新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/03/24

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

Paul James with you on this Monday, March 24, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese President Xi Jinping is getting ready to help open a nuclear security summit in the Hague later on today as part of his current European tour.
French authorities are reporting more radar contacts in an area which searchers suspect could be the spot where missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in the southern Indian Ocean.
The Pakistani government is getting ready to open a new round of peace talks with the Taliban this week.
In Business... Sinopec is reporting a dramatic downturn in profits through the final quarter of last year.
In sports.... Xinjiang bounces back to earn its first victory in the CBA finals.
In entertainment.... Hong Kong has become the launching pad for a new concert tour from a South Korean girl group.
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today, with a high of 22 degree Celsius in the daytime.
Overnight lows are expected to dip down to around 8.
In Shanghai, cloudy today with a high of 20.
Overnight, it will see slight rain with the temperatures dip down to 14 degrees.
Chongqing is going to be rainy today with a high of 17.
Overnight lows should only dip down to around 12.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad can expect rain today with a high of 15.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 14.
Over to North America.
New York can expect sunshine today with a high of 3 degrees.
Washington will be sunny yet temperature remains low at 6 degrees.
Houston, Texas will see some rain on Monday with a high of 16.
Honolulu, mostly sunny, 28.
Toronto, Canada, still wrapped under cold weather, with some sunshine forecast, but with a high of 0.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 23.
And Rio de Janeiro will see periods of showers with highs of 24 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Xi Jinping to attend third Nulcear Security Summit
 
World leaders are arriving in the Hague in the Netherlands to attend the latest Nuclear Security Summit.
The two-day forum has attracted head of states and experts from around the world, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Leaders from the United States, Russia and the Netherlands and officials from international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency are also there to discuss nuclear-related risks and resolutions.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says preventing nuclear terrorism will be one of the leading topics.
"The chance that nuclear or radioactive material could fall into the hands of terrorists is small, fortunately. But if it were to happen the consequences could be enormous. We need to do everything we can to prevent nuclear terrorism and we have gathered here with that clear aim."
The Dutch Prime Minister also says he believes China will play an important role at Summit.
Delegations from a total of 53 countries will take part in the 2-day session.
Chinese president Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a speech to the opening session later today.
Ahead of this meeting, Xi Jinping has also met with Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
Xi Jinping's time in the Netherlands is the first state visit by a Chinese head of state since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972.
The Chinese President arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday.
His current European tour will also take him to France, Germany and Belgium.
 
 
French finds radar echoes on possible debris of missing Malaysian jetliner
 
Anchor:
French authorities are reporting the discovery of radar echoes which they say could be possible debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The French radar echoes come on the heels of more debris being spotted in the same area where searchers are trying to determine could be the spot where the plane went down over 2-weeks ago.
CRI's Lucy Du has more.
Reporter:
The new French data is the latest lead possibly connected to the fate of missing Flight MH370.
The flight disappeared over 2-weeks ago.
French authorities have transferred their latest findings to the Malaysian authorities.
Romain Nadal with France's Foreign Ministry.
"Today we have transferred to the Malaysian authorities some information that we received thanks to radar echoes. Those are not images but radar echoes taken by a French satellite which identified debris that could be from the Malaysia Airlines plane inside a zone of the Indian Ocean that is located 2,300 kilometres from Perth, Australia."
It is the third possible sighting of debris over the weekend in the area off western Australia.
This area has become the focus of the international search effort.
On Saturday, Australian air searches sighted a wooden cargo pallet, along with a number of straps.
An aircraft from New Zealand was then tasked with rediscovering the debris the next day, but failed.
Pallets are normally used for shipping.
However, they are also used in airplanes to transfer luggage.
Also on Saturday, Chinese authorities released a satellite image showing an object floating in an area around 25-hundred kilometers southwest of Perth.
In the wake of the new potential leads, the international community has begun to focus-in on this particular area.
The first Chinese air flights from Australia are underway today after a pair of Chinese search planes arrived in Australia over the weekend.
A search team from Japan is also taking part in the search.
Royal Australian Air Force Group Captain Craig Heap admits the search area is so large that any help is appreciated.
"It's a very big ocean. There'll be an amount of luck involved in any open ocean search, but we have a lot of highly professional aviators from all over the world and great maintenance staff to keep the aircraft running so we're going to all do the best we can as an international team in this case led by Australia, to actually achieve an outcome that hopefully again provides a resolution for those friends and families."
The Chinese government has also dispatched a number of ships to the region.
The fleet includes two docking vessels, a supply ship, a missile destroyer and the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8th while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
239 people were on board, including 154 from China.
Investigators say they believe someone with piloting skills shut down the plane's communications systems then diverted the jet off course to the west.
So far, none of the leads to the whereabouts of the missing plane have yet been confirmed.
For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
 
