijing for her first state visit to China since taking office four months ago.

During her four-day tour, Park will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang.

Discussions will focus on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Kwon Young-Se is South Korean ambassador to China.

"President Park has advocated a trust-building course for the Korean Peninsula and has proposed a plan for a peaceful cooperation in northeast Asia. In doing so, she mentioned that major countries in northeast Asia should make their due contribution to world peace and prosperity."

Kwon Young-Se says leaders from both sides will also work to exploit more potentialities for the future development of bilateral ties.

"The two countries have achieved impressive development in economic and personnel exchanges. In comparison, some people don't think we have fully achieved such exchanges in security and foreign affairs as expected. So, it is hoped that Park's state visit to China will provide an opportunity to create a desirable blueprint for the future development of the bilateral relations,"

Besides Beijing, Park will also visit Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province in western China.

 

 

Interview on China, South Korea ties

 

For more on the subject, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke to Chung Jaeho - a Professor in the Department of International Relation at Seoul National University.

…

That was Chung Jaeho - a Professor in the Department of International Relation at Seoul National University, speaking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.

 

 

China dispatches security forces to join UN peacekeeping mission

 

The Chinese government has decided to dispatch almost 400-peacekeepers to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The team includes a security patrol squad.

This is the first time China has sent security forces to join UN peacekeeping missions.

Defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun says they are not combat troops.

"There are no combat troops in UN peacekeeping missions. UN peacekeepers are aimed at protecting peace, avoiding conflicts and monitoring ceasefire deals. They don't get themselves involved into military conflicts. The Chinese peacekeepers this time will mainly take the security responsibilities of the mission headquarters and campuses."

Currently there are some 16-hundred UN peacekeepers from China on duty around the world.

The country has dispatched some 22-thousand peacekeepers to join UN missions since 1990.

 

 

Live call-in with Brian Costar on Rudd's swearing in

 

Kevin Rudd has been sworn in as Australian Prime Minister after he ousted Julia Gillard as leader of the Labor Party.

This is his second time as Labor prime minister after he was overthrown by Gillard three years ago.

Rudd is expected to announce his cabinet lineup in the following days.

The leadership change comes ahead of an election set for September.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott called on Rudd to clarify if the election would be brought forward.

Polls suggest Abbott's coalition is currently on course for a convincing win on September 14th.

Rudd said he would "identify a date for an election", suggesting that he would not stick with the date set by Gillard.

Now for more on Rudd's swearing in, we are joined on the line by Brian Costar, Professor of Victorian State Parliamentary Democracy.

…

Back anchor: Brian Costar, Professor of Victorian State Parliamentary Democracy.

 

 

Egyptian president calls for forming commission to amend constitution

 

The Egyptian President is calling for the formation of an independent commission to amend the country's constitution.

In a televised address, Mohamed Morsi says he wants to see all political forces and parties involved in the process.

"This committee will be made up of members from all political parties and powers who are all invited to meet with me starting tomorrow, and choose the chairman of this committee, and to decide from previous propositions what their new propositions for the constitution are. I myself will propose the outcome to the parliament in its first session as a suggestion from the president."

Morsi is also calling for the formation of a commission to deal with national reconciliation.

The call comes just days ahead of planned mass-demonstrations against his rule.

Sunday's demonstrations will coincide with the one-year anniversary of him taking office.

Morsi has assigned his interior minister to set up specialized units to deal with any violence stemming from the demonstrations.

In a move to try and placate them, Morsi has ordered all his ministers to appoint deputies under the age of 40.

 

 

Presidency spox confirms Zuma cancels foreign trips,

 

South African President Jacob Zuma has cancelled an overseas trip after visiting former leader Nelson Mandela in the hospital.

The 94-year-old's condition is said to have deteriorated in the past 48-hours.

Mac Maharaj is President Zuma's Spokesman.

"President Zuma was briefed by the doctors who are still doing everything they can to ensure his well being. President Zuma has decided to cancel his trip to Maputo, Mozambique, today, the 27th June, where he is due to attend a SADC summit of regional infrastructure investment conference."

Mandela has been in hospital since June 8th with a recurring lung infection.

Emotional crowds continue to gather outside the hospital, adding messages of support for Mandela.

 

 

Brazilians protest near stadium

 

Police in Brazil have used tear gas to stop protesters from approaching a football stadium.

Brazil was playing Uruguay for the Confederations Cup match at the time.

Some 50-thousand protesters marched to the stadium in Belo Horizonte.

A small number of them tried to push past police lines.

About 20 people were detained.

