The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Shane Bigham with you on this Tuesday, June 03rd, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
At least five people have been killed in an explosion in a rebel-held building in eastern Ukraine...
Russia has given Ukraine more time to pay its gas bill following a partial payment of nearly 800-billion dollars...
And Palestinian leaders have formally announced the creation of a new unity government, ending 7 years of division...
In Business...a Chinese bank borrows some South Korean currency...
In sports...Rafa is still on course for his fifth consecutive French Open title...
In entertainment...Global stars honoured at China's Huading Film Awards
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 30 degree Celsius.
Overnight it will be cloudy and temperatures should drop down to around 19.
Shanghai will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 25.
Overnight, it will still be overcast with a low of 20.
In Chongqing, it will see some rain with a high of 31.
Overnight still rainy and lows are expected to be around 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 36.
Kabul will be rainy with a high of 22.
Over to North America,
New York will be overcast today with a high of 27 degrees.
Washington will have some rain with a high of 31 degrees.
Honolulu, overcast, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will see some rain with a high of 25 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 18.
And Rio de Janeiro will also be cloudy with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Gov't building blast kills five in Ukraine's Lugansk
At least five people have been killed in an explosion at a rebel-held local administration building in Ukraine's eastern city of Lugansk.
Leaders of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic say a "fighter jet attack" is possibly behind the explosion.
Witnesses say Ukrainian fighter jets were seen flying over the building prior to the incident.
Nikolai is an anti-government activist.
"We are fighting to protect our homeland. Our authorities promised to destroy us but we are protecting our homes from them."
However, a spokesman of the government's military operation in eastern regions has ruled out the possibility of Ukrainian troops attacking insurgents.
There has been no official word on the exact number of casualties.
Meantime, Russia has circulated a draft resolution on the humanitarian situation in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine among members of the UN Security Council .
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov elaborates on the draft.
"It will contain demands to immediately halt violence and begin practical negotiations, for the purpose of establishing a stable and reliable ceasefire."
However, the US has reacted to Russia's proposal, announcing it will double military assistance to Ukraine.
Derek Chollet is US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
"The security assistance we have pledged so far, which is almost doubling the security assistance for Ukraine. And importantly strengthening our long-term defense cooperation. Especially in helping Ukraine build a highly effective armed forces and strengthening its defense institutions."
Fierce clashes between Ukrainian government troops and armed rebels are underway in Lugansk and neighboring Donetsk.
The fighting has been ongoing since early April.
Insurgents established "people's republics" in their regions, seeking independence from Kiev.
Meanwhile the electoral commission has officially declared Petro Poroshenko the winner of the presidential election, saying he has secured nearly 55 percent of vote.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden is due to travel to Kiev this Saturday for the inauguration of Ukraine's new leader.
Ahead of that, Poroshenko is also expected to meet with US President Barack Obama on Wednesday in Poland.
Russia gives Ukraine more time to pay gas bill
Russia' gas giant Gazprom has given Ukraine more time to settle its gas bill after receiving a partial payment of 786-million US dollars.
The company had previously threatened to halt shipments of gas unless Ukraine paid its bill in full and agreed in future to pay in advance.
Gazprom says Ukraine still owes it almost 2.5-billion US dollars.
Negotiations between the two sides will resume now that the payment has been made.
Ukraine has refused to settle the full amount in protest against Gazprom's recent 80-percent price increase.
Almost 15-percent of gas used in Europe comes from Russia through Ukraine.
Palestinians end 7 years of internal division
President Mahmoud Abbas has sworn in a Palestinian unity government.
Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Abbas announced it marks the end of a 7-year internal division.
The formation of the unity government has been strongly opposed by the Israeli authorities.
Abbas pledged to respond to any Israeli actions.
"Any measures which may be taken by the Israeli authorities and their effect on the interests of the Palestinian people will not pass without a response from us. We are not interested in escalation and we are not interested in more tension. But we would not keep silent in the face of these sanctions. "
The ceremony in the city of Ramallah took place after the last-minute resolve of disagreements on the foreign affairs and prisoners' affairs portfolios.