 
Aviation safety
 
For more the saftey of aviation, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Doctor Hsin Chen Chung, director of the Air Traffic Management Research Institute at the Nanyang University of Technology.
(Q&A)
Back Anchor:
Doctor Hsin Chen Chung, director of the Air Traffic Management Research Institute at the Nanyang University of Technology, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
 
 
2014 China Development Forum underway in Beijing
 
Government officials, CEOs and academics from around the world are gathered here in Beijing for this year's China Development Forum.
This year's forum is focused on ways for China to smoothly transition from rapid economic growth to quality growth.
Experts in various fields have been brainstorming approaches to pushing forward financial reforms in China.
Liu Shijin, deputy head of the State Council's Development Research Center, notes this country is still facing significant challenges in making the transition to a new growth model.
"In the mid to long run, we hope the reform will be conducted rapidly and steadily. But the Chinese economy will face a lot of challenges when the reform enters the next phase."
Officials attending the meetings are suggesting environmental degradation is putting new pressure on growth, with certain cities facing challenges including industrial overcapacity and air pollution.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who has also been taking part in the sessions, says despite the challenges, she still remains upbeat about China's prospects.
First launched in 2000, the China Development Forum is considered a platform for business and academic leaders to interact with China's top decision makers and economic planners.
 
 
Last of Ukrainian marines remain at their base
 
A Ukrainian marine battalion, which remains in Russian-annexed Crimea, is now in the process of negotiating with Russian forces on handing over the base.
The Feodosia base is home to Ukraine's top military unit and one of the last military facilities still under Ukrainian control in Crimea.
First Lieutenant Anatoly Mozgovy, who is still inside the base, says they are waiting for orders for a peaceful pullout.
"Right now the situation is under control and stable. Our politicians and high military ranks are negotiating about the situation and how we can back up our troop on Ukraine mainland. The flag of Ukraine is still up as you see. And it will be up till there is a decision from our high military leaders. When we will get an order we will follow the procedure, how we can pull down the flag and go to Ukraine with our weapons and armour."
On Saturday, Russian troops seized a Ukrainian air base and naval base in Crimea.
The Russian Defense Ministry says the Russian flag is currently flying over 189 military facilities in Crimea.
Russia's move to take control of Crimea has sent relations among Russia, Europe and the United States to their lowest point since the Cold War.
The United States and the European Union are set to hold an emergency meeting of the Group of Seven leaders later today in the Netherlands.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is representing Russia at the Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague, is expected to hold talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on sidelines of the event.
 
 
Pakistani PM says direct talks with Taliban in one or two days
 
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has revealed the government expects to hold direct talks with the Taliban in the next day or two.
The revelation comes just a day after the Pakistani government and the Taliban agreed on a venue for the direct talks.
Neither side has disclosed the location for the talks for security reasons.
Pakistani government negotiators started peace talks with Taliban intermediaries last month.
That led to a month-long unilateral ceasefire by the Taliban.
One of the government's lead negotiators admits there is still some mistrust that exists, but says they expect to get past that when they meet this week.
 
 
Turkey shoots down Syrian military jet
 
The Syrian government is slamming Turkey for what it describes as "flagrant aggression" after one of its war planes was shot down near the Syrian-Turkish border.
Damascus is characterizing the incident as proof the Turkish government is supporting armed terrorist groups in Syria.
Syrian authorities say their plane was shot down by Turkish air defenses while targeting armed militants which had moved from Turkey into northern Syria.
The Turkish government says its airforce shot down the Syrian jet after it violated Turkish airspace.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"If you violate our border, our slap will be hard. Therefore, I congratulate firstly our Chief of General Staff, and our pilots. I congratulate our Air Forces."
The plane itself crashed on a buffer zone between the border separating the Syrian province of Latakia with the Turkish province of Hatay.
The pilot of the Syrian jet managed to safely eject.
The Syrian government has been fighting a new offensive launched by jihadist groups in the same region since Friday.
 
