新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/04/07

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Paul James with you this Monday, April 7, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the program this evening...
Australian authorities are reporting what could be their best lead yet in locating the flight data recorder of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Tensions are on the rise in eastern Ukraine, with pro-Russian forces seizing control of a number of security buildings.
Afghans have turned out in larger-than-expected numbers to elect that country's new President.
In business... the World Bank has lowered its full-year growth forecast for China.
In sports... the battles are heating up for the final playoff spots in the NBA and NHL.
In entertainment...legendary actor Mickey Rooney has passed away.
 
 
Weather
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 10 degrees Celsius. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 25 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 12, also cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 21.
Chongqing will be cloudy, 16 degrees the low, sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 26.
Kabul, rainy, 17.
Over in Australia
Sydney, cloudy, high of 23.
Canberra, cloudy, 22.
Brisbane, sunny, 27.
And finally, Perth will be cloudy with a high of 28.
 
 
Top News
 
 
"Promising lead" discovered in search for missing flight
 
Malaysian authorities are expressing cautious hope there will be positive developments in the search for missing flight MH370 "in the coming days, if not hours."
Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has made that suggestion this evening at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur.
The comments come after a second set of signals have been detected by an Australian ship searching for the flight data recorder.
The signals, which were picked up during today's search, are approximately 600-kilometers from where a Chinese ship first made contact with what could be the plane's black-box over the weekend.
The head of the Australian team leading the search effort says the signals detected by the Australian ship still need to analyzed and better triangulated to get a better sense of whether or not the signals are coming from the missing plane's flight-data recorder.
Angus Houston is warning the analysis may take a couple of days.
"Significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Clearly, this is a most promising lead and probably in the search so far, it's probably the best information that we have had."
Houston is also warning the area were the signal is coming from is has ocean depths of some 45-hundred meters.
This may limit their ability to search the ocean floor.
The new signals are the best evidence to-date about the fate of missing flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8th while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239-passangers and crew onboard.
Tuesday marks exactly one month since the plane disappeared.
 
 
Tension in eastern Ukraine flares up
 
Tensions in eastern Ukraine are flaring up, with Pro-Russia activists clashing with police and demanding a Crimean style referendum.
Ukrainian officials say pro-Russia activists have seized state security buildings in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
It's being reported protesters in Luhansk have raided the arsenal in the security building.
Police have reacted by blocking roads into Luhansk.
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is convening an emergency cabinet meeting.
Yatsenyuk says he believes government forces will eventually bring the situation in Luhansk and Donetsk under control.
"I would like to firstly address all citizens of eastern Ukraine: it is absolutely clear that what is happening now is the realisation of an anti-Ukrainian, anti-Donetsk, anti-Luhansk, anti-Kharkiv plan. A plan to destabilize the situation, a plan for foreign troops to cross the border and to seize the territory of the country, which we won't allow."
Tensions have been escalating in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.
Russia still has thousands of troops massed near the Ukrainian border.
Eastern Ukraine is home to a significant Russian minority and a pro-Russian Ukrainian majority.
 
 
Indians begin marathon general election
 
Voters in India have begun casting their ballots in a marathon general election to choose their next leader.
The nine-phase ballot begins today and will last for more than a month.
More than 800-million Indians are eligible to vote, which is pitting the ruling Congress party against the opposition Hindu nationalist BJP.
Voting started at 7am local time in six constituencies, five in the northeastern state of Assam and one in the neighboring state of Tripura.
"I am feeling great as I am voting for the first time. I came early to beat the rush at the polling booth, but as you can see there are already quite a few people gathered here."
"We have come to cast our vote, as we hope that a good leader is selected who forms a stable government and can provide solution to the problems which the country is facing."
India, the world's 2nd most populous country behind China, is plagued by pervasive corruption and high inflation.
A new anti-corruption party, the AAP, is also contesting the election after a strong showing in local polls.
The final election results are expected to be released on May 16th.
 
