The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Shane Bigham with you on this Tuesday, April 08th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
It's been a month since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, but search officials say they are working their strongest lead yet...
Rwanda is marking the 20th anniversary of the genocide that claimed the lives of at least 800-thousand people...
And Nigerian authorities have deployed a massive number of police to deal with local unrest..
In Business...the World Bank has trimmed China's growth forecast...
In sports...Sochi Olympic officials say the Games turned a profit...
In entertainment...US stars lobby for theatre tax cuts...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 27 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 13.
Shanghai will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 22.
Overnight, it will be cloudy with a low of 13.
In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 26.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 16.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 26.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 17.
Over to North America.
New York will see moderate rain today with a high of 10 degrees.
Washington will see moderate rain and a high of 12 degrees.
Honolulu, overcast, 26.
Toronto, Canada, will see moderate rain with a high of 9 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will have thundershowers with a high of 26.
And Rio de Janeiro will be overcast with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Australia ship detects signals as MH370 gone missing for one month
Anchor
Australia's navy vessel Ocean Shield has detected new signals in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.
It's now been a month since that jetliner left Kuala Lumpur on a flight to Beijing.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter
Malaysian authorities say they are cautiously hopeful following reports that the Australian vessel detected signals that are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes.
Malaysian Defence Minister and acting Transport Minister Hishammudin Hussein says the new ping signals are the most promising lead in the month-long hunt.
"The new developments over the last few hours has been the most promising lead we've had. I urge all Malaysians and the international community to unite in their prayers and not give up hope. We will continue with all our efforts to find MH370. Despite all this, we are cautiously hopeful that there will be a positive development in the next few days, if not hours."
The Australian vessel Ocean Shield picked up two separate signals in its search area in the southern Indian Ocean.
The first signal lasted two hours and 20 minutes before it was lost.
The ship then turned around and picked up a signal again which lasted 13 minutes.
If the Ocean Shield manages to pick up the signal again, the crew will launch an autonomous submarine that can dive to about 4,500 meters and scan for wreckage.
Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency coordinating the search, warns that it may take days to confirm whether signals picked up by the ship are indeed from the flight recorders on MH370.
"What I'd like to see now is us find some wreckage, because that will basically help solve the mystery and I would ask you to respect that because fundamentally without wreckage we can't say it's definitely here. We've got to go down and have a look and hopefully we'll find it somewhere in the area that we've narrowed to."
Houston also says since the sea floor in the area is approximately 4,500 meters and even deeper in some spots, the submarine will be operating to the limits of its capability.
Earlier, a Chinese vessel picked up signals consistent with flight recorders in an area which is over 500 kilometers away from the site where the Australian ship detected signals.
Four Chinese ships and a British ship continued the search in the area on Monday.
Chinese authorities say the vessels will enhance underwater search efforts, looking for possible wreckage.
Search teams are racing against time to locate the flight's black boxes, which contain flight data and cockpit voice recordings, as the devices' batteries last only about a month.
Today marks exactly one month since the plane disappeared.
Chinese families of the passengers on board MH370 have held a candlelight vigil in Beijing, marking the anniversary of the plane's disappearance.
Steve Wang is one of the organizers of the vigil.
"It's already been a month. You could say that in this month everyone has experienced a lot of pain, tragedy, despair, and feelings of helplessness. They've experienced much of this. But I believe that everybody will be able to get through this, so today, I wanted to say to everyone, we don't need to cry today. Today we want to say let's make an effort."
Family members have said that their greatest hope at the moment is to find the plane.
Most of the 227 passengers aboard the aircraft were Chinese.
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
Pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukrainian proclaim region independent
Pro-Russian protesters who seized a provincial government building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk have proclaimed the region independent.
The protesters have demanded that a referendum be held no later than May 11 on the possible secession of the Donetsk region.
"Based on the will of the Donetsk region's residents, and confirming the priority of people's values and their commitment to the common principles and norms of international law, the regional council of Donetsk region proclaims as follows: the establishment of a sovereign state, Donetsk People's Republic."
The move comes after Pro-Russian crowds stormed government buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, all cities in Ukraine's heavily Russian-speaking east.
Ukrainian authorities called the unrest an attempt by Russia to dismember Ukraine, saying the government will act against separatism in an adequate way.
The White House says the US calls on Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease all efforts to destabilize Ukraine, adding there are evidences that some of the protesters are paid.