The crowd repeated the demands they have made since the protest escalated last week, which is more spending on education and health and a crackdown on corruption.

"I think something is going to change. I am certain the politicians are going to think twice before giving themselves a raise, freely, before working just three days a week… So the people have to keep protesting."

They also complained about the high cost of the 2014 World Cup, for which the Confederation Cup is a dress rehearsal.

Wednesday has also seen peaceful protests in Brasilia turn violent when police had used tear gas to clear the area in front of the National Congress building.

President Dilma Rousseff has already introduced a series of measures to answer some of those demands.

However, political analysts say sporadic protests may become a feature of daily life in Brazil for the foreseeable future.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Asian Stock

 

Chinese shares lost a mild rebound in the morning trade and ended in negative territory on Thursday, as sentiment remained cautious after market turmoils in the previous trading days.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.1 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index shrank 0.3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng rose 0.5 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japan's benchmark Nikkei-225 surged 3 percent.

In South Korea, the benchmark KOSPI gained 2.9 percent.

In Singapore, the benchmark Straits Times edged up 0.4 percent.

Finally, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 up 1.7 percent.

 

 

China's industrial profits pick up in May

 

China's industrial enterprises registered strong profit growth in May, offering an uptick sign for the world's second largest economy.

Chinese industrial firms with annual revenues of more than 20-million yuan saw profits surge 15-and-half percent year on year to reach just over 470-billion yuan last month.

The growth rate was faster than that of 9.3 percent recorded in April.

In the first five months, their profits rose 12.3 percent year on year to just over 2 trillion yuan, compared with a growth of 11.4 percent from January to April.

 

 

Housing prices and real estate market

 

Anchor:

It's being reported it's becoming more difficult for homebuyers here in China to apply for public housing mortgages.

The process for bank approvals is now said to be open-ended.

Previously it used to take one to two weeks to secure a mortgage.

Right now only four commercial banks in Beijing are still offering discounts on benchmark mortgage rates for first-time home buyers.

Analysts are suggesting small and medium-sized property developers might be getting ready to cut their housing prices later this year because of a shortage of working capital.

For more on this situation, Paul James spoke with our Financial Commentator Cao Can.

…

That was Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.

 

 

China vows policy continuity to steady market expectations

 

State Council has announced it is to maintain its current economic policies.

The statement is meant to try to stabilize market expectations.

The cabinet says China's economic condition has been generally stable this year.

Government also says it will be moving forward with plans that can balance the need for short-term and structural adjustments whilst keeping an eye on the longer-term.

The government is also promising to make more credit available for sectors that have the potential to create more growth.

 

 

European finance ministers strike deal in Brussels

 

European finance ministers have struck a deal in Brussels in a new attempt to share out the cost of future bank failures saving taxpayers from footing the bill.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem is the Dutch Finance Minister:

"That's a major shift from the public means from the taxpayer, if you will, back to the financial sector itself, which will now become for a very large extent, responsible for dealing with its own problems."

After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Ireland, Britain and Germany had to pump billions into ailing banks to avoid the collapse of the financial system.

But ordinary taxpayers were left with the bill.

The new rules force bank creditors and shareholders to be the first to take the losses.

France and Germany were split over how much leeway governments should have on how shareholders with more than 100-thousand euros in any given bank should share the burden of the institution's collapse.

The French side argued the new EU rules should allow countries more freedom in deciding how banks' creditors are dealt with while Germany pushed for stricter rules.

 

 

UK double-dip recession revised away

 

The latest data shows the UK economy did not suffer a double-dip recession at the beginning of 2012.

The Office for National Statistics or ONS announced the update following a major annual revision of Britain's economic data.

According to the ONS, the growth was flat in the first quarter of 2012, which has been revised from an earlier estimate of a 0.1 percent contraction.

That means the country did not suffer the two consecutive quarters on contraction, which commonly define a recession.

Meanwhile, the Office added growth in the first quarter of 2013 was unrevised at 0.3 percent compared with the previous quarter.

 

 

China Construction Bank opens Taipei branch

 

China Construction Bank, CCB, one of the mainlands largest commercial banks, has officially opened its Taipei branch.

The move is expected to facilitate the CCB's efforts to provide cross-Strait financial services and boost mainland-Taiwan economic, cultural and personnel exchanges.

The Bank has said its Taipei branch will initially focus on corporate financing services.

Later it will further increase business cooperation with Taiwan's local financial institutions.

CCB has reportedly entered into agent bank relations with 35 Taiwanese banks.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

South Korean president visits China

 

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is now in Beijing for her first state visit to China since taking office four months ago.

