The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Shane Bigham with you on this Wednesday, March 26th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening...
The search area for missing Malaysian flight MH370 continues to be narrowed down, but so far no debris that's been spotted has been recovered...
North Korea has performed another ballistic missile test, prompting a terse reaction from South Korea...
and more bodies have been found in the mud and debris from a landslide on the northwest coast of the US...
In business, four different management methods will be tested in China's emerging private banking sector...
In sports, the Asian Cup draw has been announced...
In entertainment, the cast of the new Spiderman movie visits Beijing...
First... lets check the weather.
Weather
Beijing will be hazy tonight with a low of 10 degree Celsius. Hazy tomorrow with a high of 24 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 13, also cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 21.
Chongqing will be cloudy, 15 degrees the low, shower tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast with a high of 24.
Kabul, overcast, 13.
Over in Australia
Sydney, shower, highs of 24.
Canberra, rainy, 20.
Brisbane, shower, 26.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 28.
Top News
Chinese warships in search area; envoy meets Malaysian PM
Three Chinese naval vessels have joined in the ongoing multinational hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, following the resumption of the search on Wednesday.
The ships have been searching an area 2,000 kilometres southwest of Perth, Australia.
The commander of the Chinese search is Dong Yan.
"The fleet is carrying out a blanket search in single file, taking full advantage of eyesight, radar, sonar and night vision devices. The focus is on searching for floating objects."
Meanwhile, Chinese icebreaker Xuelong has also arrived in the area where Chinese airborne searchers spotted some suspicious objects on Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says the search remains the top priority.
Currently, in the suspect area, besides an Australian supply ship there are no other ships or aricrafts searching for the debris. So after the Chinese vessels arrive, it will enhance the search effort performed with aircraft, which will help to find the floating objects and make confirmation as soon as possible."
In Kuala Lumpur, Chinese special envoy and Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui has met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and called for unremitting efforts in the search effort.
He was sent by President Xi Jinping to urge the Malaysian authorities to do everything that can possibly be done to locate the missing plane.
The Australian parliament stood in silence on Wednesday in remembrance of the passengers and crew from the lost Malaysia Airliner.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said numerous floating objects have been spotted by satellite and aircraft in the search zone.
However nothing has been positively identified as coming from the missing jet.
"A considerable amount of debris has been sighted in the area where the flight was last recorded. Bad weather and inaccessibility has so far prevented any of it from being recovered. But we are confident that we will be."
A dozen aircraft from Japan, Australia, the United States, and South Korea will continue to scour the seas in the hunt for debris from the missing passenger jet.
Meanwhile the Malaysian authorities have revealed more details about the large number of objects being found so far.
Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said around 122 objects have been identified in new satellite imagery.
At a press conference this afternoon, the minister said the latest satellite images were taken on Sunday and provided Tuesday by France-based Airbus Defense and Space.
The newly identified objects were located just over 25-hundred km from Perth.
Some objects are as small as one meter in length, while others are as long as 23 meters, the minister said, adding that some items appear to be bright, possibly indicating solid materials.
Chinese president arrives in Lyon for France visit
Anchor:
Chinese President Xi Jinping is now in France on a state visit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Apart from meeting French leaders including president Francois Hollande, Xi Jinping says he will have extensive contact with French people from all walks of life.
For more on his tour in France, we are now joined by our special correspondent in Paris, David Keyton.
+0033621920782
questions:
1. What are the highlights of President Xi Jinping's visit so far? (You can focus on his speech last night)
2. What next? What else are scheduled on the President's visit?
3. What cooperation deals can be expected to be signed between China and France during his visit?
4. What reactions have you gathered so far from your interviews? How do people view his visit?
BACK ANCHOR:
That is our special correspondent David Keyton reporting from Paris.
Reaction after North fires two ballistic missiles
South Korea's Foreign Ministry has condemned an early morning ballistic missile launch by North Korea, and called on its neighbour to halt further provocative behaviour.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Cho Tai-young
"The South Korean government demands that North Korea stop such provocative behaviour and carries out its responsibilities and promises towards the international community."
North Korea test-fired two medium-range Rodong missiles on Wednesday morning for the first time since 2009.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also condemned the missile launch, but said upcoming talks with Pyongyang would continue as planned.