None of the 17 ministers, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, is affiliated with Hamas.
Ismail Haniyeh, the outgoing Hamas prime minister in Gaza, also welcomes the unity government.
"From today, you will not read or hear in any local or foreign broadcast any more the term of 'rival Palestinian parties'. But you will hear the national unity government, the united people, the united leadership, with our different programmes aiming to achieve freedom, liberation and independence. I congratulate the Palestinian people everywhere for this historical moment."
Despite the optimism, Haniyeh also acknowledges that the new government faces many difficulties, including ending the siege that is still imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile the United States has voiced intention to work with the newly formed government.
According to the agreement reached by the Fatah and Hamas movement, the unity government will serve a six-month term, in preparation for a general election.
Israeli cabinet announces resolutions against Palestinian unity gov 't/xinhua
Israel's cabinet has announced a series of resolutions against the new Palestinian unity government.
Those include a continuous suspension of the negotiations with a Hamas-backed Palestinian government.
The Israeli cabinet has also given its Prime Minister latitude to impose further sanctions against the Palestinians and to hold Palestinian leadership responsible for any attacks against Israelis originating from the two Palestinian territories.
During a previous meeting on Sunday, the cabinet had agreed to impose economic sanctions against the Palestinian government, and reallocate tax money that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian government to pay off the latter's debts to Israeli companies.
Syrian Presidential Election kicks off soon
An international observation team has arrived in Damascus ahead of the forthcoming presidential election in Syria.
The delegation is composed of experts from the United States, Canada and Ireland.
One of the delegates, Declan Hayes, told reporters that he believe Syrians will be voting in order to express their desire.
"Obviously, security is number one and they want the war against Syria to end so they will be voting as they see to help end the war in Syria. everybody has a job to do; a soldier has a job to so, the politician has a job to do and the ordinary person has a job to do and tomorrow the job of the ordinary person is to vote in the elections for whoever they think he should be the president of Syria."
Another member of the delegation, Joe Iospaker says the observers would be able to confirm that the elections were fair.
"That is why we have come here so we can go back and tell them with our own eyes we have seen that this is a democratic election."
With the polls set to open later today, most of the posters of the 3-candidates' campaigns have been removed from the streets of Damascus.
People on the streets said the election was a move towards democracy and peace.
Despite a boycott from the oppositions, the polling for overseas Syrians last week saw tens of thousands of voters casting their ballots.
A large portion of them are in support of the current President Bashar al-Assad.
Interior minister says France arrests 4 in jihadist network following shooting
The French authorities have arrested four members of a French jihadist recruiting network.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told a local radio station that the new arrests took place on Monday morning in the Paris region and in the south of France.
"We act everywhere, the fight against these terrorists will be total - and I am saying this again, for all those who think they can escape the net - our resolve is to arrest and neutralise them."
Belgium's Interior Minister is also calling for a holistic approach to stopping extremism.
The four are reportedly having been trained in Syria.
The latest arrests come a day after suspected French jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche was detained for a deadly shooting at a Jewish museum in Belgium.
Three people were killed at the shooting on May 24.
Nemmouche was arrested minutes after he set foot on French soil.
IAEA Director General welcomes Iran cooperation
The United Nations' nuclear agency describes its cooperation with Iran as "substantive."
But Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says it is too early to make a judgment on whether Tehran may have worked secretly on atomic weapons.
"The agency will continue to work closely with Iran to resolve all outstanding issues related to its nuclear programme. The agency has continued its monitoring and verification in relation to the nuclear related measures set out in the joint plan of action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran. Measures agreed under the joint plan are being implemented as planned."
Iran agreed to provide more information to the UN agency on its nulcear program last month.
It submitted documents to the IAEA recently, for the first time, to back its claim that its tests with a special kind of detonator are meant only for civilian purposes.
It denies any interest in nuclear arms.
