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

Coming up on our program this morning...

China set to further boost green industries

UK retail giant Tesco in talks over possible merger with China Resources

New settlement plan angers Palestinians as 1200 new homes agreed by Israel.

Business

Beijing investigates bribery claims of French drug maker here in China

Sports

Lin Dan defeats Lee Chong Wei to win at the world badminton championships

Entertainments

The Michael Jackson "Immortal World Tour" makes it's debut here in Beijing.

Plus

Special reports takes a look at Beijing first ever ‘colour’ run held this past weekend.

First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Five dead in N China flash floods

 

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains yesterday have left five people dead in north China's Shanxi Province.

Three others are listed as missing.

The accident took place Sunday afternoon when flood water submerged a construction site in the city of Lvliang.

Meantime, weather forecasters say heavy rain will continue to hit the northeast and north in the coming three days.

 

 

Beijing will see showers today, with a high of 29 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be cloudy tonight with a low of 23.

In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 37 the high, and it will be clear tonight, the low of 29 degrees Celsius.

Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 24, and tonight will be cloudy with a low of 12 degree Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, 32.

Kabul, sunny, with a high of 32.

And in North America

New York, overcast, with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, thundershowers, highs of 29

Houston, thundershowers, 32.

Honolulu, overcast, 31.

Toronto, overcast, 24

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires, overcast, 14.

And Rio de Janeiro will be overcast with highs of 23 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China to further boost green industries

 

Anchor

Chinese central government has rolled out another slew of measures to help boost green industries.

As CRI's Su Yi reports, it is also another major step designed to increase domestic demand and rebalance the economy.

Reporter

The State Council has reiterated in its latest policy initiative its plan of maintaining a 15-percent annual growth for the environmental protection industries.

The government is planning to raise total output of the whole sector to 4.5 trillion yuan or over 700-billion US dollars by the year of 2015.

The central government says it will particularly focus on innovation and consumption of green technologies, as well as the service businesses related to the sector.

The new initiative comes following another series of preferential policies to help domestic solar panel companies issued earlier this year.

It also comes as the central government reportedly considers kicking off another round of subsidy policies for the purchase of energy-saving home appliances.

Meantime, the government document says the central government will direct more budget to fund environmental protection industries and encourage companies to issue bonds.

It will also continue to push forward the establishment of pricing schemes of renewable energy and tiered pricing for household water and gas consumption.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

 

 

Live call in UK retail giant Tesco mulls over merger with China Resources

 

Anchor

Britain's biggest retailer Tesco Plc is in talks over a proposed deal with China Resources Enterprise, CRE to merge their supermarkets and hypermarkets in China.

The move will combine Tesco's 131 stores in China, as well as shopping mall business with CRE's almost 3 thousand stores.

Under the proposed deal the state-owned Chinese conglomerate will control around 80-percent of the venture, while Tesco will take the other 20-percent.

At this point both parties say there is no guarantee a deal will be reached.

Tesco, which is the world's third-largest retailer, has been operating in China since 2004.

Last year it closed four stores and another this year.

Tesco's isn't the only international chain flagging in the Chinese market, French supermarket chain Carrefour shut two stores and U.S retail giant Walmart shut five of it's stores last year.

Earlier in June rumour circulated suggesting Carrefour was considering selling its Chinese business.

Now for more on the potential deal with Tesco and CRE, we're joined live on the line by Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.

Questions

1.What's behind the move? Why would Tesco need to have a local partner to co-run its Chinese business?

2.Why did Tesco pick a State-owned enterprise like China Resources as its partner in building up the joint venture?

3.What about the other foreign supermarkets giants such as Carrefour and Walmart? It looks like they are having some difficulties operating their Chinese business as well. What are the challenges that they are all facing?

4.It's also being reported that Tesco had exited both the U.S. market and the Japanese market and is to focus on its British home market. Some experts say this could be a wrong move as UK retailing is strugglingj to see any growth, yet internationally growth is forecast.

