The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Marc Griffith with you this Monday, May 12, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang returns to Beijing after his first trip to Africa since taking office, finishing off the tour with an co-financing deal to build a railway linking Nairobi and Mombasa.
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov condemns the unofficial referenda on self-rule in the east of the country as "a farce" with no legal basis.
India's mammoth nine-phase general election process has entered its final phase with the opposition BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi remaining a front runner.
In business news, the Ministry of Finance says China's fiscal revenue climbed 9.2 percent year on year in April to reach one-and-a-quarter trillion yuan, around 200 billion U.S. dollars.
In sport, Maria Sharapova defeats Simona Halep to win the Madrid Open.
In showbiz, an exhibition of works from Chinese painter Xu Beihong and his French mentors is held in Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-French ties.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 16 degrees Celsius. Cloudy tomorrow with a high of 29 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will have cloudy tonight, with a low of 17, light rain tomorrow, with a high of 26.
Chongqing will have showers tonight, 19 degrees the low, showers tomorrow with a high of 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, thundershowers with a high of 24.
Kabul, sunny, 21.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, high of 22.
Canberra, overcast, 19
Brisbane, sunny, 25.
And finally, Perth will be cloudy with a high of 29.
Top News
China and Kenya reach co-financing railway deal
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has returned to Beijing from his first Africa trip since taking office.
On his last stop in Kenya, the two sides signed a co-financing deal to build a railway linking Nairobi and Mombasa.
The deal has been inked as part of the conclusion of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's 3-day visit to Kenya.
"We welcome Kenyan companies to promote their products in major Chinese trading platforms; the Chinese government will facilitate greater access for them. We will also encourage more Chinese investment in Kenya's manufacture industry, to help improve the product process capability here in Kenya. We would like to assist and participate in the construction of industrial parks in Kenya, to conduct more bilateral cooperation in this regard, which we hope can further improve the competiveness of Kenyan exports."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says his government is looking to expand its relationship with China.
"Undoubtedly the partnership that Kenya has had with China especially over the last 10 to 12 years is a partnership that has been mutually beneficial and has gone a long way towards helping us achieve our social and economic agenda. We are very keen to looking forward to increasing that partnership, but also to see how it can diversify that partnership just as the premier has said."
The two leaders have also signed off on a number of agreements connected to economics, finance and agriculture.
The Chinese government is also putting forward 10-million US dollars to help with the protection of wildlife in Kenya.
Kenya is the last stop of the Li Keqiang's four nation African tour, which has also seen him make stops in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Angola.
China welcomes truce in South Sudan
China says it welcomes the meeting and truce accord between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former vice-president Riek Machar, ending five months of bloodshed.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
"We hope the two sides in South Sudan implement the ceasefire agreement and create favorable conditions for a comprehensive and proper solution to the conflict. China will continue to work to help restore stability in South Sudan."
The agreement by the South Sudan leaders contains a commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities within 24 hours of the signing and a rededication to the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in January in Addis Ababa.
A political dispute broke out in the world's youngest nation between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who was removed from office in July 2013 and later accused of attempting a coup.
The tensions escalated in December 2013 into a full-scale conflict between forces loyal to neither side, driving 800,000 people from their homes and leaving twice as many in dire need of aid.
West and Russia Differ on Ukraine eastern referendum
Anchor:
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov has condemned the unofficial referendums on self-rule in the east of the country as "a farce" with no legal basis.
Pro-Russian activists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have claimed victory in their self-declared referendum, prompting divergent reactions from the West and Russia.
Xie Zhao has the details.
Reporter:
The breakaway group in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region says over 89% percent of voters backed independence in its referendum on Sunday.
Roman Lyagin, head of the Central Electoral Commission of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic:
"We have decided to announce the results immediately. Each one of you can see for yourselves that this election was fair. Each one of you was able to visit the polling stations. And we have called you here to give you the results as soon as we had calculated them. We can see that the turnout percentage is quite high but is not a record for a Ukrainian plebiscite (vote) - 74.87 percent."
Donetsk is one of two regions holding referenda on independence from Ukraine.
The results from the other region, Lugansk, suggest that some 96% may have voted for self-rule.
About 3 million ballots have been distributed in towns and cities in the two regions, which have a total population of 6.6 million.