 
Syrian president's cousin killed in clashes with rebels
 
The head of the Syrian National Defense Forces has been killed in fighting with rebel forces.
Hilal al-Assad, cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed in fighting Sunday in the northern coastal province of Latikia.
He was reportedly killed along with 7 of his bodyguards near the border town of Kasab.
This is where Syrian government forces have been engaged in heavy fighting with jihadist groups, who launched an offensive in the region on Friday.
The Syrian National Defense Forces is a paramilitary group which was recently formed by pro-government Syrians in an attempt to back the Syrian army in its fight against the rebels.
 
 
Journalists in Israel condemn alleged Hamas phone "threats"
 
Israel's Foreign Press Association is condemning a series of text messages allegedly sent by Hamas to Israeli cell phone users, including dozens of journalists, warning people to leave the country.
The messages, written in poor Hebrew and English, were sent to thousands of Israelis, as well as members of the foreign press and the Israeli government.
One of the text messages has warned people to leave or face al-Qassam Brigrade rockets.
This is a reference to the military wing of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
The messages also threaten to turn the recipients into the next Shalit.
This is a reference to the 6-year kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Hamas has been accused in the past of exerting psychological pressure on Israel via mass communication.
During the last Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip, thousands of messages were sent to Israelis living in the region.
 
 
Former Spanish PM Suarez dies, King Juan Carlos leads praise
 
Former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez has died.
Suarez passed away Sunday after a prolonged illness.
He's best known as the first Spanish prime minister following the death of long-time Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
King Juan Carlos, who appointed Suarez after the King replaced Franco as head of state, has been one of the first to pay homage to Suarez, describing him as a man who put the interests of Spain above those of the interests of his party.
Suarez had been suffereing from the effects of Alzheimers Disease for the past decade.
He was 81.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
This week kick starts the international conference season with meetings on Asian investment.
Plus, a flurry of interest rate decisions and economic data are due out this week.
Later on this Monday, the 17th Annual Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference will get underway in Hong Kong.
Its due to run until Friday.
Here in China, HSBC's flash manufacturing PMI is due out later on this Monday.
Tuesday will see the release of Nigeria and Hungary's decision on interest rates.
On Wednesday, South Korea's fourth quarter GDP is due out.
Thursday will see interest rate decisions by the central banks of South Africa and the Philippines.
On Friday, Thailand will release its February manufacturing output data.
 
 
Sinopec to cut spending this year as fourth-quarter net profit drops 35%
 
Asia's largest refiner Sinopec is reporting a 35-percent drop in its fourth-quarter net profits.
The decrease in profits is larger than most analysts expected.
Sinopec booked a net profit of 13.8-billion yuan through the fourth quarter.
The company earned 21-billion yuan in the same period in 2012.
Sinopec is pointing to lower profits from its chemical and fuel station divisions.
In the wake of this, the company is planning to cut its corporate expenditures by around 8-billion yuan this year.
 
 
China tries out preferred shares
 
Anchor:
Chinese regulators have unveiled new rules for a trial program which will allow companies to sell preferred shares.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission says three kinds of companies will be allowed to do so.
These include firms listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange 50 A-Share Index, companies using preferred shares as a way to fund mergers and acquisitions and companies seeking equity to finance a common stock buyback.
Holders of preferred shares have priority over common shares in saying how corporate earnings are used and in asset distribution during liquidation.
The SSE 50 A-Share Index surged by more than 4 percent on Friday.
It includes 10 of China's largest banks, which are seeking to raise funds to meet the country's tougher capital requirements.
For more on this, we're joined live now by Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
Questions:
--What are the pros and cons of preferred stocks comparing to common stocks? What is the role it serves as in direct financing in advanced economies? What do you think is the role it expects to play here in China?
--Despite the surge across the banking sector, what other industry do you think will get a lift from the news and why? Do you think it could spearhead A-share market's next bull-run or at least turning the tables?
--We know individual investors have to pass the 5million threshold to actually invest in preferred stocks. As the A-share market is composed of small and medium investors, so how can we really vision it to be a great beneficiary to all?
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
 
 
CCB puts cap on Alipay quick transfer service
 
China Construction Bank has become the latest on a list of banks to cap Alipay's quick transfer service.
Construction Bank says its customers are no longer able to make quick transfers larger than 5 thousand yuan per transaction.
A monthly cap has also been set at 50-thousand yuan.
All of China's state-run 'Big Four' banks have now all put a cap on quick transfers via Alipay.
ICBC was the first to set a limit on quick transfers via Alipay at the end of February.
It's limit is the same as Construction Bank.
Agricultural Bank and Bank of China have set a limit of 10-thousand yuan for each transfer and 200-thousand yuan for each month.
 