Back Anchor:

Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.

 

 

Investigation over dead Chinese nationals underway

 

Afghan authorities say an investigation is underway after three Chinese nationals were found dead and two others went missing in Kabul.

One of the missing Chinese managed to escape on his own before receiving help from American troops.

Sediq Sediqi is the Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman.

"This incident is not related to acts of terrorism here or any other related (activity) as no terrorist group has claimed any responsibility for this as well. So there were two other Chinese also in this party or in this banquet. They have been missing for the last two days but fortunately police was able to find one of them, so one of the two of those missing Chinese have been found. Currently he is under the questioning of the police to find out what exactly happened that night."

The Chinese national has now been transferred to a safe place by the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan.

The embassy says the man was forced into a car driven by Afghan nationals heading out of Kabul on Friday.

He reportedly managed to jump out of he moving vehicle and asked for help from a nearby American military base.

He was later transferred to the Chinese Embassy in Kabul by American troops.

The search for the other missing Chinese national is still underway.

Three Chinese including one male and two females were killed earlier in an apartment building in central Kabul.

It remains unclear if this attack was purposefully targeted.

 

 

New settlement plan angers Palestinians; freed Palestinian prisoners namelist out

 

Palestinian authorities say they are outraged by Israel's plan to build 12-hundred new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On Sunday, the Israeli Housing Ministry confirmed that 793 apartments would be built in East Jerusalem and 394 in West Bank settlements.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says the move brings into question Israel's commitment to the peace process.

"Who does these things are determined to undermine the peace negotiations, are determined to force people like us to leave the negotiating table."

On Thursday, the U.S State Department condemned Israel's actions on the occupied land.

The U.S says they do not accept the legitimacy of activity in the settlements, which halted the last direct talks in September 2010.

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

The second round of direct peace talks between the two sides will be held in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

As a goodwill gesture, the Israeli authorities have approved a list of 26 Palestinian prisoners set to be released.

This is the first batch of prisoners out of a total of 104 set to be freed.

 

 

Mali presidential election runoff concludes

 

The second round for Mali's presidential election has just concluded.

Some international observers say the election process was legitimate.

Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is facing ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse in the second round.

Keita won nearly 40 percent of the vote in the first round, while Cisse came second among the 27 candidates with almost 20 percent.

The election comes after more than a year of turmoil including a coup and a French-led military intervention to oust an Islamic insurgency from the north.

Local resident Djibril Sangare, says maintaining peace will be the primary task of the future president.

"What I want is a peaceful Mali with a president who can make it work. I'd like him to reconcile the men and women of Mali because Mali has been through an enormous crisis. He must reconcile the Malian people."

Meanwhile, political analyst Demba Boundy, says that whatever the outcome, the election

would be the start of a new chapter for Mali.

"If you look at the turnout rate, if you look at the participation, if you look at the motivation of the voters, I've never seen people excited about elections the way I've seen it for the first round. Because now more Malians agree, or understand that their vote does and can count. And I think this is a very important landmark, this is a very important moment for Mali."

The election will also see the unlocking of more than 4 billion US dollars in aid promised after international donors halted their contributions during the country's coup.

 

 

Women protest to show support for Morsi as police plan to besiege sit-ins

 

The military-installed interim authorities in Egypt have announced they would clear two sit-in's in Cairo within 24 hours.

One police official has suggested action against the protests could begin as early as daybreak on Monday.

Following the news of an imminent clampdown by Egypt's security forces, many women have gathered for further protest.

Amira Fadl is a demonstrator who is demanding the reinstatment of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

"We want to bring back the legitimacy, this is our right we voted for him, we voted also for the constitution and they brought it down. Also they dissolved the parliament as if no one voted for all of this."

Efforts by the international community to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis failed last week.

Egypt's interim prime minister has since warned that the government's decision to clear the sit-ins was "irreversible".

Supporters of Morsi have been camping out for weeks to show their opposition to the military takeover a month ago.