However, Ukrainian authorities and Western countries have denounced the controversial referenda as "illegal."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague:
"These votes (in eastern Ukraine), these attempts of referendum have zero credibility in the eyes of the world, they are illegal by any bodies, standards, they don't meet any standard, not a single standard of objectivity, transparency, fairness, or being properly conducted as a public referendum or election and indeed the people organising them didn't pretend to meet any of those standards."
Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans has said he expects EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday to agree to expand sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.
Washington and its European allies are focusing their efforts on the presidential polls in Ukraine scheduled for May 25, and have warned Moscow against disrupting the vote.
However, Russia has said it respects the choice of the people in the two regions of Ukraine, while hoping that the implementation of the referendum results to be processed along civilized lines.
The referenda have been held after Crimea joined Russia in March following an independence referendum in the southern Ukraine peninsula, which was not recognized by Kiev and the West.
Russia is estimated to have some 40,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and says they have been pulled back, but Nato says it has seen no sign of this.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.
India's general elections enter final phase
India's mammoth nine-phase general election process has entered its final phase.
Polling is being held in 41 parliamentary constituencies across the state of Uttar Pradesh and the eastern states of West Bengal and Bihar.
"After every five years, Lok Sabha elections take place. That is why I have also come to cast my vote. My demand is development of the country."
"I have voted and I have chosen a good leader. We hope that the leader will work to ensure women safety and work for the development of the country."
The country's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi remains a front runner there, but is being challenged by the anti- graft Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The general election began on April 7 and results are due to be announced on May 16.
Opinion polls have suggested that the BJP will form the next government, with Modi as the prime minister, while the ruling Congress party is likely to be ousted due to its inability to tackle corruption and inflation.
Anti-govt protesters have moved to a new site
The battle for power in Thailand takes on a new twist as the leader of anti-government protests plans to set up his office at the vacated government house while the new caretaker leader work from a makeshift, suburban outpost.
The development is the latest to highlight the government's lack of power as Thailand's political crisis grinds into its seventh month.
Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has called for a "final push" to install an unelected new prime minister.
The anti-government protesters have moved to a new rally site near Government House as they vow to take down the caretaker government.
"Tomorrow (Thuesday) will be our final day. I've been waiting for six month now."
"I'm sure we'll win. Definitely, we will win."
Two grenade blasts were set off at an anti-government protest site in Bangkok on Sunday, injuring two.
Police are investigating the scene after a weekend of rising tension in which Thailand's caretaker government has warned people to stay away from protest sites for their own safety.
The country's Senate is expected to hold an informal meeting to discuss the crisis.
Bodies of at least 37 sub-Saharan Africans found washed up on Libyan coast
Libyan officials say that the bodies of at least 37 migrants attempting to make it to Europe have been found, following the capsize of a boat carrying 130 people at the weekend off Libya's coast, east of Tripoli.
Mansour Alhadi, head of the investigation department
"There were about 37 or 38 bodies found. The coastguards along with policemen are still looking for bodies in the sea. They have found three more bodies and they are bringing them now."
It's believed the boat was on its way to Italy.
Libya's interior minister has said his country will help migrants reach Europe if the European Union does not do more to help his country deal with a flood of migrants using Libya as a transit point.
Libya has long been an ideal transit point for illegal immigrants to Malta, Italy and the rest of Europe because of its relatively loose border controls.
The interim government has not established effective control around the country since the 2011 uprising that toppled its former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
This might have encouraged more stowaways to venture on sea journies via the North African country.
Hagel says rescuing kidnapped girls in Nigeria will be 'very difficult'
The governor of Nigeria's Borno state says he has information on the whereabouts of some 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist group Boko Haram.
Governor Kashim Shettima said he had passed reports of the sightings of the girls to the military for verification.
Shettima added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is moving to try to moderate a growing demand in the US to help liberate the Nigerian girls.
But Hagel says putting US troops on the ground in Nigeria is not an option the White House is considering at this point.
"Well, I think you look at everything. But there's no intention at this point to be putting any American boots on the ground."
At the same time, French President Francois Hollande is offering to hold a summit in Paris with Nigeria and its neighbors about the abductions.
France already has troops on the ground in the Central African Republic to the north of Nigeria.
More than 300 girls have been abducted in northeastern Nigeria over the past month.
Islamic rebel group Boko Haram has threatened to sell the girls into slavery as wives or concubines.
The sixth disaster prevention and reduction day
Anchor: Today marks the sixth annual National Disaster Prevention and Reduction day. A series of drills are carried nationwide to raise people's awareness of disaster prevention and self-rescue. This year's theme is "Urbanization and Disaster Reduction."
