新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/05/22

 
The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Paul James with you this Thursday, May 22, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
There's been another deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang, with over 30 people killed in the regional capital, Urumqi.
Thailand's military has launched a coup, and has decided to take over the government amid the lingering political stalemate in the country.
US agents have busted a major child porn ring.
In Business, online Chinese retailer JD.com set to have its debut on the Nasdaq later on this Thursday.
In sports, the playoff draws have been set for badminton's Thomas and Uber cups in New Delhi.
And in entertainment, a sequal to the 2010 Chinese hit "Let the Bullets Fly" has premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
First, a check on what's happening on the weather front....
 
 
Weather
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 22 degrees Celsius. Overcast tomorrow with a high of 33 degrees.
Shanghai will be clear tonight with a low of 19. Clouds will roll into Shanghai tomorrow, with a high of 27.
Chongqing will be overcast tonight and tomorrow, with lows tonight down to 20 and highs tomorrow of 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 34.
Also sunny in Kabul, but much cooler, with a highs only to 25.
Down in Australia
Sydney, overcast, highs of 26.
Canberra, cloudy, 19.
Brisbane, overcast, highs of 26.
And finally, Perth will have showers and a high of 19.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Terrorist attack kills 31, injures 94 at Urumqi market
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is vowing to severely punish those responsible for this morning's terrorist attacks in Xinjiang.
He says police in Urumqi are going to be stepping up their security control over possible terrorist targets to prevent ripple effects.
Terrorists drove two vehicles into a crowd of people in a public square in Urumqi this morning, throwing out explosive devices as they plowed through the crowds before blowing up their vehicles.
The attack has left 31 dead and over 90 injured.
Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun has been dispatched to Xinjiang to oversee the investigation.
The attack comes on the heels of a pronouncement on Wednesday by judicial authorities in Xinjiang that they've prosecuted nearly 40-people since the end of March for terrorist-related activities in the region.
For more on this, we spoke earlier this evening with Shen Dingli, Vice Dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai.
Shen Dingli, Vice Dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai.
 
 
China, Russia to test maritime coordination in joint drill
 
The Chinese and Russian navies are now sailing toward the northern part of the East China Sea as part of a week-long set of maritime drills.
The joint drills were officially kicked off in-port on Tuesday.
Duan Zhaoxian is in-charge of the Chinese side.
"The highlight of the drills is our anti-surface warfare training. We don't know yet how well the drills will proceed. In addition, the drills between surface vessels and submarines will involve more advanced weapons with bigger shooting ranges than those used the past few years. So this year, our anti-surface drill more closely resemble actual combat."
For the first time, Russian and Chinese sailors will work together on ships from both sides.
Russian commanders say they've already been talking with their Chinese counterparts ahead of the drills.
"During our discussion, we managed to hone our coordination and find common ground. It will make a great difference in building mutual trust and understanding, as well as in helping the Chinese and Russian commanders to better lead and work together. The No.2 Formation consists of four ships, the missile cruiser Varyag, the destroyer Bystry, the Chinese warship Harbin, and the tanker Ilim. We will focus on actions that include escorts, the freeing of hijacked ships, anti-submarine maneuvers, and search and rescue operations."
The joint exercise will run through Monday.
This is the 3rd time the Chinese and Russian navies have held joint drills in the same area.
 
 
Yellow shirt rally; army presser; weapons seized
 
The Thai military has announced that it's taking control of the government.
This follows on the heels of a 2nd day of political meetings between the rival political camps in Thailand, which have failed to make any headway on solving the political crisis.
Leaders of both the opposition and pro-government forces have been detained at the main Thai army barracks in Bangkok.
In announcing the military coup, the head of the Thai military says the move is meant to ensure no one else gets hurt in the ongoing unrest.
The military also says its going to bring in political reforms.
Leaders from both sides of the political divide had been discussing whether political reforms should take place before or after elections, when the elections should be and whether an appointed government should be put in place in the interim.
Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban made an appeal to his supporters before the coup took place late this afternoon.
"People, if you agree that our negotiating team should insist on our proposals, and insist that we keep on fighting according to those proposals, please put your hands up."
The military move to take control of the Thai government comes on the heels of Martial Law being implemented this week.
In making the announcment, the head of the Thai military says the coup will not affect the country's international relations.
 
