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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Wednesday July 10th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening,
US National Transportation Safety Board says Asiana pilot tried to correct mistake before crash.
Chinese and Russian navies now conducting live-fire exercises off Russia's eastern coast.
South and North Korea agree to hold 3rd working-level talks.
Business, China's exports down 3.1 percent in June.
Sports, Cycling Germany’s Marcel Kittel wins stage 10 of Tour de France.
Entertainments, K-pop star Rain welcomed back from Military Service by emotional fans.
Plus Special Reports takes a look at the rise of mobile gaming here in China.
Weather
Beijing will have showers with a low of 22 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow thundershowers with a high temperature of 29.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 28, sunny tomorrow, with a high of 37.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 12 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 36.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, overcast, highs of 19.
Canberra, overcast, 14.
Brisbane, overcast, 20.
And finally, Perth will be rainy with a high of 18.
Top News
Asiana Airlines plane crash: Pilot tries to make correction after realizing it flying too low
The head of the US National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot onboard the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crashed in San Francisco tried to correct its course moments before the crash.
NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman says they did not realize the plane was flying too slowly until it was just 60-meters above the ground.
"He recognized that the auto throttles were not maintaining speed and he established a go around attitude. He went to push the throttles forward but he states that the other pilot had already pushed the throttles forward."
Hersman stressed that it is "critical" for pilots on any flight to monitor their speed on an approach to landing.
She also says two flight attendants were ejected from the plane after its tail hit a seawall in front of the runway.
Both were found injured but alive on the side of the runway.
Tests will be carried out to determine if the flight crew were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The crash killed two teenage Chinese passengers and injured more than 180 other people.
Macroeconomic policy coordination will be discussed in the SED
Anchor:
The fifth Sino-U.S Strategic and Economic Dialogue is being held in Washington.
During the two-day dialogue, both sides will hold a series of talks on wide ranging topics including political security, the economic and financial sectors.
Experts say both sides should further strengthen their macro-economic policy coordination in order to promote global economic recovery.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more:
Reporter:
The fifth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue is considered as the first step toward implementing the consensus reached between the two countries' presidents in California last month.
Wei Liang, is a researcher at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
He says China and the U.S will attach great importance to macro-economic policy coordination because the Federal Reserve has been planning to quit the quantitative easing policy.
"U.S and China is the two largest economies worldwide according to GDP. Any policy changes in the two sides will have a global effect. If the macroeconomic policy coordination can make one country have low external negative effects for another country, it's obvious that the coordination have positive effects on other countries including China. So it's important for China and U.S to attach great importance to the coordination."
Zhao Xijun, is vice director at the School of Finance at RenMin University of China.
He believes the macro-economic policy discussed in the dialogue not only makes good sense for China and the U.S but also for the global economic recovery.
"The dialogue will be used as a platform for both sides to communicate and exchange opinions and reach commom judgements. Because it is a formal and official dialogue platform, the consensus may be delivered to policy-making departments in the two sides, resulting in substantial effects. When it comes to whether the U.S side will withdraw Q.E policy and following effects on China, this move actually indicates China is making preparations for U.S' retreating from the policy."
Analysts say the Federal Reserve withdrawal from the quantitative easing policy is a periodic process.
Yi Xianrong, researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says China should be prepared to tackle the impact and influence.
"The U.S withdrawal from Q.E policy will have a significant effect on China and globally because the whole currency environment will have fundamental changes including share markets and capital market. Hot money may flow out of the country at an early period of time. Meanwhile, it will have a bigger impact on some sectors where there is much speculation, for instance the real estate sector. Under these circumstances, the authorities should make preparations beforehand and ease the impact and influence."
Experts say China has taken a series of measures to respond to the withdrawal of the US QE policy.
However they say, in the long term, the Q.E policy withdrawal will have a positive effect.
For CRI, This is XZ.
Live-fire exercise of 6 subjects performs in the Sino-Russian drill
Chinese and Russian navies are now conducting live-fire exercises off Russia's eastern coast.