Li Dong has more details.
Reporter: To raise people's awareness on disaster prevention and self-rescue skills, China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction calls on governments and organizations to carry out drills from the past Saturday to this Friday.
A student at Beijing's Changping Second Middle School says she learned something practical from an emergency response drill on earthquakes.
"We can hide under the desk when an earthquake occurs, and leave the building when it's safe. Plus, I learned we should run against the flow of a landslide rather than follow it. I didn't know this before."
Shan Chunchang, deputy director of the expert committee for the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, says carrying out related drills is an effective way to popularize disaster prevention and reduction knowledge among the public.
"Drills are an effective way to improve people's ability to tackle disasters. Drills are advised to be promoted in factories, schools, government units and also rural areas."
Shan also emphasizes that central and local governments should design cities to better sustain disaster prevention and reduction, especially in the face of China's high-speed urbanization.
"The designs of our cities now are still focused on the ground, surface and instance effect, rather than the infrastructure underground and long-term design. Also, the government's disaster relief work still focuses on what needs be done after the disaster occurred, rather than preventing it. So during the urbanization process, more efforts are needed in the planning, design and quality of construction work in the cities."
Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that China's proportion of permanent urban residents stands at 53.7 percent. According to China's urbanization plan for 2014-2020, by 2020, China's ratio of permanent urban residents to total population should reach about 60 percent.
Thus, China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction calls on governments at all levels to better implement the disaster prevention and reduction work and perfect the emergency response contingency plan, in particular, the plans which are related to the new problems in the urbanization process, such as waterlogging in cities, as well as landslides, gas leaks and fires. Shan Chunchang says disaster in cities have new features.
"Disasters in cities usually cause sudden complications. They often trigger a series of reactions and the consequences may easily be magnified. The future disaster prevention and reduction work should be integrated with urbanization planning."
The Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day was set in 2009, after a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan and neighboring Gansu and Shaanxi provinces on May 12, 2008, leaving 87-thousand people either dead or missing.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
China to hold second nuclear security drill in 2015
China says it will hold a national-level nuclear security exercise next year.
Code-named "Shield 2015," the exercise will simulate a nuclear material handling accident and will be conducted in south China's Guangdong Province due to its long history in civilian nuclear power use.
It will be the second national-level nuclear security exercise since "Shield 2009," which was held in November 2009 at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Jiangsu Province.
The country is also working to form a 300-member state-level rescue team specializing in nuclear emergencies.
They will be tasked to support operators of nuclear facilities to handle contingencies, such as controlling the spread of contamination and minimizing the damage and rescuing trapped people.
China cautiously resumed its development of nuclear power construction in October 2012 after a halt caused by safety concerns from the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan in March 2011.
The government has been stressing the importance of nuclear safety in its move to increase the use of cleaner energy.
China operates 19 nuclear reactor units and has another 29 under construction.
Construction on new Unit 731 exhibition hall launched
Local authorities in China have started to build a new exhibition hall of a notorious biological and chemical war research center in the northeast Chinese city of Harbin, which was established by Japan in 1935.
Unit 731 was a research base for Japan's biological warfare programme in China and Southeast Asia during World War II. At least 3,000 people were killed in experiments there.
Chinese officials say the new exhibition hall, consisting of ground-level and underground sections, will be built on the ruins of Unit 731.
Evidence of the crimes of Unit 731 will be displayed in the underground hall.
The exhibition hall is expected to open to the public next year.
Biz Reports
Stocks
First off, let's have a quick look at the closing numbers in Asia.
Asian Shares made a cautious advance on Monday led by the Chinese market, though gains were capped as investors braced for a possible escalation in Ukraine's civil conflict.
Chinese shares surged this Monday after the State Council unveiled guidelines for regulating the capital market in coming years.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite went up 2.1 percent, while the Shenzhen Component gained 2.2 percent.
The State Council issued guidelines that set out a multi-tier capital market by 2020 with proper structure, functions and regulations, high efficiency and inclusiveness.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.8 percent.
In Japan, the Nikkei ended 0.4 percent lower.
South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.4 percent.
The Straits Times in Singapore retreated 0.9 percent.
And Australia's ASX lost a quarter-of-a-percent.