 
Australian search chief gives update on hunt the missing Malaysian plane
 
A Chinese survey ship is set to begin mapping of the ocean floor near Australia in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The work is in preparation for a commercially-contracted deep ocean search.
At the same time, the Australian government is sending search vessels back to an area where "four acoustic transmissions" were detected in April.
The transmissions may have been from the flight data recorder of the missing flight.
Angus Houston is the head of the team leading the search for MH370.
"Well, all four pings, transmissions if you like, are still being analyzed and it's still too early to discount any of them, so there has been a review of all the data that's been ongoing for the last few weeks and we are ensuring that nothing has been overlooked and that everything has been considered and at some time in the future we will make an announcement of what we've got out of that extensive and very robust process of review."
At the same time, the Malaysian government is going to publicly release satellite data used to narrow down the search for the missing jetliner to the southern Indian Ocean.
Malaysian authorities have been criticized for the handling of the disappearance, especially by relatives of the Chinese passengers who make up the majority of those on board the plane.
 
 
Armed traditional hunters help find nearly 300 kidnapped schoolgirls
 
Traditional hunters have gathered in their hundreds in north-eastern Nigeria to help in the search for hundreds of missing schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
The hunters, armed with homemade guns, spears and amulets, say they're eager to use their self-styled supernatural powers to help find the nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by the Islamic extremists.
Adamsi Tar is a commander of the hunters.
"We are gathered here because of the problems in our state, we want to tackle the problem of Boko Haram. They are blowing us up and recently took over 200 of our girls so we are here to see how we can go and rescue them."
Tar says they have an advantage over the Nigerian military.
"We are chosen to do this because they believe that we know the terrain, we know the bushes. There are some soldiers that are brought from other parts of the country and have never been here before. If you ask one of them to go to Chibok today, they do not know the road to Chibok while we can track from here to Chibok through the bush until we get there, we know the terrain."
US aircraft and camera-carrying drones are also assisting in the search for the missing girls, most of whom were kidnapped enmasse from their school in northeastern Nigeria.
A number of other countries, including China, are also helping in the hunt.
Boko Haram has threatened to sell the girls into slavery as wives and concubines.
 
 
Police officer, paramedic, rabbi among 70 arrested in child porn case
 
Police in New York have arrested around 70 men and one woman in a sweeping investigation into the anonymous online trading of child pornography.
The US Department of Homeland Security says those arrested include a police officer, a paramedic, a rabbi, a nurse and an airline pilot.
Special Agent Jim Hayes is with the Department of Homeland Security.
"Investigators seized nearly 600 computing devices, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, thumb drives, among others, containing more than 175 terabytes of information and tens of thousands of pornographic images of children."
Authorities say advances in technology and computer capacity have allowed child-porn collectors to more easily amass vast troves of images and exchange files with each other directly.
US officials call the sting one of the largest ever.
Agents are still examining the devices to locate and catalogue evidence, which could lead to more arrests.
Authorities are also reviewing the images to see if they can identify any of the victims.
 
 
WFP director comments on aid funding crisis in NKorea at end of visit
 
The new head of the UN's World Food Program has wrapped up her first working visit to North Korea, saying she is monitoring the situation in the country closely.
Ertharin Cousin is the new Executive Director of the WFP.
"We are monitoring, we are evaluating our programmes, any food that we are distributing in this country, we know where that food is going, and we know that it is going to the beneficiaries that we have targeted, that are in need of our assistance and support. And that's what donors want, they want to ensure that when they invest money, that that money is going to support a beneficiary in need."
Cousin's trip to North Korea comes as the World Food Program faces a funding crunch for the country.
Right now the WFP's programs in North Korea are only getting one-quarter of the money they need to operate.
This has led to the closures of a number of the group's programs in the DPRK.
 
