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Paul James with you on this Friday, June 28th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The presidents of China and South Korea have issued a joint call for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
The US and Philippine navies have begun joint drills near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is reportly improving slightly.
In Business, Gold prices have dropped for the 9th cosecutive trading day.
In sports... a calm Thursday at Wimbledon following an almost unprecedented Wednesday.
In entertainment.... it's been confirmed Jay-Z and Beyonce are going to team up on a new album.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
Weather
Beijing will see thundershowers today, with a high of 33 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see thundershowers tonight with a low of 23.
In Shanghai, it will see slight rain today, 26 the high, and it will be overcast tonight, the low of 23 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will see showers in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 10 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 37.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 34.
And in North America
New York, thundershowers, with a high of 29 degrees.
Washington, thundershowers, highs of 29
Houston, sunny, 36.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 29.
Toronto, moderate rain, 25.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, overcast, 17.
and Rio de Janeiro will see thundershowers with highs of 27 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Chinese, ROK presidents hold talks, pledge nuclear-free Korean Peninsula
The Chinese and South Korean governments have issued a new call for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The statements come following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye here in Beijing.
"Both sides have agreed to seek a nuclear-free peninsula, maintain peace and stability and settle the dispute via dialogue. The situation on the Korean peninsula is changing in a positive direction. We hope relevant parties can seize the opportunity and make joint efforts to resume the six party talks. China supports the South and the North to improve relations and achieve peaceful unification."
Xi Jinping also notes the Chinese government is trying to coordinate a restart of the 6-party talks with North Korea.
For her part, Park Geun-hye says South Korea is committed to resolving the situation diplomatically.
Meanwhile, Park says the two sides have agreed to try to fast-track a new free-trade agreement.
"Both sides agree that we should work together to increase bilateral trade to 300 billion US dollars in 2015, and the bilateral trade cooperation can work as the engine for regional and world economic growth. We both believe the better development of Korea-Chinese trade needs a better framework, and the Free Trade Agreement between us is the right choice."
Park is on her first state visit to China.
She's being accompanied by over 70 South Korean business leaders.
Two-way trade between the two countries hit 215 billion dollars last year.
Interview on China, South Korea ties
For more on Park's time here in China, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke to Chung Jaeho - a Professor in the Department of International Relation at Seoul National University.
(pik south korea)
Chung Jaeho - Professor in the Department of International Relations at Seoul National University, speaking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Philippines and U.S. Naval forces start joint drill near Huangyan Island
The Philippine and U.S. Navies have begun a joint military exercises in the South China Sea.
It's being reported the US has sent a record number of ships to take part in the drill, which is taking place near the disputed Huangyan Island.
The Philippine military is on-record saying the drill has nothing to do with last year's territorial disputes around the island.
However, at least one Chinese observer is suggesting the drills could create more tension.
Military affairs expert Yin Zhuo.
"The drill is an unfriendly action. It is near Huangyan Island which is under Chinese control. We have border security personnel patrolling the area. The U.S and the Philippines carry out their drill at this place, implying that the U.S. will stand on the Philippines' side if any dispute arises. It is an act of deterrence."
Responding to the drill, the Chinese government says it hopes to see actions that are beneficial for maintaining stability in the region, not the other way around.
Rioters kill 24 in Xinjiang
Authorities in Xinjiang have released details about a deadly attack in the region this week.
Local officials in Shanshan County near the city of Turpan say a total of 24-people are dead, in what's being described as a terrorist attack.
The incident took place Wednesday morning.
Local police say rioters attacked local police stations, a government building and a construction site.
Police were eventually forced to shoot and kill 11 people.
4 of the rioters are in custody.
It remains unclear what sparked the unrest.
China dispatches security forces to join UN peacekeeping mission
The Chinese government has decided to dispatch almost 400-peacekeepers to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
Security forces are among the mission.
This is the first time China has sent security forces to join a UN peacekeeping mission.
Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun stresses they are not combat troops.
"There are no combat troops in UN peacekeeping missions. UN peacekeepers are aimed at protecting peace, avoiding conflicts and monitoring ceasefire deals. They don't get themselves involved into military conflicts. The Chinese peacekeepers this time will mainly take the security responsibilities of the mission headquarters and campuses."