China's April fiscal revenue rises 9.2 pct
On the Macro-economic front,
The Ministry of Finance says China's fiscal revenue climbed 9.2 percent year on year in April to reach one-and-a-quarter trillion yuan, or 200 billion U.S. dollars.
Central government revenue rose 8.5 percent year on year, while local government revenue was up 10 percent from the same period last year.
In the first four months, China's fiscal revenue climbed 9.3 percent to 4.8 trillion yuan.
The country's fiscal expenditures in the first four months rose 9.6 percent to 4 trillion yuan.
Internet Funds' returns decline
The level of returns offered by online fund products such as Yu'ebao has slipped to below 5 percent, the lowest level this year.
The online fund products, run by China's online heavyweights such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, were mainly launched mid last year.
They are primarily invested in the money market.
Analysts say the decline in returns of online fund products is mainly due to the decline in money market interest rates.
It's estimated that the country's Internet banking has attracted over one trillion yuan in deposits.
Q&Awith Mike on property market bust
Anchor:
Questions are starting to swirl around the Chinese property market, as developers have struggled to turn a profit in recent months.
This past week saw China Vanke, one of this country's largest developers, announce quarterly losses for the first time in 12 years.
Real estate firms in the city of Tangshan in the northern Hebei province have reportedly halved their prices for new homes in an attempt to try to move them off the market.
In an effort to try to stimulate the market, a number of cities have cut their property-purchase restrictions.
For more on what's happening in the property market here in China, Paul James talked earlier with Mike Bastin, visiting professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
Alibaba Unveils Data Center in Hong Kong
It's ... minutes past the hour. On the corporate front in China,
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has launched a data center in Hong Kong as a first major step to expand its cloud-computing business outside the Chinese mainland.
Alibaba, which filed for a giant initial public offering in New York last week, runs online marketplaces hosting millions of merchants.
Alibaba's e-commerce operations generate revenue through advertising and commission fees.
Revenue at its cloud-computing unit is tiny at the moment.
But analysts say data management services could become a major business for the company in the future.
The launch of the Hong Kong data center also comes as Alibaba's e-commerce has been trying to expand outside the Chinese mainland, beginning with Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
Alibaba didn't say how much it spent on the facility.
Japan sees record low current account surplus in FY2013
And business news overseas,
Japan's current account surplus has reached a record low of 790 billion yen in the 2013 fiscal year ending in March, that's about 7.8 billion U.S. dollars.
Headline News
Chinese premier returns to Beijing
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has returned to Beijing from his first Africa trip since taking office.
On his last stop in Kenya, the two sides signed a co-financing deal to build a railway linking Nairobi and Mombasa.
The deal is seen as a critical infrastructure project to boost regional trade and deepen integration in East Africa.
The premier earlier visited Ethiopia, Nigeria and Angola.
West and Russia Differ on Ukraine eastern referendum
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov has condemned the unofficial referendums on self-rule in the east of the country as "a farce" with no legal basis.
Pro-Russian activists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have claimed victory in their self-declared referendum, prompting divergent reactions from the West and Russia.
Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans has said he expects EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday to agree to expand sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.
Washington and its European allies are focusing their efforts on the presidential polls in Ukraine scheduled for May 25, and have warned Moscow against disrupting the vote.
However, Russia has said it respects the choice of the people in the two regions of Ukraine, while hoping that the implementation of the referendum results to be processed along civilized lines.
Indian elections enter final phase
India's mammoth nine-phase general election process has entered its final phase.
Polling is being held in 41 parliamentary constituencies across the state of Uttar Pradesh and the eastern states of West Bengal and Bihar.
The country's main opposition party BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi remains a front runner there, but is being challenged by the anti-graft Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The general election began on April 7 and results are due to be announced later this week.
Thailand slips further in political crisis
The battle for power in Thailand takes on a new twist as the leader of anti-government protests plans to set up his office at the vacated government house while the new caretaker leader work from a makeshift, suburban outpost.
The development is the latest to highlight the government's lack of power as Thailand's political crisis grinds into its seventh month.
Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has called for a "final push" to install an unelected new prime minister.
The country's Senate is expected to hold an informal meeting later today to discuss the crisis.
Libya: at least 40 dead after migrant boat capsizes
The Libyan government says at least 40 migrants drowned when their boat sank off the country's coast last week.
Earlier reports put the death toll at 24. The increased number follows the recovery of more bodies over the weekend.
The vessel was carrying 130 people. The Libyan navy said 51 people had been rescued.