 
PIK ON CHINA'S NEW ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
 
ANCHOR:
The most recent ammendments to this country's environmental laws include much harsher punishments for polluting industries.
For more on how the new laws can be effectively enforced, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke with Alex Wang, assistant professor of Law at the University of California Los Angeles.
BACK ANCHOR:
Alex Wang, assistant professor of Law at the University of California Los Angeles, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
 
 
Total shark finning ban in New Zealand waters proposed for this year
 
Law makers in New Zealand are considering a total ban on shark finning.
The New Zealand parliament is planning on moving up its ban on shark finning by some two years to this October.
The shark finning ban was originally slated to take effect in October of 2016.
New Zealand authorities are planning to phase-in the bans on selected species of shark.
Environmentalist estimate around 30-percent of all shark species in the world are facing the risk of extinction.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Asian stocks
 
Asian stocks rallied on Thursday, after HSBC unveiled a much-stronger-than-expected China manufacturing report.
The HSBC flash purchasing managers' index for China rebounded to 49.7 in May, hitting a five-month high, though a reading under 50 represents a contraction. The index stood at 48.1 last month.
On China's strong economic data, Japna's Nikkei rose 2 percent.
South Korea's KOSPI added two fifths of a percent, Australia's ASX up 1 percent, Singapore's Straits Times up a ten of a percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng up half a percent.
But the market on China's mainland closed lower, dragged down by the losses in the coal, nonferrous metals and brewing sectors.
Both the Shanghai Composite Index and the Shenzhen Component Index trimmed a fraction of a percent.
 
 
China's JD.com raises $1.8bn in US share sale
 
Chinese online retailer JD.com has valued its impending IPO on the Nasdaq at 1.8 billion US dollars.
JD.com's shares are due to start trading on the Nasdaq later on this Thursday at a starting price of 19 US dollars per share.
Industry observers have valued JD.com at around 25-billion US dollars.
JD.com is China's second largest e-commerce firm after Alibaba.
Under a deal worked out with Tencent in March, JD.com now has full control of Tencent's e-commerce business.
 
 
Chinese official says gas deal with Russia is a win-win
 
A leading official with the Chinese Commerce ministry is describing the new natural gas deal with Russia as a win-win.
Sun Yongfu is with the European Department of the Ministry of Commerce.
"As a comprehensive strategic partner, Russia can supply oil and gas steadily and continuously to China, which will do good to China's long-time economic development. As an energy supply power, Russia now has a steady large market which will also do good to its own economic development. This is a win-win."
The 380-billion US dollar deal was signed yesterday in Shanghai amid the state visit here to China by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 30-year deal will see Russian natural gas begin flowing here in 2018.
Sun also says the pricing they've worked out is favorable for both sides, despite the negotiations on the price carrying on for a decade.
 
 
China-Iceland Free Trade Agreement
 
Anchor:
Expectations about Chinese trade with Europe is on the rise, now that the Commerce Ministry has announced a China-Iceland Free Trade Agreement will take effect July 1st.
The FTA is China's first with a European country.
The deal itself covers trade, investment, intellectual property rights and services.
For more on the new FTA, the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with our financial commentator, Cao Can.
Back anchor:
That's Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator, speaking with the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham.
 
 
 
 
Portugal raises 2 billion US dollars through sale of biggest insurance group
 
Portugal has raised over two billion U.S. dollars through the sale of 80 percent of the country's largest insurance group to China's Fosun International.
The amount is higher than the 1.4 billion dollars the Portuguese government expected when it originally announced the sale in February.
Caixa Seguros maintains about one-quarter of Portugal's overall insurance market.
Portugal has been forced to privatize several of its state-run companies to meet targets set out in its over 100-billion dollars bailout.
The country emerged from its bailout program on Saturday without the need for an additional capital injection.
 
 
State assets regulator approves Tencent's Navinfo stake
 
China's state assets regulator has approved the transfer of part of China Survey's stake in digital map provider Navinfo to Tencent Holdings.
It's being reported Tencent has paid nearly 190-million US dollars for an over 11-percent stake in Navinfo.
China Survey's stake in Navinfo is being diluted to just over 12.5-percent.
The move is expected to strengthen Tencent's mapping services.
Tencent is currently competing with Baidu in the mapping sector.
 
 
Venezuela's state oil company secures $2 billion credit line from energy companies
 