North Korea and Japan are to restart high-level government-to-government talks on Sunday after a 16-month hiatus.
According to the South Korean Defence Ministry, the missiles flew about 650 kilometres off North Korea's east coast.
It wasn't immediately clear where the missiles splashed down.
The North Korean side made no immediate comment on the launch.
Ukraine to fight if Russia were to move further
US President Barack Obama says that the United States is concerned about Russia's next move regarding the crisis in Ukraine.
"We are also concerned about further encroachment by Russia into Ukraine. So what I announced, and what the European Council announced, was that we were consulting and putting in place the framework, the architecture, for additional sanctions, additional costs, should Russia take this next step."
He said that in view of the concern that Russia might move further on Ukraine, the US was working alongside the European Council to create a framework for additional sanctions and costs should that happen.
Obama made the comment before his arrival in Brussels ahead of a EU-US summit.
At the same time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk says that his country would "fight" if Russian forces were to move into southeastern Ukraine.
"What's going to happen in case Russia crosses the border of the mainland -- this is the duty of every Ukrainian citizen, to protect our country. We will fight."
Lawmakers in Ukraine accepted the resignation of the country's defence minister as thousands of troops began withdrawing from the Crimean Peninsula.
Parliament has already approved a replacement.
Russia formally annexed Crimea on March 21, five days after a referendum that yielded an overwhelming vote to join Russia.
The Russian Federal Migration Service says that more than 6,500 Russian passports have been issued in Crimea whilst over 20,000 Crimean residents have applied for Russian passports.
The Russian Federal Migration Service is hoping to provide Crimeans with Russian passports in three months' time.
16 deaths confirmed in U.S. landslide with eight more to be confirmed
Two more bodies have been recovered from a landslide in Washington State in the US.
That brings the confirmed death toll to 16.
However, there are reports that a further eight bodies have been located in a rural community about 90 kilometres northeast of Seattle.
The discovery of additional victims came as crews searched under drizzly skies for survivors amid fading hopes that anyone could still be plucked alive from the massive pile of muck and debris.
local fire chief Travis Hots.
"We had a very challenging day today with the rain and that just further complicated things. We continued our search and recovery operation on the entire slide area. Unfortunately we didn't find any signs of life. We didn't locate anybody alive."
A 1.6 kilometre-long slide brought down dirt, trees, rocks and other debris on homes, highways and roads on Saturday.
Shortly after the slide, 176 people were listed as missing or unaccounted for.
Heavy rain has been blamed for the tragedy.
Over 20 killed in attacks across Iraq
More than 20 people have been killed in a series of attacks across Iraq on Tuesday.
Most of the victims are members of security forces.
A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden tanker into a security checkpoint in northeast Baghdad, killing six soildiers and three civilians.
Police also reported that gunmen attacked an army post north of Baghdad, killing eight soldiers and wounding 13.
In further attacks, a car bomb exploded in western Baghdad, killing four people and wounding 12 others, and a bomb blast near a market in Baghdad's southern suburbs killed one person and wounded five others.
In the northern city of Mosul, gunmen sprayed an army checkpoint with bullets, killing five soldiers.
Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years.
UN numbers suggest that nearly 9 thousand Iraqis were killed last year alone, the highest annual death toll in years.
Israel's navy opens fire on Gaza fishing boats
Palestinian health authorities say two people have been injured after Israel's navy opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats near the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
The Israeli military said that the two Palestinian vessels were deviating from the southern Gaza Strip into Egyptian waters.
Isreali soldiers suspected they were witnessing a smuggling operation.
The army said it called on the vessels to stop and fired toward the vicinity of the ships in order to halt their progress.
Hits were confirmed, and secondary explosions were heard.
Two boats were ablaze on the Rafah shore line and a near by mosque was damaged.
Abu Ashraf Elamasi is the Imam of the mosque.
"They called me at dawn and said that the vessels had hit the mosque and also hit the boats near the mosque. I came to inspect and see what exactly happened, so I found damage here and a boat on fire and also damage to the mosque."
The Israeli army says that gunmen on the shore began to fire on the soldiers, who then responded.
Israel has been accusing militant groups in Gaza of attempting to smuggle arms and ammunition via sea, and through tunnels under the nearby border with Egypt.