The exercise is part of the Sino-Russia joint naval drill taking place this year.
The live-fire exercise covers six military subjects, including air defense and supply, on the 3rd day of the exercise.
Wang Dazhong is the commander of Chinese Navy fleet.
"The subjects of this joint exercise cover most of our navy's mission tasks, including attack and defense. We used to aim at responding to non-traditional security, but now it is expanded into security threats. So it is a broad cooperation."
During the drills, the Sino-Russian air defense system has drawn much attention.
Alexander Jevich is the liaison officer of the Russian Navy.
"We communicate and understand each other in the whole process, and the joint drill is a success. We both know what we need to do and what our common goal is. So far everything goes on well."
Today is the last day of this live-fire exercise.
The number of Chinese Navy troops in the exercise is also the largest in China's joint drill history.
QA with David Keyton on Egypt
Egypt's newly appointed Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi is working to form a new cabinet.
This comes a week after the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
Beblawi is expected to offer posts to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, however the Islamist organization has already refused to cooperate.
Meantime, the main liberal coalition said it will not back the plan to hold fresh elections unless amendments are made.
The timetable for new elections was announced by Interim President Adly Mansour earlier this week.
The decree included plans to set up a panel to amend the suspended Islamist-drafted constitution within 15 days.
The changes will then be put to a referendum, which will pave the way for parliamentary election in February.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security sources say 2 people were killed when Islamist militants attacked a security checkpoint in North Sinai.
Militant group in Sinai have launched attacks against Egyptian and Israeli targets following the 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.
Now for more on Egypt, I earlier spoke to David Keyton, CRI's special correspondent in Cairo.
…
Back anchor: that was David Keyton, CRI's special correspondent in Cairo.
S. Korea, DPRK agree to hold 3rd working-level talks on July 15
South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold the third round of working-level talks on July 15th at the joint industrial park in the border town of Kaesong.
This comes after Seoul and Pyongyang failed to reach any agreement during today's talks on re-opening the jointly-run Kaesong industrial zone.
The two sides have agreed in principle to restart operations at the park after marathon negotiations over the weekend.
Earlier, delegations from both sides have confirmed their different views over the normalization of the park.
South Korea says it wants assurances Pyongyang will not unilaterally close the factory zone again.
Suh Ho heads the South Korean delegation.
"I think it is the first step toward the trust building as we're holding this meeting as we agreed."
Suh Ho says the two sides have sufficiently explained each other's stance over the proposed issues at this talks.
Pak Chol-su is the North Korean delegation's chief.
"It is raining heavily, so I am very worried about those companies' facilities and raw materials. Hopefully we can promptly proceed with reopening the industrial zone."
North Korea has allowed a small team of South Korean businessmen to visit Kaesong Wednesday to bring back finished products and materials out of the complex.
They will also maintain facilities vulnerable to the humidity during the rainy season.
The two sides have held three rounds of top-delegate talks.
Work at the Kaesong park has been suspended for over 3-months amid high tensions after the North's nuclear test in February.
Informatization brings Tibet convenience
Anchor:
One of China's leading communications companies has unveiled plans to expand its broadband and Wi-fi coverage in Tibet.
CRI's Zhang Shuangfeng has more.
Reporter:
Tibet Branch of China Mobile has launched 4G wireless communication network this June. And along with this move, Tibet enters its 4G era.
According to the Branch, Tibet has already set up more than 50 4G test sites, including Qomolangma Base Camp and the Potala Palace. And Lhasa will realize the network coverage of its urban area by the end of this year.
Kelsang Phuntsok is a local resident at one of the test sites.
"Just as the number implies, compared with 3G, 4G will be faster and it will provide us with more apps. That's what we young people need. I'm very much looking forward to it."
Young people in Tibet are always eager to chase the trend and fashion in this modern digital century.
Tseten Dolkar is a bank clerk in Lhasa.