 
Vote counted as Afghanistan completes presidential election
 
Vote counting is underway in Afghanistan after millions cast their ballots in the country's presidential election over the weekend.
Nearly 60-percent of the 12 million eligible voters turned out on Saturday.
The bigger-than-expected turnout comes despite a threat by the Taliban to disrupt the election.
Thijs Berman is the head of the European Union's election assessment team in Kabul.
"I was impressed. I was moved personally as a democrat coming here on the invitation of the Afghan authorities to observe this elections, to make an assessment of it, to evaluate them, so I found it an impressive day and a victory against all those who wanted to mar these elections by violence."
The Chinese government has released a statement, saying it hopes the election will be a new start for the country's unity and stability.
The UN Security Council is also applauding the election, urging all stakeholders in the country to respect electoral institutions.
The front-runners are believed to be former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul, as well as Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an academic and former World Bank official.
Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is constitutionally prevented from seeking a third term.
If any candidate does not receive over 50 percent in this round of voting, a run-off will be held between the two top contenders.
The preliminary results are expected to be out later this month.
The final result is due to be announced in mid-May.
 
 
Call-in on the Afghan election
 
For more on the Afghan elections, CRI's Shane Bigham earlier spoke with Jia Xiudong, a senior research fellow with China Institute of International Studies.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Jia Xiudong, a senior research fellow with China Institute of International Studies speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Seoul claims spotting another N.Korean drone incursion
 
South Korean authorities say they've detected another suspected North Korean drone in a mountainous area in the country's northeast, describing it as "a new threat" from the North.
South Korean Defence Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok.
"The suspected North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles are a new threat and that it is urgent for us to prepare measures. It is our view that the small unmanned aerial vehicle was developed in North Korea for aerial reconnaissance to overcome its inferiority in solid information. We evaluate that the drones can be further developed for attack with invasion and terror purposes."
Tensions on the peninsula are running high amid the current US-South Korea military exercises and an exchange of artillery fire between the North and South along their western sea border last week.
South Korean authorities are already in possession of two small drones believed to have been launched by the North.
The captured drones are decidedly low-tech and equipped with cameras available on the Internet for just hundreds of US dollars.
So far there has been no comment from the North Korean side.
Pyongyang has recently been touting its drone program, a relatively new addition to its arsenal.
It has prominently displayed large drone-like aircraft in recent military parades.
 
 
Rwanda marks 20th anniversary of genocide
 
Rwanda is now in an official week of mourning to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of country's genocide.
At least 800-thousand people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - died at the hands of Hutu extremists in 1994.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has taken part in a ceremony in Kigali.
"Never again. And this should never happen in human history. We have learned the tragic and hard lessons from 1994 Rwanda genocide."
Eric Ninsenga, a genocide survivor, says now is the time for reconciliation.
"It was first very difficult after knowing who killed my parents and I never imagined I would talk to them. In fact, now they are here to help me find my father's remains and we are working together to find my father's body. It is a good sign of unity and we hope for the best for a better future together."
The genocide began on April 6th, 1994.
Despite pleas from the United Nations commander on the ground at the time, the international community failed to intervene to bring the slaughter to an end.
The massacre was finally brought to an end when a Tutsi-led rebel movement entered the country from Uganda and seized control.
 
 
Death toll of weekend's attack in Nigeria hits 105
 
The death toll from a massacre in Nigeria's northern state of Zamfara has hit 105.
The new figures are a significant rise from the initial report of 30 killed this weekend.
Unknown gunmen stormed a security meeting Saturday, taking part in a killing spree which is said to have lasted for around 3-hours.
Zamfara State has been witnessing a high number of attacks in recent months, with women and children often being the target.
 