 
Tencent starts second payment app on mobile service
 
China's internet service provider Tencent has integrated a payment function into its mobile QQ program.
Tencent says users of mobile QQ are now able to use the app as an "e-wallet" that can connect with their debit cards and their accounts on Tenpay, Tencent's e-payment arm.
Mobile QQ has over 800-million active accounts.
Tencent's chief executive says Mobile QQ is expected to build up a business model linking online payments and offline services.
Tencent says it believes it has successfully transformed its QQ service from a primarily PC experience to a predominantly mobile application.
 
 
PBOC allows some debt defaults
 
China's central bank is hinting it's willing to accept debt defaults in this country's 1.8-trillion US dollar wealth management market.
People's Bank of China deputy governor Pan Gongsheng is being quoted as saying that "under the premise of preventing systematic risks, allowing some defaults to happen naturally in compliance with market forces will help rectify behavior of product issuers and investors."
At the same time, Pan Gongsheng is also calling for more porfolio risk disclosure and better information about financial products.
The comments echo statements released recently by Premier Li Keqiang following this country's first-ever default on a domestic corporate bond.
Shanghai-based Chaori Solar Energy Science & Technology defaulted earlier this month after it failed to make a bond interest payment worth nearly 90 million yuan.
 
 
Temasek to acquire nearly 25% of AS Watson for US$5.7b
 
Singapore's state investor Temasek has agreed to buy almost a quarter of Watson's for around 5.7-billion US dollars.
The health and beauty retailer is owned by Hong Kong's Li Ka-Shing, Asia's richest man.
The move is part of Temasek's reshaping of its 170-billion US dollar portfolio.
The state-run investor is hoping to achieve higher returns.
Hutchison Whampoa, the parent company of Watson's, says it will use part of the proceeds to pay a special dividend of 90-US cents a share to its shareholders.
Watson's sales here in China are forecast to grow by around 40 percent in the next couple of years.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Xi Jinping to attend third Nulcear Security Summit
 
World leaders are arriving in the Hague in the Netherlands to attend the latest Nuclear Security Summit.
The two-day forum has attracted head of states and experts from around the world, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Leaders from the United States, Russia and the Netherlands and officials from international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency are also there to discuss nuclear-related risks and resolutions.
Chinese president Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a speech to the opening session later today.
 
 
Chinese military plane takes off in Australia to search for MH370
 
The first Chinese military flight in search of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is underway.
The flight has left from Perth in the search for the missing jetliner.
It will be focused on an area around 400-kilometers long and around 30-kilometers wide.
This is the area searchers feel is the best location to search for possible debris from the plane spotted by Australian satellite images last week.
 
 
Syria accuses Turkey of "flagrant aggression" for downing warplane
 
The Syrian government is slamming Turkey for what it describes as "flagrant aggression" after one of its war planes was shot down near the Syrian-Turkish border.
Syrian authorities say their plane was shot down by Turkish air defenses while targeting armed militants which had moved from Turkey into northern Syria.
The Turkish government says its airforce shot down the Syrian jet after it violated Turkish airspace.
The Syrian government has been fighting a new offensive launched by jihadist groups in the same region since Friday.
 
 
Algeria kicks off presidential campaign
 
The official campaign is underway in Algeria for the country's presidential elections.
A total of six candidates are up for the position.
However, most observers expect it to come down to a 2-way race between long time incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika and former Prime Minister Ali Benflis.
The 77-year old Bouteflika, who has been involved in Algerian politics since the country escaped colonial rule in the early 1960's, is looking for a 4th term as President.
 
