The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Thursday, March 13, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has been expanded as authorities move to quell frustrations about a lack of information flowing forward.
This year's "Lianghui" is set to officially conclude today with the closing of the National People's Congress later this morning.
Tensions are on the rise in Israel and Gaza amid a series of rocket attacks and a decision to bring negotiations to an end.
In Business... Chinese regulators are to put tighter controls on insurers bank deposit business.
In sports.... Li Na is through to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
In entertainment.... Captain Kirk should have let Sulu handle the helm, as actor Chris Pine has been hit with a DUI...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today, a high of 13 degree Celsius in the daytime and a low of 1 in the night.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy, the highest of 13 degree Celsius, and 3 degrees in the night.
Chongqing will see periods of rain all day, with a high of 12 degree Celsius in the daytime, and 9 in the night.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast, 25.
Kabul, overcast, with a high of 16.
And in North America
New York, moderate rain, with a high of minus 2 degrees.
Washington, sunny, highs of 2.
Houston, sunny, 17.
Honolulu, cloudy, 27.
Toronto, periods of snow, minus 4.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 24.
And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain, with highs of 27 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Search for missing plane expanded
Anchor
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has now expanded to two new areas after the Beijing-bound aircraft disappeared from radar 5-days ago.
Su Yi has more.
Reporter
The search now has widened to cover a swathe of Southeast Asia, from the South China Sea to India's territorial waters, with authorities still uncertain where exactly to look for the plane.
Hishammuddin Hussein is Malaysia's Transport Minister.
"So many vessels and aircraft, so many countries to coordinate, and a vast area for us to search. And each time that passes, I fear that the search and rescue becomes just a search, but we will never give up hope. And this we owe to the families."
Currently 12 countries, including the recent addition of India and Japan, are taking part in the search.
Experts are now being brought in to analyze both civilian and military radar data to try to get a better idea of where the missing plane may be.
Officials with Malaysia's military have been quoted as saying the plane may have turned around before disappearing from radar.
However, there have been conflicting statements and reports about how far and in which direction the missing flight may have gone.
China's search team has expanded its search area to northwest of the gulf of Thailand, covering some 17 thousand square kilometers in total.
8 Chinese vessels and 6 helicopters are currently taking part in the massive search.
Chinese authorities have also re-aligned 10 satellites to provide orbital support in locating the missing jet.
As the search continues, Malaysia's Ambassador to China has met with the relatives of the Chinese passengers here in Beijing.
There have been a growing number of complaints among the relatives of the missing about lack of information from both Malaysia Airlines and from Malaysian authorities.
The Malaysian Airlines flight, with 239-passangers and crew onboard, disappeared from radar about an hour after take off from Kuala Lumpur early Saturday morning while on a flight to Beijing.
154 of the passengers are Chinese.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
China's annual parliamentary session to conclude
The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is set to conclude its annual session later on today.
Several key documents, including the government work report and both national and local budgets, are set to be put up for votes as part of the closing meeting.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is due to hold a news conference following the closing session.
Violence against medical workers should be addressed in health care system
Anchor:
Ahead of the close of this year's "lianghui" or "two sessions, Chinese lawmakers have decided to push ahead with healthcare reforms, despite a slew of controversies over the past few years.
CRI's Li Jing spoke with a doctor to get some thoughts from a medical professional about what needs to be done to help the system.
Report:
China started a new round of nationwide healthcare reforms in 2009.
Since then, government investment in the field has reportedly surpassed 370 billion US dollars.
38-year-old Zhao Chunyan is the head of Yanshan Hospital in Beijing's Fangshan district.
She says reforms have benefited the public, providing easier access to hospitals, and reducing the individual and family financial burden.
But Zhao Chunyan notes these reforms have failed to bring substantial dividends to medical staffers.