Currently there are some 16-hundred UN peacekeepers from China on duty around the world.
China has contributed some 22-thousand peacekeepers to UN missions since 1990.
UN Security Council extends mandate of peacekeeping mission in Golan Heights
The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights for another 6-month.
The new resolution also increases the number of peacekeepers in the region to 12-hundred-50.
There are currently just over 900-UN peacekeepers from Austria, Fiji, India and the Philippines in the Golan Heights.
The kidnapping of UN peacekeepers and sporatic shelling in the Golan brought on by the civil war in Syria had left the UN mission in the region in question.
Austria has begun withdrawing its troops from the Golan.
The territory was annexed by Israel from Syria following the 6-day War in 1967.
U.S. starts sending arms for Syrian rebels: media
It's being reported the US Central Intelligence Agency has started sending weapons to Jordan to try to arm small groups of Syrian rebels.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting the CIA is due to begin sending light arms and anti-tank missiles to Jordan within three weeks.
U.S. President Barack Obama authorized the shipment of small arms and ammunition to the Syrian rebels earlier this month.
This comes after Washington concluded the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the rebels.
The same report also says talks are under way with other countries, including France, about European-procured weapons being shipped to Jordan.
Saudi Arabia is also expected to provide shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to a small number of fighters in Syria as well.
The newspaper also says a few hundred new fighters will join the fighting in Syria every month as part of the new program.
Authority confirms slight improvement in Mandela's condition
South African authorities say former president Nelson Mandela's health has improved overnight.
However, he still remains in critical condition.
South African presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj.
"Clearly last night, the condition was such concerning the president's mind but today there's a little bit of relief because the doctors are saying that overnight the condition has stabilised. It remains critical."
The comment come after current President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela on Thursday, saying the 94-year-old is "much better" than the previous day.
All-night prayer vigils for Mandela are being held outside his former home in Soweto.
The South African government says it's still moving forward with plans for a grand celebration to mark Mandela's 95th birthday, which falls on the 18th of next month.
Ecuador renounces U.S. trade benefits
Ecuador's President is lashing out at the United States, renouncing U.S. trade benefits in response to the pressure being put on the country in the NSA whistleblower case.
U.S. authorities are launching review of whether to suspend its current trade benefits for Ecuador.
Rafael Correa says Ecuador will be fine without preferential US treatment.
"To grant or deny asylum is an inherent right of a sovereign nation, furthermore, it's unacceptable to try to demonize a state for accepting an asylum request. Don't waste your time, Ecuador does not accept pressure or threats from anyone, nor does it sell its principles or its sovereignty. Nor does it submit to trade interests, no matter how important they are."
Ecuador is now reviewing the asylum request of Edward Snowden, the former U.S. intelligence contractor who has disclosed classified U.S surveillance programs.
The government of Ecuador is denying reports it has issued a travel document to Snowden.
Under Ecuadorian law, asylum seekers must either be in the country or at one of its embassies before any asylum request can be processed.
Snowden is still believed to be at Moscow's international airport.
The Russian Presidential Human Rights Council says Snowden has a chance to receive political asylum from Moscow if he requests it.
At the same time, Venezuela's government also says it will consider an asylum request from Snowden if it receives one.
Brazilians protest near stadium
Authorites in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte have confirmed the death of one protester following clashes in the city.
Police had to use tear gas to dispurse a crowd of some 50-thousand who were marching toward the local football stadium, which was playing host to the Confederation Cup semi-final between Brazil and Uruguay on Wednesday.
This brings the death toll from the weeks of protests in Brazil up to 5.
Protesters have been demanding better governance and more spending on health and education, rather than on the forthcoming football World Cup and Olympics.
"I think something is going to change. I am certain the politicians are going to think twice before giving themselves a raise, freely, before working just three days a week… So the people have to keep protesting."
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has already introduced a series of measures to answer some of the protesters demands.
Agricultural insurance
Anchor
While China has been the world's 2nd largest supplier of agriculture insurance since 2011, the system in this country is still far from perfect.
CRI's Zhang Wan explains.
Reporter
Recently, many places in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have frequently been experiencing extreme weather conditions such as hailstorms, heavy winds and floods, which have led to big losses in crop production.