 
Former Spanish PM Suarez dies, King Juan Carlos leads praise
 
Former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez has died.
Suarez passed away Sunday after a prolonged illness.
He's best known as the first Spanish prime minister following the death of long-time Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
King Juan Carlos, who appointed Suarez after the King replaced Franco as head of state, has been one of the first to pay homage to Suarez, describing him as a man who put the interests of Spain above those of the interests of his party.
Suarez had been suffering from the effects of Alzheimers Disease for the past decade.
He was 81.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DIALY
Headline
National search platform launched
Summary
National search platform ChinaSo, with the English domain name chinaso.com, is now active.
ChinaSo has been designed as a communication platform to help strengthening China's transmission capabilities.
China's search engine market continues to heat up, with the number of Internet users in China now over 600 million.
GLOBALTIMES
Headline
More fiber optic connections
Summary
China's minister of industry and information technology says authorities are planning to put fiber optic connections into 30 million more homes nationwide this year.
The move will bring the total number fiber-optically connected homes to nearly 200 million by the end of this year.
A mobile 4G network is also part of the plan, with 30 million new TD-LTE users and 300-thousand new base stations expected this year.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Shanghai first with balanced education
Summary
New analysis is suggesting Shanghai has became the first Chinese city to pass an evaluation for the balanced development of compulsory education.
A team organized by the Ministry of Education has visited 204 local schools as part of the study.
The results show all 17 districts and a county in Shanghai are meeting the national standards for balanced education at primary and middle school levels.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Authorities mull gaokao reform
Summary
An education official is suggesting authorities are planning to unveil a new reform plan for the national college entrance exams, the gaokao.
As part of the plan, authorities are considering two separate tests for technical and academic students.
WEST CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Multi-tier gas pricing
Summary
China's pricing watchdog is planning to launch a multi-tier pricing mechanism for household natural gas before the end of next year.
The new program will include three tiers.
The benchmark tier will cover around 80 percent of households.
Consumption beyond the benchmark will be charged at a rate of between 20 and 50-percent in the other two tiers.
GUANGZHOU DAILY
Headline
Unified property registration
Summary
Authorities here in China are planning to launch a unified national property registration system this year to regulate the real estate market and push forward urbanization.
The new registration system will also cover registration when it comes to agricultural lands.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Jobs affect people's sleep
Summary
A Sleep Quality Index survey published by the Chinese Medical Doctors Association is suggesting those with stable jobs are more likely to get a good night's rest.
The sleep quality of teachers and civil servants rank the first and second.
The report also contends the people with the worst sleep patterns work in advertising, public relations and the media.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
2014, an Icebreaking Year for New Energy Automobiles?
 
Anchor:
With air pollution one of the main concerns among people here in China these days, a new push is on to try to get people to gravitate toward new energy vehicles.
CRI's Xiao Yi has more.
Reporter:
The Chinese government has scaled up its subsidies for new energy vehicles. Beijing and Shanghai are also taking measures to abolish local protectionism. As a result, the new energy automobile market witnessed a sharp increase of more than 30% in 2013.
As one of the seven car models included in Beijing's New Energy Vehicle Catalogue, BMW's newly-developed all-electric sedan, the Zinoro 1E, made its debut in Sanlitun Soho in Beijing in mid-February.
Wu Haifeng, the manager of Zinoro's Beijing showroom explained that the Zinoro is offering an innovative rent-only mode of operation, ranging from one-day rent to three-year rent.
"Many potential buyers continue to take a 'wait-and-see' attitude towards the emerging sector. Rental cars can offset their concerns, and they can rent for just one day to experience and decide whether the electric car meets their needs."
To save consumers' time and energy, Zinoro also offers an all-inclusive service, namely a one-off rental fee covering license plates, insurance, and after-sales services including maintenance and repair.
"From next week, five Zinoro 1e will be dispatched for test runs. Up to now, several hundred clients have come for consultations and to make reservations for test runs."
Addressing the central concern of buyers over the battery endurance of new energy cars, another car model included in the Beijing New Energy Vehicle Catalogue, the BYD e6 carries an absolute advantage.
Ma Linbo, a sales manager at the Xin Min Heng BYD dealership, said that the e6 is an all-electric crossover vehicle which combines the properties of an SUV, Sports Utility Vehicle, with those of an MPV, Multi-Purpose Vehicle.
"The driving range of the e6 reaches over 300 kilometers, exceeding that of other self-developed car brands by 50%."
However, the e6 and 1e, as all-electric vehicles pitched at high-end markets, are not competitive enough in terms of price.
Therefore, BYD has moved its strategic focus from the all-electric to the hybrid field, releasing a brand-new hybrid vehicle "Qin" last December which refers to the Qin Dynasty in Chinese history.
As a cost-effective hybrid vehicle, the Qin ranked first in new energy vehicle sales in China in January.
To continue its success with the "Qin", BYD is planning to release a follow-up "Dynasty Series" of hybrid models in the future, including an SUV hybrid of "Tang", "Yuan", "Ming" and "Qing". BYD is also planning to produce a sports car, named e9, targeted at private high-end users.
Besides BYD's strategy to sharpen its target market, other auto makers are looking for complementary resources overseas.
For example, Geely Automobile, which completed the takeover of Volvo in 2010, announced its plan to set foot in the new energy vehicle field. Geely also acquired British electric car maker, Emerald, in February.
Additionally, the German car-maker Daimler Benz and BYD have established a joint venture in Shenzhen, and will unveil their first cooperative model, Denza next Month.
Lin Mi, vice CEO of sales and marketing at Shenzhen BYD-Daimler New Technology, says Denza has effectively combined Daimler's century-long auto-making experience with BYD's advantage in battery and electronic control.
"We have introduced to the world a leading power and automation technology group, ABB's technology in battery. In the following six years, ABB will exclusively provide direct current quick-charging household equipment for our automobiles."
Lin Mi further points out that from an industrial perspective, electro vehicles face two major difficulties, the construction of infrastructures and gaining the confidence of consumers.
For CRI, I'm XYee.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Xinjiang recovers slightly in final series with a game 3 win in Beijing
 