It says the US is ready to impose further sanctions against Russia should the situation escalate further.
Earlier, Russia's foreign ministry demanded the U.S. stop shifting blame to Russia for the protests in Ukraine, saying the authorities in Kiev is to blame for the unrest.
It also says the latest developments in Ukraine proved the necessity of a constitutional reform in the country and transforming it into a federation.
Russia warns Ukraine against missile technologies proliferation
Russia is reminding Ukraine of its obligations regarding two agreements on the control of missile technology.
Moscow has warned Kiev that a Ukrainian military-space enterprise in the eastern part of the country has been negotiating with third-parties on the sale of missile technology.
Ukraine is a participant of the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR, and a signatory of The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.
The "third parties" in this case have not been named.
Established in 1987 by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, the MTCR has been signed by 34 countries to date.
The Hague Code of Conduct was signed in 2002 with the number of its participants currently reaching 137.
Sri Lanka refuses cooperation with UN-backed probe
Sri Lanka's foreign minister says his country will not cooperate with the United Nations human rights chief who is to start an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the country's civil war.
Gamini Lakshman Peiris says that Sri Lanka does not accept the authority of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, to conduct an investigation.
He says that financial contributions to the inquiry from countries that accuse Sri Lanka could lead to a potential conflict of interest.
"We have given reasons why we believe that an investigation of a particular country is not within the scope of the office of the High Commissioner. It does not fall within the ambit of her authority. That's a legal issue and we have given reasons for that."
The 47-member UN Human Rights Council approved the US-sponsored resolution last month with 23 votes in favor and 12 against.
The Sri Lankan government and the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels both have been accused of serious abuses in the war that ended in 2009.
A UN report found that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians may have been killed in just the final months of the war.
The government disputes that figure.
Sri Lankan government officials have previously questioned Pillay's impartiality, citing her Tamil background.
Indians begin marathon general election
Voters in India have begun casting ballots in a marathon general election to choose their next leader.
The nine-phase ballot begins today and will last for more than a month.
More than 800-million Indians are eligible to vote, which is pitting the ruling Congress party against the opposition Hindu nationalist BJP.
Voting started in six constituencies, five in the northeastern state of Assam and one in the neighboring state of Tripura.
"I am feeling great as I am voting for the first time. I came early to beat the rush at the polling booth, but as you can see there are already quite a few people gathered here."
"We have come to cast our vote, as we hope that a good leader is selected who forms a stable government and can provide solution to the problems which the country is facing."
India, the world's 2nd most populous country behind China, is plagued by pervasive corruption and high inflation.
A new anti-corruption party, the AAP, is also contesting the election after a strong showing in local polls.
The final election results are expected to be released in mid-May.
Rwanda marks 20th anniversary of genocide
Rwanda is now in an official week of mourning to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of country's genocide.
At least 800-thousand people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - died at the hands of Hutu extremists in 1994.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has taken part in a ceremony in the capital city, Kigali.
"Never again. And this should never happen in human history. We have learned the tragic and hard lessons from 1994 Rwanda genocide."
Eric Ninsenga, a genocide survivor, says now is the time for reconciliation.
"It was first very difficult after knowing who killed my parents and I never imagined I would talk to them. In fact, now they are here to help me find my father's remains and we are working together to find my father's body. It is a good sign of unity and we hope for the best for a better future together."
The genocide began on April 6th, 1994.
Despite pleas from the UN commander on the ground at the time, the international community failed to intervene to bring the slaughter to an end.
The massacre was finally brought to an end when a Tutsi-led rebel movement entered the country from Uganda and seized control.
Nigeria deploys police in northern state amid tension
Nigerian authorities have ordered the massive deployment of police to northern Zamfara state because of recurring attacks in some communities.
Mohammed Abubakar, the country's Inspector-General of Police, says in a statement that 10 units of special forces, three units of conventional police, a unit of counter-terrorism personnel have been deployed.
Unknown gunmen on Saturday stormed a security meeting of vigilante members in northwest Zamfara state, killing more than 100 people.
The northern part of the country is plagued by violence, including attacks by the Boko Haram sect.
The southern part is said to be a hub of criminal activities which include oil theft or bunkering, kidnapping and armed robbery attacks.
Police confirm detained Italian diplomat faces child-trafficking charge
Philippine police officials say they have detained an Italian diplomat, and filed against him a complaint of child trafficking.
The Italian national was detained while on holiday at Binan City, a resort south of Manila.