Libya's proximity to Italy and Malta has made it a popular crossing point for African migrants trying to enter the EU.
Three dead in south China rainstorms
Heavy rainstorms have killed three people and forced the relocation of more than 54,000 residents in southern China.
The southern booming town of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province experienced its strongest rainfall since 2008 on Sunday, with 2,000 cars submerged and the operations of more than 5,000 buses suspended.
The heavy rain promoted the city to issue a red-alert for flooding.
Across southern China, more than one million people have been affected by the rainstorms since Thursday.
Newspaper Picks
Xinhua
"Panda base on the hunt for caretakers"
The China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan province, is recruiting caretakers.
The position pays 200,000 yuan, around US$32,000 a year. If you get the job you will have the use of an SUV and receive free meals and accommodation.
Applicants should be at least 22 years old and have some basic knowledge of pandas.
They should also have good writing skills and the ability to take pictures.
People can apply for the job at fun.sohu.com.
Recruitment for the position started on Saturday in Beijing and will also be held in Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou and will last until July 15.
Shanghai Daily
"Water leak monitors installed"
Shanghai is installing monitoring systems at local corporations to help them save water.
Some 50 monitoring facilities have been fitted at some 30 local companies that use more than 50,000 cubic meters of water every month.
Another 70 companies will have to install the system by 2018.
Shanghai will also change 20,000 old taps this year for residents in old neighborhoods in Hongkou and Zhabei districts free of charge.
It is said that the new taps will use about 30 percent less water.
Sky News
"Fantastic Plastic: New Material Heals Itself"
A new type of plastic that can heal itself when damaged has been developed by researchers at the University of Illinois.
Oozing fluids are used to plug holes in the material, similar to the way blood clots form to repair human cuts.
The plastic is lined with a type of artificial vascular system, which can heal damage large enough to be seen by the naked eye.
Potential uses are likely to be objects in locations that are hard to repair, such as spacecraft or drilling equipment at the bottom of deep wells.
Live Science
"Brain Zaps Can Trigger Lucid Dreams"
Lucid dreams, in which people are aware of and can control their dreams, are rare.
But now scientists have found they can induce this weird state of mind in people by zapping their brains with a specific frequency of electricity.
In the study, researchers from Harvard University placed electrodes on the scalps of 27 participants, who were not lucid dreamers, to stimulate the frontal cortex, and recreate the gamma wave activity that has been seen in lucid dreamers.
The researchers found that after stimulation, if people did experience a lucid dream, the gamma activity increased even more.
Lucid dreams represent a unique opportunity for scientists to observe the brain change from one state of consciousness to another, and the new results suggest it may have become easier to study such changes.
The new findings may add insight to the broader research on the nature of consciousness, and how it comes about.
Special Reports
Burned Calligraphy and Landscapes Ink Art Exhibition Opens in Beijing
Anchor: An innovative Chinese ink art exhibition, in which the artist burned paper or vellum to accentuate certain elements, has recently opened up to the general public in Beijing.
CRI's Zhang Qizhi has more.
Reporter: A prominent figure in the development of modern Chinese ink art, 54-year-old Wang Tiande, has reinvented traditional Chinese script and painting through his innovative use of materials. Wang painted layers of Chinese characters and landscapes in ink onto paper or vellum, then accentuated certain elements by burning the material with cigarettes or incense.
His solo exhibition, which opened over the weekend at the Today Art Museum in Beijing, is titled "Kai Men," or "Open Door," as the artist interprets its meaning.
"As Chinese ink art becomes more widely admired nowadays, we should consider how to open a new door of exploring the possibility to better develop Chinese contemporary ink art. Meanwhile, I also hope my "Open Door" exhibition would be inspiring, as it shows my approach in combining ancient Chinese classical texts with modern art."
Wang's special "burnt" creativity exploration came from one of his experiences in 2002. Wang Tiande's cigarette butt accidentally fell onto a piece of paper and caused it to hollow out from the burning.
A new dimension of Chinese ink art has been unveiled since. While Wang Tiande continues to "burn" calligraphy and landscapes using incense as of 2012, the layout of his work has seen a new round of transformation.
Gao Peng, curator of the Today Art Museum, says that burned Chinese characters being placed on top of a layer of traditional calligraphy and landscape pieces creates an impressively distinctive spatial implication.