The latest progress comes after Iran and world powers met in Vienna in April for a final deal regarding the country's nuclear program.
Under a temporary deal reached in November, Tehran agreed to cap its nuclear activities in return for an easing of sanctions.
IAEA is monitoring the implementation of the deal, verifying the measures Iran is taking to fulfill the agreement.
Sanstorm kills at least 4 in Iran
A heavy dust storm roared into Iran's capital, killing at least four people and injuring 30.
The storm struck Tehran with winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.
A local store owner describes the scene.
"It was a horrifying storm and suddenly everywhere went dark. I closed my store's shutters to prevent damage. That big tree broke and knocked into the windows, shattering them."
The storm caused power outages in some districts of the capital.
Some international flights have been cancelled.
Authorities have asked children and the elderly, as well as those with heart problems, to remain indoors.
Nigerian military urges football fans to be vigilant during world cup tournament
Football fans in Nigeria are urged to be vigilant during the World Cup.
Military officials in the country are asking people to be on the lookout for suspicious persons or objects around them as they gather to watch matches.
The advice comes barely 24 hours after an explosion at a bar in a northern province. 18 football fans were killed and 19 others injured as they watched a game on TV.
Military operations in the north, where Boko Haram militants have been active, have been intensified.
The World Cup in Brazil begins in less-than two weeks.
King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicates
King Juan Carlos of Spain has decided to abdicate after almost 39 years on the throne.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced that the king's son, 45-year-old Crown Prince Felipe, will take over the throne.
Rajoy said the 76-year-old king is stepping down for personal reasons.
For much of his reign, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.
His reputation has been tarnished by a long-running corruption investigation into his daughter and her husband.
Support for the king fell further when it was discovered he had been on a lavish elephant hunting trip to Botswana in the middle of Spain's financial crisis.
More trains arranged for record holiday railway traffic
China railways have added an extra 290 trains to manage a record number of passengers on Monday.
People visited tourist attractions or went to their hometowns during the three days of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The China Railway Corporation estimated the number of trips made by railway passengers nationwide would hit 8.1 million.
Meantime, people across China have celebrated the festival with various activities, including racing dragon boats and eating zongzi, or wrapped rice dumplings.
People in other parts of world celebrate Dragon Boat festival
Anchor:
Apart from China, these dragon boat races, as a signature celebration for the festival, have also been held in other parts of the world.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter:
Hundreds of paddlers have taken to the water in the UK city of Salford to compete in dragon boat races as part of a colorful celebration to mark the festival.
Twenty-seven teams, each made up of 10 paddlers, a drummer and a steersman, have taken part in this year's event.
For the first time, a team from the Liverpool Football Club Everton also joins the game.
Team leader Joe Rowa says though they are not trained for this professionally, they enjoy it a lot.
"We are barely prepared for this to be honest we just come for fun. We come to win of course; the second place is not an option. We will see how we do and next year we might come back as professionals."
The Salford event was first held three years ago and has grown into one of the largest dragon boat races in Europe.
City Mayor Ian Stewart says the competition serves as a valuable platform for cultural exchanges among the two countries.
"It is really important that we in Salford, the Great Manchester and the northwestern of the UK know and understand about such an important country as China, but more importantly, about the Chinese people. It is really important that we realize that we can learn so much from each other, whilst we have different cultures and different histories, we should celebrate that difference, that distinction of each of the different cultures, and we should bond our friendship and partnership, for the interests of both our peoples. "
In the United States, dragon boat racers from around the world are in Tennessee for their annual competition.
Thirty teams took part in the race, cheered on by spectators dressed in colorful costumes and sporting animal-themed headgear.
Before the racing began, organizers gave a speech commemorating Qu Yuan, the ancient Chinese poet whose death is believed to be the origin of the festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Event organizer Penny Behling gave her speech at the event.
"Qu Yuan composed some of China's greatest poetry expressing his fervent love and loyalty for his country."
Behling says dragon boat racing has grown rapidly since it was first introduced to the United States in the 1980s.