He was found allegedly in the company of three street boys aged 9 to 12.
Superintendent Noel Calderon Alino of Binan City Police:
"Together with the aforesaid foreigner suspect on the act of touching and caressing the kids while they were playing in the said resort's swimming pool."
Police say the diplomat was based in Turkmenistan.
Members of the child rights group Bahay Tuluyan who were on an outing in the same resort, in Laguna province, became suspicious and alerted authorities.
Police say their investigation showed that prior to bringing the children to Binan City, the diplomat took them to his accommodation in Manila.
The Italian Embassy in Manila is aware of the incident, but it has not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Call-in about China's real estate market
In spite of the construction boom that China has seen over the past decade, real estate prices have risen sharply.
In response to this, the Chinese government has come up with a number of different measures, including property taxes, to curb property speculation.
So how do experts assess the risks of an asset bubble in China?
To that end, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King spoke with Zhang Jingjing, head of research and associate director of the Greater China office of Knight Frank, a global real estate consulting company.
Back Anchor
That is Zhang Jingjing from the real estate consulting company Knight Frank, speaking with CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King .
Biz Reports
Reporter
U.S. stocks fell on Monday with the S&P 500 posting its biggest three-day drop in two months, as investors bid down Internet stocks and rotated into defensive names to protect against further declines.
Internet stocks were among the day's biggest decliners with Amazon.com down 1.6 percent and Yahoo! off 3.5 percent.
The Nasdaq posted its worst three-day decline since November 2011.
But the biotechnology sector, which saw sharp declines in the past several sessions, ended higher with the Nasdaq biotech sector index up half a percent.
Selling pressure migrated to other sectors, with only defensives such as utilities and consumer staples in positive territory among the 10 major S&P sectors.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1 percent the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.2 percent.
Earnings season gets under way this week, with results due from financials JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo, as well as retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond .
European stocks also went down on Monday, as encouraging economic data diminished hopes for stimulus from the European Central Bank.
In economic news, Germany's industrial production increased for the fourth consecutive month in February, suggesting robust contribution to the first quarter GDP.
The German DAX dropped nearly 2 percent.
And both the French CAC 40 and the UK's FTSE lost some 1 percent.
World Bank cuts China growth forecast
The World Bank has trimmed its China growth forecast slightly.
It now expects the Chinese economy to grow by 7.6% this year, down from its earlier projection of 7.7%.
A slew of lackluster figures have triggered concerns of a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
But the bank said recent reforms unveiled by China were likely to help it achieve "more sustainable and inclusive" growth in the long term.
The lender says if implemented, the reforms will have a profound impact on China's land, labor and capital markets.
The Chinese government set out an ambitious and comprehensive reform agenda in November last year, aimed at overhauling its economy over the next decade.
These include reforming the financial and services sectors as well as big state-owned enterprises.
Meanwhile, the World Bank says it expects the developing East Asia Pacific region to grow by 7.1% this year, slightly lower than its earlier projection of 7.2%.
It adds the developing economies in the region would see "stable economic growth this year, bolstered by a recovery in high-income economies and the market's modest response so far to the US Federal Reserve's tapering of its quantitative easing".
Call-in with Gao Shang
Anchor
The price of gold has become one of the dominant themes in global markets over the past couple of years as the financial crisis unraveled.
Gold hit $1300 US dollars last week for the first time in seven sessions, following the release of US jobs data, reversing the previous week's loss of 1.3 percent.
Reports from China have indicated that demand of gold has slackened because of the weakness of the Chinese yuan.
Physical prices in Shanghai are said to be below spot prices currently, compared to a premium of about $20 an ounce in January.
Chinese demand was a major feature behind gold's rise at the start of this year, but has faded after the New Year celebrations.
Chinese banks have also imported less gold over the past month due to falling demand following the festival season.
For more on this, we are now joined by Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.
Questions
1. What's the correlation between gold prices and US non-farm payroll? It is said to be "falling hard on a good number, but rallying only a little if bad".
2. How do you see the US economic outlook and the trend of precious metals' prices in the near future? What do you advise investors do as the price fluctuates quite frequently recently?
3. How do you evaluate China's demand of gold, and what's China's influence on precious metals prices since China has overtaken India as the world's largest gold consumer last year?
Back Anchor
Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures
U.S. Consumer Credit Rises More Than Expected In February
New data shows consumer credit in the U.S. rose by more than expected in the month of February.