In CBA playoff action,
Xinjiang defeated the Beijing Ducks at home in game 3 of their final series yesterday, 92-81. Beijing leads the best of seven series 2-1 after two away wins, but Xinjiang's win yesterday was critical since there are still two games left to play in Beijing.
Xinjiang's foreign players Lester Hudson and James Singleton played well. Hudson finished with a game-high 24 points and 13 boards. Singleton had 17 points and 18 boards. But Xinjiang's Chinese starters also pulled their weight, with players like Shirelijan and Tang Zhengdong scoring in the double digits with 19 and 16 points respectively.
For Beijing, Stephon Marbury led the offensive charge with 23 points. Beijing's head coach Min Lulei attributed the loss to a lackluster offense, saying "we lost our toughness, which is necessary in playing against Xinjiang. Our defense is good, but not the offense."
Game 4 is coming up in Beijing on Wednesday.
Over in the NBA,
Cleveland vs. New York
Brooklyn vs. Dallas
And tipping off later at 9:30, it's Orlando vs. the LA Lakers.
And in March Madness action,
Spots in the sweet sixteen are starting to fill up as teams play round three. Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Louisville are all through no big surprise there, but two big upsets rocked the south yesterday.
Eleventh seed Dayton advanced to the sweet sixteen after another shock win, this time over third seed Syracuse.
Tenth seed Stanford will continue its run after dumping second seed Kansas in the third round.
Also second seed Villanova crashed out of the tournament after a defeat at the hands of Connecticut.
 
 
Guangzhou Evergrande defeated by Changchun Yatai
 
In football,
Guangzhou Evergrande suffered a shock defeat to Changchun Yatai 3-1 in the third round of the Chinese Super League. Marcello Lippi's champion side are now sitting third in the CSL standings.
Elsewhere, Guangzhou R&F beat Shanghai Shenxin 2-1. Newly-promoted Henan Jianye drew with Dalian Aerbin 2-2, and Shanghai SIPG is top of the CSL table after defeating Hangzhou Greentown 2-1.
Over in La Liga,
Real Madrid vs. Barca
Atletico Madrid moves to the top of the standings after defeating Real Betis 2-nil. Sevilla beat Osasuna 2-1, and Valencia CF beat Villarreal 2-1.
And in the English Premier League,
Stoke sit in tenth after completely manhandling Aston Villa 4-1. Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert said Stoke deserved to beat them.
"The start was great. For 20 minutes.... we looked really good. Scored a really good goal.... but the goals we lost were poor. I know the two lads come off injured probably never helped us.... but I still thought we were second best. The whole performance, I thought, was unlike us after the start. We just looked, looked lethargic, I thought. Never got going, and.... you try and get a goal back that never materialised. It was just a performance that wasn't like us."
League leader Chelsea's 6-nil win over Arsenal was topped off by some drama when the referee mistakenly sent off Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tipped Eden Hazard's shot around the post with his hand, but the referee showed Gibbs the red card instead.
And Tottenham moved into fifth after defeating Southampton 3-2.
 
