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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a regional economic and trade cooperation forum with his Belarussian counterpart...

Two people reported dead as typhoon Noul slams into the Philippines...

And France's President arrives in Cuba for a one-day visit...

In Business: China's central bank announcing a major interest rate cut...

In Sports: Chinese-Malasyian shuttler Lee Cheong Wei is back in action...

In Entertainment: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" to drop in China tomorrow...

Top NewsXi Jinping Attends China-Belarus Economic Coop ForumAnchor:

As part of his stay in Balerus, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping has attended a regional economic and trade cooperation forum with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

CRI's Zhao Jianfu reports.

Reporter:

The forum kicked off Monday, attracting local officials from eight Chinese provinces and cities such as Beijing and Heilongjiang province, as well as their counterparts from 7 states in Belarus.

Xi Jinping says regional economic and trade cooperation is a vital part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

He hopes the two sides could appreciate the complementary advantages shared by both economies.

Ahead of the forum, Xi Jinping and Lukashenko have signed a treaty of friendship, along with a joint statement on further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Xi Jinping said the Chinese side wants to work on strategies to help the mutual development of both China and Belarus.

"We both have agreed to stick to the principle of respecting and treating each other as equal partners. We will firmly support each other when it comes to issues that concern our core interests."Xi Jinping added a Chinese-backed industrial park being built near Minsk is going to help develop the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

"We would like to build the industrial park into an upgraded version of the bilateral pragmatic cooperation and an exemplary project of the Silk Road Economic Belt, injecting positive energy into the economic development of the whole Eurasian region."The industrial park, nicknamed Great Stone, is located just 25 kilometers from Belarus' capital and next to Minsk International Airport.

Construction on the park broke ground last year and the project is planned to be finished in three stages within 30 years. It will cover nearly 100 square kilometers.

The Belarusian Telegraphy Agency says the first 15 companies in the China-Belarus Industrial Park will make an investment of some 2 billion USD.

The Great Stone Industrial Park is viewed as a key point of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and the most important economic and trade cooperation project between the two sides.

Lukashenko said the Silk Road economic Belt initiative has a lot of potential.

"Belarus has become a key nation in implementing the initiative. We think President Xi's proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt has global significance as it's a global economic project that will have a far-reaching impact on the development and stability of not only the Eurasian region but also the whole world."Belarus is the final leg of Xi Jinping's three-nation tour, which has also seen him make stops in Kazakhstan and Russia.

For CRI, I am Zhao Jianfu.

China, Belarus sign currency swap agreementChina's central bank has signed a currency swap agreement with Belarus's Central Bank valued at 7 billion yuan.

According to a statement by China's central bank, the three-year agreement is aimed at facilitating trade and investment as well as boosting economic development on both sides. And it can be extended subject to the agreement of both sides.

China now has signed currency swap agreements with more than 20 countries and regions.

China-Belarus PartnershipAnchor:

For more on the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Belarus, CRI's Zhou Jingnan earlier talked to a political analyst Victor Gao.

Back anchor: And that is Victor Gao, a political analyst speaking with CRI's Zhou Jingnan.

2 Killed as Typhoon Noul Slams into PhilippinesTwo people have been reportedly killed as typhoon Noul slammed into the Philippines on Sunday.

More than 3-thousand 8-hundered individuals were evacuated in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan.

Caridad Ramos, a local resident says they were evacuated due to fears of damage from storm surges up to two meters in height.

"We weren't supposed to leave our home, but they came and told us to evacuate because we are living on the coastline and the waves might destroy our homes."The typhoon raised tides in the eastern coast of Cagayan to 14 meters.

After making landfall in the Philippines, Typhoon Noul moved further north and is currently bypassing China's Taiwan.

It is moving through the Bashi Channel and brings with it high tides on the island's southeastern areas.

Taiwan authorities have issued a warning and advised people who plan to go for seaside activities to take precautions.

Despite the warning, seven tourists were trapped while snorkeling at Taiwan's Green Island.

As the tides rose, they were unable to swim back to the shore.

A rescuer says strong winds and waves in the coastal areas caused troubles.