Australian police smash criminal gangs, seize cash, assets in Queensland drug raids
Police in the Australian state of Queensland have seized 7 million Australian dollars in cash and assets over the past two days.
That's the equivalent of about 6.4 million American dollars.
Twelve people have been charged with drug trafficking after search warrants were executed at 28 properties across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Police say two criminal gangs have been dismantled.
Police expect further arrests to be made as investigations are continuing.
Biz Reports
Stock
Asian shares closed with two-week highs on Wednesday, with investor confidence getting a much-needed boost from upbeat U.S. data and diminishing concerns over the Ukraine crisis.
Chinese markets closed lower on Wednesday.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.1 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.7 percent.
Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, advanced 0.6 percent.
China Mobile, China's dominant mobile carrier, was down 0.4 percent, while China Unicom gained 1.1 percent.
ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, climbed 1.3 percent.
As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec unchanged.
PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, rose 1.6 percent
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei ticked up 0.3 percent.
The gain was led by insurance and machinery shares, while information and communication, fishery and agriculture, and land transport shares lost ground.
South Korea's Kospi gained 1.2 percent.
Singapore's Strait Times Index rose 1.3 percent.
Finally, Australia's ASX200 climbed 0.8 percent.
China supervise the private banks in differentiated ways
Shang Fulin, head of the CBRC, says China will push forward with a private bank pilot project.
His comment comes after China Banking Regulatory Commission earlier this month issued a list of private banks.
These banks are on a trial basis with different management modes.
"During the trial, we will emphasize the decisive role of the marketplace. We will improve the corporate governance mechanism by studying each different management system. These banks will pay special attention to serving small and micro enterprises and communities."
In the meantime, Shang Fulin also says China will further open up to foreign banks to promote that part of the developing banking sector.
"We will further explore relaxing the threshold for foreign banks' to operate in China. We encourage them to play a bigger role in funding Chinese business and cross-border financial service."
Shang says China will support Chinese banks to expand international business, including liberalization trade and convenience for overseas investment.
Shanghai FTZ to roll out free trade account
Anchor:
Its being reported the new rules connected to a free trade accounting system in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone are going to be rolled out before the end of June.
The free trade account system will allow for full convertibility of the Chinese currency and will also allow offshore financing.
This is one of the various moves China's central bank, the PBOC, has been undertaking to try to ease restrictions on overseas investment by individuals, by allowing those working in the zone to open an account for overseas investment.
At the same time, the deputy director of the Shanghai FTZ administrative committee also says financial reforms in the zone are expected to be rolled out and tested so they can be applied elsewhere in China by September.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
Back Anchor:
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group speaking with CRI's Paul James.
Facebook to buy virtual reality goggles maker for $2 billion
Facebook will acquire two-year-old Oculus VR, a maker of virtual-reality glasses for gaming, for 2 billion U.S. dollars.
The social media giant is buying its way into the fast-growing wearable devices arena with its first-ever hardware deal.
The acquisition comes hot on the heels of its 19 billion U.S. dollar deal for messaging service WhatsApp.
It marks a big bet by Facebook to anticipate the next shift in an evolving technology industry, at a time when consumers are increasingly abandoning their PCs for smartphones.
The world's largest social network has been deemed late to recognize the shift to mobile devices and the company's revenue has only recently begun to recover from the late start.
Many in the industry believe that wearable devices could represent the next big platform shift.
Google Inc has for several years been testing Google Glass, a stamp-sized electronic screen mounted to a pair of eyeglasses.
Last week, it introduced an effort to develop computerized wristwatches.
Candy Crush' maker King scores $7.1 billion valuation in IPO
Mobile game maker King Digital Entertainment Plc has priced its initial public offering at the mid-point of its expected range, valuing the "Candy Crush Saga" maker at about 7.1 billion U.S. dollars.
That's despite questions about whether the company can replicate the success of its smartphone smash-hit.
The offering marks the largest United States IPO from the booming mobile gaming industry.
The industry has been keen to emerge from the shadow of Zynga Inc, the social gaming firm that lost half its value after a 2011 IPO that valued it just below King at 7 billion U.S. dollars.