"Doctors are limited by regulations. But all the pressure is on doctors, who are on the frontline in confrontations with patients. I hope the reforms can reduce such limitations and make full use of our medical insurance fund. Also, I hope the security of hospitals can be included in police responsibilities. Hospital workers are now in charge of dealing with conflicts or even violence, which we are not capable of."
News stories about doctors and nurses beaten or stabbed to death are not rare in China.
Some have been seriously injured, even paralyzed.
Zhao Chunyan ascribes the phenomenon partly to the scarcity of medical resources.
"People have too high expectations towards medical science, which in fact has many unknown areas. They think doctors can heal whatever sickness they have but this is not the truth. Some patients queue up for two or three hours to see a doctor, but are only given short consultations, which is far from their satisfaction."
Brain strain is another problem in hospitals.
Zhao Chunyan suggests mechanism be established to improve medical workers' social status and salaries.
"To be honest, Chinese doctors have more advanced skills in many fields compared with our foreign peers, because we have gained rich experience from cases and surgeries. But our income standard is way below. I am not asking for an excessively high salary, but I hope it could be consistent with our work load and stress."
Due to the previous reasons, there has been a common practice that patients give red envelopes with money in exchange for better treatment and services.
This may also cause tensions when patients couldn't get a satisfactory result.
Zhao Chunyan suggests medical staffers be more devoted to patients.
Public hospitals provide 90 percent of the country's medical services.
This year, China will further reduce restrictions on foreign investment in the healthcare sector.
Zhao Chunyan says this is good news.
"I think it could be helpful to divert people, reducing crowding in public hospitals. These hospitals may have more flexible regulations, with better services. But supervision is important. "
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
China to establish catastrophe insurance system
Anchor:
The head of China's insurance regulator, speaking on the sidelines of the soon-to-be-concluded NPC session, has announced plans for the establishment of a catastrophe insurance system.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter:
According to Xiang Junbo, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, compensation from catastrophe insurance across the world normally covers 30 to 40 percent of losses.
However, in China it covers less than 1 percent, with the government making up the shortfall.
Xiang cites the example of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.
The disaster has caused direct economic losses of over 840 billion yuan, but insurance payouts have only reached just over 2 billion yuan, accounting for only 0.2 percent of the total losses.
"If we establish a catastrophe insurance system then, according to the international standard, the insurance company would pay half of it, that is 15 percent, or 127 billion yuan, of the total loss, which would greatly relieve the financial burden on the government."
The regulator says currently catastrophe insurance schemes are being trialed in Shenzhen and Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan.
The scheme is focusing on earthquake insurance for rural houses in Yunnan.
In Shenzhen, the insurance is for personal safety. A trinity of government assistance, disaster relief funds and commercial insurance assume responsibility for providing compensation to victims of earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters. This covers every citizen of Shenzhen."
The official says China will also promote catastrophe insurance legislation to get more government support.
For CRI, This is Xie Zhao.
National Advisors: To Better Do Their Work
Anchor:
While this year's session of the Chinese parliament is drawing to a close today, the annual gathering of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference has already drawn to a close.
The CPPCC is an advisory body which makes proposals to lawmakers to debate.
CRI's Zheng Chenguang has more on some of the ideas floated during the annual sessions.
Reporter:
Yan Huiying is a member to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
She began preparing her proposals months before the start of the top advisory body's annual meeting.
"A friend of mine volunteers in 'Love Save Pneumoconiosis', an organization to help patients who have pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. What impresses me is that there are about 6 million patients in China. When they're sick, they have to wait to die. At that moment, I said nothing to them but decided to put forward a proposal to this year's session, where I can also discuss with members from various government departments on this issue."
Yan's proposal is to call on the government to establish a foundation to help pneumoconiosis patients.
Like Yan Huiying, the priority for other members of the CPPCC is to put forward proposals, offering comments and suggestions on major political and social issues to the people's congress and the government via the CPPCC.
"I believe as a member of the advisory body, we should not only focus on discussions about government policies but also issues of social concerns, and how to help with the ordinary people to solve their concerns."