Venezuela's main stat-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, has secured a two billion US dollar line of credit from several energy service companies.
Venezuelan Oil Minister and President of PDVSA, Rafael Rodriguez, has overseen the signing of the agreements.
"We want to say thank you and we want to encourage companies in the oil sector and oil services to remain in the country. They are doing it, in a very committed manner, but we've had conversations, and that's what led to the signing of these agreements. Service companies have to increase their participation in the country, they have to join us in this productive effort, and they are doing it."
The deal allows foreign companies to increase their contract work for PDVSA.
The heavily indebted Venezuelan oil firm is struggling to increase production from the country's reserves, which are thought to be the world's largest.
Service companies involved in the new credit deal include US-based Halliburton and Schlumberger.
Venezuelan authorities are trying to open up the country's oil industry to more foreign investment amid mounting food shortages and inflation rates of around 50-percent.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
President Xi vows severe punishment for terrorists
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is vowing to severely punish those responsible for this morning's terrorist attacks in Xinjiang.
He says police in Urumqi are going to be stepping up their security control over possible terrorist targets to prevent ripple effects.
Terrorists drove two vehicles into a crowd of people in a public square in Urumqi this morning, throwing out explosive devices as they plowed through the crowds before blowing up their vehicles.
The attack has left 31 dead and over 90 injured.
 
 
 
S.Korea names new prime minister after ferry disaster
 
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has nominated a former Supreme Court justice to be her new prime minister.
She also sacked the national security adviser and the chief of the National Intelligence Service.
The moves are designed to try to regain public confidence in the administration after the deadly ferry sinking.
The prime minister nominee, 59-year-old Ahn Dai-hee, has been named to replace Chung Hong-won, who offered to quit last month following the ferry disaster.
Ahn's nomination is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing.
 
 
Chinese leaders congratulate S. Africa's Zuma on reelection
 
China's top leaders have sent off congratulatory notes to Jacob Zuma on his re-election as President of South Africa.
In sending his message, President Xi Jinping says Zuma's re-election, along with his African National Congress, is a testament to his government's ability to continue running the country.
Chinese minister of Civil Affairs, Li Liguo, will attend Zuma's inauguration on Saturday.
Zuma was re-elected to a new 5-year term by Parliament after his ANC took the parliamentary elections.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Global Times
"China to start security vetting IT products"
The Chinese government is to start cyber security vetting of major IT products and services for use by national security and public interests, the State Internet Information Office announced on Thursday.
The vetting is aimed at preventing suppliers from taking advantage of their products to illegally control, disrupt or shut down their clients' systems, or to gather, store, process or use their clients' information, according to a statement from the office.
Companies that fail the vetting will be stopped from supplying their products and services in China, the statement said.
Ensuring that IT technologies and cyberspace are "safe and under control" is vital to China's national security, economic and social development as well as people's legitimate rights and interests, said one of the office's spokesmen, jiang.
For a long time, China's government departments, public institutions, enterprises, universities and backbone networks of its telecom firms have suffered extensive invasion and wiretapping, according to Jiang.
China News Service
"China's work safety improves in the first half this year"
China's workplaces appear to have become safer in the first half of this year, said the officials from the State Administration of Work Safety on Thursday.
And there were sharp declines in serious accidents and resulting deaths.
"From January to May this year, the number of major work accidents dropped 33 percent year on year in the first quarter, while the death toll from those accidents dived 42.6 percent." said Yang, director of the State Administration of Work Safety.
Yang says this improvement follows intensified efforts to ensure work safety, in sectors including coal mining, transport, and the production of dangerous chemicals and fireworks.
But he warns serious challenges remain. The director called for more efforts to make coal mines safer in 50 key counties, to implement safety measures for production of dangerous chemicals and fireworks, and to intensify pipeline and transport safety.
The Independent
"Writing about 'my day at the zoo' can help a child's literacy, survey finds"
According to a new report,a school trip to the zoo could help a struggling pupil to learn how to read or write.
Under the research programme, the children were asked to do things such as write a letter to the headteacher. And then explain why an outing to their favourite place might be a good idea.
For example a trip to the zoo, an article arguing the pros and cons of keeping animals in confined spaces will be assigned.
The children were also told how to mark their own work, with teachers explaining how marks would be awarded.
And a survey of more than 800 primary and secondary school pupils showed it improved their writing standards by nine months on average – and 18 months for disadvantaged pupils on free school meals.
Similar programmes tried out in the United States in the 1990s also seen a remarkable improvement in literacy standards.
The Asia One
"Many processed foods are heavily dyed: Study"
Some cereals, candies and cakes contain much more artificial colouring than parents probably expect, according to a new study.
For the new study, researchers bought and tested common processed foods to find out how much artificial colouring they included.
In general, more brightly coloured foods and drinks had more dyes in them, Stevens, the researcher said. But some heavily dyed foods were unexpected, including some white foods.
In the US, food and beverage companies disclose artificial colouring on labels, but do not disclose specific amounts.
The researchers also warned that children probably consume more of the heavily dyed foods, since bright colors appeal to kids. But very few of these products were nutritious or wholsome.
The study coincides with a report from the Environmental Working Group suggesting high levels of sugar in cereals are contributing to childhood obesity and other health problems.
 