" It gained momentum pretty quickly over in the west coast, in San Diego and in San Francisco, and we have just gone from probably about five or six races in probably the mid 90s to about 2000, to now over 100 festivals in the US, so it has grown tremendously."
Meanwhile, dragon boat races are also being held in Istanbul, Turkey.
This is the seventh time Turkey has held such events.
Emre Mutlu is in charge of the organizing committee.
He says although dragon boat events originated in China thousands of years ago, they are becoming increasing popular among Turkish people.
"Only 30 teams took part in the race in the year 2008. But this year more than 600 teams have signed up. The teams have also brought their bands and dance teams. Turkish people enjoy it every much. Happy Duanwu Festival!"
For CRI, this is Alexander Aucott.
Biz Reports
There were gains and losses on the major US stock benchmarks. US PMI for May was at 56.4, a 0.2 percent gain from April, a positive sign for the economy.
The Dow rose 0.2 %. The S&P 500 advanced 0.2%, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.1 %.
Shares of raw materials rose.
Tesla Motors dropped 1.5 percent, Facebook dropped 0.4 percent , while Shares of Netflix advanced 1.0 percent and US-listed shares of AstraZeneca rose 1.6 percent.
DirecTV added 0.2 percent and AT&T shed 0.1%.
European stocks markets ended mixed.
Germany's DAX rose 0.1% and France's CAC 40 dropped 0.1% while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.3 %.
China's May CPI expected to rise
China's Consumer Price Index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, is expected to grow faster in May, lifted by rising food prices.
Prices for pork in 22 provinces and cities tracked by the statistics authorities jumped more than 20 percent month on month in May as demand recovered after the central government started to purchase pork at the beginning of the April.
Pork is the staple meat in China and has a heavy weighting in the basket of prices used to calculate inflation.
Prices of other food products including poultry, eggs and fruits were also likely to rise due to the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday at the end of May.
Chinese bank borrows first KRW funds from swap deal with S.Korea
Anchor:
The Bank of Communications has become the first Chinese bank to borrow South Korean won as part of a yuan-won swap arrangement.
The Bank of Communications has borrowed 400-million won from the People's Bank of China as part of the currency swap.
The money is going to be lent to a China-based multinational and a joint-venture.
The Chinese and South Korean governments have an agreement to allow the exchange of some 56-million US dollars worth of one-another's currencies.
For more on this, we are now joined live on the line with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.
Back Anchor:
Gao Shang, Analyst with Guantong Futures.
Apple unveils new operating system and apps
At its annual conference for software developers, Apple updated both its mobile and desktop operating systems.
The latest version of Apple's system for desktops and laptops, entitled OS X 10.10 Yosemite will allow users to make and receive calls and text messages from their iPhone on their desktops or laptops.
It also unveiled iCloud Drive, HealthKit and other app software upgrades.
Apple boss Tim Cook also showcased the tech giant's forthcoming mobile operating system, iOS 8, and emphasized cross-device integration. One feature, Handoff, allows users to start a task on one device and instantly pick it up on another.
Critics may complain of no new devices but the conference creates the foundation for the products that Tim Cook is promising in the second half of the year.
US unveils new rules to cut power emissions
US President Barack Obama unveiled a plan on Monday aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by nearly a third by 2030.
The plan, expected to be finalized next year (2015), is a centerpiece of Obama's efforts to deal with climate change and seeks to give the US more leverage to prod other countries to act when negotiations on a new international treaty resume next year.
Under the plan, carbon emissions are to be reduced 30 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, in what would amount to one of the most significant US actions on global warming.
Energy analyst, Christie Tezak, Managing Director with ClearView Energy Partners, says the plan will diversify the US' sources of energy away from carbon-emitted coal fired power plants.
"It is definitely the Obama administration's intention that they will be able to go into those negotiations and say, 'yes, we have tangible programmes in place covering the two largest sectors.' They began with cars and trucks, with the tailoring rule and then they are moving forward with this greenhouse gas regulation across the utility sector, which is pretty significant."