 
Campaign to curb rising obesity in China
 
Anchor:
The Chinese government is heading up a new campaign to try to curb the rise in obesity rates in this country.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter:
Statistics from the China Centre for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2010, 130 million people over the age of 18 were obese.
It is estimated that there are about 170 million obese adults in China today, which is 12% of the total population.
31-year old Wang Xin is 5.7 feet tall and weighs over 150 kilograms.
He has joined a weight loss camp in Beijing because he started to feel that his weight was threatening his health.
"Some friends of mine like me are getting cerebral thrombosis and hemorrhages only in their mid-thirties. This makes me realize that it's quite easy for overweight guys like us to get these diseases. That's why I'm here to reduce my weight."
Yang Tao is the founder of the weight loss camp.
He said since the camp opened 5 years ago, the number of participants has been increasing 30% year on year.
He also pinpointed unhealthy eating habits as one of the main causes of the rise in obesity.
"Living conditions are better. People are eating better food than before. However people are not selective enough in front of food. They are stuffing all kinds of delicious food into their mouths and have become fond of eating. This has tremendously increased the burden on our bodies. "
For an individual, obesity can cause health problems and even psychological pressure.
A rising obesity rate is also problematic for society in general.
Professor Wang Wenjuan is a researcher specializing in obesity at China Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
She warns that increases in obesity-related illness poses a threat to China in the future:
"If we don't start controlling the trend, the costs of obesity in the fields of public health, medical service and labor supply will be unaffordable for China. Now the impact has already been quite serious."
To tackle the issue, the government spent over 2 billion yuan (330 million US$) last year on a campaign to curb the rising obesity rate.
The projects are financed by the National Sports Administration.
The government's target is to get the obesity rate at or below 12% by the year 2015.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks
 
The mainland markets were closed today for the Qingming public holiday.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was open today.
It finished down 0.6 percent, dragged down by weakness in financial and commerce-related stocks.
Japan's Nikkei tumbled to a one-week low today on weakness in tech shares following a slide on Wall Street last week, combined with a strong yen which hit exporters.
The Nikkei ended 1.7-percent lower.
South Korea's Kospi ended flat.
Singapore's Straits Times Index closed down 0.6 percent.
Australia's ASX 200 dropped 0.2 percent.
 
 
World Bank cuts China's economic growth forecast
 
The World Bank has trimmed its growth forecast slightly for China, citing a "bumpy start to the year".
It now expects the Chinese economy to grow by 7.6-percent this year, down from its earlier projection of 7.7-percent.
A slew of disappointing figures has triggered concerns about a broader slowdown here in China.
However, the bank says the recent reforms brought in by the Chinese government are likely to help this economy achieve "more sustainable and inclusive" growth over the long term.
The Chinese government set out its new economic agenda in November.
The new plan includes reforming the financial and services sectors, as well as the big state-owned enterprises.
At the same time, the World Bank has also cut its growth outlook for Thailand.
It predicts the Thai economy will expand by 3-percent this year, down from its earlier projection of 4.5-percent growth.
A series of anti-government protests in recent months have stoked fears of political uncertainty in the country and its impact on the overall Thai economy.
 
 
Call-in with Mike/House Of Fraser Bought Out By Chinese Conglomerate
 
Anchor:
A Chinese conglomerate has reached an agreement to purchase nearly 90 percent of Britain's iconic retailer House of Fraser.
Nanjing-based Sanpower, one of China's largest privately-owned business conglomerates, will spend around 740-million US dollars.
Sanpower is reportedly planning to bring the department store into China by opening new stores or rebranding existing sites as House of Fraser.
For more on the move, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of Economics and Business.
…
That was Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Boeing 787-9 to make first China flight
 
Boeing's newest medium-sized 787-9 Dreamliner is scheduled to make its first flight into China in November via Air New Zealand's Shanghai to Auckland route.
The announcement has been made at the unveiling of Air New Zealand's first Boeing 787-9 aircraft near Seattle this Monday.
The aircraft will join the Air New Zealand fleet in the middle of the year.
Air New Zealand is the first customer to get the 787-9, which is said to be 20 percent more fuel efficient than the aircraft it will replace.
The 787-9 will run on the Auckland-Perth route as of October 15th, and fly to both Tokyo and Shanghai from November.
 