The Federal Reserve says consumer credit increased by 16.5 billion US dollars in February following a revised 13.8 billion increase in January.
The increase in total credit came as non-revolving credit such as student loans and car loans surged up by nearly 19 billion in February after climbing by 14 billion in January.
Meanwhile, revolving credit, which largely reflects credit card debt, dipped 2.4 billion in February after edging down by 0.2 billion in the previous month.
The Fed also said consumer credit rose by an annual rate of 6.4 percent in February, as non-revolving increased by 10 percent and revolving credit dropped by 3.4 percent.
Japan Rate Decision On Tap For Tuesday
The Bank of Japan will on Tuesday conclude its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.
The BoJ is expected to keep rates on hold at 0 to 0.1 percent.
Japan also will release February figures for its current account, which is expected to show a surplus of 618 billion yen following the 1.6 trillion yen shortfall in January.
Japan's eco watchers survey results for March also are due; in February, the reading for current conditions was 53, while the outlook was at 40.
HTC reports bigger-than-expected quarterly loss
Taiwan-based mobile phone maker HTC has reported a worse-than-expected loss for the first quarter of the year.
HTC reported a loss of over 60 million US dollars, compared with a profit of 28 million dollars a year earlier.
Analysts had been expecting a loss of around 50 million US dollars
New products such as the HTC One have not yet helped the company regain its market share. While the HTC One received good reviews, these did not translate into strong sales.
But the company says it expects to return to profit in the next quarter after the release of the smartphone's upgrade, the HTC One M8.
Shares in HTC have dropped by nearly 40% in the past year.
Headline News
Australia ship detects signals as MH370 gone missing for one month
Australian navy vessel Ocean Shield has detected new signals in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
It's now been a month since that jetliner left Kuala Lumpur on a flight to Beijing.
Malaysian authorities say they are cautiously optimistic following reports that the Australian vessel detected signals that are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes.
Ocean Shield has twice picked up signals. If it picks up signals again, a submarine will made a dive to search for wreckage.
Four Chinese ships and a British ship continued the search in the area on Monday, and the search will continue today.
Chinese families of the passengers on board MH370 have held a candlelight vigil in Beijing, marking the anniversary of the plane's disappearance.
U.S. Defense Secretary arrives in China for visit
United State Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has become the first foreigner to visit China's aircraft carrier.
Hagel arrived in China on Monday and paid a visit to the Liaoning aircraft carrier moored at Yuchi Naval Base in east China's Shandong province.
The US defense secretary is in China for a 4-day visit on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan.
China is Hagel's third stop after multiday meetings in Hawaii and Japan on his fourth trip to the Asia-Pacific region since becoming defense secretary.
Russia warns Ukraine against missile technologies proliferation
Russia is reminding Ukraine of its obligations regarding two agreements on the control of missile technology.
Moscow has warned Kiev that a Ukrainian military-space enterprise in the eastern part of the country has been negotiating with third-parties on the sale of missile technology.
Ukraine is a participant of the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR, and a signatory of The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.
The "third parties" in this case have not been named.
UN chief calls for global partnership against genocide
The United Nations Secretary General is calling for a global effort against genocide, arguing the international community should be doing much more to prevent mass killings.
Ban Ki-moon made the speech in Kigali on Monday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide.
Ban says the UN has strengthened its policies since the disaster in order to prevent such an event from happening ever again.
The UN chief also paid tribute to the victims and survivors of the Rwanda genocide.
During a 100-day span between April and July of 1994, Hutu militia and others killed hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
15 Killed in Roadside Bomb Attack in Afghanistan
At least 15 people have been killed and four others severely wounded in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan.
The victims were travelling in two SUVs on Monday when the vehicles hit hidden explosives on a side road.
The vehicles were diverted from a main road because it was blocked by authorities following a suicide bomb attack targeting a NATO convoy in Kandahar province.
Monday's blasts came after a relatively calm weekend as Afghans voted for a new president and provincial councils.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the earlier attack.
Newspaper Picks
GLOBALTIMES
Headline
Rules guard Tibet language
Summary
Authorities in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region are enacting a new legally-binding regulation to safeguard the heritage and development of the Tibetan language.