During her four-day tour, Park will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang.

Discussions will focus on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

 

 

Picking conflicts dead end in South China Sea: Chinese foreign minister

 

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says choosing military strength to solve territorial disputes in the South China Sea is a dead end.

Wang Yi made the comments at the World Peace Forum held in Beijng.

The Chinese foreign minister says Chinese government remains committed in resolving the disputes through bilateral talks with relevant countries.

 

 

Chinese embassy denies arrests of Papua New Guinea suspected killers

 

Chinese embassy to Papua New Guinea is denying earlier media reports that four suspects involved in the killing of four Chinese nationals in the country earlier this week have been arrested.

The four were killed in a bread shop in Port Moresby, one of whom was reportedly beheaded by the attackers.

The victims, three men and one woman, were all from Shanghai.

Chinese diplomats in the country are calling the murder "a pure criminal case".

The southwestern Pacific Ocean country, which is known for it's strong growth in mining and the resource sector faces some challenges.

In the case of Port Moresby, it has long been plagued by violence and murder cases.

 

 

China dispatches security forces to join UN peacekeeping mission

 

The Chinese government has decided to dispatch almost 400-peacekeepers to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The team includes a security patrol squad.

This is the first time China has sent security forces to join UN peacekeeping missions.

Currently there are some 16-hundred UN peacekeepers from China on duty around the world.

The country has dispatched some 22-thousand peacekeepers to join UN missions since 1990.

 

 

Rudd sworn in as Aussie PM

 

Kevin Rudd has been sworn in as Australian Prime Minister after he ousted Julia Gillard as leader of the Labor Party.

This is his second time as Labor prime minister after he was overthrown by Gillard three years ago.

The leadership change comes ahead of an election set for September.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott called on Rudd to clarify if the election would be brought forward.

Polls suggest Abbott's coalition is currently on course for a convincing win on September 14th.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Xinhua

"Online privacy campaign"

The State Internet Information Office initiated a campaign to prevent online breaches of privacy and information leaks.

The campaign mainly focuses on blogs and microblogs set up in other people's names, as well as leaks of people's personal addresses and identities.

It also hopes to combat secretly recorded audio or video content and slanderous statements.

Vowing to join forces with police departments to punish violators, the office also promised to improve its whistle-blowing mechanism in order to prevent the spread of false information.

Shanghai Daily

 "Local kids more likely to have asthma"

A new study shows Shanghai children have the highest incidence of childhood asthma among 10 major cities in China - a level almost 56-percent higher than the average of those other cities.

Though several of those cities regularly register worse overall air pollution than Shanghai, officials say outdoor pollution is not the only factor contributing to childhood asthma and other allergy-related illnesses.

Children living in areas with high humidity, where it's hot in summer and cold in winter, have a higher incidence of asthma.

The Telegraph

 "Older couples lead marriage revival"

Official figures show a revival in marriage is being fueled by a growing number of pensioners deciding to tie the knot.

After almost 30 years of decline, the number of marriages has begun to rise with the growth being led by male pensioners and women in their late 50s.

The bulk of the rise was from those who were remarrying, but there has also been a substantial increase in the number of couples deciding to marry after a lifetime of cohabiting.

India Express

 "New smartphone app records things that happened 5 mins ago"

There's a new smartphone app which lets you record everything happening around you in five minute increments.

The app is called Heard and constantly records your surroundings and keeps it in a state of buffering.

Users can keep the app on all the time letting them refer back anytime they want so long as what they're looking for happened within the past 5 minutes.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Agricultural insurance

 

Anchor

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in December 2011, China became the second-largest agricultural insurance market in the world after the United States.

This has helped farmers recover from unexpected losses.

But the system is still far from complete.

Zhang Wan has the story.

Reporter: Recently, many places in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have frequently been experiencing extreme weather conditions such as hailstorms, heavy winds and floods, which have led to big losses in crop production.

Many local cotton growers in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region complain that recent hailstorm has brought them big losses, and it's too late to replant crops in their fields now as it is already late June. Here is Yuan Jinjiang, a local farmer.

"I can do nothing to recover the losses this year, all that I can do is to start all over again next year."

Yuan says thanks to government-subsidized agricultural insurance, local farmers like himself can receive several hundreds or several thousand yuan in insurance claims.

Maimaitijiang Aishan, a local farmer says, with subsidies by the government, local farmers only paid 30 yuan per mu of field for the insurance.

"Without buying the insurance, there would be no insurance claims to cover our losses, and we would get not a penny in revenue this year."