 
Maldives tourism boosted by rise in Chinese arrivals
 
Authorities in the Maldives say their tourist arrivals in February have grown by around 6-percent, thanks largely to arrivals from China.
Tourism to the Maldives increased some 17-percent for the whole of last year thanks to a large increase in tourist arrivals from China, coupled with slight growth in arrivals from Europe.
More than 300-thousand Chinese tourists visited the Maldives last year, representing a 45 percent increase from the previous year.
Chinese tourists accounted for almost 30 percent of all tourist arrivals in the Maldives last year.
The Maldivian economy is largely dependent on tourism, which accounts for just under 30-percent of gross domestic product for the island nation.
 
 
Japan, Australia likely to reach FTA agreement
 
Japan and Australia have inked a free trade agreement as part of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's time in Japan.
The FTA is expected to take effect by the end of next year.
In signing the agreement, Australia now becomes the first major farm-exporting nation to conclude an FTA with Japan.
Japan has already lowered its tariffs on beef exported by Australia by up to half.
Australia has already dropped its 5-percent tariff on Japanese automobiles.
The bilateral FTA had been held up because of differences over Japan's tariffs on beef.
 
 
S. Korea's overseas plant orders jump 42 pct in Q1
 
New stats show overseas plant orders obtained by South Korean companies have jumped more than 40 percent to almost 17 billion US dollars in the first quarter of this year.
Robust demand from the Middle East and Africa is being cited as the main reason for the spike in orders.
Orders from the Mideast region have almost quadrupled from a year earlier.
However, South Korean orders from Asia are down over 60-percent, while European orders from South Korean factories are down nearly 100-percent.
South Korean authorities are hoping to achieve overseas orders worth 70-billion US dollars this year.
 
 
New Zealand foreign exchange markets under manipulation probe
 
New Zealand's competition watchdog is investigating the alleged manipulation of currency rates and possible influencing of benchmarks in foreign exchange markets.
The probe has been launched as a result of a leniency application under the Commerce Commission's cartel leniency policy.
That policy allows for immunity from prosecution for the first member of a cartel to own up and give evidence.
Authorities have not revealed which institution has made the initial admission.
The New Zealand action is the latest in a series of investigations into bank collusion to set foreign exchange rates, following allegations in North America, Europe and Asia.
The New Zealand dollar is the world's tenth most traded currency, accounting for 2 percent of the world's average daily foreign exchange turnover.
 
 
Libyan rebels agree to reopen two oil terminals after deal
 
Two Libyan oil terminals have reopened after the militias in charge of them agreed to partially to lift their oil blockade in a deal reached with the Libyan government.
The terminals are now in government hands.
The new agreement is expected to increase Libya's crude oil exports by about 200-thousand barrels per day.
Libya is currently exporting around 150-thousand barrels per day.
Under the agreement, the government will pay compensation to militias, drop charges against them and reverse its threat of a military offensive.
Oil exports from Libya have plummeted around 80-percent in the past eight months.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Australian ship detects 2 more underwater signals in search of MH370
 
A second set of signals has been detected today by an Australian ship searching for the flight data recorder of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The signals are approximately 600-kilometers from where a Chinese ship first made contact with what could be the plane's black-box over the weekend.
The head of the Australian team leading the search effort says the signals still need to be analyzed.
The new signals are the best evidence to-date about the fate of missing flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8th while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239-passangers and crew onboard.
 
Tension in eastern Ukraine flares up
 
Tensions in eastern Ukraine are flaring up, with Pro-Russia activists clashing with police and demanding a Crimean style referendum.
Ukrainian officials say pro-Russia activists have seized state security buildings in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has convened an emergency cabinet meeting.
Yatsenyuk says he believes government forces will eventually bring the situation in Luhansk and Donetsk under control.
Tensions have been escalating in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.
Russia still has thousands of troops massed near the Ukrainian border.
Eastern Ukraine is home to a significant Russian minority and a pro-Russian Ukrainian majority.
 