 

 

22 people killed in flash floods near Kabul

 

At least 22 people, including six children have been killed in flash floods that hit a plain near the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Several people were injuried and about a dozen homes washed away.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi says search and rescue operations are still underway in the flood-hit area.

"Police in these districts conducted a rescue operation, help operation for those who are stuck in the floods. We are still trying to rescue people and look after those people who are still missing in the floods."

The latest floods followed hours of torrential rain and hail on Saturday.

Normally arid Afghanistan can get heavy rains in the summer.

Earlier this month more than 60 people were killed in flooding east of the capital.

 

 

China's waters haven't been affected by Fukushima water leakage: SOA

 

Chinese authorities say China's waters have not been affected by the contaminated water leakage from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

The State Oceanic Administration says they have been sampling seawater from 39 stations along China's coast.

He Jianhua is a researcher at the SOA.

"Based on the test results of the samples from across China, our country's waters have been in a normal state even though we have turned monitoring into regular level. That is, the nuclear leakage from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant hasn't affected China's territorial waters."

Last week, the Japanese government admitted that the Fukushima nuclear power plant was leaking nearly 300 tons of radioactive water per day into the sea.

The contaminated water posed a major problem and caused alarm in Japan.

China, lying to the west of Japan across the sea, has since adjusted its monitoring on radioactive material in territorial waters.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Market preview

 

Anchor

Let's get a preview of what's happening in the business world this week.

Here's CRI's Su Yi .

Reporter

This week is an interesting week for the markets.

It follows last week's forward guidance provision from Bank of England and unexpected strength out of China.

The underlying topics will continue to be the Fed tapering talk, eurozone recovery, Chinese strength and the UK unemployment outlook.

In the U.S., it is a quiet week for the US economy in terms of economic events.

The focus will be upon retail sales data on Tuesday. Markets will be looking for a significant miss or beat to bring about a notable reaction.

Later in the week, a top official from the Fed will address the monetary policy outlook in three speeches on Wednesday and Thursday.

The speeches could provide key clues to central bank thinking.

Finally, on Thursday, the release of the empire state manufacturing index and Philly fed manufacturing index provide a significant overview of the key sector.

In Eurozone, the release of preliminary Q2 GDP figures for Germany, France and the eurozone is likely to dominate the economic headlines.

With all three GDP releases, Wednesday could be a highly significant day for the eurozone.

In the UK, the unemployment rate is set to be released on Wednesday.

Subsequently the release of the CPI measure of inflation on Tuesday will also be followed closely this week.

Finally, on Thursday, the release of the retail sales figures will provide a clear overview of consumer activity in July.

In Japan, the Japanese preliminary GDP is set to come in on Monday morning.

 

 

Beijing investigates Sanofi bribery claim

 

The Beijing municipal authorities have set up a joint investigation team to probe French drugmaker Sanofi.

The news comes after a Chinese newspaper published bribery allegations against the company.

It's being reported Sanofi staff paid bribes totaling just less than 1.7 million yuan to 503 doctors at 79 hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou in 2007 as "research grants."

The Beijing municipal health bureau is set to coordinate with disciplinary authorities to investigate the case.

Hospitals named in the media report, include Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing.

They are yet to comment.

Sanofi says it takes the claim "very seriously" and has begun relevant procedures to investigate the allegations.

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has been under investigation for suspected bribery by Chinese authorities since early July.

 

 

Gold price fluctuation to continue

 

Anchor

Gold price in the past few months has given Chinese consumers very little reason to be optimistic about the outcome of their investments.

Observers say the price adjustment for the precious metal is likely to continue for the rest of this year.

Xiong Siqi has more.

That was CRI's Xiong Siqi reporting.

 

 

Samsung Electronics infringes Apple patents: U.S. trade panel

 

A U.S. trade panel has ruled South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd infringes on portions of two Apple Inc patents.

The patents involved are one that covers touch-screen technology and one that deals with headphone jacks.

The U.S. International Trade Commission or ITC has ordered a ban on the import and sale of some Samsung mobile products in the U.S.