London-based King has priced its IPO at 22.50 U.S. dollars per share.
Its offering of 22.2 million shares will raise about 500 million U.S. dollars at that price.
Even if King, whose other games include "Bubble Witch Saga" and "Papa Pear Saga", pulls off a strong debut, the real test will be the stock's staying power in coming weeks and months.
King hopes to avoid Zynga's fate by virtue of a stronger focus on a mobile gaming market worth an estimated 17 billion U.S. dollars.
Siemens to invest 260 mln USD in Britain's wind facilities
Siemens has announced that it will invest 260 million U.S. dollars in offshore wind turbines and installation facilities in Yorkshire, England.
The revised plan of the German engineering and electronics giant will be spread across two sites, comprising the Green Port Hull project, assembly and service facilities, and a new rotor blade manufacturing plant in nearby East Riding.
Apart from the investment from Siemens across the two locations, its port partner, Associated British Ports, will invest a further 250 million dollars in the Green Port Hull development.
Up to 11 percent of British electricity in February was generated by wind facilities.
By 2020, a capacity of 14 gigawatts of wind power is to be added to the grid to combine the country's environmental objectives with its secure power supply.
Siemens has installed more than 2,200 turbines onshore and offshore in Yorkshire with a total capacity of more than 5,000 megawatts.
U.S. jobless rate expected to fall below six percent this year
The U.S. unemployment rate is expected to fall below 6 percent by the end of this year.
James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, also says the U.S. economy is set for a "pretty good year" despite recent weaker data.
The unemployment rate for February rose to 6.7 percent from a five-year low of 6.6 percent as Americans flooded into the labor market to search for work.
Headline News
Chinese warships in search area; envoy meets Malaysian PM
The Malaysian authorities said around 122 objects have been identified in new satellite imagery that are suspected to be the debris of the missing Malaysian plane..
The newly identified objects were located just over 25-hundred km from Perth.
Three Chinese naval vessels have joined in the ongoing multinational hunt for MH370.
Meanwhile, Chinese icebreaker Xuelong and warship Qiandaohu have teamed up to search the plane in the South Indian Ocean,
In Kuala Lumpur, Chinese special envoy and Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui has met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and called for unremitting efforts in the search effort.
He was sent by President Xi Jinping to urge the Malaysian authorities to do everything that can possibly be done to locate the missing plane.
16 deaths confirmed in U.S. landslide
Two more bodies have been recovered from a landslide in Washington State in the US.
That brings the confirmed death toll to 16.
However, there are reports that a further eight bodies have been located in a rural community about 90 kilometres northeast of Seattle.
A 1.6 kilometre-long slide brought down dirt, trees, rocks and other debris on homes, highways and roads on Saturday.
Shortly after the slide, 176 people were listed as missing or unaccounted for.
Heavy rain has been blamed for the tragedy.
Over 500 rebels killed in Syria's Latakia battles
A Syrian newspaper is reporing that 500 rebels have been killed since Friday, in fierce fighting in the country's northwest.
Intense fighting is said to be ongoing in Latakia province, along the border with Turkey.
This latest round of fighting began after militants crossed from Turkey and infiltrated Syrian positions.
But media reports say the rebels have failed to capture any of their objectives, despite claims to the contrary.
Many of the dead are said to be Saudis and Chechens.
The fighting in Latakia is said to be significant because the area includes the ancestral homeland of President Bashar al-Assad and is a stronghold of the Alawite minority sect.
The Syrian government has long accused regional factions and neighbouring countries of supporting hardline militant groups in Syria.
Myanmar nationwide ceasefire deal could be signed soon
A nationwide ceasefire between ethnic rebels and the government of Myanmar is expected to be signed soon.
The country's president has told parliament that he believes six decades of civil war will be coming to an end.
On March 10th, negotiators on each side agreed to jointly draft a single document on a nationwide ceasefire, ahead of peace talks coming up next month.
The government has already reached separate ceasefire agreements with 14 ethnic armed groups since the President's peace offer was extended in August 2011.
Newspaper Picks
"Low-altitude sightseeing lifts off in island province"
Tourists can enjoy a bird's eye view of China's southernmost island province after a low-altitude airspace pilot project opened to the public on Wednesday.