"Because the tide began to ebb, we tried to move forward but couldn't make it due to the huge waves."The seven tourists were finally rescued with the help of a snorkeling coach and sea patrol staff.

Authorities on the island are expected to cancel the sea warning later on today.

Over 360,000 people sign to support constitutional reform in HKHundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong have expressed their support for the Chinese central government's decision on implementing universal suffrage in the election of the Chief Executive in 2017.

The Alliance for Peace and Democracy is organizing a signature campaign that has so far garnered 360 thousand names in the city.

Chief Secretary for Administration, Carrie Lam, said the constitutional reform in Hong Kong is now at the most critical moment.

She added that the SAR government is working hard to gain more public support for the reform that she said was comprehensive and legally practical.

Modi's China Visit to Set a New Milestone in Sino-Indian Relationship: AmbassadorAnchor:

India's ambassador to China has indicated that several economic cooperation and investment projects will be settled during the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China later on this week.

CRI's Huang Shan reports.

Reporter:

India's ambassador to China, Ashok K. Kantha, says that the Indian Prime Minister's Chinese visit will further enhance economic ties between the world's two largest developing countries.

"This time we can expect sound results. China is likely to intensify its investment in India. Meanwhile, India hopes to extend cooperation with China on economics, trade and investment. The two countries are expected to reach more than ten specific cooperation projects, and sign at least 20 economic and trade cooperation agreements. Our cooepration has been expanded from only taking place between the two capitals to include more regions and various levels. I believe Prime Minister Modi's visit will be a new milestone in the development of the Sino-India relationship."Among various cooperation platforms, the Indian Ambassador mentions that the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would provide necessary financial support for the development of member countries, including India.

"The AIIB is an intergovernmental multilateral development institution in Asia. We hope the AIIB can fully respect and draw on member countries' successful experiences, and play its due role. We hold a positive attitude in regards to it."At the present stage, the cooperation between China and India is full of opportunities.

The number of China's outbound tourists to India climbed to nearly 200 thousand in 2014.

Kantha says India has made the visa application procedure simpler to attract more chinese tourists"We have already simplified procedures for visa application, including tourist visa and business visa. Currently, we can ensure that the visa processing time is within two workdays. Prime Minister Modi welcomes more Chinese people to visit India. He says that direct exchange between people is positive to the development of the Sino-India relationship."The Indian Prime Minister's three-day visit to China will begin on Thursday.

In order to have closer interaction with Chinese people, Modi opened an account on Sina Weibo earlier this month.

Ambassador Kantha gives more details on how the official account has been operated on the Chinese twitter-like platform.

"The microblog's content is written by the Prime Minister himself. We helped him to translate the words and then published them. The prime Minister has taken the importance of social media into consideration. Through this means, he hopes to have direct communication with Chinese people, thus enhancing friendship between the two countries."Modi is the first Indian political leader to open an account at the Chinese microblog, and now has some 45-thousand followers.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

Ruling coalition formally reach agreement on new security legislationJapan's ruling coalition has reached formal agreement on a package of bills that would allow the country's military to do more, including the removal of geographic restrictions on where it can operate.

It is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to change the country's pacifist constitution adopted after World War II.

The changes would allow Japan to defend its allies for the first time since World War II, and make it easier to provide logistical support for other militaries and participate in international peacekeeping operations.

The proposals are expected to be approved by the Cabinet later this week for submission to parliament.

The legislation is likely to pass, given the solid majority held by Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito.

French President Arrives for One Day VisitFrancois Hollande has arrived in Havana, Cuba, for a one day visit.

This is the first such visit by a French head of state, and comes on the heels of US President Barack Obama's decision to mend the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.

"After Obama finally made the decision. France felt that, along with Europe, it should follow suit and work together with Cuba."Hollande also says France is willing to bring about better communication and cooperation with Cuba.

"We have historical interest in the region of the Caribbean where we hope to bring communication and inspiration. We are neighbours to Cuba."Hollande was welcomed at the airport by the Vice President of Cuba, Rogelio Sierra. Cuban President Raul Castro was still on his way back to Cuba from Rome.

Hollande was accompanied by five of his government ministers and a couple dozen business people.