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Chinese Get Driver's License in South Korea
 
Anchor:
New stats show that around 70-thousand Chinese citizens have chosen to go to South Korea to apply for a driver's license.
CRI's Chi Huiguang has more.
Reporter:
In China, it can take would-be drivers anywhere form three to four months up to a year just to get a driving license.
And the cost is also double that of South Korea. Because of this, Chinese people visiting South Korea are getting drivers licenses there, then coming back to China and having them converted to local licenses.
Forty-six-year-old Chinese national, Wang Yingfang, traveled to South Korea by ferry with four other hopefuls. If she gets her license, she can convert it to a Chinese one by simply passing a written test back home.
"It is easy to get a driver's license in South Korea. But I just feel nervous. I'm very happy because it is fast and easy to convert it into Chinese one."
A driving school in the suburbs of Seoul can be a buzzing operation which sees some 200 Chinese applicants a month. In teh class, half of the students listens to a Korean-speaking teacher, while the Chinese students who don't understand Korean fix their eyes on a TV screen showing sample questions for written tests in Chinese.
It takes only a week to get a license at state-appointed driving schools in South Korea. The instructor spoke some Chinese words like "lihe"for 'clutch,' but most of the training was done with hand gestures.
Yuk Soon-ho is a South Korean instructor:
"These Chinese people are in a panic when they first come here. And after watching them panic, we've been thinking what we can do for them. In this sense, we are learning a little Chinese now."
　　
Statistics from South Korea's national police agency show that the number of Chinese holding Korean licenses has tripled in that time.
According to a website offering trip packages to South Korea for Chinese looking to apply for driver's licenses and shopping, it will take about seven to eight days to get both the license and a tour in Seoul. The trip package includes training on paper and test driving on the road and applying for the tests, paper and road examinations, plus a shopping and sight-seeing tour. Actually, there can be three whole days of visiting and shopping that don't include anything regarding obtaining a driver's license.
Niu Ziming, an officer of the vehicle management station in Beijing, explains the rules of the licenses converting in China.
"As long as you have an official foreign license rather than an international driver's license, you can convert it to domestic driver's license, but you have to pass the traffic rules examination at a vehicle management station first. Actually, you don't need to go to driving school registration, or to take the road test. Of course, your age and physical condition should meet the requirements for drivers."
 
 
Sports
 
 
Spurs roll to 2-0 lead with 112-77 rout of Thunder
 
In the NBA playoffs,
The San Antonio Spurs demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder this morning 112-77 for a 2-nothing lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The Spurs' Tony Parker scored 22 points.
Veteran forward Tim Duncan contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds.
It was an off night for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for the Thunder, who had just 15 points each.
The star duo only went 13 for 40 the whole game.
The series now shifts to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Sunday.
 
 
Kings rally past Blackhawks 6-2 in Game 2
 
In NHL playoff action,
The Los Angeles Kings have evened their best-of-7 Western Conference final at one after thumping the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 this morning.
The loss for Chicago is their first at home all playoffs long.
It's also most goals allowed by the Hawks in a playoff game since a 6-1 loss to Detroit in 2009.
Jeff Carter had a hat-trick for Los Angeles, who scored six-straight after trailing 2-nothing in late into the 2nd period.
Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the Kings.
Game 3 of the series moves to Staples Center on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final is set for tomorrow morning, Beijing time.
The Montreal Canadiens are looking to claw their way back into the series after dropping the first two games at home to the New York Rangers.
Puck drop for that game is 8am Beijing time.
In NHL news off the ice,
The Vancouver Canucks have officially named Jim Benning as their new General Manager.
Benning, who played for the Canucks for a number of years, takes over for Dave Nonis, who, along with head coach John Tortarella, were sacked after the Canucks missed the playoffs this year.
One of Benning's first tasks will be to hire a new head coach.
Reports have been suggesting former Nashville bench-boss Barry Troz could be a candidate.
However, Vancouver is going to have to compete for his services with the Washington Capitals.
Troz met this week with Washington's ownership to potentially take over coaching duties, after the Caps fired sophmore coach Adam Oates after they failed to make the playoffs this year as well.
 