Hainan Sanya Jubilee General Aviation Co. offers helicopter flights over island resorts from the provincial capital of Haikou to other tourist attractions in the province.
Low-altitude airspace refers to a flying height of between 100 meters and 1,000 meters above ground.
China's State Council and military authority jointly decided in November 2010 to open up the country's low-altitude airspace to general aviation.
Cities like Beijing and Chengdu have offered small-scale commercial flight services, but Hainan offers the largest airspace for low-altitude flying.
Inmarsat calls for global tracking of commercial jets
An executive at Inmarsat, the British satellite telecommunications company involved in the ongoing hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said that a global tracking system should be established for all commercial aircraft.
McLaughlin said the MH370 incident could lead to a push for all commercial aircraft to be tracked.
He added that the initiative could be led by China and other nations that are heavily dependent on air transportation.
McLaughlin compared the MH370 incident to the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, which resulted in the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Inmarsat hopes this will be the last time the world has to use all possible means to locate a missing aircraft "when such a simple technology could be applied" for tracking.
Medical Daily
"Can cleaner cooking fuels and kitchen ventilation reduce lung disease?"
New research finds that improving cooking fuels and kitchen ventilation may boost lung function and reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Wood, charcoal, agricultural residues and animal dung are widely used as cooking fuels in developing countries. But burning these biomass fuels causes pollutants - such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter - to be released into the air.
These air pollutants are associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), impaired lung function and other respiratory disorders.
The new study was conducted by researchers at China's Guangzhou Medical University.
Researchers recruited some 1000 participants, age 40 years and older, from 12 Chinese villages.
The researchers found that the participants who either used biogas or improved their kitchen ventilation had better lung function as they aged over the course of the 9-year study.
Additionally, the participants who adopted both biogas and improved ventilation did best of all in lung function tests and were shown to be less likely to develop COPD.
Live Science
"New Tool Calculates Heart's True Age"
A new tool helps even young people estimate their risk for heart disease later in life by calculating their heart's true age.
The new heart calculator has been designed to predict how many years people can expect to live before they have a heart attack or stroke, based on the growing body of evidence showing that there is a long buildup to heart disease. It takes into account people's current lifestyle, blood pressure, cholesterol level and medical conditions that may affect their heart.
Researchers said for the majority of people, the calculator can show the potential gains from an early and sustained change to a healthier lifestyle rather than prescription of drugs.
Researchers also say that most surveys suggest the majority of the public underestimate their lifetime risk of developing and dying of heart disease and consider cancer to be a greater threat despite robust evidence to the contrary.
Special Reports
Swedish Lindgren wins 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Anchor:
Swedish author Barbro Lindgren has won the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for her remarkable ability to convey the childhood experience.
CRI's Stockholm correspondent Chen Xuefei has more.
Ann:
Barbro Lindgren's books have been well read by parents and children in Sweden and the decision was warmly welcomed by Swedish readers.
"Barbro Lindgren is a literary Pioneer. Using adventurous language and rich psychological nuance, she has re-invented not only the picture book for the very young but also absurd prose, existential children's poetry and realist young adult fiction. With perfect pitch, she presents to us both playful shenanigans and moments of bright joy, the inscrutable nature of life and the nearness of death. "
Born in 1937, Lindgren began writing after receiving an inspirational letter from Astrid Lindgren, author of the legendary Pippi Longstockings children's book series. Like Astrid Lindgren, Barbro Lindgren is also very innovative.
Her multifaceted work includes picture books for young children, children's poetry, plays, realistic fiction for young adults and absurd prose stories.
She has published over a hundred titles, which have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Lindgren enjoyed a distinguished education in the arts and initially envisioned a career as a visual artist. Her first children's book, Mattias' Summer was published in 1965.
Stephen Casta, one of the Jury members commented that Lindgren's works have universal appeal.
"I think she is a wonderful author. She has written more than 100 books; she is, I think one of the most eminent children's writers I have ever read, she is very touching, she has a voice that is very clear and very childish and very wise, she is a marvelous author. "
Her acute sensitivity to atmosphere and mood makes her stories so real and passionate that they can sometimes be painfully affecting.
With complete trust in the reader's ability to see beneath the surface, Lindgren maintains an all-embracing warmth in the tone of her works through seemingly simple means.