 
Indians begin marathon general election
 
Voters in India have begun casting their ballots in a marathon general election to choose their next leader.
The nine-phase ballot begins today and will last for more than a month.
More than 800-million Indians are eligible to vote, which is pitting the ruling Congress party against the opposition Hindu nationalist BJP.
A new anti-corruption party, the AAP, is also contesting the election after a strong showing in local polls.
The final election results are expected to be released on May 16th.
 
 
1,500 battle N China forest fire
 
Over 15-hundred people have been marshaled to try to battle a forest fire burning in Hebei.
The fire is still burning in three main areas after starting Sunday morning in Fuping County, which is about 50-kilometers north of the provincial capital, Shijiazhuang.
Crews are said to have the fires under control.
It's unclear as to what sparked the initial blaze.
 
 
22 trapped in SW China mine flood
 
Twenty-two workers have become trapped in a flooded coal mine in the city of Qujing in Yunnan.
The flooding took place early this morning in the mine while 26 workers were underground at the time.
So far rescue teams have managed to extract four of them alive.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Channel News Asia
"Childhood obesity can cost US $19,000 over lifetime"
According to a new finding from the Pediatrics journal, the estimated price tag for an obese child's lifetime medical is fairly weighty when contrasted with that of a child with a healthy weight.
The researchers evaluated and updated the existing evidence on lifetime costs of childhood obesity.
Based on this evidence, the researchers recommend using US$19,000 as the estimated lifetime medical cost of an obese child.
The study measures medical costs such as doctors' visits and medication, and does not take into account possible indirect costs.
While some progress has been made in lowering obesity rates in children within certain age groups and regions, childhood obesity remains a significant health problem.
Obesity is a known risk factor for a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
And the researchers noted that despite the significant estimated cost, the motivation to prevent childhood obesity should be there regardless of the financial implications.
The Telegraph
"Taking children shopping can boost early development"
A new study by academics from Oxford and The Open University has found that shopping actually boosts infants' happiness levels and the development of everyday skills.
The study was based on analysis of a major household survey completed by more than 800 parents of two and three-year-olds in Germany between 2007 and 2010.
It asked them how often they took part in nine activities singing songs, reading or storytelling, visiting other families, going shopping and watching television.
Parents were also asked to rate children's overall happiness levels and their levels of development in relation to “everyday skills" such as dressing themselves and eating with a spoon.
The study found Child happiness is positively related to engagement in more active activities, such as reading or telling stories, going shopping and painting or doing arts and crafts.
In contrast, there is no discernible benefit from more passive activities, such as looking at picture books or watching television.
China Youth Daily
"'Supermarket' connects volunteers with those in need"
This article draws attention to a community-based voluntary service network, which has been operating out of Liuzhou, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, for two years now.
Basically, this supermarket connects volunteers with those who need help.
Instead of goods, customers at this "supermarket" can see notices on its walls offering volunteer services.
Locals have lovingly called this network the "Lei Feng Supermarket", named after the Mao-era soldier who represents good qualities such as dedication and selfless giving.
The supermarket has 56 branches in the city, and more than 5,000 people have volunteered through the supermarket.
Xinhua
"Wuhan-Bali direct air route to open"
A direct air route between Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, and Bali, a resort in Indonesia, will open on April 23.
According to the Hubei Provincial Tourism Commission, an Airbus will leave Wuhan at 11 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the chartered seven-hour flight and return from Bali the following day.
This is the first direct flight from central China to Bali. It will greatly cut tourists' expenses and travel time compared to transit trips.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Interview with president of GUE on the popularity of diving among younger Chinese
 
Anchor:
Diving -- especially scuba diving -- has been growing in popularity among the younger generation here in China.
With many young Chinese people traveling to diving spots in Southeast Asia, a growing number of scuba diving organizations are eyeing the domestic market here in China.
To that end, CRI's Chi Huiguang has caught up with Global Underwater Explorer's presdient Jarrod Jablonski.
…
BACK ANCHOR:
Jarrod Jablonski with the scuba diving organization GUE, speaking with CRI's Chi Huiguang.
 