Zang Yongqing, chief editor of Modern Press Company, is also a political advisor.
He says the mechanism of the top advisory body is to have all the advisors discuss and making consultations, to reach consensus and influence policy-making.
"We need to attend several meeting to discuss the Premier's government work report and our proposals. We talk about the feasibility and questions of the proposals. It is the easiest way to express opinions to the top leaders and government"
Zang further elaborates on how their proposals will be handled after the annual session.
"Last year, one of my proposals about nationwide reading was considered by the government. They responded to me in a written reply with detailed measures to deal with the proposal, and asked for my opinions on these measures. The reply is even more explicit than the proposal I wrote."
Zang says instead of being eye-catching, a good proposal should be more focusing on the content itself.
For CRI, this is Zheng Chenguang.
Israel strikes Gaza targets; PLO decides not to extend peace talks
Tensions are on the rise between Israeli and Palestinian forces in Gaza and Southern Israel.
Israeli forces have launched a series of strikes on sites in northern and southern Gaza said to be targeting militant strongholds.
Israel has also closed all crossing points in and out of the Gaza Strip.
This follows a series of rocket attacks into southern Israel earlier in the day on Wednesday.
Dozens of rockets have been fired from points along the border in the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
At least 8 of the rockets have exploded in populated areas.
Israeli police spokesperson Mickey Rosenfeld.
"More than 25 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip inside Israel. Two of them have landed in different areas, which the Israeli police bomb disposal experts are now dealing with."
No word at this point about casualties on either side.
Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip is claiming responsibility for the rocket attacks, saying it is a response to an Israeli strike earlier in the week which killed three of its members.
The escalation of violence on Wednesday has prompted Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to once-again suggest it may be time for Israeli forces to launch another incursion into Gaza.
Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, have been struggling to maintain a truce brokered in 2012 which ended a multi-day Israeli incursion into the Palestinian enclave.
The uptick in violence and rhetoric comes on the heels of an announcement by the Palestine Liberation Organization that it has decided not to extend its current peace talks with the Israeli government beyond April.
This has been one of the requests of the US side, which has been struggling to keep the talks going since their resumed last July after a 3-year hiatus.
The PLO says the current proposals being put forward by the United States fall well-short of what the Palestinian side has been looking for.
The decision to end the current round of peace negotiations after next month comes ahead of a planned meeting in Washington next week between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Barack Obama.
Obama says Russia will face costs over Ukraine
U.S. President Barack Obama says Russia will face a cost if it continues its incursion into Crimea.
Obama has made the comments after meeting with Ukraine's interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the White House.
"We will continue to say to the Russian government, that if it continues on the path that it is on, then not only us but the international community, the European Union and others will be forced to apply a cost to Russia's violations of international law and its encroachments on Ukraine."
The meeting comes as the Crimean regional government prepares for Sunday's referendum on whether to join the Russian federation.
Obama says if the vote does go ahead, his administration will not recognize the results.
The geo-political wrangling comes as election workers in Crimea set up polling stations ahead of the vote.
"Everything is fine here. Everything is calm. People are in the right mood for the upcoming referendum. We hope for maximum turnout and people are really active."
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due to meet in London tomorrow to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
Kerry says he plans to present Lavrov "certian choices" to try to difuse the situation.
The Russian side has signalled it will respect the outcome of Sunday's vote in Crimea.
However, Moscow hasn't officially said what it may do if voters in Crimea do vote to join Russia, though lawmakers in the State Duma have said they will move quickly to try to incorporate the region into the Russian Federation.
Biz Reports
U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday amid signs of progress in the diplomatic attempts to ease the tensions in Ukraine and as investors shrugged off concerns over weakness in the Chinese economy.
The S&P 500 ended marginally higher, up less than 0.1 percent.
The Nasdaq gained 0.4 percent.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average eased down 0.1 percent.