"His ink paintings are sort of destructive and many of his exhibited works represent his unique visual language. The 'Open Door' exhibition will impress visitors with the overall spatial relationship his paintings try to present, as if the viewers are gradually led to a much broader area from a narrow door they enter."
In addition, the artist's calligraphy and landscape paintings, where incense sticks are used instead of brushes, evokes a vivid feel of historical and natural erosions.
For CRI, I'm Zhang Qizhi.
Sports
Another two games of the NBA playoffs
In the NBA playoffs,
The Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 95-92.
The Indiana Pacers managed to gain a step further as they won another game against the Washington Wizards, and took a big lead in the series of 3-1.
Coach Vogel used the word "special "to describe the game. And he highly valued the display put on by Paul Gorge, saying that he is no doubt the shaft of the attacks. Top star Paul Gorge managed to get 39 points and 11 rebounds in the game.
With a 3-1 lead, the Pacers almost guaranteed themselves admittance to the next round of the NBA playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers successfully reversed Oklahoma City Thunder and tied the series 2-2.
The Los Angeles Clippers were once 22 points behind, but they did not give up and finally managed to win the game 101-99.
Sharapova successfully won the Trophy of Madrid Open
In tennis,
In the final of the Madrid Open, Maria Sharapova successfully revered Simona Halep and won the Trophy.
It is Sharapova's first win at the Madrid Open, and second championship this season.
After winning her second victory this season, the total championships Sharapova has accumulated nows tops 31.
The game took almost 2 hours and the final score was 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Manchester City wins the English FA Premiership
In the English FA Premiership,
Manchester City beat West Ham United 2-nil, and won the championship of the English FA Premiership.
After the goals from Nasri in the 39th minute and Silva in the 49th, Manchester city successfully gained a fifth victory in a row and also the championship.
Everton completed their English Premier League programme with a 2-nil win at Hull City on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Fulham draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace.
After the team achieved a late 2-all draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday, the Fulham manager was already looking to the future with thoughts of rebuilding his squad.
"If you'd say to me when I came in that we were playing at Fulham and that was the game that would decide whether we stayed up or not, I would have taken it. To be perfectly honest, I would have chopped your hands off. So what we've done, we've achieved has been absolutely remarkable and you've got to give credit to everybody at the football club."
Japan announced the 23-player squad for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil
Alberto Zaccheroni, the coach of Japan's national soccer team, announced the 23-player squad for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil on Monday.
Much expected stars like Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa, AC Milan's Keisuke Honda, Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo and in-form Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki were all included in the squad.
However, it was surprise that Yoshito Okubo, a veteran striker also made the squad.
The Asian champions will play their final warm-up in Japan against Cyprus in Saitama on May 27 before heading to the United States for a training camp.
They are scheduled to arrive in Brazil on June 7.
Results of the NHL playoffs
In the NHL playoff,
The Chicago Blackhawks beat Minnesota Wild 2-1 to take the lead in the WC playoff series.
But in the United Center at home, it was the visitors who struck first and gained a lead in the game.
But in the end, the Chicago Blackhawks managed to fight back and beat Minnesota Wild 2-1.
And Minnesota became the first team to score first in the second round of the NHL playoffs and lose, dropping that record to 19-1, according to STATS.
Game 6 is on Tuesday , May 13th in Minnesota, where Wild are undefeated in this postseason.
Meanwhile, turning to the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, after winning game 5 on May 9, the New York Rangers again managed to score the all-important first goal of the game and win 3-1.
St. Louis returned to the New York Rangers just three days after his mother's sudden past away. This also provided a lift to his team mates as they kept their season alive.
Game 7 between the two teams is at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, May 13.
Mark Cavendish wins Stage 1 of the Tour of California
The ninth Tour of California kicks off on Sunday. In the fist stage, Mark Cavendish won, despite the fierce challenge of John Degenkolb.
The first stage began and ended in Sacramento. The route headed north out of the city and hugged the east bank of the Sacramento River.
Near the finish line, Mark Cavendish and John Degenkolb raced shoulder-to-shoulder as Cavendish came up on the right and just pushed the rim of his bike's front wheel over the line first.
Neither of the two riders celebrated until learning the result, which was confirmed with a photo. Cavendish completed the 120-mile stage in 4 hours, 44 minutes, 7 seconds. Moreno Hofland of the Netherlands racing for Belkin Pro Cycling was third.