Many local cotton growers in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region complain that recent hailstorm has brought them big losses, and it's too late to replant crops in their fields now as it is already late June. Here is Yuan Jinjiang, a local farmer.
"I can do nothing to recover the losses this year, all that I can do is to start all over again next year."
Yuan says thanks to government-subsidized agricultural insurance, local farmers like himself can receive several hundreds or several thousand yuan in insurance claims.
Maimaitijiang Aishan, a local farmer says, with subsidies by the government, local farmers only paid 30 yuan per mu of field for the insurance.
"Without buying the insurance, there would be no insurance claims to cover our losses, and we would get not a penny in revenue this year."
However, there are also some farmers arguing the insurance claim is far from enough compared to their losses. For example, the average cost of one mu of field is about 1000 yuan, but farmers only receive 600 yuan of claim for each mu of field.
Liu Yonghu, head of a county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region explains more about the government-subsidized agricultural insurance.
"The current implemented government-subsidized agricultural insurance is the kind of low cost and low claim insurance, which provides wide coverage. Or let's say, this insurance may only insure the materialized cost of planted cotton."
As for the government-subsidized insurance, most premiums are paid by the central government and the local government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, but meanwhile, local county government is also expected to pay 15 to 20 percent of the premium.
Aimaierjiang Awuti, head of a local county, says that 20 percent of the premium means 20 million yuan has to be invested into the insurance, it has caused them great pressure.
The Chinese government now shoulders 80 percent of agricultural insurance premiums. In Heilongjiang, every yuan paid by a farmer is subsidized by 0.75 yuan from the county government, 1.25 yuan from the provincial government and 2 yuan from the central government.
According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, from 2007 to 2011, China's central government budget spent 26.4 billion yuan on agricultural insurance subsidies. And the country has pledged to continue to support agricultural insurance with favorable financing and taxation policies.
For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.
Biz Reports
Anchor:
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
U.S. stocks climbed for a third straight day on Thursday after comments from several Federal Reserve officials soothed concerns that the central bank would begin to reduce its stimulus efforts in the near future.
A separate report showed consumer spending rose 0.3 percent last month while incomes grew 0.5 percent, the largest gain since February. Pending home sales rose 6.7 percent to their highest since December 2006.
When the markets closed, the Dow rose 0.8 percent. The S&P 500 gained 0.6 percent and the Nasdaq added 0.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX added half a percent.
Over the Europe, European shares also ended higher in the wake of upbeat U.S. macro data.
Germany's DAX gained 0.6 percent.
France's CAC 40 rose 1 percent.
and Britain's FTSE 100 added 1.3 percent.
Gold Prices Skid Below Key Threshold
The price of Gold has dropped over 2-percent to below 12-hundred US dollars per ounce.
This is the first time this has happened in nearly 3-years.
The drop represents the 9th straight day of selloffs of gold.
Gold's safe-haven appeal has been severely dented since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke announced U.S. central bank plans to start scaling back its bond buyback program in the next few months.
That would support an increase in interest rates, making gold less attractive.
Live call-in with Doug Young on corporate news of the week
Anchor
Let's check with some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
So, what are your picks of the week?
1. Carrefour Considering Sale mainland and Taiwan Businesses: Report
The world's second largest retailer Carrefour is exploring a sale of its businesses in China (and Taiwan), including a possible initial public offering in Hong Kong or a combination of some of those assets with another company.
The French group has been struggling for years in Europe, partly due to a reliance on hypermarkets, which have been losing out as time-pressed shoppers buy more goods locally and online and prefer to buy general merchandise from specialists.
Carrefour has been exiting non-strategic markets to raise cash and to cut its debt.
(1) Why is Carrefour exiting the Chinese market?
(2) To what extent do you think exiting the Chinese market will help with Carrefour's debt?
2. ZTE Sees Return To Profits Amid 4G Build-Out
Chinese telecommunications-equipment supplier ZTE expects to return to profit this year after a hefty loss last year, thanks in part to the country's shift to fourth-generation high-speed wireless networks.
Last year, ZTE posted a net loss of 2.8 billion yuan ($455 million) because of delays in orders and thinner profit margins.
China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom are preparing to launch LTE (long-term evolution) networks in the country, which has a billion mobile users. In March, China Mobile said it would spend almost $7 billion this year to build its new LTE network, a move that would benefit major suppliers like ZTE and Huawei.