All exclusion orders are sent to President Barack Obama, who has 60 days to review them.

If he does not veto the order, it will go into effect.

The ruling was the latest in a patent battle between Apple and Samsung.

The dispute has spread across 10 countries.

Earlier this month the Obama administration vetoed an ITC decision.

The ruling would have banned the sales of some Apple mobile devices in the U.S. for violating Samsung patents.

 

 

Caesars sells $438 million Macau golf course to Pearl Dynasty

 

Caesars Entertainment has agreed to sell a golf course in Macau to Pearl Dynasty Investment Ltd for $438 million.

It is being reported the U.S. casino operator has given up on its wait for casino operating rights in China.

The company had bought the land for $578 million in 2007 with the intention of developing a hotel-casino complex.

But the Macau government has not issued any new casino operating licenses since 2001.

Caesars have said in an official filing that it plans to use proceeds to fund other capital expenditures or repurchase debt obligations.

The news follows a move by Caesars in April to spin off assets.

The company was taken private in 2008 for $30.7 billion and went public last year.

It is reportedly struggling to cope with debts topping $20 billion.

 

 

Danone adds to U.S. expansion with YoCrunch yogurt acquisition

 

Danone has bought YoCrunch, a U.S. firm which makes yogurts with toppings such as M&M's and Oreo cookies.

It is the latest effort by the French foods group in continuing to grow its share of the $7 billion U.S. yogurt market.

YoCrunch has net annual sales of $110 million and has had steady double-digit percentage growth in recent years.

The acquisition follows a deal between Danone and Starbucks last month to sell co-branded yogurt through Starbucks cafes and in grocery stores.

Danone has 30 percent of the U.S. market through its Dannon, Activia, Stonyfield Farm and Danimals brands.

The U.S. retail market for yogurt has reportedly grown an average 8.5 percent per year over the last five years.

 

 

Banks cut 5,500 branches across Europe in 2012

 

It's being reported that banks shut 55-hundred branches across the European Union last year.

The cut left the region with 20 thousand fewer outlets than it had in 2008.

Last year's cuts follow 72 hundred branch closures in 2011.

The closures come in a bid to trim operating costs and improve earnings.

Data shows altogether 8 percent of branches were closed in the four years to the end of 2012, leaving one for every 23 hundred people.

Greece saw one of the biggest contractions in 2012, shedding 5.7 percent of its outlets.

However an increase in the number of branches has been seen in some eastern European countries including Poland.

In Britain, the number remained little changed.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China to further boost green industries

 

Chinese central government has rolled out another slew of measures to help boost green industries.

The State Council has reiterated in its latest policy initiative its plan of maintaining a 15-percent annual growth for the environmental protection industries.

The government is planning to raise total output of the whole sector to 4.5 trillion yuan or over 700-billion US dollars by the year of 2015.

It is considered to be another major step designed to increase domestic demand and rebalance the economy.

 

 

Investigation over dead Chinese nationals underway

 

Afghan authorities say an investigation is underway after three Chinese nationals were found dead and two others went missing in Kabul.

One of the missing Chinese managed to escape on his own before receiving help from American troops.

The Chinese national has now been transferred to a safe place by the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan.

Three Chinese including one male and two females were killed earlier in an apartment building in central Kabul.

It remains unclear if this attack was purposefully targeted.

 

 

Five dead in N China flash floods

 

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains yesterday have left five people dead in north China's Shanxi Province.

Three others are listed as missing.

The accident took place Sunday afternoon when flood water submerged a construction site in the city of Lvliang.

Meantime, weather forecasters say heavy rain will continue to hit the northeast and north in the coming three days.

 

 

New settlement plan angers Palestinians; freed Palestanian prisoners namelist out

 

Palestinian authorities say they are outraged by Israel's plan to build 12-hundred new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On Sunday, the Israeli Housing Ministry confirmed that 793 apartments would be built in East Jerusalem and 394 in West Bank settlements.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says the move brings into question Israel's commitment to the peace process.