However, there are also some farmers arguing the insurance claim is far from enough compared to their losses. For example, the average cost of one mu of field is about 1000 yuan, but farmers only receive 600 yuan of claim for each mu of field.

Liu Yonghu, head of a county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region explains more about the government-subsidized agricultural insurance.

"The current implemented government-subsidized agricultural insurance is the kind of low cost and low claim insurance, which provides wide coverage. Or let's say, this insurance may only insure the materialized cost of planted cotton."

As for the government-subsidized insurance, most premiums are paid by the central government and the local government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, but meanwhile, local county government is also expected to pay 15 to 20 percent of the premium.

Aimaierjiang Awuti, head of a local county, says that 20 percent of the premium means 20 million yuan has to be invested into the insurance, it has caused them great pressure.

The Chinese government now shoulders 80 percent of agricultural insurance premiums. In Heilongjiang, every yuan paid by a farmer is subsidized by 0.75 yuan from the county government, 1.25 yuan from the provincial government and 2 yuan from the central government.

According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, from 2007 to 2011, China's central government budget spent 26.4 billion yuan on agricultural insurance subsidies. And the country has pledged to continue to support agricultural insurance with favorable financing and taxation policies.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Mark Webber quits Formula 1

 

In Motor racing news

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has announced he is to leave Formula 1 at the end of this season.

The 36-year-old said he had options to stay in F1, but feels it is time to move on.

In 12 years in F1, Webber has won nine grands prix, achieved 36 podium finishes, 11 pole positions, 15 fastest laps and twice finished third in the World Championship.

Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen is favourite to replace him, with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric Vergne the other two options.

Webber has said he is joining Porsche's new sportscar programme and will compete in the classic Le Mans 24 Hours for the German manufacturer after leaving F1.

 

 

Federer, Sharapova Suffers Shock Defeat; Bunch of Players Withdraw

 

Anchor:

Wednesday has been one of the most dramatic days in recent Wimbledon history, with a slew of top players now out of the tournament.

CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has the details.

Reporter:

Just when you thought defending men's champ Roger Federer would enjoy a wide-open draw after Rafael Nadal's early exit, the seven-time Wimbledon champion has been handed a "Waterloo" defeat in the second round for the first time in almost ten years.

116th ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky outperformed the defending champion 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6.

The 27-year-old stunned center court in only his second-ever meeting with the Swiss powerhouse.

"When you play Roger Federer in Wimbledon, it's like playing two persons. First you play Roger Federer. And then you play his ego, and on the Center Court of Wimbledon, where he's historical I would say, that's like playing two against one."

Despite the historical early exit, the 17-time grand slam champion seemed quite calm in the press conference room.

"He was uncomfortable to play against. I think he served and volleyed really well. It was difficult to get into that much rhythm clearly against a player like that. It's a great number. I can be proud of it. But moving on from here."

On the women's side, another equally stunning upset, with 3rd seed Maria Sharapova being handed an early-exit from the All-England club.

131st ranked Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal did need five match points, but eventually dumped Sharapova 6-3, 6-4.

"From what I felt, there was like dead grass on the top, and that made it quite slippery. But I just tried to be more careful."

The slippery courts have also taken their toll on the competition.

So far seven players have been forced to withdraw because injury.

They include 6th-seeded male Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, women's 2nd seed Victoria Azarenka and Belgium's Steve Darcis, who shocked Rafael Nadal in the first round.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.

 

 

Li Na in the second round play against Simona Halep

 

Right now at Wimbledon,

Six-seeded Li Na is battling against Simona Halep of Romania in the second round of play.

Azarenka, Sharapova and Wozniacki all now joining Sara Errani on the sidelines, Li Na is left as the second highest seeded player after Serena Williams in their half of the draw.

And another rising Chinese star Peng Shuai will open her second round clash against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand later on.

Peng Shuai advanced to round-2 after downing Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues in two straight sets 6-3, 6-2.

 

 

Itlay takes on Spain for the other final berth at Confederations Cup

 

In football,

Italy is now only hours away from taking on Spain in the Confederations Cup semi-final game.

The game will be Italy's first meeting with the Spaniards since being routed by them 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final.

The odds look heavily in Spain's favour again.

Unbeaten in their last 25 matches, Spain has only lost to Italy once in eight meetings since the 1994 World Cup finals.

Gianluigi Buffon is a veteran goalkeeper:

"For us, surely, the next goal is to prove that the distance between us and them is not as large as seen in that final (Euro), but for sure the fact is that they are a benchmark for all teams and it is a very good team."　