 
Sports 
 
 
Norwich manager Chris Hughton sacked at tail-end of season
 
In football,
Norwich has sacked its manager Chris Hughton following the Canaries loss to West Brom over the weekend, the fourth loss in the last six league games.
Hughton has been replaced by youth coach Neil Adams. The club released a statement saying "the decision has been taken to give the club the maximum chance of survival."
The Canaries are five points clear of relegation with five matches left to play.
Yesterday in English Premier action,
Everton dealt a heavy blow to Arsenal, defeating Arsene Wenger's struggling side 3-0. And Liverpool maintains positive momentum towards the title after beating West Ham 2-1. Later today, Sunderland will take on Tottenham.
 
 
The Heat set Knicks back after 102-91 win; UConn vs. Kentucky matchup set in March Madness
 
In the NBA, the courts are heating up as teams duke it out for spots in the upcoming playoffs.
The Knicks are tottering on the edge of missing out on the playoffs after being defeated by the Miami Heat 102-91.
Lebron James had 38 points and Chris Bosh added 14 to help the Heat remain at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Los Angeles Clippers destroyed the Lakers 120-97, which makes it three out of four this season for the Clippers in their city rivalry.
The San Antonio Spurs were missing Tony Parker to injury, but still managed to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-92. Manu Ginobili picked up the slack for the Spurs with a season-high 26 points.
And Houston took Denver into overtime before winning 130-125.
And a quick update from the NCAA's March Madness tournament. It's a national championship matchup that few basketball junkies predicted 8-seed Kentucky and 7-seed UConn will be meeting in the final.
Kentucky's Aaron Harrison sunk a 3-pointer with just 5.7 second on the clock to lift his team over Wisconsin 74-73. That final play was made all the better because the assist came from Aaron's twin brother Andrew.
Over in the West, Connecticut upset top seed Florida 63-53 for a spot in the final. UConn players to watch are Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright, who all stepped up in a big way in that Final Four matchup.
 
 
Columbus Blue Jackets get critical win over New York Islanders 4-0
 
Over in the NHL, the season is also winding its way down to the playoffs.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, perhaps driven by their precarious grasp on a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, managed a big shutout win over the New York Islanders 4-0.
The Edmonton Oilers upset the Pacific Division leading Anaheim Ducks 4-2.
Jussi Jokinen scored the sole goal in the shootout to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a win over the Colorado Avalanche 3-2, snapping Colorado's six game winning streak.
The Penguins are locked into the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia beat Buffalo 5-2; Florida beat Dallas 3-2. And the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues 4-2, despite missing star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane who are both out for injury for the third straight game.
 
 
Titles for Sri Lankan men and Australian women at T20 Worlds
 
In cricket,
Sri Lanka defeated India by six wickets to claim the title at the T20 Worlds in Bangladesh yesterday.
One of Sri Lankan's veteran's Kumar Sangakkara had struggled all tournaments with 19 runs total, but when it mattered most, he came through with an unbeaten 52.
Oh well, it is amazing. It is a feeling that I can't explain. It is the first time that I have been part of a side that has won a World Cup. We have been disappointed four times before. It is hard to describe exactly what you feel. But you feel very humbled I think at the end because you realize how difficult it is to get here, how much support you need - not just from your teammates - you need it from your family; you need it from your fans, all the support staff. You can never do anything alone."
On the women’s side,
The Australians overwhelmed their English opposition securing a six-wicket victory. Australian captain Meg Lanning credited her bowlers in particular.
You know, I think we have got quite a young side but I think we are also experienced in tough situations, and pressure situations. So you know, I think we have played really good cricket throughout the tournament and to win so convincingly in the final today was just great. And I think the bowlers set it up for us. They started off really well, executed well. And yes, really happy to be a part of it."
That was actually quite a significant win for the Aussie ladies because it sets them up with a hat-trick of ICC World T20 titles.
 