In corporate news, Herbalife share prices took a significant hit in New York amid word of an investigation into its business practices.
We'll have more on that in just a moment.
General Motors shares slipped 0.9% following news that regulators will be investigating how the auto maker handled complaints about faulty ignition switches.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX added 0.4 percent.
European markets followed a downward trend on Wednesday after new data revealed a surprise decline in eurozone industrial output.
Eurozone industrial production in January dipped 0.2-percent for the month.
Most observers had expected a rise of 0.5-percent.
As a result, Germany's DAX shed 1.3-percent.
France's CAC 40 and Britian's FTSE 100 both shed 1-percent.
US regulator launches Herbalife investigation
US regulators have launched an investigation into the operations of nutrition and weight-loss firm Herbalife.
The move by the US Federal Trade Commission follows allegations Herbalife operates a 'pyramid scheme' - making money from recruiting new distributors, rather than sales.
Herbalife has denied the allegations.
The company says it will "cooperate fully" with the FTC inquiry.
Herbalife sells a wide-range of nutritional products around the world via a network of independent distributors.
Herbalife's share price plunged 16-percent in the immediate aftermath of announcement of the probe.
However, the company's shares did eventually recover a bit in Wednesday's trading, but still closed down 7-percent on the New York Stock Exchange.
China to regulate insurer's bank deposit business
Chinese authorities are moving to regulate certain insurers' bank deposits in a bid to try to strengthen risk management during the planned interest rate liberalization here in China over the next couple of years.
China's insurance watchdog says insurance companies need to standardize their operations with bank deposits, which amount to about one-third of the total fundamental insurance assets in this country.
The China Insurance Regulatory Commission is calling for the creation of a custody mechanism for bank deposits, along with the regulation of the deposit certificate mortgage business and the enhancement of information disclosure.
The moves are meant to try to ease asset management risks which could be brought on by the liberalization of interest rates.
The PBOC this week announced its intention to liberalize interest rates within the next one to two-years here in China.
live call-in with Cao Can on Iron Ore buffeted by Weak China Data
Anchor:
Recent weak data out of China has been having a significant impact on the iron ore market, prompting panic selling.
Iron ore this week has suffered its biggest drop in more than four years, compounded by a surge in stockpiles.
The price for iron ore for immediate delivery to China yesterday slid 8.3-percent to 104-dollars-70-cents a tonne.
The spot price for iron ore has fallen 22-percent so far this year.
Facing tighter credit and the possibility of higher interest rate on loans, China's steel manufacturers and consumers have seen a marked decline in activity in recent weeks.
Joining me on the line is Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
Questions:
1. Are analysts seeing this as a temporary fluctuation or is demand for iron ore in China on the mid-term decline?
2. How are the markets reacting to this?
3. Construction in China usually begins in March, is this likely to pick up the iron ore market performance? Or is the construction projects planned this year likely to be unable to compensate?
4. By how much has the easy credit of the past inflated iron ore prices? At what level is it likely to stabilise in relation to actual demand in the global economy?
That was Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
EU push for LNG import from US amid Ukraine Crisis
The European Union is now trying to convince the United States to expand its exports of natural gas to Europe as part of a planned transatlantic trade pact.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht says the situation in Ukraine has left Europe in a precarious position when it comes to energy imports.
"We are, the European countries as a whole, too dependent on foreign countries for our energy needs, especially from Russia. Is there an easy solution to that problem? No. Several participants have put forward a question regarding shale gas -yes I am going to negotiate with the United States so we can import shale gas."
Amid the current round of trade talks in Brussels this week, EU negotiators have been pressing their US counterparts to agree to a framework to make it easier for US liquefied natural gas to flow to the European Union.
The United States has begun granting licenses to export LNG.
However, progress has been slow because of price concerns and industrial lobbying to keep most of the gas for domestic use in the US.
Karel De Gucht says the EU is hoping the US will make license approvals for LNG exports to Europe automatic.