"We like to talk about interesting things on Weibo when we get together. Mobile game is another hot topic. However, online shopping is our favorite. We recommend and show what we bought online with each other. In a word, it is really convenient using Internet. For example, we release party information on Wechat. Internet has made it really easy."
According to local officials, from the year 2004 to 2011, Tibet had gradually realized its optical cable communication, telephone communication, facsimile and broadband Internet service in every county and town.
Up till now, Tibet has almost finished its communication network, which covers all the cities, districts, counties and towns, including all the major roads and tourist attractions in the region.
Nyima Dorkyi, the deputy director of the Communication Administration Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region, says by the end of last year the number of Internet users in Tibet has nearly reached 1.5 million. Among them are 170 thousand wired broadband users.
That is to say, half of 3 million Tibetans are using Internet.
Tibet used to be a lonely remote place due to its geographic altitude. But now Internet has changed this and helps people in Tibet catch up with the pace of the nation, or even the world.
For CRI, I'm Zhang Shuangfeng.
Pollution shortens life expectancy
A recent report is suggesting that air pollution may shorten people's life expectancy in some areas in China by more than 5-years.
The report has been jointed composed by researchers from China, the US and Isreal.
According to the report, air pollution causes people in northern China to live an average of 5.5 years shorter than their southern counterparts.
Professor Li Hongbin, one of the authors of the report, explains how pollution shortens our lives.
"The conclusion of the report is that when the aerosol in the air goes up by 100 micrograms, the average life expectancy will be decreased by three years. The cause of death is mainly due to cardiovascular disease and lung disease."
Li says over-reliance on burning coal for heat in winter in North China has led to more pollution than in the south.
The researchers have found that air pollution is about 55% higher north of the Huai River than south of it.
Biz Reports
Asian Stock
Chinese shares surged more than 2 percent today after Premier Li Keqiang said the country's macroeconomic policies should ensure economic growth at a reasonable range.
At market close, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index Jumped 2.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index soared 3.3 percent.
Coal miners and property developers were among the strongest, with sub-indices for those sectors surging 4.5 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.
China Vanke, the nation's biggest property developer by market value, jumped 6.4 percent to 10.3 yuan a share.
Over in Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng increased 1 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei edged up 0.1 percent.
And South Korea's KOSPI down 0.3 percent.
In Singapore, the benchmark Straits Times index also finished up 0.3 percent.
Finally, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 picked up 0.4 percent.
China's exports down 3.1 percent in June
China's exports took a surprising tumble in June, dropping 3.1 percent from a year earlier.
The General Administration of Customs said imports meantime also went down 0.7-percent.
China's foreign trade growth rate has been slowing down in the first half of the year, as it grew 13.5 percent in the first quarter year on year and 4.3 percent in the second quarter.
This drastic slump of foreign trade in the second quarter was hightened by a mere 0.3 percent growth in May and 2-percent growth in June.
Besides the weaker than expected market demand, most analysts attribute the steep plunge to the government's crackdown on speculative capital inflows disquised as trade.
For more on China's trade data in June, we now cross live to Mike Bastin, Researcher with Nottingham University.
…
back anchor: Mike Bastin, Researcher with Nottingham University.
Consumer confidence fell for a third month in June
Confidence among China's bankcard owners fell for a third month in June.
The Bankcard Consumer Confidence Index dipped 0.87-percent from May that’s a decrease of 1.1-percent from a year ago, according to a China UnionPay report.
The report says consumption by bankcard holders at department stores and home appliance retailers dropped last month.
Bankcard holders' expenditure at home appliance retailers dipped 0.5 percent from May while spending at general department stores also fell 0.2 percent from a month earlier.
The report attributed the drop in consumer confidence largely to a poor stock market performance and uncertain economic outlook.
IMF cuts down global growth forecast
The International Monetary Fund has projected slower global growth for 2013 and 2014 in an update of its outlook three months ago.
IMF now predicts the world economy will grow at 3.1 percent this year, down from a forecast of 3.3 percent three months ago.