 
WHC quarterfinals get underway tonight
 
The quarter-final matchups at the World Hockey Championships get underway tonight in Minsk, Belarus.
The first game of the evening, starting at 9pm Beijing time, will see the Czech Republic take on the United States.
The US finished 2nd in Group-B with a round-robin record of 4-2-1.
The Czech Republic finished 3rd in Group-A.
Following that matchup, it will be Russia taking on an upstart French team.
While on paper, the game would seem to be heavily titled toward Russia's favor, as the Russian's finished the round-robin undefeated, France has been playing well above its pay-grade in this tournament.
The French managed to upset Canada in the round-robin, along with victories over Slovakia and Norway.
That game gets underway at 10pm tonight Beijing time.
The later games will see Canada taking on Finland, while Sweden will battle the home-team Belarussian squad.
 
 
US President Barack Obama welcomes the Seattle Seahawks to the White House
 
In American football news,
US President Barack Obama has welcomed the Seattle Seahawks to the White House to honour of their Super Bowl win this past season.
The Seahawks clinched their first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise in February by rolling over the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the league final.
Obama says he feels a certain kinship with the Seahawks.
"So let me just say as a guy who was elected President named Barack Obama, I root for the underdogs. And so seeing folks overcome the odds excites me. But it also excites me when you see the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. And that's what team is all about."
In lieu of the traditional gift of a personalised jersey, the Seahawks gave Obama a "12th Man" flag instead, representative of the raucous Seattle fans.
 
 
Adam Scott plays as No. 1 for 1st time at Colonial
 
In golf,
Australian Adam Scott will play as world Number-1 for the first time when he tees off later on this Thursday at the Colonial.
The Australian has finally made it to the top of the world ranking after overtaking the injured Tiger Woods this week.
Scott has six top-25 finishes in his seven PGA Tour events this season.
Second-ranked Woods has said he isn't sure when he will return from his back injury.
Meanwhile, Sweden's Henrik Stenson might be able to overtake Scott this weekend if he places higher at this weekend's BMW PGA Championships in Europe than Scott does at Colonial.
In news off the links,
Former world number one Rory McIlroy has called off his engagement to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
The split comes just days after the couple sent out wedding invitations to family and friends.
No word on why they've parted ways.
McIlroy and Wozniacki had been dating since 2011.
A number of golf observers have attributed McIlroy's slide down the rankings the past few years to the relationship, as he would often travel with Wozniaki to her tennis tournaments before taking off to compete in his own events.
 
 
Day 4 at Thomas & Uber Cup
 
In badminton,
Thomas Cup and Uber Cups knock-out stage draws have been released.
In the top half, the Chinese men will face Thailand, while Chinese women will meet England.
In yesterday's Uber Cup action on the women's side,
China beat Chinese Taipei 5-0 to secure the top spot in their group.
Two-time Uber Cup runners-up England have made it into their first quarter-final in 30 years by defeating Russia 4-1.
Japan defeated Denmark 4-1 in their final Group Z match.
For the men,
Thailand fell short in their match against Indonesia 4-1.
Malaysia defeated South Korea 3-2 to top their group.
Group B's top quarter-final ticket went to Japan, who got the better of Denmark 3-2.
 
 
Kerber into Nuremberg Cup quarters
 
In tennis,
On the Women's side...
Angelique Kerber has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nuremberg Cup by beating German compatriot Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2, 7-6.
Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine got past Spain's Beatriz Garcia Vidagany 7-6, 6-3 to reach the last eight.
In the quarterfinals, Kerber will play Czech Karolina Pliskova and Svitolina will meet Mona Barthel of Germany.
On the men's side,
At the Dusseldorf Open, top-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber have cruised into the quarterfinals by beating Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-1.
Defending champion Juan Monaco won with ease as well, beating second-seeded Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2.
Monaco will next play the big-serving seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic, who overcame wild card Nikola Milojevic 6-4, 7-5.
Third-seeded Andreas Seppi and Denis Istomin also advanced to the last eight.
Both of these tournaments are tune-ups for the French Open, which gets underway this weekend.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
'Gone With The Bullets' screens in Cannes
 
Chinese director and actor Jiang Wen has brought his new movie "Gone with the bullets" to this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The film, starring Chinese actors Ge You and Shu Qi, is a sequel to Jiang's 2010 box office megahit "Let the Bullets Fly."
This edition of the franchise is set in Shanghai in the 1920s, where the main characters host a beauty contest.
"Gone With the Bullets" is scheduled to open in Chinese theaters in mid-December.
 