Local authorities say the regulation enshrines the study, usage and development of the Tibetan language in law.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Nobody hurt in Lijiang fire
Summary
Firefighters have managed to extinguish a fire which broke out on Sunday in Lijiang, province of Yunnan.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze because it broke out in the early hours of the day, but ten shops have been destroyed.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Experts: TCM herbs need strict oversight regimen
Summary
Industry insiders are suggesting the government should strengthen oversight of ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine amid concerns over soil pollution and use of pesticide,
Enterprises that produce traditional Chinese medicine have been involved in disputes with health authorities in Western countries over whether their products are safe for consumers.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Fun-loving families sweep up the sunshine
Summary
Tourist attractions across the city of Shanghai have reported record visitor numbers over the three-day Qingming Festival holiday.
Locals take advantage of the warm weather to have some fun in the sun.
The top four places are the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall and Xujiahui, which has seen over 7 million visitors.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Confucian coming of age ceremony in Xi'an
Summary
A Confucian coming of age ceremony for teenage girls has been held in Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.
More than 50 teenage girls have attended a Ji Li, the Confucian-style coming of age ceremony for females.
The ceremony followed typical Ji Li practices which include making hair buns, attaching hairpins and paying tribute to Huangdi, the common ancestor of the Chinese.
WEST CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
'Supermarket' connects volunteers with those in need
Summary
A community-based voluntary service network, referred to by locals as "Lei Feng Supermarket", has reportedly operated in Liuzhou, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, for two years.
The supermarket, which aims to offer voluntary services on a daily basis, connects volunteers with those needing help.
The supermarket, named after Lei Feng, a Mao-era soldier who represents good qualities such as dedication and selfless giving, has 56 branches in the city.
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
22 family members share a roof, expenses
Summary
An extended family in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, has reportedly shared the same roof for more than seven decades.
The family has 22 members and lives in a three-story building.
They share food, expenses, income and family chores.
Its members include teachers, civil servants and soldiers.
Special Reports
Interview with president of GUE on the popularity of diving among younger Chinese
Anchor
Diving -- especially scuba diving -- has been growing in popularity among the younger generation here in China.
With many young Chinese people traveling to diving spots in Southeast Asia, a growing number of scuba diving organizations are eyeing the domestic market in this country.
To that end, CRI's Chi Huiguang has caught up with Global Underwater Explorer's presdient Jarrod Jablonski.
(callin with GUE)
BACK ANCHOR
Jarrod Jablonski with the scuba diving organization GUE, speaking with CRI's Chi Huiguang.
Sports
Sochi 2014 Olympic posts 140mln USD profit
The Sochi Olympic steering committee says it has posted an operational profit of five billion rubles, which is about 140 million US dollars.
Committee head Dmitry Chernyshenko says between 30 to 40 percent of that total comes from merchandising.
The rest of the sum derived from an assessment of committee-owned property.
Chernyshenko also says the International Olympic Committee has decided to reinvest 20 percent of the profit into Russia's sports development.
Meanwhile, other intellectual property of the Games will be managed by Russia's National Olympic Committee in favor of the Olympic movement.
Russia hosted the 22nd Winter Olympics and 11th Paralympics in February-March in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Romanian former soccer chief detained on suspicion of fraud
The former chairman of Romania's Professional Football League, and other officials, have been detained on suspicion of avoiding taxes in the sale of match rights to television stations.
A statement says the officials were detained Monday as part of a criminal investigation into fiscal evasion and money laundering, costing Romania 3 million euros.
Prosecutors say top league matches were sold from 2011-2013 to TV stations and officials used fictitious accounts to hide transactions.
In March, eight soccer officials were jailed on charges of tax evasion in transfers to foreign clubs.
Chelsea manager says he believes his team can progress
In football,
On the eve of the second leg of Champions League quarter-final action, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he is "a little bit grumpy" but still believes his team can progress.
"They have what they have, we have what we have. If you ask me if I think we are going to win tomorrow, yes I think. Yes I think and I think that's the most important thing for you to listen. I think we are going to win, really."
Chelsea lost to Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-final.
Considering the raft of absentees from team Chelsea, Mourinho is right to be grumpy.
Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle are expected to overcome their weekend knocks, but striker Samuel Eto'o trained alone on Monday.
Midfielder Ramires is also suspended whilst Nemanja Matic and winger Mohamed Salah are both ineligible.
Stress is much less of a factor for Paris Saint-Germain.
With their lead in the first leg, the French champions can lose and still progress.
But PSG's manager Laurent Blanc has said his team won't play at ease.
Even more concerning for Chelsea, PSG has scored in all of their eight Champions League away games this season and have only lost on one of those occasions.