Lindgren creates characters that live on long after her books have finished. Her works include the the Big Secret series, The Wild Baby and Max's Car series, as well as the works Story of the Little Old Man, Big Sister and Little Brother and Let's Pretend We're Birds.
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world's largest award for children and young adult literature. The prize amounts to five million Swedish kronors or about 800 thousand US dollars.
For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.
Sports
2015 Asian cup draw announced
The draw for the 2015 Asian Cup has just been announced.
China is in a tough group B with Uzbekistan, three time champions Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
One of the four top seeds, Uzbekistan, faces three-time champion Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea in Group B.
Iran will play the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain in Group C.
While title holders Japan are drawn in Group D with Jordan; Iraq; and the champions of this year's Asian Challenge Cup, which will be decided in May.
Hosts Australia were drawn with South Korea, Kuwait and Oman.
Australia will open the tournament against Kuwait in Melbourne on January 9 with the final taking place at Sydney's Olympic Stadium on January 31.
Arsenal draw against Swansea continues Wenger's week of misery
In English football ,
Arsen Wenger's week of misery continues.
Still reeling from a devastating 6-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal took on Swansea City last night in what should have been quite a straight forward game for the top flight team.
But the gunners, playing at home, got off to a terrible start conceding a goal after 11 minutes and taking that deficit into the second half.
Arsenal managed to restore the balance however, scoring twice in just over a minute in the second half and looked set to carry that to the end of the game for a much needed three points but then DISASTER.
A calamitous piece of defending led to a 90th minute own goal by Mathieu Flamini. And it could have been much worse, as the referee blew the whistle as it was looking like Swansea were bearing down for another goal.. Perhaps he was felt it would have been just too much for the French manager..
………………………………..
Elsewhere,
Everton kept their slim hopes of a UEFA Champions League place alive with a 3-0 win against Newcastle United at St. James' Park.
Roberto Martinez' side took the lead in the 22nd minute thanks to a wonderful solo run and goal by Ross Barkley.
Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute and Leon Osman added a third in the 87th minute.
Everton Manager, Roberto Martinez:
"I think today the big difference was that we were very powerful in both boxes. I thought we defended well when we had to and to keep a clean sheet against an opposition like Newcastle, it shows you the focus, the concentration, the intensity that we had but then everytime that we went forward, I felt that we had a real threat."
Nadal through to next round of Sony Open amid bomb scare
In Tennis at the Sony Open there was a bomb scare late on Tuesday which briefly put the tournament on lock-down.
A suspicious package had reportedly been left near the main entrance of the sprawling tennis facility preventing thousands of people from entering or leaving while bomb diposal experts dealt with the situation.
Once the all clear was given by Miami Police, Rafael Nadal took to the Crandon Park centre court to dismiss Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2 6-2.
After the match the World Number One was taking everything in his stride:
"Well the conditions were very tough tonight with a tough wind and it's strange the way that my opponent played tonight so it was not easy to find the rhythm but I think I played really well. We talk about how the conditions and how the way the match was going, I think I have to be very happy with the way I managed it."
The 27-year-old Spaniard will be joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and defending champion Andy Murray into the last eight.
Nadal's next opponent will be Milos Raonic of Canada.
Pacquio gearing up for Bradley rematch
In Boxing,
Manny Pacquio is gearing up for his rematch against American Timothy Bradley for the World Welterweight Championship on April 12.
The last time the pair met in the ring – in June 2012 – Bradley was handed a highly controversial points decision after 12 rounds, costing the iconic Filipino fighter his title.
Now with the fight just a couple of weeks away Pacquiao says he hopes and expects to win this time round, though there are no extra emotions involved:
"I don't think vengence or revenge, but I think it's just sports, you know. I have to prove that I can still fight and that I am the winner….. I believe that I have a lot of advantage with him especially compared with speed and power, that is a gift from God."
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, says it would be good to win the fight decisively but acknowledges it will be a tough task:
"We'd love a knockout but we can't go in there looking for one because we know what the answer to that is. If it happens it happens, that'd be a bonus. We're just getting ready to win, to win the fight one round at a time."