His one day trip to the island follows the visits of top diplomats from Japan, the European Union, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia.

Putin, Merkel Call for Political Dialogue in UkraineRussian President Vladimir Putin and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel have reiterated their calls for a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

They made the comment after holding a meeting in Moscow.

Merkel said that the Minsk package must be the basis for any peaceful solution to the crisis.

"We have once more confirmed that the Minsk package is what we have, and this is the basis from which we should try to find a peaceful solution. Success is anything but assured but we do not have anything else and therefore we must keep working on it."The Russian President further calls for political reform in Ukraine as it was understood in the Minsk Agreement.

"I agree with the German Chancellor, I have also said there is no other alternative, but to strive for the implementation of all Minsk agreements with the instruments of the OSCE. It concerns political reform, political reforms above all - that is constitutional reform, holding local elections and passing the amnesty law."The German Chancellor is paying a visit to Russia after a massive military parade was held in Moscow on Saturday, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War, Russia's term for World War II.

They laid wreaths at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Red Square.

Merkel said it was important to remember those who were killed in the war.

"I have come to Moscow during a difficult phase of Russian-German relations. It was important to me on the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War Two to remember those killed in that war together with President Putin."The two leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation and Russia-EU relations.

Overshooting Runway Accident Exposes Home-built Aircraft ProblemsAnchor:

Questions are being raised about the stability of the landing-gear of a Chinese-produced airplane.

This follows an incident in Fujian this weekend, which saw a Modern Ark jet skid off the runway after landing.

CRI's Niu Honglin reports.

Reporter:

The Joyair flight over-ran the runway at the airport in Fujian's capital, Fuzhou, leaving 7 people injured.

None of the injuries are life-threatening.

The incident did force the closure of the airport for some 6-hours.

Zhang Xiaofeng with Joyair says they have already come up with a compensation plan.

"We'll compensate for the passengers loss of valuables. We've already confirmed the specific items with each passenger on board and will compensate them with the original value of every item listed. At the same time, we'll give each stranded passenger at the airport 1-thousand yuan for the delay of their flights."The aircraft in-question is a Modern Ark 60.

The MA60 is built by a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

It's currently operational in over 20 countries worldwide.

But since becoming operational in 2000, the MA60 has been involved in ten separate accidents.

Some have involved the landing gear of the plane.

Chinese aviation expert Wang Yanan says it's too early to say whether the incident in Fuzhou this weekend is connected to the landing gear.

"Landing gear problems have been behind a number of accidents involving the MA60. This accident may also be connected to a landing gear problem. However, we can't exclude the possibility of a tire-blowout. It's just a guess at this point. We'll have to wait and see the results of the investigation."At the same time, Wang Yanan says the producers of the MA60 may have to re-examine their designs.

"The producers of MA 60 have examined and improved the landing gear of the planes. Chinese aviation authorities have approved the changes which fixed the underlying problems of the landing gear. But I don't think they have dealt with the perception problems well enough. They need to show what they've done to fix the problems so that people can rest easily."For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Fresh food prices rise faster in some emerging countries Anchor:

New research from a London-based think-tank is suggesting the rise in the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables over the past 20-years may be leading to the rise in obesity rates around the world.

CRI's Yu Yang reports.

Reporter:

Economists with the Overseas Development Institute have collected information on food prices from cities in Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and China.

The research itself has focused on four different food areas: staples, processed foods, fats and sugars, fruit and vegetables and meat and dairy.

The report notes fruit and vegetable prices have risen by over 90-percent between 1990 and 2012.

This represents a price increase higher than other any other food category.

The report also notes certain processed foods, such as ready meals, have dropped in price by up to 20-percent.

Overseas Development Institute lead researcher Steve Wiggins says its now becoming more expensive to eat healthy.

"The cost of fruit and vegetables has tended to rise more than the general price level, whereas the prices of some processed foods have tended to rise less than the general price level. So in effect it's becoming in those emerging economies, more costly to follow a healthy diet, than to follow a less healthy diet."The research report suggests processed food manufacturers are much more able to cut their costs through additives, which not only make the food less costly to produce, but also make them more appealing.