 
Li Na opens her Sony Open campaign with a win
 
In tennis, play continues at the Sony Open.
China's Li Na made her debut in Miami yesterday with a third-round win over American Madison Keys, 7-6, 6-3.
Serena Williams made it through to the fourth round after defeating Caroline Garcia of France 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
And Ana Ivanovic advanced after beating Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-3.
On the men’s side,
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus after a flashy three-set battle.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal crushed one-time Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the third round.
Unseeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez sent 23 seed Gael Monfils packing in what was a pretty big upset.
American 10 seed John Isner rallied to beat fellow American Donald Young and make it back into the top 10 after an 18-month absence.
Canada's Milos Raonic also advanced after defeating American Jack Sock in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6.
Novak Djokovic didn't play this weekend, but advanced to the fourth round after his opponent Florian Mayer withdrew with an injury.
 
 
Wins for India and Pakistan at ICC World T20
 
In cricket at the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh,
India defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in round one.
It was a low-scoring match which really boiled down to a battle of the bowlers.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy gave the credit to India's bowling quality.
"I think credit must go to the (Indian) opening bowlers. You know (Bhuvneshwar) Kumar swung the ball, both in and out, and he bowled good areas. We know probably they were bowling to the two most dangerous openers (Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle) in this format of the game. And they kept them quiet. Like I said, it is ... there is no need for us to panic. It is just one round, you know, it goes to India. We have three more games left in the tournament and we back ourselves to win them."
Also in group 2 yesterday, Pakistan overcame Australia by 16 runs.
Pakistan's captain Mohammad Hafeez praised the caliber of his squad's bowlers, especially Umar Akmal's 94 off 54 balls.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
2ne1 kicks off tour in Hong Kong
 
Lucky Hong Kong played host to the kick off leg of Korean girl group 2NE1's "All or Nothing" tour over the weekend.
(Crush)
After opening with fresh track "Crush", the girls launched into their debut "Fire" before running through a list of past hits.
Joining 2NE1 on stage at half time was rookie K-pop boy group WINNER, the newest idols to be pumped out of the YG Entertainment machine.
(Winner)
The group's name derives naturally from their being the winners of a reality-survival program which pitched the label's trainees against each other for public voting.
Since debuting last month, the group has been dubbed "monster rookies" of the k-pop scene with a rapidly expanding fan base.
Still the boys have a lot to learn from the girls of 2NE1 if they have their sights set on world domination.
The girls' latest album "Crush" recently scored the highest position and best sales for a k-pop act on the US "Billboard 200".
2NE1 will continue their world tour in China's mainland, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.
 
 
Cher unleashes "Dressed to Kill" tour
 
Edging towards her 7th decade and still giving the newbies a run for their money.
Cher is back with her "Dressed to Kill' tour, opening with a breathtaker at Pheonix's US Airways centre over the weekend.
Lucky fans got to indulge in Cher's recent dance chart topper "Woman's World" and sample her current single "Take It Like a Man".
(Cher)
The three month tour is in support of Cher's latest studio effort "Closer to the Truth" and she has some high personal standards to keep up.
Cher's previous tour was one of the most successful tours ever by a solo artist and played for a record-breaking 325 dates to over 5.5 million audience members in total.
 
 
James Redhorn dies aged 65
 
Beloved and hugely prolific Hollywood actor James Redhorn has passed away at the age of 65 after a long battle with skin cancer.
Redhorn is known for his roles in classics such as the Oscar winning "Scent of a Woman" opposite Al Pacnio, "Independence Day" and "The Talented Mr Ripley".
In more recent years, Redhorn has been making waves on the small screen with roles in a clutch of shows including Honeland, Law and Order and The Good Wife.
The actor died at his home in New Jersey on Friday.
 
 
Kate Bush to play London
(Kate)
After a 35 year hiatus Kate Bush is back on the touring trail.
An announcement on the singer's website says that she will be playing 15 shows between August and September.
The show starts on 26 August at London's Hammersmith Apollo, which also hosted the end of her last tour back in 1979 when Bush was 20.
The eclectic artist said that the previous experience felt very impersonal and prodded her to retreat away from the stage.
Due to quitting the stage at such an early point in her career, a good chunk of Bush's rich back catalogue have in fact never been performed.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is getting ready to help open a nuclear security summit in the Hague later on today as part of his current European tour.
French authorities are reporting more radar contacts in an area which searchers suspect could be the spot where missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in the southern Indian Ocean.
The Pakistani government is getting ready to open a new round of peace talks with the Taliban this week.
In Business... Sinopec is reporting a dramatic downturn in profits through the final quarter of last year.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.