Since the early 2000s, Pacquiao has become one of the most successful boxers of all time, with many boxing outlets rating him as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
LA Lakers defeat NY Knicks in NBA
In Basketball… Over in the US…
The Los Angeles Lakers scored a franchise record 51 points in the third quarter to cruise to victory against the New York Knicks last night.
The Lakers set the record without Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash who are all out with injuries.
It was therefore left to Xavier Henry and Nick Young to take up the slack. Henry scored 22 points while his team-mate hit five 3-pointers on his way to scoring 20 points for the Lakers.
The highest scorer of the game was actually on the losing side as Carmelo Anthony made 29 points for the Knicks but despite the effort LA still won by a decent margin 127 – 96.
This results marks the first consecutive victory in three weeks for the Lakers who languish limply at the very bottom of the Pacific division.
Entertainment
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" cast visits Beijing
The cast of Hollywood action movie "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" attended a press tour in Beijing on Tuesday.
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx answered questions posed by fans from across the country who were connected to the press conference via an online video link.
Tuesday's visit was a special treat for fans of the franchise as this is the first time many members of the cast have been to China.
Some fans even turned up fully dressed in costumes from the movies.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will be released on May 4 across China.
Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin split
Gwenyth Paltrow and husband of more than 10 years Chris Martin have decided to separate. They made the announcement Tuesday on Paltrow's lifestyle website in a post titled "Conscious Uncoupling."
The pair wrote that, with hearts full of sadness, they have come to the conclusion that while they love each other very much, they will remain separate.
The 41-year-old Oscar-winning actress and the Coldplay front man wed in December 2003 and have two children together, ages 7 and 9. Their post added that they will always be a family and are parents first and foremost.
Andrea Bocelli marries girlfriend Veronica Berti
Singer Andrea Bocelli has married his longtime girlfriend Veronica Berti in an Italian village last week.
Bocelli, 55, and Berti, 30, have been together for 12 years and are already parents to daughter Virginia. Virginia turned 2 on the couple's wedding day.
The "Time to Say Goodbye" singer's wedding took place at the Sanctuary of Montenero in a western coastal town. The basilica dates to the 1300s.
The blind singer was previously married to Enrica Cenzetti, with whom he had two sons. The couple split in 2002. This is the first marriage for Veronica Berti.
Taylor Swift granted restraining order against stalker
Taylor Swift has secured a three-year restraining order on Tuesday against a man named Timothy Sweet. Sweet has allegedly been threatening the pop star and her family since January 2011 via e-mails, letters and social-media messages.
The 33-year-old man has maintained that he is married to the Grammy-winning singer and sent messages threatening to "kill any man who gets in the way" of his perceived relationship with her.
In Swift's sworn written declaration, she stated that she was concerned about her safety in public and at home, adding that Sweet's threats to harm her family are extremely distressing. Court documents say that Sweet has visited Taylor Swift's homes in Beverly Hills and Nashville.
This is not the first time the country darling has needed a court to run interference for her, Daniel Cole of Brewster, Massachusetts was also ordered to stay away from the singer's vacation home on the Rhode Island Shore. Cole was summoned before a state judge last Friday after police said he violated the terms of his restraining order.
Unseen short story by Tennessee Williams published
A previously unseen short story by US writer Tennessee Williams has been published for the first time. The story was inspired in part by an old college girlfriend.
"Crazy Night" refers to a student named Anna Jean, very possible the same character as Anna Jean O'Donnell, whom Williams briefly dated while at the University of Missouri. Williams has written poetry about O'Donnell but only made passing mention to her in his notebooks and memoirs.
The story is believed to have been written in the 1930s and could be the missing piece of the puzzle surrounding Williams' formative romantic liaison.
In "Crazy Night," the narrator is a college freshman who has an intimate encounter with Anna Jean, only to lose her to another student.
The short story features in the spring edition of literary journal "The Strand."
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The search area for missing Malaysian flight MH370 continues to be narrowed down, but so far no debris that's been spotted has been recovered...
North Korea has performed another ballistic missile test, prompting a terse reaction from South Korea...
and more bodies have been found in the mud and debris from a landslide on the northwest coast of the US...
In business, four different management methods will be tested in China's emerging private banking sector...
On behalf of the staff, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open the window to the world together.
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