The ODI report also notes among the 4 countries surveyed, Mexico has seen the highest rise in obesity rates.

To try to counter this, Mexico launched a tax on junk food last year.

Here in China, while obesity rates aren't increasing as quickly as Mexico, a generational change in dietary habits is being observed.

Prices for fruits and vegetables in Beijing have doubled over the past 20-years.

Liu Jiuping, nutritionist and editor in chief of "Science and Life" magazine, says she believes this is making it easier for young people to simply choose an easier alternative to eating healthy.

" It is mostly young people, because they don't eat or cook at home, so, they have a tendency to eat at fast food shops, and eat high calorie food, and those will lead to obesity, especially if there is lack of exercise."The Chinese government has launched educational campaigns to try to get young people more active.

China's National Sports Administration spent more than 2 billion yuan in 2013 on campaigns to build health facilities in communities, as well as sponsoring public sporting events.

For CRI, this is Yu Yang.

Old Summer Palace Replica Opens amid ControversyA replica of the "Old Summer Palace" has opened in China's eastern province of Zhejiang.

Covering over 400 hectares, the 30-billion yuan site is almost identical to the layout of the Old Summer Palace architecture.

The replica is slated for completion in 2016.

Xu Wenrong, founder of the Hengdian Group behind the project, says they wanted to stay true to the original design concept of the Palace.

"We found everything, separated the materials out one by one, because they were all stuck together. We pieced them together, these materials are complete. There's no expert in the entire country that has these materials, and what's more we can say even more that the old summer palace doesn't have them. I'm telling everyone, these buildings are absolutely the same [as the original old summer palace]."The new complex in Hengdian county has been built with some controversy surrounding it.

Operators of the original "Old Summer Palace" have threatened to sue the Hengdian group for infringement of intellectual property rights, claiming the original complex is unique and can't be replicated.

The "Old Summer Palace," located in northwestern Beijing, is a complex of pavilions and gardens built for Qing Dynasty emperors.

It was ransacked by foreign powers in the mid-19th century.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 26.

Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 16, tomorrow will be sunny, high of 28.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 17, sunny tomorrow with a high of 28.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will have thunderstorm tomorrow with a high of 30.

Kabul, overcast, 21.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 22,Brisbane also sunny 26,Finally Perth will be sunny with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina, Belarus vow to combine development strategies, boost partnershipChinese President Xi Jinping has met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.

Both leaders have pledged to combine strategies of development and boost the comprehensive strategic partnership between their two countries.

Xi Jinping also says a Chinese-backed industrial park being built near Minsk is going to help develop the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

Xi Jinping is in Belarus for a 3-day state visit.

Belarus is the last leg of his current 3-nation tour, which has also seen him making stops in Kazakhstan and Russia.

China, Belarus sign currency swap agreementChina's central bank has signed a currency swap agreement with Belarus's Central Bank valued at 7 billion yuan.

According to a statement by China's central bank, the three-year agreement is aimed at facilitating trade and investment as well as boosting economic development on both sides. And it can be extended subject to the agreement of both sides.

China now has signed currency swap agreements with more than 20 countries and regions.

China, S.Korea, Japan to hold talks on trilateral FTA in SeoulChina, South Korea and Japan are expected to hold high-level talks for the trilateral free trade agreement this week in Seoul.

The 7th round of negotiations is slated to be held from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The three countries will discuss a wide range of issues, including goods, services, investment, customs, intellectual property rights and e-commerce.

Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Commerce Wang Shouwen, South Korean assistant Commerce Minister Kim Hak-do and Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yasumasa Nagamine will participate in the negotiations.

French President Arrives for One Day VisitFrancois Hollande has arrived in Havana, Cuba, for a one day visit.

This is the first such visit by a French head of state, and comes on the heels of US President Barack Obama's decision to mend the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.

Hollande also says France is willing to bring about better communication and cooperation with Cuba.

Hollande was accompanied by five of his government ministers and a couple dozen business people.

Biz reportsStocksAnchor:

Turning now to our business news, but first let's have a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets starting out the week on this Monday evening.

Joining me on the desk is CRI's Luo Bin.

Reporter:

Thank you Spencer.