The 2014 forecast was cut to 3.8-percent from 4-percent.
Among the developing countries, China and Brazil saw significant downward revisions.
China's 2013 forecast was cut to 7.8-percent compared to 8.1 in April.
For 2014, it fell to 7.7 percent from 8.3 percent.
Brazil growth projections was lowered to 2.5 percent from 3-percent in April and 3.2 percent for 2014 compared to 4-percent previously.
Ratings agency Moody's upgrades UK banking sector outlook
Credit ratings agency Moody's has upgraded its outlook for the UK banking industry from negative to stable.
The agency says the change reflects the country's increasingly stable economic outlook, despite low growth prospects.
Moody's says the upgrade is based on a stabilisation in the bank's asset quality, as well as improvement in the banks' capital due to new, stricter regulation.
Moody's believes UK banks will compare favourably to their European peers under the new regulations.
UBS back the top private bank in the world
UBS has won back the title of largest private bank in the world as inflows of fresh client funds surged last year.
The Swiss bank displaced Bank of America from the top spot in an annual benchmark compiled by London-based wealth management consultant Scorpio Partnership.
It edged out the U.S. bank with 9.7 percent growth in overall assets to 1.7 trillion US dollars, compared with 5.9 percent at Bank of America.
Scandal-tarnished UBS earlier said it would scale back its riskier investment banking division in favor of its private bank.
U.S. banks Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley as well as Switzerland's Credit Suisse round out the top five in the Scorpio benchmark.
Renault enters into JV partnership with Dongfeng
French automaker Renault has formed a joint venture with Chinese Dongfeng Motor.
The 1.8-billion-US-dollar deal was finalized after 10-years of talks.
Relying on imports, Renault sold less than 30-thousand units in China last year.
Renaults joint venture comes as other international premium brands dominate the market in China.
Insiders say Renault wants to catch up on the 10-years it has missed in China.
The new joint venture will be based in central China's Wuhan.
This is also the home of another French automaker, Peugeot.
The new joint venture will begin production in 2014, targeting mainly SUV manufacturing, with an initial capacity of 150-thousand units per year.
Headline News
1 dead, 7 injured in central China blast
One person is dead and seven others injured in a chemical plant explosion in Hubei.
The blast occurred around noon at a biochemical plant in the city of Suizhou.
Local firefighting authorities say one person is missing following the explosion.
More than 100-firefighters have been sent to the scene of the blast.
The cause of the blast is not clear.
12 Chinese sailors on sunken ship off S. Korean waters rescued
All twelve Chinese crew members aboard a sunken ship off South Korea's east coast have been rescued.
The Panamanian-flagged ship sank earlier on Wednesday in waters some 12-kilometers east of the city of Ulsan.
The near 2-thousand-ton vessel was carrying 12-Chinese sailors and 3-thousand tons of iron ore.
South Korean coast guard says the fog was very thick when the ship was hit on the right side of its bows by a Cypriot- flagged vessel.
The authorities are yet to identify the cause of the accident.
China's exports down 3.1 pct in June
China's exports took a surprising tumble in June, putting pressure on the growth of the world's second-largest economy.
The General Administration of Customs says exports dropped 3.1 percent in June from a year earlier, while imports went down 0.7 percent.
Total foreign trade shrank 2 percent year on year to 320 billion U.S. dollars in June.
Foreign trade neared 2 trillion U.S. dollars in the first half of the year, up 8.6 percent year on year.
S. Korea, DPRK agree to hold 3rd working-level talks on July 15
South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold the third round of working-level talks on July 15th at the joint industrial park in the border town of Kaesong.
Seoul and Pyongyang have failed to reach any agreement during today's talks.
The two sides have so far held three rounds of top-delegate talks.
Seoul's top delegate Suh Ho says both sides have sufficiently explained each other's stance over the proposed issues at the talks and will meet again.