(1) Will LTE has a big enough market to turn ZTE profitable this year?
(2) As Huawei has already supplied 4G networks in many markets such as Europe and Japan, how's ZTE looking competing against Huawei?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Top auditor warns of soaring local gov't debts
China's top auditor is warning local governments need to improve their debt management in order to handle a sharp increase in local debt.
New National Audit Office's data shows the debt owed by 18 provincial-level governments and municipalities came in at at 3.85 trillion yuan as of the end of last year.
This represents a 13 percent rise over the past two years.
Four provinces and eight provincial capitals have seen their debt rise more than 20 percent.
China's online payments total 830 trln yuan in 2012
A new report shows online payments here in China came in at 830 trillion yuan last year.
The Payment & Clearing Association of China says online transactions are mostly being used for online shopping and bill-paying.
However, the Association also says education, tourism, fund products, insurance, community services and medical and health services are also starting to become more popular for online payments.
Observers are warning increasing variety of payment tools is also creating issues around user safety.
This is leading to calls for better supervision of the online payment sector.
Regulators have so far approved 72 non-financial institutions to provide online payment services here in China.
EU leaders kick off jobs summit after budget compromise
EU leaders have kicked off a two-day summit designed to try to tackle unemployment.
The meeting comes on the heels of EU officials agreeing to both banking changes and their long-term budget.
Prench President Francois Hollande.
"There were two big decisions which were taken in the last hours -- the first on banking union, which will be extremely useful to protect savers and to avoid taxpayers paying for banking crises for which they are responsible. There was also an agreement on the budget, which will allow us to do more for youth employment. Finally there was an agreement to properly apply the growth pact. So when there's growth, youth employment and control of finance France is satisfied."
Following late-night talks in Luxembourg, European Union finance ministers have agreed on how to share the costs of future bank failures among investors and wealthy savers.
At the same time, negotiators for the European Parliament, the European Commission and EU member governments have also clinched a deal on a 960 billion euro, 7-year budget for the bloc through 2020.
The budget deal includes a provision which will allow the EU to quickly disburse billions of euros to help Europe's 5.6 million unemployed youth.
Unemployment among people under 25-years old is over 40-percent in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Headline News
Chinese, ROK presidents hold talks, pledge nuclear-free Korean Peninsula
The Chinese and South Korean governments have issued a new call for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The statements come following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye here in Beijing.
Xi Jinping also notes the Chinese government is trying to coordinate a restart of the 6-party talks with North Korea.
For her part, Park Geun-hye says South Korea is committed to resolving the situation diplomatically.
Park is on her first state visit to China.
She's being accompanied by over 70 South Korean business leaders.
Chinese courts to have 200,000 people's jurors in two years
The Supreme People's Court is suggesting there will be around 200-thousand jurors in the next two years.
Local courts around the country currently employ 85-thousand local jurors.
Last year they oversaw 1.5-million trials.
The Supreme People's Court is pressing for the hiring of more workers, farmers, migrant workers and veterans to serve as people's jurors.
Those who have served in law enforcement or with criminal records are not allowed to be hired.
Central gov't spends less on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips
A new government report is suggesting the central government spent 20 percent less on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips last year.
The report from the State Council says the central government spent over 7.4 billion yuan on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips last year.
The figure was around 9.4 billion yuan in 2011.
Still, the National Audit Office has found 884 overseas trips made by officials were not listed in their annual plans.
Around 39 million yuan has also been found either undocumented or misused.
U.S. Senate approves landmark immigration bill
The U.S. Senate has passed a landmark immigration bill.
The Senate bill will still have to be passed by the House of Representatives.
While likely to face ammendments in the House, it's being viewed as blueprint toward the most comprehensive immigration reform in the US in decades.
The bill establishes a path to citizenship for the roughly 11-million undocumented immigrants believed to be living in the US.
EU leaders kick off jobs summit after budget compromise
EU leaders have kicked off a two-day summit designed to try to tackle unemployment.
The meeting comes on the heels of EU officials agreeing to both banking changes and their long-term budget.
European Union finance ministers have agreed on how to share the costs of future bank failures among investors and wealthy savers.