Chinese shares closed higher on Monday, the first trading day since the central bank's announcement of an interest rates cut.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index increased 3 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 3.2 percent.

Shares of 280 listed firms soared by the 10-percent daily limit.

Sectors related to the Internet and property investment led the rise.

Huayuan Property Co. Ltd. jumped 10 percent, while Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corporation also surged by the daily limit.

China's central bank on Sunday announced the third cut to interest rates since November, in a move aimed at bolstering the country's real economy.

The cut entered effect today, and we will have more on that in a moment.

The ChiNext Index, China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, soared 5.8 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index added half a percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei surged 1.25 percent.

Both South Korea's Kospi and Singapore's Straits Times Index added more than half a percent.

In Australia, the ASX 200 lost 0.2 percent.

Back to you Spencer.

China Cuts Interest Rates for the 3rd time since NovemberAnchor:

China's central bank is cutting interest rates by 25 basis points as of today.

One-year deposit rates are being slashed to 2.25 percent.

The one-year lending rate is being set at 5.1-percent.

It is the third rate cut by the central bank since November.

At the same time, the PBOC is also increasing the upper limit of the floating band for deposit rates to 1.5 times the benchmark.

This is up from 1.3 times the benchmark rate.

For more on the move, CRI's Paul James spoke with Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

Back Anchor:

That was CRI's Paul James speaking with Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center based in London.

China reportedly tops U.S. as world's largest crude-oil importerIt is being reported that China has now surpassed the U.S. as the world's largest importer of crude oil.

Official customs statistics for April show that China imported some 30 million tons of crude oil in April, a 13 percent jump from March.

The total would be equivalent roughly some 222 million barrels.

Which means, on an average scale, China imported 7.4 million barrels a day in April.

According to Financial Times, the import number in the US stood at 7.2 million barrels a day.

The gain for Chinese imports contrasted with China's exports of crude oil, which fell 41% during April .

China raises retail oil priceChina has raised the retail price of gasoline by 255 yuan or some 412 U.S. dollars per ton, and the price for diesel has been raised by 245 yuan.

The adjustment is to be effective on Tuesday.

This is the fifth price hike this year.

The increase followed gains in international oil prices due to a tense geo-political situation in the Middle East and a weakening dollar.

China has a pricing regime which adjusts domestic fuel prices when international crude prices change by more than 50 yuan per ton during a time span of 10 working days.

China's 4G users continue to surge4G users in China are set to continue surging in 2015, with some 200 million new users added to the service.

4G clients in China increased by about 60 million in the first quarter, including some 24 million in March.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is vowing to increase investment in the 4G sector this year to meet needs for more users.

The authority says more than half of broadband users will see speeds upgraded to 8MB/sec.

To achieve this goal, an official with the ministry Wen Ku says more infrastructure upgrades are needed in residential communities.

"I think that property management services in residential areas and property owners should support more telecom companies to provide services in residential communities, to allow more people to enjoy new technology by replacing old copper wire with fiber. This will also create competition for service providers, giving consumers more choices and lower prices."Last month, Premier Li Keqiang called for fee reductions in cellphone data plans as well as better speeds.

The three main telecom operators in China, namely China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have long been blamed for providing slow speeds and charging higher fees.

China doubles tax rate for cigarettes to 11%China's tax authority has raised the consumption tax on cigarettes from 5 percent to 11 percent.

The changes are effective from Sunday.

Each individual cigarette will be taxed an additional 5-thousandths of yuan at the wholesale level.

Bloomberg reports that this will bring in an additional 20 billion yuan, or some $3.2 billion U.S. dollars in taxes compared to last year.

As the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer, China has more than 300 million smokers, almost the size of the entire United States population.

SportsLee Chong-wei returns to action, helps Malaysia win over South KoreaIn badminton,Lee Chong-wei made a powerful comeback and helped Malaysia defeat South Korea 3-2 at the Sudirman Cup in Dongguan, Guangdong province.

The ace Chinese-Malaysian shuttler beat South Korea's Lee Dong Keun 21-12, 21-10.

It was his first game after his doping ban lifted on May 1st.

Lee said he had been missing his fans and wanted to return to action during his ban.