 
Matt Jones wins Houston Open; Lexi Thompson wins Kraft Nabisco Championship
 
In golf,
Australia's Matt Jones is headed to the Masters for the first time after a win at the Houston Open.
On the final day, Matt Kuchar had a four-shot lead over Spain's Sergio Garcia going into the final round. Jones came from behind eventually sinking a 46-foot putt to birdie the 18th hole and force a playoff with Kuchar.
On the first playoff hole, it was another remarkable shot by Jones, who made a 42-yard chip-in for the win.
"As soon as that came out, it was exactly where I wanted to. And I actually told my caddy coming up here; I said I'll chip it in. So it was nice to do it."
Over in the LPGA,
American Lexi Thompson triumphed at the Kraft Nabisco Championship yesterday after coming from behind to overtake Michelle Wie and win by three strokes. The 19-year old finished at 14-under 274 for her fourth LPGA victory.
"It is the best day of my life. To win a major has been always a dream of mine and to win the Kraft Nabisco at that has always been a dream. It's such a huge honor to win the Kraft Nabisco and I'm just so thrilled - it hasn't hit me yet, I don't really think, what I've done but I've just had so much fun the last few weeks and it showed."
China's Feng Shanshan had a terrific start on day one, commanding the early lead. But she was overtaken and finished in sixth place at five under, one stroke behind South Korea's Se Ri Pak.
World No. 4, the young Lydia Ko, shot a 2-over round 74 for a 2-over finish, and Minjee Lee the world's top ranked amateur tied in 24th at even par.
 
 
Andrea Petkovic wins Family Circle Cup
 
Quick tennis update,
Germany's Andrea Petkovic crashed her way through three top-10 opponents to win the Family Circle Cup yesterday.
She defeated the Jana Cepelova 7-5, 6-2 in the final, Cepelova being the 20 year old Slovenian who had knocked out Serena Williams earlier.
And in Davis Cup action,
Switzerland defeated Kazakhstan 3-2 to reach the semifinals, thanks to Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer's singles victories.
Italy advanced past Great Britain after Fabio Fognini pulled off a surprise win over Andy Murray.
And France is through to the semifinals after erasing a 2-0 deficit against Germany with winsf rom Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils.
The final four is rounded out by the Czech Republic who moved past Japan.
 
 
Results from China Open and world curling championships
 
In snooker,
China's top ranked player Ding Junhui defeated World No. 1 Neil Robertson 10-5 to win the 2014 World Snooker China Open in Beijing.
That was Ding's second title at the China Open, after he won gold back in 2005.
The men's world curling championships also wrapped up here in Beijing over the weekend.
Norway walked away with the gold after dominating throughout the entire tournament.
It came down to Norway and defending champions Sweden in the gold medal game, with the Norwegians manhandling their way to an 8-3 victory.
Before that final game, Switzerland defeated the Sochi Winter Olympic champions team Canada 7-5 for the bronze medal.
And sorry to Canadian curling fans for this sad fact, but this is the first time in 13 years that Canada has failed to pick up a medal at the world championships.
 