Red Bull 2014 Cliff Diving World Series kicks off in Cuba
The Red Bull 2014 Cliff Diving World Series commenced over the weekend in the Cuban capital city of Havana.
And for the first time, the opening round of competitions saw the United Kingdom's Blake Aldridge top the table.
In the competition, the divers are required to jump off platforms some 27 meters above the cliffs at the entrance to Havana Bay.
In the Opening rounds, the divers thrilled the local spectators, many of whom had never seen anything like it, as divers hit the water at a speed of almost 100 kilometers an hour.
"It does look like we are 14 nutjobs jumping off this thing, going crazy for an adrenaline rush. But honestly, it's really just a love for the sport of diving. And a camaraderie amongst the competitors that brings us together for such an awesome event and a really, really cool sport," said David Colturi, a competitor.
Like many other extreme sports, cliff diving has now been turned into a global competition with world rankings.
Fourteen competitors from eight countries are competing to become the world's best cliff diver in this stage of the event. The next stop on the tour is the United States.
Entertainment
Movie My Old Classmate Gaining Great Popularity in China
The Chinese movie, 'My Old Classmate' has taken more than 400 million yuan at the box office just 17 days after its release, ranking among the top-five highest-grossing Chinese movies.
The film's momentum doesn't show signs of slowing, as it's still generating 10 million yuan per day.
About 20 years ago, Gao Xiaosong wrote the lyrics of the classic folk song, "My Old Classmate," which touched millions of hearts across the country.
Now, as the producer of the new film of the same title, he has done it again.
Starring Zhou Dongyu, and Lin Gengxin, "My Old Classmate" follows the pair's life and love since middle school, when they were classmates.
The film is said to have brought back memories and created nostalgia for cinema-goers, especially those born in the 1980s.
'Godzilla' cast celebrates its London premiere
American science fiction monster film "Godzilla" has premiered in London.
The movie features the Japanese film monster Godzilla in a reboot of the old Japanese film franchise.
Retelling the origin of Godzilla in contemporary times as a "terrifying force of nature," style of the 2014 film is faithful to the original ones.
British director Gareth Edwards says he took his inspiration from some of the classic scary films he grew up with such as "Jaws" and "Alien."
The film stars "Kick-Ass" actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston.
"Godzilla" is set to open on the Chinese mainland next month.
Lily Allen scores second number one album
British singer Lily Allen has scored her second number one album on the UK chart with her latest record, Sheezus.
It's her first album in five years since 2009's "It's Not Me, It's You".
The 29-year-old's third album went straight to the top of the chart.
Meantime, Gary Barlow's "Since I Saw You Last" leapt 36 places to number two following the recent broadcast of his BBC documentary "When Corden Met Barlow" with James Corden.
His former group Take That’s greatest hits collection also re-entered the album chart at 21.
The Gary Barlow-effect is also seen in the singles chart, where the singer's track, Let Me Go, rocketed from 74 to 22.
Recently it has been suggested that Barlow should hand back his Order of the British Empire honour after it appeared that he had put money into a scheme designed for tax avoidance purposes.
But British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected the calls, and said Barlow had done a "huge amount" for the country.
Art by Xu Beihong and his French teachers debuts in Beijing
An exhibition of works from Chinese painter Xu Beihong and his French mentors is being held in Beijing as part of the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Sino-French ties.
123 paintings by Xu Beihong and art masters from the National School of Fine Arts in Paris are on display.
Among them, works by Xu Beihong's four French mentors when Xu was studying at the academy are now on display for the first time in China.
Xu was primarily known for his Chinese ink paintings of horses and birds.
He was regarded as one of the first to create oil paintings with epic Chinese themes at the beginning of the 20th century.
The exhibition named "A Master and His Masters" will run until August.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang returns to Beijing after his first trip to Africa since taking office, finishing off the tour with an co-financing deal to build a railway linking Nairobi and Mombasa.
Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov condemns the unofficial referenda on self-rule in the east of the country as "a farce" with no legal basis.
India's mammoth nine-phase general election process has entered its final phase with the opposition BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi remaining a front runner.
In business news, the Ministry of Finance says China's fiscal revenue climbed 9.2 percent year on year in April to reach one-and-a-quarter trillion yuan, around 200 billion U.S. dollars.
In sport, Maria Sharapova defeats Simona Halep to win the Madrid Open.
In showbiz, an exhibition of works from Chinese painter Xu Beihong and his French mentors is held in Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-French ties. |