"It is my first game in seven or eight months. I wanted to return to shape. It feels like playing at home in Dongguan. There are so many fans. I want to engage in every game with my best form."Lee is eyeing the Rio Olympic Games after the Sudirman cup and hopes to end his career with a gold medal.

Bad news is he was denied a wildcard for the World Championships in August.

Other action from the Sudirman Cup,The Lin Dan-led China had earlier swept Germany 5-0 in the opening day.

National Special Olympics and Paralympic Games underwayThe National Special Olympics and Paralympic Games have opened in Mianyang, Sichuan Province.

Nearly 3,000 athletes and coaches in 37 delegations will attend events in eight sports fields.

They are from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

The Special Olympics is themed "Sports make me happy". It aims to deliver the message that Chinese society cares about people with special needs and wants to help them.

The games run until May 17.

Rickie Fowler wins Players Championship after playoffIn Golf,Rickie Fowler won in a sudden-death playoff to capture the Players Championship in Florida.

Fowler, Sergio Garcia, and Kevin Kisner finished regulation tied at 12-under 276 and went into a three-hole aggregate playoff.

Garcia was out first after he played in level par while the other two shot birdies to go one-under.

Fowler then repeated the trick on the fourth playoff hole to clinch his second PGA tour title in the week.

Fowler said he felt his chance at winning coming and knew he had played well.

"I mean, obviously going 3-3-2-3 and you're standing there at 12-under after I finished, I thought there was a chance that I might win outright, but with those guys coming in, these are the best players in the world. That's why I was out on the range and very much ready to go for a playoff."In other action,George Coetzee held off Thorbjorn Olesen on the second playoff hole to win the Mauritius Open;China's Feng Shanshan won the Buick Championship in Shanghai with two-under 70.

Chinese Super League recapSome football action from the Chinese Super League,Guangzhou Evergrande shamed hosts Shanghai Shenxin and won 6-1 despite losing an early goal.

Shanghai led 1-0 with Daniel Chima's goal at the 22nd minute. Guangzhou leveled it with a penalty kick by Ricardo Goulart.

Yu Han, Gao Lin, and Goulart scored in the second half to close the game. Goulart completed a hat-trick, while Yu had two goals.

Other front runners in the league Beijing Guo'an also had a good one, with a 2-1 win over Changchun Yatai.

Guangzhou and Beijing are 2nd and 3rd respectively in the league standings, trailing leaders Shanghai SIPG by one and three points respectively after 9 games.

In other action,Shangdong Luneng beat Henan Jianye 2-1.

Jiangsu Shuntian tied Guangzhou R&F 2-2.

NBA playoffs recapA quick recap of the NBA playoffs this morning,The Los Angeles Clippers blew out the Houston Rockets 128-95 to lead the series 3-1 in the Western Conference semi-finals.

The Clippers can advance to the final for the first time in franchise history with a victory in Game 5 on Wednesday in Houston.

In the Eastern Conference,LeBron James sank a jumper at the final buzzer to give the Cleveland Cavaliers an 86-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Cleveland leveled the series 2-2.

Elia Viviani wins stage two at Giro, Micheal Matthews in pinkIn cycling:

Team Sky's Elia Viviani sprinted to victory in stage two at the Giro d'Italia in Genoa.

He hitched a ride in Moreno Hofland's slipstream as they surged passed Andre Greipel who went early and was fading.

Viviani won the messy bunch sprint by half a wheel's length.

It was the Italian rider's first stage win in a grand tour.

Orica Green-Edge's Michael Matthews moved into first place on the general classification and took over the pink jersey from teammate Simon Gerrans.

The third stage, a 136-kilometer route from Rapallo to Sestri Levante featuring medium hills, has just got underway.

Elsewhere,Mark Cavendish of Etixx-Quick Step won the opening stage at the Tour of California in Sacramento.

Andy Murray Downs Rafael Nadal at Madrid Masters FinalAnd finally over to tennis:

Andy Murray knocked off clay-court king Rafael Nadal to win the Madrid Open title.

Murray won in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 over the four-time champion.

It was Murray's second-straight clay-court tourney, after winning the Munich Open last week.