At the same time, negotiators for the European Parliament, the European Commission and EU member governments have also clinched a deal on a 960 billion euro, 7-year budget for the bloc through 2020.
Unemployment among people under 25-years old is over 40-percent in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Better financial supervision necessary
Summary
Senior officials are calling on local governments here in China to tighten their belts and stop offering illegal tax cuts to investors amid slumping revenues this year.
Authorities say getting rid of illegal tax cuts and other illegal policies can also help restore fair competition in the market.
Local governments are still subsidizing companies and giving them favorable conditions that contravene national policies, despite the central government calling for a halt to these incentives years ago.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Lawyers seek answers over death of 2 girls
Summary
Five lawyers have filed an application to four government agencies in Nanjing.
They're looking for information about what role local officials played in the case that saw two children starved to death at home due to a lack of guardianship.
The two children's father is under arrest.
The mother, an unemployed drug addict, has disappeared.
SHANGHI DAILY
Headline
Chicken stores deny using glue
Summary
Deep-fried chicken chain stores in Shanghai are denying the use of glue in their chicken meat.
The denial comes following reports in Taiwan claiming a popular late-night snack has been infused with both "meat glue" and antibiotics, which can be potentially harmful to your health.
Transglutaminase is used to make stick chicken meat stick together to make fillets bigger.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Illegal websites closed
Summary
31 websites have been shut down for not obtaining licenses for news coverage.
This comes amid the current campaign to purify the online environment.
Most of these websites were run under the name of individuals, and many had not been registered or offered fake registration information.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
VIP cards to be discarded
Summary
The Supreme People's Court is calling on all court officials to ditch their membership cards for luxury clubs.
The idea is to try to reduce the likelihood of bribery.
The move comes on the heels of a similar request to members of the party's discliplinary commission last month.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Increase in civil servants
Summary
New stats show there were close to 7.1-million government employees in China as of the end of last year.
The same study shows around 1.12 million candidates took the national civil service exam last year, meaning that one in every 53 examinees will successfully obtain a government post.
DONGGUAN TIMES
Headline
Teen to stand trial
Summary
Beijing police say they have finished investigating the case of Li Tianyi, and the prosecution will soon commence.
Li, the 17-year-old son of a famous Chinese military singer, allegedly participated in a gang rape.
Authorities say the case will not be open to the public since Li is not yet 18 years old.
Special Reports
Lab Grown Organs amid Shortages
Anchor
Researchers around the world are now working on trying to perfect the development of synthetic complex organ parts.
CRI's Laiming explains.
Reporter
The Red Cross Society of China has announced the country's first online volunteer organ-donor registry this month, amid a shortage of organs for transplant. But China is not the only country facing this difficulty; in the United States, chronic shortages have pushed scientists to tap into the body's own ability to regenerate itself.
Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina are trying to grow organs in a lab. Using a process called "decellularisation" on pig livers, the doctors strip the pig's cells off its liver but leave the underlying structure behind.
The hope is to seed the remaining structure with human liver cells to see if those cells will grow and multiply into a fully functioning human liver. PhD candidate Abritee Dhal at Wake Forest University explains their choice of test animal:
"Pigs, their size is closer to a human liver. So if we're able to decellularise and put human cells back in there, it could help with the shortage of organs."
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is also trying to make kidneys with the use of a 3D printer. The "ink" that comes out of the printer is made of various cells and a gel-like material to help support them.
The ability to grow and implant complex organs like hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys in humans is still a long way off. But there has been some success so far in creating simpler, hollow body parts. For example, there are people living with custom-made, lab-grown blood vessels, windpipes and bladders in the US.
To engineer those, scientists can take cells from a patient's own bone marrow or a biopsy of the needed body part and grow those cells on a biodegradable, synthetic scaffold. The scaffold is produced by a 3D printer in the exact size and shape needed.
Director of the Institute Dr. Anthony Atala explains how the biodegradable scaffold works:
"Our preference is to use a patient's own cells, and the patient's own organ specific cells because those cells already know what to do. A windpipe cell already knows that it's a windpipe cell, and it's going to create a windpipe cell for that patient that will not be rejected or kicked out."
With luck, this may help end the waiting game for donor organs, which some patients unfortunately never receive.
For CRI, I'm Luo Laiming.