 
Hamilton takes first, Rosberg second at Bahrain GP
 
This weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was another win for Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton edged out his teammate Nico Rosberg by a second for a one-two finish.
"Yeah, it was exciting. Nico (Rosberg) drove fantastically well throughout the race and it was very fair and it was very hard to keep him behind - particularly at the end. I built a gap that was okay but he was very fast on the option tires so I was on the knife-edge the whole time - but it was great fun and, of course, a real relief when I got across the line."
The Mercedes duo is on fire, quite a class above their rivals, after making their second one-two finish in just eight days.
Up next, formula one is coming to China, for next week's Grand Prix in Shanghai.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Legendary Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney dies at age 93
 
Legendary actor Mickey Rooney has died.
The 93-year old died surrounded by his family at his North Hollywood home on Sunday.
Rooney spent almost his entire life in show business.
During his more than 80-year career, Rooney teamed up with Judy Garland in the 1939 movie musical "Babes in Arms."
He also starred with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944's "National Velvet," which launched Taylor's career.
Rooney is best known for his role as Andy Hardy, the popular all-American teenager, who he played in 20 different movies.
Mickey Rooney was married eight times, the first time to screen beauty Ava Gardner.
Rooney fathered seven sons and four daughters.
 
 
Jackie Chan marks his 60th birthday with charity concert in Beijing
 
Screaming fans turned out in droves last night, shouting "happy birthday" to movie star Jackie Chan at a concert he put on at the MasterCard Center.
Last night's show is an annual charity concert Chan puts on.
This year's show just happened to coincide with the eve of his 60th birthday, which is actually today.
The star-studded concert featured a star-studded lineup, including Jay Chou, Leehom Wang, Angela Chang, Nicholas Tse and Korean pop group EXO.
The proceeds from the show will go to various charities, including Operation Smile, an organization which helps children born with cleft lips.
 
 
'Transformers 5' Release Date Leaked For Early 2017
 
A release date for "Transformers 5" has been leaked.
The 5th installment in the popular franchise is set to be released in early 2017.
The revelation comes ahead of "Transformers: Age of Extinction," the 4th installment, even hitting the theatres.
Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures have yet to acknowledge the Transformers 5 release date.
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction will hit theatres on June 27th this year.
 
 
Captain America breaks April box-office record
 
Captain America: The Winter Soldier has opened to a record-breaking weekend.
The superhero sequel made 96.2 million dollars in North America and an early worldwide total of over 303 million.
The 3D action film, starring Chris Evans in the lead role, is the top April opening of all time. It follows the story of Captain America who is struggling to adjust to modern life after spending decades entombed in ice since the Second World War.
He continues to work for the government intelligence agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. but begins to be suspicious of them, meanwhile he encounters an old foe from the Soviet Era known as the Winter Soldier.
This film was released in China on Friday (April 4)
 
 
Strait, Lambert leads winners at 2014 ACM Awards
 
The 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards have been handed out at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
George Strait has won his second entertainer of the year award - 25 years after he won his first.
The 61-year-old is just a few months from retiring from the road.
"I've always said I have the best fans in the world, I heard this was a fan-voted thing, so I rest my case."
Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban won vocal event of the year for their collaboration "We Were Us."
Urban also won video of the year with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift for "Highway Don't Care."
Also on the winner's list: Kacey Musgraves has won album of the year;
Lee Brice's "I Drive Your Truck" took song of the year.
And Jason Aldean won his second straight male vocalist of the year award.
 
 
World's largest tetris game played in Philadelphia
 
Hundreds of nostalgic gamers got their chance to play the world's largest game of Tetris this weekend.
The game was set up on the side of the 29-storey Cira Centre in Philadelphia in the USA.
The centre is covered with hundreds of LED lights on its glass fa?ade, which normally displays colourful geometric patterns at night, but organizers decided to put it to better use.
The game kicks off the city-wide Philly Tech Week, as well as marking the Tetris' 30th birthday.
Tetris was invented by Russian computer programmer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, and became a global hit soon after when it was offered on Nintendo's original Game Boy.
 
 
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Australian authorities are reporting what could be their best lead yet in locating the flight data recorder of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Tensions are on the rise in eastern Ukraine, with pro-Russian forces seizing control of a number of security buildings.
Afghans have turned out in larger-than-expected numbers to elect that country's new President.
In business... the World Bank has lowered its full-year growth forecast for China.