"To win a Masters series on clay for me is a step in the right direction. It's something I've never done before. So that's good progress there. To win against Rafa on clay in a final in Spain is an extremely difficult thing to do and I'm proud I've managed to do that."Newly-wed Murray signed the camera with the message "Marriage works" to mark his second triumph on clay court.

EntertainmentAvengers: Age of Ultron released in China tomorrowAnticipated movie Avengers: Age of Ultron is released in China tomorrow.

Avengers: Age of Ultron sees the superhero crew out to save the world after Tony Stark's peacekeeping program Ultron goes wrong. It's up to the Avengers to stop Ultron who is determined to exterminate all humans on the planet.

The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Robert Downey Jnr. , Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner.

The movie's global takings have just hit $875 million worldwide including $562 million overseas. The movie is expected to do well in China with the first installment of the franchise taking in over $84 million.

Experts predict that the film will surpass the $1 billion mark worldwide.

Owl City to tour China this weekOwl City, a one man band from the US will be touring China this week.

Owl City, known to many as Adam Young, is returning to China after two previous tours of the country in 2009 and 2013. This week he will be making a stop in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Speaking to China Daily, he said fans attending his shows can expect new and old songs along with rarities. His show will of course include songs from his debut album 'Ocean Eyes' which went four times platinum and took the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

The star has also written music for animated movies such as The Smurfs 2 and the latest Minions film.

Owl City will play Beijing on Thursday.

Filming for next series of Sherlock to start next yearIt has been revealed that filming for the next series of Sherlock will begin next year.

Co-creator Stephen Moffat confirmed the news while speaking at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards winners' press conference.

Sherlock won the public voted Radio Times Audience Award during Sunday's BAFTA awards.

Moffat said that filming for the BBC show will begin in spring of next year and promises that the upcoming series will be the most exciting yet. He told the press that it will represent an emotional upheaval and leave fans desperate for series five.

For those fans unable to wait until next year, there will be a one off special featuring Bennedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman which will air later on this year. The ninety minute Victorian special will be completely separate from the series.

NBC gives go ahead to Dolly Parton movieNBC has given the go ahead for the first of a series of movies about the life of country singer Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton. Coat of Many Colours named after the country star's song of the same name is based on her upbringing.

The song Coat of Many Colours tells the tale of how the star 's mother stitched together a coat for her made out of rags.

NBC's deal with Parton includes a series of films based on her music, stories and life with Parton rumored to make an appearance in some but not all of them. They will feature some of her songs but they will not be musicals.

Coat of Many Colours is part of NBC's slate of event programming for next season.

Ozzy Osbourne donates 10 thousand dollars to children's bandRock musician Ozzy Osbourne has donated 10 thousand dollars to a children's band who covered his song Crazy Train.

The children's band called the Louisville Leopard Percussionists covered the song two years ago and their video went viral online.

Earlier this year, Osbourne and his family watched the video and sent the group a message praising their efforts. He attached a cheque for ten thousand dollars to the message.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists have also covered well known tracks by Led Zeppelin and earned the praise of guitarist Jimmy Page. They are a nonprofit community group made up of sixty students under the age of fourteen.

Brad Bird reveals next project will be The Incredibles sequelDirector Brad Bird has confirmed that his next project will be the sequel to hit animated film The Incredibles.

Bird, wrote and directed Pixar's 2004 movie and told movie website Collider that he has already written pages of the film's script. He also said he had lots of ideas left over from the first Incredibles film that he wanted to build on for the follow up.

The first Incredibles film grossed $630 million worldwide and won two Oscars including best animated feature.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 26.

Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 16, tomorrow will be sunny, high of 28.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 17, sunny tomorrow with a high of 28.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will have thunderstorm tomorrow with a high of 30.

Kabul, overcast, 21.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 22,Brisbane also sunny 26,Finally Perth will be sunny with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a regional economic and trade cooperation forum with his Belarussian counterpart...

Two people reported dead as typhoon Noul slams into the Philippines...

And France's President arrives in Cuba for a one-day visit...

In Business: China's central bank announcing a major interest rate cut...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Spencer Musick in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.