Guoan defeat Evergrande 2-0 in Chinese Super League
Also in football news,
Beijing Guo'an defeated Guangzhou Fuli 2-0 in Chinese Super League action on Monday night.
The capital side controlled the first-half.
Nearly opening in the 12th minute, Joffre Guerron attempted a header but was denied at the last moment by Guangzhou goalkeeper Cheng Yuelei.
But just before the halftime whistle, Joffre Guerron got another chance to beat Cheng for the goal to give Beijing a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Nine minutes from full time, Guangzhou's chances of leveling were dealt a blow when Park Jong-woo was given a yellow card for a foul on Beijing's Pablo Batalla.
A second yellow card left the visitors down to ten men.
The puts Beijing Guo'an level on points with 12 at the top of the Chinese Super League table.
Guangzhou Fuli suffered its first loss in five games and remains at eight points.
Kenya to host 2014 Women's Africa Cup Sevens
Kenya officials have announced that the country is going to host the 2014 Women's Africa Cup Sevens.
Champions South Africa, hosts Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Madagascar will battle for the main prize in the Confederation of African Rugby organised one day showpiece.
The hosts are in Pool A together with South Africa, Senegal and Madagascar while Pool B has last year's beaten finalists Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Last December, the Kenya Lioness squad reached the semi-finals of the Dubai 7s International Invitational Women's Category.
NHL lineup
Three games lineup in the NHL today.
Calgary will compete with New Jersey.
Minnesota is up against Winnipeg.
And Anaheim will meet Vancouver.
Entertainment
Peaches Geldof dead at 25
Peaches Geldof, the daughter of Band Aid founder and musician Bob Geldof, has died at the age of 25. Police, who were called to a home in Kent, England, say they are treating the death as "Unexplained and Sudden."
The British media and fashion personality leaves behind a husband and two young sons, both under the age of two.
Her father confirmed her death saying "We are beyond pain," adding, "She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us."
Peaches had been just 11-year-old when her mother, the television presenter Paula Yates, died of a heroin overdose.
Her final tweet, posted on Sunday, linked to an Instagram photo of her as a baby in her mother's arms.
Heaven is for Real is latest religious movie in US
Next up, 2014 has turned into the year of resurgence for religious movies and here's another.
A film inspired by true events entitled: "Heaven is for Real".
(Heaven is Real trailer)
The film is based on the New York Times best-seller by Todd Burpo. The author wrote of how his four-year-old son came out of emergency surgery and afterwards could describe events that it was impossible for him to know.
For example he said he remembers floating above himself during the operation and seeing his father praying in the other room and also meeting long lost relatives and describing them accurately.
The release of "Heaven is for Real" comes on the heels of the release of the movie "Noah" starring Russell Crow and also "God's Not Dead" which surprised the industry by taking in $8.6 million (USD) from just 780 theaters and there are a few others out later this year.
Greg Kinnear, who plays the role of the father Todd Burpo, said he was totally unaware that this religious film would have so much company:
"Certainly there was no pre-meditation that our movie would open in the wake of this, you know, Christian Bale being Moses and Russell Crow being Noah and all these other films that are out there. I thought we were the only ones in the neighborhood that would (laughs.) I thought it would be a fairly lonely journey here but you know suddenly we find ourselves in that mix. I don't quite know why that is, but I didn't give it a lot of thought. I really didn't. I felt like and I think maybe it was my lack of awareness of the book and my lack of just not having been tracking it as a piece of just Christian literature I read it as a screenplay and responded to the story."
Continuing the theme of religion in Hollywood, Christian Bale will play Moses in the upcoming Ridley Scott film "Exodus: God and Kings" due out in December 2014.
But these films are not having it all their own way, Captain America: The Winter Soldier hugely outsold Noah this weekend in North America.. Showing perhaps, twist a phrase by John Lennon, that Marvel is now more popular than Jesus.
(Release dates)
"Heaven is for Real" opens April 16 in the U.S.
Full list of release dates:
Poland 16 April 2014
USA 16 April 2014
Portugal 1 May 2014
UK 9 May 2014
Ireland 9 May 2014
Netherlands 30 September 2014
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
It's been a month since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, but search officials say they are working their strongest lead yet...
Rwanda is marking the 20th anniversary of the genocide that claimed the lives of at least 800-thousand people...
And Nigerian authorities have deployed a massive number of police to deal with local unrest..
In Business...the World Bank has trimmed China's growth forecast...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together. |