"Well, we'll certainly ask that an energy chapter would be included in the TTIP negotiations because we want to have free access on the basis of national treatment, so just like American companies to the American gas supplies. Now, we should not forget that if you transport that gas to Europe that the price would almost double, so this is not a miracle solution at all, but I think it's important to diversify our energy sources," de Gucht told Reuters.
How much U.S. energy might eventually reach Europe remains to be seen.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks are likely to drag on for years.
Many US politicians are openly wary of releasing supplies that could drive up domestic energy prices.
The current round of TPP talks in Brussels are due to end tomorrow.
European lawmakers threaten trade deal veto unless U.S. mass surveillance stops
The European Parliament has formalized an earlier threat to veto any forthcoming trade pact between the EU and the United States unless the US side stops spying on European institutions.
European lawmakers have passed a formal resolution with the threat, which also calls on EU officials to suspend its bank data and so-called Safe Harbor agreements with the United States as well.
Headline News
China's annual parliamentary session to conclude
The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is set to conclude its annual session later on today.
Several key documents, including the government work report and both national and local budgets, are set to be put up for votes as part of the closing meeting.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is due to hold a news conference following the closing session.
Israel strikes Gaza targets; PLO decides not to extend peace talks
Tensions are on the rise between Israeli and Palestinian forces in Gaza and Southern Israel.
Israeli forces have launched a series of strikes on sites in northern and southern Gaza said to be targeting militant strongholds.
This follows a series of rocket attacks into southern Israel earlier in the day on Wednesday.
Dozens of rockets have been fired from points along the border in the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
At least 8 of the rockets have exploded in populated areas.
No word at this point about casualties on either side.
Kerry to meet Russian FM on Ukraine
The foreign ministers of the United States and Russia are set to meet in London on Friday to discuss the rising tensions in Ukraine.
The meeting between John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to take place just two days before a controversial referendum is set to be held in Crimea, where voters are being asked to decide whether or not they want to secede from Ukraine and re-join Russia.
In announcing the meeting, Kerry says he plans to present Lavrov "certain choices" to try to defuse the situation.
The Russian side has signaled it will respect the outcome of the vote in Crimea, while the US and its European allies have questioned the vote's legitimacy.
At least 2 dead, 18 injured in New York buildings explosion
At least 2 people are dead and a number of others missing following a massive explosion inside a building in New York City.
The explosion, believed to have been caused by a gas leak, was strong enough to level two 5-story buildings adjacent to the building where the initial blast took place in New York's East Harlem area.
At least 18 others have been hurt.
Around 250 fire fighters have been on the scene trying to battle the subsequent fires and search for more victims in the rubble of the buildings.
Canada ends military operations in Afghanistan
Canada has become the latest NATO country to officially bring its military operations to an end in Afghanistan.
A flag-lowering ceremony has taken place at ISAF headquarters in Kabul to mark the end of Canada's 12-year involvement in the Afghan mission.
Canada was one of the first NATO countries to send in troops into Afghanistan following the ouster of the Taliban, and at one point maintained the 3rd largest international contingent of troops in the country, behind the US and Britian.
Canadian forces were responsible for securing the Kandahar region, which is where the Taliban was founded.
Around 40-thousand Canadian troops took part in the Afghan mission, with 158 of them killed in action.
Newspaper Picks
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Kindergarten probed over pill claims
Summary
A private kindergarten in Shaanxi's capital Xi'an is being investigated amid allegations it gave children unauthorized prescription medicine.
Three school officials have been detained by the police.
Authorities say the 690 children attending the kindergarten have since undergone health exams.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Consumer group rebukes UPS
Summary
China's Consumer Rights Council is accusing United Parcel Service, or UPS, of refusing to compensate a customer whose parcel was sent to the wrong address.
The council is also blasting UPS for refusing a request to attend a mediation session to solve the dispute.