 
Zhang Yimou and Gong Li on their 9th collaboration
 
Zhang Yimou and Gong Li have met with the media following the screening of their new film "Coming Home" at the Cannes Film Festival.
Gong Li says Zhang Yimou gave her plenty of freedom and trust to interpret her character as she saw fit.
"He gave us (actors) a lot of space.　Also for this film, no one could help me.　This is a character that nobody can help me with.　Your gaze, your behavior, your body language, these are the things that other people can't teach me.　So the director told me that you need to go experience life and decide for yourself how to interpret the character ".
For his part, Zhang Yimou has praised Gong Li as "one of a kind."
"She's the actress whom I've worked with the most.　Together, we've made about nine films.　The Chinese film industry is booming right now.　We could be the biggest film market in the world in five years.　However, there are only a handful of good actors.　Because when the market is this big, you should have a lot of great actors with different age groups, but there are not too many.　So for her... If she didn't act in this film, I don't think there's anyone else who can do it.　She's one of a kind of her generation."
Together, the pair have made some of the most influential and important films in modern Chinese cinematic history, including "Raise the Red Lantern," "The Story of Qiu Ju" and "To Live."
It's been nearly 2-decades since Gong and Zhang stepped on the red carpet together at Cannes.
 
 
JJ Abrams gives fans chance to appear in Star Wars
 
Star Wars fans may have the chance to appear in the new film.
Director JJ Abrams has announced a new competition online.
Entry into the contest will cost you a minimum donation of 10 dollars.
The winner of the contest will be flown to London to be given a role in the film.
Abrams says the contest is meant to help charity.
That's right -- you'll be in 'Star Wars.'　But the greatest part is that by entering to join us, you'll actually help us launch something else.　'Star Wars: Force for Change,' a brand new initiative, which is dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems.　It's about helping kids all around the world by supporting　UNICEF Innovation Labs and projects. It's a great thing, you can check it all out on omaze.com/starwars.　But thank you again for your incredible support; we look forward to seeing you on-set."
Pre-production for the 7th installment of the Star Wars franchise is now underway.
 
 
Black Keys top US albums chart
 
The Black Keys have achieved their first number 1 album, after "Turn Blue" beat Michael Jackson's posthumous album "Xscape" to the top of the US charts.
"Turn Blue" is the pair's eighth studio album, and their third to break into the top 10.
"Turn Blue" sold over 160-thousand copies in the week ending May 18, while "Xscape" sold 157-thousand.
The Black Keys originally streamed the album on iTunes a week before its official release.
 
 
Wll.i.am announces new single
 
will.i.am has revealed that his next single will be titled 'Birthday'.
The rapper has teamed up with rising R&B artist Cody Wise for his latest release, which will be available to download in full from July 6th.
will.i.am co-wrote the song with multi-platinum producer A.R. Rahman, Cody Wise and Keith Harris.
will.i.am's 2013 album "willpower" also featured collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Chris Brown.
He has also returned as a mentor for the new series of "The Voice UK," which crowned the rapper's contestant Jermain Jackman as its winner last season.
 
 
New Batman vs Superman movie to be called 'Dawn of Justice'
 
Warner Brothers has announced the title of the forthcoming 'Batman vs Superman' movie will be "Dawn of Justice."
The follow up to "Man of Steel" will see actor Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman, while Ben Afleck will play Batman.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot will play Wonder Woman.
This movie is expected to be the precursor to a film being dubbed the "Justice League," which Zack Synder is also set to direct.
"Dawn of Justice" isn't expected to hit theatres for another couple of years.
 
 
A quick recap of the headlines before we go.
There's been another deadly terrorist attack in Xinjiang, with over 30 people killed in the regional capital, Urumqi.
Thailand's military has launched a coup, and has decided to take over the government amid the lingering political stalemate in the country.
US agents have busted a major child porn ring.
In Business, online Chinese retailer JD.com set to have its debut on the Nasdaq later on this Thursday.
This is Paul James in Beijing, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window on the world together.