Egypt's caretaker president appoints interim PM, vice president
Egypt's interim president has officially appointed ex-finance minister Hazem al-Beblawi as the country's prime minister.
Adli Mansour has also tapped leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei as his vice-President.
The move comes on the heels of Monday's deadly clashes between the Egyptian military and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
51 people were killed in armed clashes between the two sides.
The military and pro-Morsi supporters are blaming one-another for the attacks.
Newspaper Picks
Xinhua
"For-profit study tours banned in N China schools"
Schools in north China's Shanxi Province have been banned from organizing overseas study tours for profit after a plane crash killed two Chinese girls in San Francisco.
The provincial education department announced the ban in a statement issued on Tuesday, as well as pledged to launch an investigation into local schools' participation in organizing overseas summer or winter camps and study tours.
The statement said the number of teachers should be assigned in proportion to the number of students taking part in the activities.
It noted that teachers' travel expenses must be jointly funded by schools and partner institutions, rather than be shifted onto students.
Meanwhile, the municipal education bureau of Zhejiang's city of Quzhou on Monday ordered local schools and related institutions to suspend all summer camps and study tours.
China Daily
"Summer smog will become common, experts say"
Weather experts say the spell of thick smog that blanketed Tian'anmen Square for 18 days in June will not be a thing of the past.
Yan Peng, a researcher of the Meteorological Observation Center of the China Meteorological Administration, said the smog this summer may become a common occurrence if the high humidity remains steady.
According to the CMA, the number of smoggy days per month in Beijing soared from July to August. Over the past decade, each month had an average of about 15 days of smog.
Experts said vehicle exhaust and the burning of coal are the main contributors to the capital's smog.
The only way to reduce the number of smoggy days is to control emissions.
The Telegraph
"Working shifts can harm women's fertility"
New research has found women who work irregular shift patterns are almost twice as likely to suffer fertility problems.
According to the study, those whose rotas varied took longer to conceive a child, and were more likely to suffer menstrual disruption.
Women who only worked night shifts did not suffer when trying to conceive, but were significantly more likely to have a miscarriage.
Researchers analysed all studies on the subject since 1969, providing data on some 120,000 women.
Special Reports
China Mobile Game
Anchor:
Gaming is no longer confined to a desktop computer, with many enthusiasts now using tablets and smartphones to play while on the move.
In China, the mobile games market is booming.
Over the next few years, experts predict the industry will be worth billions of dollars.
Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
Gaming on the go is really catching on. China is tapping into that hunger, with developers busy designing and producing the latest games to download and enjoy.
According to a report by research firm Niko Partners, at the end of 2012, the number of mobile gamers outnumbered that of PC gamers in China - reaching 192 million users.
Market revenue stood at around 600 million US dollars in 2011. The Niko Partners report predicts that will run into billions of dollars over the next few years.
And experts do not see a point of saturation any time soon, as the smartphone has only grabbed 50 per cent of the mobile phone market share so far.
Yodo1 is a games company based in Beijing that works with Western developers to bring their titles to the Chinese market.
The company's chief executive officer, Henry Fong, says staff are working at full throttle.
"I think there's been so much coverage and the growth of the market both in terms of unit shipments as well as the revenue growth has been so significant that mobile games developers really can't ignore the Chinese market."
Companies like Yodo1 are crucial for Western developers in China.
The complexities of the market mean local advice is needed, to comply with the intricate mechanisms of distribution and sales of mobile games.
In Western markets developers only have to deal with Apple's app store for iOS, and Google Play and Amazon for Android.
But in China there are over 500 different app stores, over a dozen different payment methods and hundreds of different promotional channels in the market.
The main reason for this is the rapid growth of mobile handsets.
From fewer than 100 (m) million in 2011 to 430 (m) million at the end of 2012, mobile handset sales are expected to reach 500 (m) million units at the end of 2013, double the number of the Unites States.
This boom has been caused by the fall of handset prices, which have gone from a minimum of 326 US dollars to 163 US dollars.