However, there are also worries from residents that higher prices for power will ensue. And power suppliers heavily dependent on coal are to be severely affected.
Eurozone manufacturing slows to six-month low in May
Manufacturing growth in the eurozone slowed to a six-month low in May, according to a late survey.
The final Markit's Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dipped to 52.2 in May, down from 53.4 in April.
The figure was below the initial estimate of 52.5 and lower than analysts had expected. Output growth slowed in all nations, except the Netherlands.
This has fuelled expectations that the European Central Bank will act to boost growth when it meets on Thursday.
Headline News
Gov't building blast kills five in Ukraine's Lugansk
At least five people have been killed in an explosion at a rebel-held local administration building in Ukraine's eastern city of Lugansk.
Leaders of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic say a "fighter jet attack" is possibly behind the explosion.
Witnesses say Ukrainian fighter jets were seen flying over the building prior to the incident.
However, a spokesman of the government's military operation in eastern regions has ruled out the possibility of Ukrainian troops attacking insurgents.
Meantime, Russia has circulated a draft resolution on the humanitarian situation in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine among members of the UN Security Council.
It calls for an immediate halt to the violence and practical negotiations.
However, the US has reacted to Russia's proposal, announcing it will double military assistance to Ukraine.
Palestinians end 7 years of internal division
Palestinian authorities have sworn-in a new unity government, ending 7 years of internal division.
Shortly after the government was announced, Israeli authorities announced a series of sanctions, including an end to negotiations with the Palestinians.
The new deal ends a rift between Hamas and Fatah. The Israeli government considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization.
The current Palestinian leadership says it will respond to the Israeli sanctions, saying it cannot let them pass without taking action.
The US, which has been attempting to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians for several years, says it will work with the new unity government.
Syrian Presidential Election kicks off soon
An international observation team has arrived in Damascus ahead of the forthcoming presidential election in Syria.
The delegation is composed of experts from the United States, Canada and Ireland.
With the polls set to open later today, most of the posters of the 3-candidates' campaigns have been removed from the streets of Damascus.
People on the streets said the election was a move towards democracy and peace.
Despite a boycott from the oppositions, the polling for overseas Syrians last week saw tens of thousands of voters casting their ballots.
A large portion of them are in support of the current President Bashar al-Assad.
Libyan new PM takes office after storming gov't building
Libya's new Prime Minister Ahmed Maitiq has taken office , after a group of gunmen stormed the government compound and cleared the way for him.
Maitiq made a statement saying his cabinet has begun working, despite that his predecessor Abdullah Thinni refused to transfer the power.
Earlier in the evening, a group of gunmen stormed the Libyan government compound, demanding to transfer power to Maitiq.
Maitiq was sworn in as prime minister last month, but he was immediately challenged by his predecessor Abdullah Thinni and some other politicians.
The Libyan parliament has been stuck in a deadlock between different interest groups since the 2011 popular protests that toppled the country's former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Newspaper Picks
THE BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Five arrested for McDonald's homicide
Summary
Five people were officially arrested and one, who is under 14, remained detained for suspected intentional homicide on Monday.
The suspects beat a 35-year-old woman to death on Wednesday in a McDonald's outlet in Shandong Province after the woman refused to give the suspects her phone number.
The police said the suspects were members of the Church of Almighty God, a sect banned by Chinese authorities.
THE BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Identity verification taken into effect at bus stations
Summary
Beijing police tightened security checks at bus stations as part of the anti-terrorism campaign.
The police noted that passengers traveling to Beijing should bring ID card and show them to the policemen when requested.
Passengers on long-distance buses coming to Beijing are only allowed to get off when arriving at the bus station.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Police crack down on fake medicine Criminal gangs
Summary
Beijing police noted on Monday that a gang has been busted for making and selling fake medicines.
Three suspects and a huge amount of fake medicines and materials were seized by the Beijing police.
Authorities said the fake medicines put the health of patients at great risks.