The winner of this game will go on to face Brazil, who earlier beat Uruguay 2-1 in the other semi-final.

The final will take place on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium.

 

 

Annual NBA Draft gets under way in Brooklyn

 

This year's NBA Draft will take place later on at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

University of Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is one of the top prospects entering the draft.

"I got a lot of mixed emotions, I mean, a lot of excitement, I mean a lot of nervous, anxious. You know I'm just definitely waiting it out. And I mean I'm just waiting for my name to be called."

Noel ended his lone collegiate season in February, tearing the ACL in his left knee.

But many pundits have him going first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 6-foot-11 freshman led the nation in shot blocking and his conference in rebounding.

Other well sought-after prospects include Victor Oladipo, National Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Kansas Jayhawks shooting guard, Ben Mclemore.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Speculation Over Guest Acts at Glastonbury

 

Rumors are swirling concerning who the special guest acts will be at this year's Glastonbury Festival in the UK.

So far French electo duo Daft Punk is believed to be the most likely candidate for playing a surprise set at the festival.

The duo is still basking in glory following their wildly successful new album Random Access Memories.

They recently released a 10-minute long remix of their first single from the record, Get Lucky.

Ex-Oasis member Liam Gallagher's band, Beady Eye, is also expected to make a surprise visit at the festival with others whispering David Bowie's name as a likely candidate for a special performance.

Rounding out the speculative guesses is US-band Queens of the Stone Age.

A representative for the festival promises concert-goers will be surprised by the announcements.

In the past acts such as Radiohead, Pulp, and Franz Ferdinand have surprised fans during the festival.

The other question is who will guest perform with the Rolling Stones during their 2-hour+ set.

 

 

Filmmaker David Lynch to Release Second Album

 

Controversial filmmaker David Lynch has announced he will release his second solo music album in July.

Lynch recently released the first single called Star Dream Girl from the new album.

He also collaborated with musician Lykke Li and directed a music video for her song I'm Waiting Here.

The Blue Velvet director will also soon direct the music video for Nine Inch Nails' new single Came Back Haunted.

His new album called The Big Dream follows his 2011 album Crazy Clown Time and features 11 original songs plus a cover of Bob Dylan's haunting song The Ballad of Hollis Brown.

Lynch has made headlines lambasting the current state of film criticizing those who watch movies on small devices such as smartphones claiming doing so destroys the filmgoing experience.

 

 

Justin Bieber Sued for Assault and Battery

 

Justin Bieber still reigns on bird mountain as he is now being sued for assault and battery by a paparazzi photographer.

The photographer claims the teenage popstar delivered a martial arts-style kick to his lower rib cage which left him battered.

He claims Bieber became enraged after he couldn't maneuver his Mercedes through the crowd of paparazzi and jumped out of his car swinging.

The singer allegedly threw a punch the photographer and pushed him against a car before kicking him.

The attacked photographer claims Bieber's then-girlfriend, superstar Selena Gomez, apologized to the victim for Bieber's actions.

Last year criminal charges were dropped against Bieber after the district attorney's office cited insufficient evidence against the superstar.

The photographer is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.

 

 

Forbes Magazine Lists Most Powerful Actors List

 

Forbes magazine has released its Most Powerful Actors list with Wolverine-actor Hugh Jackman taking the top spot.

The list is based on earnings over the past 12-months, social media presence, and press references.

No surprise Robert Downey Jr. made it onto the list at number 2 and Great Gatsby actor Leonardo DiCaprio rounding out the top three.

Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane also made the top ten list for their work on Ted as well as Ben Affleck for his film Argo.

Surprisingly no actress made the top-ten list though some did appear on the Most Powerful Celebrities list.

The highest ranked actress is Angelina Jolie who bowed at number 41 with Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence coming in at 49.

Hugh Jackman appeared at number 11 on that list.

 

 

Singer Melissa Etheridge to Wed Partner

 

Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge has announced plans to marry her partner Linda Wallem following the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act also known as DOMA.

Etheridge came out in 1993 and has been a prominent gay rights advocate in the entertainment industry.

Wallem is also involved in the entertainment industry as a creator and executive producer of the hit television series Nurse Jackie.

The US Supreme Court recently ruled the California ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional which has been met with overwhelming acceptance in Hollywood.

Dozens of celebrities have taken to social media expressing their approval over the reversal of the gay marriage ban.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, comedian Russell Brand, singer Lady Gaga, even President Obama have expressed their joy over the news.

Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have previously vowed they would not wed until gay couples were allowed to as well.