Leading companies like Gameloft, headquartered in Paris, are rapidly expanding their operations on Chinese soil and increasing revenues.
Gameloft arrived in Beijing in 2003, and after some turbulence during the first few years, it is now settled in and is chasing opportunities.
It already has three studios in China and has recently signed an agreement with Tencent - one of China's biggest web companies - to distribute a version of the game "Ice Age Village 3" on the Tencent Mobile QQ Game Platform, with 350 (m) million users and counting.
Eric Tan is the company's manager in China.
"Compared to the other entertainment industries, the mobile gaming industry is growing at exponential rate. Right now, both online gaming, mobile gaming, we have seen cases where the revenues is greater than other media such as movies, TVs and music," he says.
China is not only breeding users, but game engineers as well, who are catching up with the level of Western artists and producing global hits. The Chinese mobile game market is a gold mine that has yet to mature.
As the market consolidates, it will get easier for game studios to be able to integrate into local app-stores and payment methods, while mobile gamers are expected to get used to paying for content.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
First Ashes test match kicks off
The first Ashes test match has kicked off among a huge Nottingham roar between England's and Australia's cricketers at Trent Bridge.
The England squad is widely believed as having clear favorites to retain the urn this year and expected to continue the great start Britain has enjoyed to their summer of sport.
But England's captain Alastair Cook doesn't put any stock in pre-match predictions.
"We've been favourites in other series before, just because it hasn't been Australia it doesn't mean it's any different to any other side. What we're very aware of is cricket is never played on paper and it never will be played on paper. It's about who delivers out there tomorrow and the next 24 days of cricket."
The Australian squad has received much ribbing for their lackluster performances leading up to the Ashes. But Australian captain Michael Clarke said his team is ready.
"I've said for awhile now we come here as underdogs, there's no doubt about that. But that hasn't affected our preparation and it won't effect our performance either. We're looking forward to a tough series. We know it's going to be tough, but I know all the boys are up for the challenge."
Updates on CONCACAF Gold Cup
Football now and at the CONCACAF Gold Cup two matches have taken place in Group C, with the U.S facing Belize and Costa Rica up against Cuba.
Striker Chris Wondolowski scored a hat-trick in the first half in a 6-1 victory for the U.S over Belize.
Costa Rica defeated Cuba three-nil, further extending Cuba's run without a win in the Gold Cup to 12-matches.
The four Group C teams will next play Saturday in Salt Lake City, with the U.S facing Cuba followed by Belize against Costa Rica.
Marcel Kittel wins stage 10 of Tour de France
German's Marcel Kittel has won his second stage of the 2013 Tour de France.
After a rest day, the remaining riders in the Tour de France were back on to the road for a 197-kilometre tenth stage.
The mainly flat course suggested it would be a day for the sprinters.
Marcel Kittel surged in the final meters, passing his compatriot Greipel who came in second.
Sprint king Cavendish lost his momentum and missed out his winning chance.
He came in third after bumping shoulders with Tom Veelers of the Netherlands, sending him crashing to the ground just before the finish.
Race officials later blamed Veelers for the crash with Cavendish, saying he made a small movement towards his right after setting up team-mate Kittel for the win.
Britain's Chris Froome held on to the yellow jersey, one minute 25 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alejandro Valverde.
The Sky team leader will be hoping to increase that margin in the following 33-kilometre individual time trial.
Rockets fined for talking too much about deal with Howard
In NBA,
The Houston Rockets have been reportedly fined by the NBA for saying too much too soon about Dwight Howard.
A league spokesman has confirmed that the team and its personnel were fined 150-thousand US dollars for comments made during the moratorium period.
Howard reportedly made the decision to join the Rockets last Friday.
Later that night Rockets general manager Daryl Morey gave an interview about the recruitment and landing of him.
Coach Kevin McHale also discussed Howard over the weekend.
The NBA has just released the 2013-14 salary cap, which is set at 58,679,000 US dollars.
Before the number is released, deals are not allowed to become official.