The council contends UPS has hurt its credibility by delaying the customer's compensation and refusing to talk to her.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Child kidney screening
Summary
Local medical experts in Shanghai are calling for more screening, as an increasing number of children are showing up with chronic kidney disease.
Medical officials are advocating so-called double checks, which would include urine screening for children in schools and ultrasound checks for newborns.
A study in Shanghai's Minhang District has found over 9 percent of newborns have a high risk of abnormality in their kidney and urinary tracts.
CHINA DIALY
Headline
Beijing tightens subway security
Summary
Subway authorities here in Beijing are adding more security checks along Line-1.
Six stations on Line 1 now have compulsory security screening with medal detectors.
The six stations are Tian'anmen East, Tian'anmen West, Xidan, Wangfujing, Dongdan and Jianguomen.
The screenings, much like at the airport, are adding significant waiting times for passangers trying to get on this city's already-crowded subway system.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Transport ministry to run postal bureau
Summary
The Ministry of Transport is now being tasked with managing the State Post Bureau.
Authorities say it part of a broader move to beef up logistics here in China.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Gambling ring on trial
Summary
A district court in Guangzhou has started hearing testimony connected to what could be this country's largest case of illegal online gambling.
The case is said to involve some 480-billion yuan in gambling proceeds.
19 defendants are being tried for their alleged involvement in gambling on soccer via overseas websites and operating illegal casinos.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Over a billion to rebuild ancient town
Summary
Local authorities in Yunnan are now planning to invest some 1.2 billion yuan to rebuild the Ancient town of Dukezong.
The community in the Shangri-La Autonomous Prefecture, was ravaged by a major fire in January which levelled 340 buildings.
The popular tourist site was originally built during the Tang Dynasty some 13-hundred years ago.
Special Reports
Bookworm Literary Fest Gets Underway
Anchor:
The annual Bookworm Literary Festival now being held in Beijing has attracted more than a hundred writers and academics from across China and around the world to share their insights on literature.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter:
For bibliophiles in China, the Bookworm Literary Festival is a must-see. Each year, it provides a first-hand experience for readers to communicate face-to-face with their literary heroes.
Launched by the namesake bookshop, the festival covers many literary activities, such as book talks, panel discussions, readings, and writing workshops.
But according to Peter Goff, the managing director and the founder of Bookworm, this cultural event is more than that.
"Obviously the core is literature, but then on top of that we do a lot of film festival events, we do comedy, we do music, and magic, and dance, and screenings, and different things as well, which complements the literary festival."
Now in its 8th year, the festival has been programming more than 300 events in eight major cities around China, inviting more than 110 guests from over 25 countries.
Many names stand out in the roster, such as the Man Booker Prize short-listed Chinese writer, Yan Lianke; Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Ian Johnson; and Tim Clissold, whose book "Mr. China" won the Economist Book of the Year; as well as the comedian Mark Roswell, who is best-known in China by his stage name, Dashan.
Fans are earger to meet these celebrities.
A Germany doctor comes to Beijing for business. Despite tight schedule, she has managed to buy several tickets.
"I brought this and on Monday, I have this one: Ways of Telling the Past. Tuesday, I am at home. Wednesday, I have this one."
According to the staff, many entry tickets have been sold out days ahead of the events. For voracious literature consumers, the festival seems to be a grand banquet to satisfy the appetite.
For Yu Lian, a PhD student interested in Chinese feminism, the festival acts as a forum to deepen understanding to her research.
"I just want to hear different opinions and try to understand the thoughts of those who share the same interest with me. I don't ask that all the participants here be sophisticated or mature. I just came here to listen to their ideas, as it may help me to solve my own problems. "
From March 7 till March 21, these literary celebrities will bring rich and diverse international voices to book shops, universities and libraries across China.
Their destinations are not limited to coastal cities, but also expanded to inland Chongqing, Chengdu and Kunming.
BACK ANCHOR:
That is CRI's He Fei reporting.