Sports
Li Na Reach Wimbledon Third Round
Anchor:
Chinese ace Li Na and other top players are through to the third round at Wimbledon.
However, this year's tournament is over for rising Chinese star Peng Shuai.
CRI's Tu Yun has more from the All-England Club.
Reporter
Sixth seeded Li Na recovered from a second-set meltdown to clinch a 6-2, 1-6, 6-0 victory over Simona Halep of Romania.
"Welcome to the crazy women's tennis tour (smiling). End of the first set, she called official. I thought, Maybe she be retire or something. I was already like lose concentration on the court, you know. When one set all, Wake up, she okay, she kick your ass already in the second set. So you should ready for a final set."
However, 24th-seeded Peng Shuai wasn't able to fight her way back after losing the tiebreak in the first set to 71st-ranked Marina Erakovic.
"I think that tiebreak did affect my later performance. There were two points that I thought I played well at first, but eventually lost. Then I felt weak afterwards. "
Peng Shuai went down 7-6, 6-2.
The tournament saw most shocking day in recent memory on Wednesday, with men's defending champion Roger Federer and 3rd seeded Maria Sharapova among several stars bowing out of the event.
Those remaining on court are still trying to digest the surprise upsets.
Women's No. 1 Serena Williams.
"The first thing I do is I'm like, Okay, Serena, stay focused. This happened before. I don't know when. I want to say it was the US Open, though. A lot of players were losing. I was like, Okay, be on your toes and be ready for everything."
The defending champion is also through to the 3rd round after powering through France's Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2.
On the men's side, World No.1 Novak Djokovic, 7th-seeded Tomas Berdych and 8th-placed Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro are all through.
Several matches had to be postponed due to rain.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.
Spain pulls off a win over Italy in the semifinals
At the Confederations Cup,
Spain pulled off a thrilling semifinals victory over Italy, winning 7-6 on penalties.
90 minutes of regulation time and extra time wasn't enough for either team to get a point on the board. The goalkeepers were that good and the two teams were that evenly matched.
The Brazilian crowd was firmly behind underdog Italy, and the Italians deserved the support.
They were playing some high-quality, high-tempo football against the no. 1 ranked Spain, who everyone had thought would have little problem dispatching the Italians.
After the 30 minutes of extra time ended with the teams still even at 0-0, a string of penalties began. Twelve perfect shots in a row, and then Italian defender Bonucci ballooned his over the goal.
Spain's Navas answered by firing a perect shot into the corner to send the world champions on to the finals against Brazil.
The final match will take place at Maracana Stadium in Rio on Sunday.
Nerlens Noel considered top 2013 draft pick
The 67th NBA draft will take place in New York today.
A 6-11 center from the University of Kentucky is expected by many to be this year's number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
19-year-old Nerlens Noel led the nation in blocked shots and his conference in rebounds before a torn ACL gave an early end to his sole college season.
Yeah, I mean it feels surreal. I mean it still hasn't hit me and I don't think it will until tomorrow. So you know I got a lot of mixed emotions, I mean, a lot of excitement, I mean a lot of nervous, anxious. You know I'm just definitely waiting it out. And I mean I'm just waiting for my name to be called."
But Noel isn't a shoe-in for the top spot.
Two other contenders are shooting guards: Victor Oladipo from the university of Indiana, and Ben McLemore, who as a freshmen led the Kansas Jayhawks in scoring with nearly 16 points a game.
There's also 7-foot 1 center Alex Len. The towering Ukranian import played at Maryland for two seasons before being sidelined with a stress fracture..
This year's draft features a set of strong players, but not necessarily impact players.
That's why a number of teams, including the Cavaliers, have been discussing possible trades so they get a better choice next year, which promises a more stand-out class.
Lions get ready for second test with Australia
In Rugby,
The British and Irish Lions announced their starting lineup ahead of tomorrow's second test with Australia in Melbourne.
Head Coach Warren Gatland has made some interesting replacements.
Ireland's Tommy Bowe will come in at right wing. Ben Youngs will replace Welsh scrum-half Mike Phillips, who was dropped from Saturday's squad entirely. And Dan Lydiate will take over at blindside flank.
The line-up changes send a clear signal that Gatland is setting his roster based on current form, not on reputation.
The Lions will be without Paul O'Connell, one of the team's strongest players, after he fractured his arm in the final minutes of the Brisbane game.