The second round of direct peace talks between the two sides will be held in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

As a goodwill gesture, the Israeli authorities have approved a list of 26 Palestinian prisoners set to be released.

This is the first batch of prisoners out of a total of 104 set to be freed.

 

 

Snowden father secures visa to visit son in Russia

 

Edward Snowden's father Lon has secured documents to visit his son in Russia.

Lon's lawyer Bruce Fein says the trip will happen "very soon."

But Fein has not revealed the whereabouts of Snowden in Russia.

The former CIA contractor was granted a year-long asylum in Russia earlier this month.

Snowden is facing espionage charges in the US after he angered the US government by disclosing a major intelligence surveillance project.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Global Times

Headline

"Kung football"

Summary

While many people practice kung fu for body building, a school has been launched in central China with the purpose of helping Chinese soccer development with the ancient martial art.

The school, constructed in Dengfeng, Henan Province, is located only miles away from the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kung fu.

The school aims to integrate the spirits and skills of kung fu into sports.

Shanghai Daily

Headline

Publishers urged not to promote learning materials in schools

Summary

Chinese Publication authorities on Sunday urged the country's publishers not to promote teaching or learning materials in middle and primary schools.

The publishers were asked not to collude with school teachers who ask their students to buy learning materials in designated bookstores.

China Daily

Headline

Mischievous anime meets fans in China

Summary

Crayon Shinchan, one of Japan's most popular anime characters, has arrived at Shanghai's tallest skyscraper, Shanghai World Financial Center.

Though many people are fascinated with the mischievous Shinchan, the manga ended in 2009 because of the death of its author Usui.

This is the first time the Crayon Shinchan-themed works are being exhibited in the Chinese mainland.

Hubei Daily

Headline

Luxury cemetery gets locals grieving over plot prices

Summary

An extravagant village cemetery under construction in Hubei Province raised public discussions as plot prices continue to skyrocket in China.

The cemetery is completed with a scale copy of Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

An employee justifies the high price, saying the project also aims at tourism and education.

Cemetery prices in major Chinese cities have even surpassed the already unaffordable housing prices.

Beijing Morning Post

Headline

Worms for weight loss warning

Summary

Doctors advise consumers not to enlist the help of parasitic worms to achieve the perfect figure.

Capsules of roundworm eggs and adult worms are popular at Taobao.com. They consume nutrition in the intestine of the host, leading to weight loss.

However, they could move into the liver, brain, eyes and other organs, experts warned.

Beijing News

Headline

Worker dies in Beijing Airport

Summary

Witnesses at Beijing Capital International Airport said that a worker was found unconscious on the parking apron of Terminal 3 after loud thunder and lightning at 8 am.

Airport authorities confirmed he had been struck by lightning.

Beijing Times

Headline

Woman with H7N9 confirmed

Summary

A case of the H7N9 strain of avian influenza has been confirmed in Guangdong Province.

A sample from the 51-year-old woman tested positive for the H7N9 virus at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday.

The infected patient has worked for many years slaughtering poultry at a local market.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Color Run brings fun and madness to Beijing

 

Anchor

It is said to be the happiest 5 kilometer run on the planet.

The untimed paint run-the Color Run, made its debut here in Beijing over the weekend.

Our reporter Hu Jia joins the carnival and finds out what the event has to offer, aside from the colour.

Reporter

It's the easiest thing here to raise questions or conjure up conversations with anybody you feel like talking to. Making friends could take place in that funny way where you hit it up instantly.

Yang Tian, a local Beijinger who is also a musician specializing in the samba drum, invited us to go to her bands 7th year anniversary celebration during an unrestrained conversation.

"It's at Dos Kolegas, just go visit us there for the show….."

But if you think the color runners are only professional sportsmen, artists or trendsetters, I'll show you the other side.