Kazan Universiade sees record-high ticket sales
More than 551-thousand tickets have been sold ahead of the Kazan Universiade, setting a record in the history of the Games.
The peak of sales came within the last two weeks before the start of the Games, when more than 450-thousand tickets were sold.
Ticket sales will be further boosted by the Russian athletes' performances at the Universiade, as so far the host nation has won 41 gold medals, 35 more than its nearest chasers.
Russia is now dominating the medal table with 81 all together, followed by South Korea.
Currently China is the country wining the most gold medals at a single Universiade, with the national team grabbing 75 championships 2 years ago in Shenzhen.
Entertainment
Kpop star Rain welcomed back from Military Service by tearful fans
The prince of Kpop Rain is released from mandatory military service today – to be welcomed by tears of joy from his army of devoted fans.
Over 700 people waited outside the defence ministry building in Seoul, cheering as the star emerged with his discharge papers.
Some had camped overnight despite the rainy weather to catch a glimpse of Rain, who saluted the crowd in his military uniform whilst proclaiming his love.
Rain's stint in the military has not been without scandals.
He was sent to the barracks for a week back in January for neglecting official duty to carry out a romantic rendez vous.
A 2 year military service remains compulsory for men in South Korea, which is still technically at war with the North.
Exemptions are rare and avoidance carries the penalty of an automatic jail sentence.
Lauryn Hill begins prison sentence for tax evasion
Iconic singer Lauryn Hill has begun a 3 month prison sentence for tax evasion.
The 38 year old failed to pay $1.8 million dollars in taxes between 2005-2007.
Despite pleading guilty last year to seek a probation sentence, the singer was sentenced back in May to 3 months imprisonment and one year parole.
The sentencing came after the singer signed a deal with Sony in order to pay back the outstanding taxes last year.
The star has entered the minimal security Federal Correctional Institution of Danbury, where inmates are expected to take on jobs and live in open dormitories.
A five time Grammy winner, Hill rose to fame in her teens as a singer for hip-hop group the Fugees, after which she embarked on a wildly successful solo career.
Her 1998 solo debut, the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is often sited as the greatest neo-soul album of all time.
The mother of six is also well known for her political activism and charity work.
Dreamworks "Turbo" premieres in NYC
The stars hit the red carpet in the Big Apple last night as new animated film "Turbo" premiered in New York.
Ryan Reynolds lends his voice to the lead character Turbo, a snail with big dreams of winning the Indianapolis 500.
Reynolds thinks the film speaks a universal message on a very human level.
The Canadian actor, who was joined by wife and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, hopes his involvement in the project would impress his "army of nieces and nephews".
The Dreamworks picture also features Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L Jackson and notably Snoop Dogg as a snail by the name of Smoove Move.
Turbo opens in North America on July 17th, and hits screens in Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam a day later.
Boston Marathon Bombing to be made into feature flm
April's Boston Marathon Bombings is going to be transposed on to the big screen.
Plans for the feature film has been confirmed, to be based on the yet-unreleased book by Boston Herald reporter Dave Wedge.
Entitled "Boston Strong", the book will focus on the city's reaction to the attacks and the subsequent manhunt for the fugitive Tsarnaev brothers.
Rights have been acquired by the writers behind Mark Wahlberg's Oscar Winning film the Fighter.
However, with the book emerging next year, the film remains in the germination stage of development.
Robin Thicke wants Andy Murray for Blurred Lines reboot
Robin Thicke says he wants Andy Murray to star in a sports themed version of his infamous "Blurred Lines" video.
Thicke told British network ITV of his intentions to reboot the video with Murray flanked by girls with strategically placed tennis rackets.
The original video, directed by Diane Martel, features Thicke, Pharrell and T.I. flirting with three models, who are shown topless in the unrated version.
Thicke's comment comes after the Wimbledon champion recently said that the song is one of his pre-match favorites.
The song is currently the second best selling single in the UK this year, coming up behind Daft Punk's Get Lucky.
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