BEIJING YOUTH DAILY
Headline
China to relax green card policy
Summary
In a move to attract more foreign talent, China is considering relaxing its "green card" policy by lowering the application and approval threshold.
Authorities are deliberating revision to regulations on permanent residence for foreigners, considering more flexible and pragmatic application standards,
China launched its green card system in 2004. As of May 23, 1,306 foreigners had gained permanent residence in China through a foreign talent recruitment plan.
XINHUA
Headline
Air China launches Beijing-Jeju Island service
Summary
Air China, one of China's largest airlines, starts non-stop flights between Beijing and Jeju Island of the Republic of Korea on June 11.
The flight numbers will be CA711 and CA712.
In 2013, nearly 2 million trips to Jeju Island were made by Chinese tourists, the largest among foreign visitors, boosted by its visa-free policy towards individual and group visitors implemented in 2008.
Special Reports
How to Make Chinese Cities Migrant Friendly
ANCHOR:
As China presses ahead with its massive and ambitious urbanization plan, migrants continue to swarm into the cities for job opportunities.
How can the government make Chinese cities friendlier to migrants?
For this and other questions, CRI's Zheng Chenguang earlier talked to Professor John Bacon-Shone, Director of the Social Sciences Research Centrer at the University of Hong Kong.
BACK ANCHOR: Professor John Bacon-Shone, Director of the Social Sciences Research Centrer at The University of Hong Kong, speaking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Sports
Nadal crushes Lajovic to reach quarters in French Open
In tennis,
Starting off with the lastest news from Roland Garros,
Top-ranked player Rafael Nadal of Spain continues his quest for a record fifth consecutive French Open title as he edged unseeded Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Nadal will next play compatriot David Ferrer on Wednesday.
He said he needs to play well to beat Ferrer.
"I think the matches I won, well, I won them because I did what I had to do and because I played at a good level. Then things get more complicated as you move up, and you need to step up your level to be able to face opponents like David. You know, when a player gets to the quarter-final, it means that they are at a very high level."
Ferrer defeated South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 to set up the Spanish clash with Nadal.
----
In other action,
7th seed Andy Murray of Scotland is into the quarter-finals following a straight-sets 6-4,7-5,7-6(7-3) victory over Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
----
For the women,
27th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova reached her seventh French Open quarter-final as she knocked out Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3,6-4.
Romanian Simona Halep is also into the quarter-final after holding off American Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3.
Halep is next up against Kuznetsova.
Meantime, the 10th seed, Italian Sara Errani, eliminated the 6th seed, former U.S. Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in just under two hours.
Errani's next opponent will be 28th-seeded German and former top-10 star Andrea Petkovic, who beat Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Day 3 at the hockey world cup
In hockey,
Wins for Australia, England and Belgium on day three of the Men's field hockey World Cup in the Netherlands.
Defending champions Australia continued their winning run to beat Spain 3-0.
Australia is unbeaten in the tournament and has not conceded a single goal so far.
----
Meantime, England's defence standing firm as the team took on India and eventually ran out 2-1 winners.
With this defeat, India's campaign in the hockey World Cup has come to an end with no hope of making it to the semi-finals of the tournament.
----
Belgium was looking for its second win of the tournament when it faced Malaysia in a group A match.
Tom Boon scored four goals to give Belgium a 6-2 win.
That helped Belgium reach second place on the table.
Noah, Ibaka named to NBA all-defensive first team
In basketball,
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka were among five players named to the 2013-2014 NBA All-Defensive First Team.
It's the second consecutive year Noah was chosen to the first team.
The rest of the first team consisted of Clippers guard Chris Paul and Golden State swingman Andre Iguodala.
Four-time league MVP LeBron James and defensive player of the year runner-up Roy Hibbert were both on the second team.
James will lead the Miami Heat in search of a third consecutive NBA title when the best-of-seven championship series opens Thursday in San Antonio.
Lampard to leave Chelsea
In European soccer news,
England midfielder Frank Lampard has announced that he will leave Chelsea when his contract expires at the end of June.