"We're from Tianjin. We traveled here just because of the event…… "

That's a group of retired aunties from Tianjin who traveled here just for the race. They said they enjoyed the happiness and laughter here and feel no difference from the youngsters in terms of embracing a free-spirited notion of enjoying life.

Maybe we should hurry up to get to the kick-start line.

"We're at the starting line now, finally. Life's good, have fun."

"3, 2, 1…ready, go!"

We're now on our way to the first station, the green gate.

The music and the green mist signals we're at the foot of the powder shower.

After going through four different color zones such as this, you'll become a moving canvas showing off a very vibrant style.

Whilst assuming the climax of the run would arrive the second I became transformed into a palette, I found a girl with a bunch of red roses at the last leg. Is she receving a proposal here?!

"I was so surprised! They dragged me on to the stage and danced with me. I didn't even figure out what was actually happening."

The girl was pulled onto the stage to dance after her boyfriend made the proposal. She was totally caught off-guard and couldn't figure out what was going on at the time, although she later said that it was a wonderful and unique experience.

The unstoppable laughter, happiness, roaring music and lovely natural environment of the day were wrapped up perfectly by this romantic twist.

That's my color run experience.

For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Lin Dan defeats Lee Chong Wei to win at the world championships

 

China's Lin Dan triumphed at the BWF world badminton championships in Guangzhou yesterday after Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei was forced to abandon the final match with an injured knee.

China's badminton superstar came back from being one set down to win 16-21, 21-13, 20-17.

Lin had entered this year's tournament as a wild card, after dropping in the rankings during a year off from the sport.

After I stayed away from the court for some time, many people started to question my ability. As a player, there must be some support, coming along with some disbelief in me. But that was not important to me. I didn't know what result I could get before the event started. But every match I play, I play with my attitude."

Lin helped medical staff carry his opponent off the court, while fans at the Tianhe Gymnasium cheered for the runner up.

Lee also lost to Lin in the Beijing and London Olympic men's singles finals, as well as at last year's world championships.

In the womens singles final, Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon defeated China's Li Xuerui.

But in womens doubles, China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli beat an eighth seeded South Korean team.

In mens doubles, Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan defeated their opponents from Denmark.

And in mixed doubles, China's topseeded pair Ma Jin and Xu Chen fell in the final to Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir.

 

 

Usain Bolt claims mens 100m dash world title

 

World record holder Usain Bolt claimed the mens 100 meter world title at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow yesterday.

The reigning Olympic champion clocked a personal season best of 9.77 on a track slick with rain.

The victory was the redemption Bolt wanted after being disqualified for a false start in the 100 meter final at the Daegu worlds two years ago.

Coming in right on the Jamaican's heels was American Justin Gatlin, who finished in second at 9.85.

Chinese sprinter Zhang Peimeng had set a new national record at 10 seconds in the semifinal, but it wasn't good enough to get him a slot in the finals alongside Bolt and Gatlin.

In the men's decathlon,

Ashton Eaton of the United States backed up his Olympic gold by winning with 8809 points. Germany's Michael Schrader came in second with 8670, a personal best for him.

China's Olympic champion Chen Ding took silver in the men's 20-kilometer race walk.

And in the womens discus throw,

Sandra Perkovic of Croatia won with a throw of 67.99 meters. China had a representative in this event. Tan Jian came in sixth with a throw of 63.34 meters.

 

 

Athletes are being monitored for doping at IAAF Worlds

 

The athletes at this year's championships are being closely monitored to prevent doping scandals.

American sprinter Allyson Felix emphasized that in addition to rooting out the cheaters, the spotlight needs to be on the athletes who are committed to clean competition.

"I think the biggest thing that we can do as athletes is just to keep the focus on ourselves, and really not let it distract us, you know, bring a bright light with our performances, definitely for the younger kids out there, so that's definitely what I aiming to do."

Sergey Bubka the IAAF Vice President said the screening system has already exposed some athletes who were using prohibited drugs.

 

 

Golf results

 

The final round of the 2013 PGA Championship is underway at the Oak Hill country club.