Gatland asked O'Connell to remain with the team rather than fly home because the former captain acts as a motivator to the squad.
The Lions won their first test over the Wallabies 23-21, and the next matchup promises to be just as competitive.
The second test is what the Lions have been mentally and physically preparing for from the start of their tour. One more victory would mean their first series win against Australia in 16 years.
Rory McIlroy failed to make a strong start at the Irish Open
After the opening round at the Irish Open, Rory McIlroy lags eight shots behind the leader Oscar Floren.
The world no. 2 had an opening round of two-over-par 74, a disappointing start for the player expected to shine at his home tournament.
Michael Hoey and Shane Lowry are tied at second after shooting five under par totals of 67. And European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley is at two under.
The second round at Carton House will get underway later today.
Entertainment
Upcoming JAY-Z and Beyonce collaboration confirmed!
It has been confirmed that Beyonce will feature on Jay Z's forth coming album.
(Jay Z)
Queen Bee will be collaborating with her husband on a track titled "Part II (On The Run)"
The song will be the latest in a string of delectable musical offerings from the super spouses.
Beyonce and Jay Z have previously gifted us with songs such as Beyonce's breakthrough solo hit "Crazy in Love" and, my personal favourite, "Upgrade U".
(Upgrade U)
As a truly modern mogul, the rapper revealed the news, alongside lyrics to the song, on his Samsung app.
To celebrate July 4th - the generous man that he is - Jay Z will be showering fans with a million free albums.
Too good to be true? Well, the giveaway is reserved for Samsung smartphone users.
The rest of us common folk will have to wait until the official release on July 7th to get our mitts on the record.
Fans can also expect appearances from Justin Timberlake and Frank Ocean on the forthcoming record.
New Order announce new EP
New Order have announced that they will release a new record before the year is out.
(New Order)
That was Blue Monday, the band's iconic 1983 breakthrough track and the best-selling 12 inch of all time.
The revelation was made by Gillian Gilbert who says that the band have a bunch of new material awaiting Bernard Sumner's lyrics before studio treatment.
However, the responsible parents that they are, band members are awaiting the return of kids to school in September before recording the EP.
New Order formed in 1980 out of the former members of Joy Division, after the death of lead singer Ian Curtis.
Throughout their time together the band have gone through various breaks and reformations.
Rumours have been circulating that former performer Johnny Marr may be making a reappearance in the lineup.
Fans will find out the truth to the matter when New Order headlines Transmission 005 at Jodrell Bank on July 7.
Bieber facing Assault and Battery Case
It seems that Justin Bieber just can't stay away from trouble these days.
The 19 year old megastar is being sued for assault and battery by a paparazzi photographer.
(Justin)
The paparazzo claims that Bieber became enraged after he couldn't maneuver his Mercedes through the crowd of paparazzi and jumped out of his car.
The teenager allegedly then punched and pushed the man before delivering a martial arts-style kick to his lower rib cage
The photographer also says that Bieber's then-girlfriend, superstar Selena Gomez, apologized to the victim for Bieber's actions.
The photographer is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.
The singer recently injured a photographer whilst driving away from a LA comedy club, though he was cleared of any wrong doing.
Mischa Barton slams Sofia Coppola's Bling Ring
Mischa Barton has become the latest celebrity to lash out at Oscar Winner Sofia Coppola's new film "The Bling Ring".
(Bling)
The 27 year old actress is mentioned in the film in relation to her conviction for Drinking Under the Influence back in 2007.
Barton went further to say that the idea of the movie "creeps" her out.
The crime drama is based on the spate of real life thefts by a group of fame obsessed teenagers.
The film's main character Nicki is closely based on reality TV star and convicted felon Alexis Neier.
An 18 year old Neier and the real life Bling Ring stole from the houses of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan back in 2009.
Neier recently slammed the film for being "unrealistic" but later admitted that she has yet to even see the movie.
"The Bling Ring" is out in cinemas in the US and UK as of now.
That's all we have time for on the show as well.
Recapping our top headlines....
The presidents of China and South Korea have issued a joint call for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
The US and Philippine navies have begun joint drills near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is reportly improving slightly.
In Business, Gold prices have dropped for the 9th consecutive trading day.
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