Lampard had reportedly been offered a new deal on reduced terms, but he has instead decided to bring an end to his 13-year spell with the Premier League team.
Lampard did not say where he expects to play next season, but has long been linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States.
Lampard has helped Chelsea to three Premier League titles and the Championship League in 2012.
FIFA World Cup investigation completed by next week
FIFA's ethics prosecutors say the investigation into alleged corruption involved in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments will be completed next week.
It's also been reported that the outcome of the investigation won't be revealed until after the World Cup.
The Sunday Times newspaper in Britain revealed that 5 million U.S dollars was allegedly paid by a Qatari official to high-ranking FIFA executives to build support for Qatar's bid for the 2022 World Cup.
By July, FIFA's ethics investigator Michael Garcia is set to deliver his verdict on both Qatar and Russia, host of the 2018 World Cup.
Entertainment
Global stars honoured at China's Huading Film Awards
As a sign of China's growing importance in the film industry, Hollywood stars have attended the first ever Huading Film Awards to be held oversees.
Some 80 million Chinese fans voted for the awards, now in their 12th year, and the awards show was watched by an estimated one billion viewers.
Among those in attendance were Halle Berry, Orlando Bloom, Charlie Hunnam, Lucy Liu and Guillermo del Toro.
"Fast & Furious 6" took home the top prize of the evening, Best Global Movie.
Meanwhile Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry was given the "Icon" award and thanked her Chinese fans.
"I love what I do, and I'm so blessed to be able to travel around the world for what I get to do, and a few years ago, I managed to go to Shanghai, and I had a welcome there that simply took my breath away. I felt like I was an original Beatle when I got off that airplane. The love that came towards me and the appreciation for the work that I've done really has stayed with me, and I hope that I will continue to be able to make movies and entertain the Chinese audience."
"Lord of the Rings" star Orlando Bloom was given the global male star award, and said that after making films all over the world he would very much like to make a film in China.
While, Guillermo del Toro, the director of "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Pacific Rim" said China's rich history of influential films has had an impact on him:
"China has been very important for me since I was a kid, I discovered a very abbreviated version of 'Journey to the West,' and it captured my imagination. 'The Adventures of the Monkey King,' made me dream of beautiful landscapes and mythology, and then growing up, Chinese film was also important, discovering every generation of filmmakers one-by-one from the classic Kung Fu films, each has been important in the vocabulary and the creation of my language as a director."
Del Toro took the prize for Best Global Director on the night.
Lupita Nyong'o confirmed for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'
Lupita Nyong'o has been cast in the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VII,"
The Mexico-born Kenyan actress won the academy award for best supporting actress in her first film role in "12 years a slave" last year.
"Star Wars: Episode VII," which will be directed by J.J. Abrams will feature original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill as well as other big names and some brand new talents found from open castings.
The film is set for release on December 18, 2015.
Justin Bieber appologises after racist joke video is released online
(Bieber Clip)
Justin Bieber has apologized after video of him telling a racist joke was recently leaked online.
The clip from 5-years-ago features the young Bieber telling a joke which uses the N-Word.
The British newspaper "The Sun on Sunday" released the footage and claimed representatives of the Canadian heartthrob have known about the clip for some time and spent "huge" sums of money trying to keep it under wraps.
When the news broke, the now 20-year-old posted online: "As a kid, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt."
It's been a turbulent year for Bieber who was last month accused of attempted robbery in LA, following reports he tried to snatch a young woman's mobile phone.
He's also due to stand trial in Miami on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and using an expired license.
In February, Bieber was charged with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto and he's also been in trouble for causing damage to his neighbour's house by throwing eggs at it.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
At least five people have been killed in an explosion in a rebel-held building in eastern Ukraine...
Russia has given Ukraine more time to pay its gas bill following a partial payment of nearly 800-billion dollars...
And Palestinian leaders have formally announced the creation of a new unity government, ending 7 years of division...
In Business...a Chinese bank borrows some South Korean currency...
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. |