[UPDATE]

And in the Ladies European Tour,

German rookie Ann-Kathrin Lindner claimed her first victory at the Honma Pilsen Masters yesterday. It was only her seventh start on the tour.

 

 

England edges ahead at the fourth Ashes test

 

England is edging ahead in the Ashes Test at Durham with a lead of 202 runs.

Ian Bell scored another century to help his team built a significant second-innings lead on day three yesterday. He's 105 not out and nighwatchman Tim Bresnan is unbeaten on four.

Australia had looked strong at the close of day two, thanks to Chris Roger's century.

"I got the score in the last game, and thought that was maybe that was my opportunity and then, you know, just got to 90s and the England boys were saying 'if you don't get it now, you may never'. So, it was just a fantastic moment to finally get it."

England has already formally retained the urn, after winning the first two tests and ending the third in a draw.

 

 

Serena Williams wins her third Rogers Cup

 

In tennis,

Serena Williams won the Rogers Cup for the third time, after she crushed unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea in two sets yesterday.

The tournament was a cake walk for Williams. She didn't drop a set this week, and was only tested in her semifinal match against third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

MJ Immortal Interview - Immortal world tour to make Michael Jackson proud: artistic director

 

(MJ clip)

The Michael Jackson "Immortal World Tour" has made it's debut in Beijing.

Performed by Canadian entertainment company Cirque Du Soleil, the show attracted a myriad of Jackson and Cirque Du Soleil lovers.

According to Vadivel, the artistic director of the tour, music has played an important role.

"This show has two fun bases and when it comes together, that's the best of both worlds, but there is the Michael Jackson fan base to cater to, there is the Cirque Du Soleil fan base. So, in blending those two, music takes a very important part."

The circus reportedly brought in creators and designers that worked with or were influenced by Michael Jackson to create the show.

 

 

Chinese stage play "Adventure of Marco Polo" debuts in U.S.

 

Chinese stage play "Adventure of Marco Polo" has made its debut in the US.

The play has been customized for the U.S. market.

It depicts Marco Polo's expedition to China through Chinese dances, acrobatics and magics.

Most of the audiences coming to the premiere are local residents.

"Adventure of Marco Polo" is the second original stage play that the China Heaven Creation Theater Company has brought to the White House Theater.

Heaven Creation purchased the White House Theater and its supporting facilities in 2009 to help China's theatrical pieces be performed directly in the US.

From 2010 to 2012, the Chinese company put on the first original stage play "The Legend of Kungfu" in the theater.

 

 

Jolie Maleficent- Angelina Jolie appears at D23 Disney-fan convention to preview fairytale 'Maleficent'

 

Angelina Jolie has made a surprise appearance at the D23, an expo for fans of all things Disney.

She has appeared on stage promoting her upcoming film "Maleficent".

Jolie shared her real-life rendition of the villainess from the 1959 animated "Sleeping Beauty."

"Since I was a little girl, Maleficent was always my favorite. No surprise. I was terrified of her. But I was so drawn to her. And I wanted to know more about her."

A brief clip of the film was shown, where Maleficent crashes the christening of baby Aurora and casts the spell of slumber on the one who would later be beer known as "Sleeping Beauty."

Maleficent also stars Elle Fanning, Peter Capaldi and Juno Temple.

The film is slated to hit cinemas stateside in July 2014.

 

 

Richard and Adam hold on to number one album

 

Richard and Adam have kept hold of the UK number one album this week.

The Britain's Got Talent finalists remain at the top of the album charts for a second week with their debut LP The Impossible Dream.

(Impossible Dream clip)

The Civil Wars settled for the number two spot with their self-titled album, having been outsold by only 15,000 copies.

It is the duo's highest-charting record to date, after their previous LP reached number 13.

Imagine Dragons leap seven spots to three with Night Visions.

(Radioactive clip)

Passenger slips one to four with All the Little Lights, while Jahmene Douglas falls three to complete the top five with Love Never Fails.