Sports
Li Na through to quarterfinals at Paribas Open
In tennis, play at the BNP Paribas Open in California continues.
China's Li Na is into the quarterfinals after knocking Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak out of the running, 6-1, 6-4. Next up Li will face Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals.
Jelena Jankovic reached the quarterfinals after destroying Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1.
Simona Halep advanced after defeating Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
On the men’s side,
Tenth seed Milos Roanic hit 15 aces to upset Britain's fifth seed Andy Murray to reach the quarterfinals.
Since coming back from injury, Murray said he's felt fine, until that third set against Roanic.
The third set.. that's concerning for me. The rest of the matches I've played since I've come back, I haven't been particularly concerned about them. Australia was good, Davis Cup, Aculpolca was good. Today was good until I went ahead in the third set, that was poor. That wasn't good enough.
And Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov managed yet another upset, this time dumping 13th seed Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4.
Yesterday, Novak Djokovic dispatched Columbia's Alejandro Gonzalez to advance to the quarters. He'll next face Marin Cilic in the final eight.
And in women’s doubles,
China's Zheng Jie and her partner Lucie Hradecka have advanced to the semifinal round.
They are still on track to potentially meet China's other representative Peng Shuai and her Taiwan partner Hsieh Su-Wei, if that duo survives their quarterfinal matchup against an Australian team.
Kobe Bryant ruled out for the rest of the NBA season with knee injury
In NBA news,
Kobe Bryant will be on the sidelines for the rest of the season, after being ruled out due to the star's knee injury.
To get technical,Bryant suffered from a fractured lateral tibial plateu of his left knee back in December, and it just hasn't fully healed.
The Lakers will definitely miss his presence on the court. After going 22-42, they're already tied for the worst record in the Western Conference.
Bryant issued a statement through the team saying it's been a disappointing and frustrating season, but "I appreciate all the support I've received from the Lakers and the fans, and look forward to being back and ready for the start of training camp."
Elsewhere,
Word on the street is that 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson might soon be joining the New York Knicks.
Joining the Knicks would be slightly nostalgic for the 68-year old, since he was a player on the Knicks last championship team all the way back in 1973. After his playing days were over, Jackson went on to win six NBA titles as coach of the Chicago Bulls, then five more with the LA Lakers.
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony commented on the rumors after a team shoot around.
"I still don't have all - or a lot of the details. Have I heard? Yeah I heard that he will be coming on board. It's not official yet. But you can always use Phil Jackson's mindset on whatever. His philosophy, his mindset, his resume, what he brings to the game, what he brings to a team or an organisation. That goes without even saying. So we'll see how that plays out. Is different now that he's in the front office rather than coaching - that's a big difference. So we'll see how that plays out."
It's all speculation right now and neither the Knicks nor Jackson have officially commented.
As far as game lineup goes this morning, quite a few are mid-play right now.
And in the CBA,
Tonight is the take-all game five of the semifinal series between the Beijing Ducks and Guangdong Dongguan.
The two teams are tied 2-2 after Guangdong managed a win in Beijing.
Whichever team wins will be meeting Xinjiang in the finals.
Drivers look ahead to Australian Grand Prix
In formula one,
The 2014 season officially gets underway this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.
Team Ferrari and it's "Prancing Horse" are ready to start their title campaign.
Many are looking forward to how Ferrari's inner-team rivalry between newly returned Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso will play out.
Alonso had gotten used to being Ferrari's number one driver, so there's bound to be some competitive sparks.
Mercedes driver Nico Rosburg downplayed Red Bull's Christian Horner's prediction that Mercedes could outlap the field by two at least based on what he's seen in pre-season testing.
"Never take them one hundred per cent by their word just before the first race. We need to be very careful because of course Red Bull want to play things down. Also last year they were nowhere in testing and then come first race they were miles ahead of everybody. So we just need to be careful with that, but we'll see."
The Australian Grand Prix is the first of 19 races, and will get underway this weekend in Melbourne.
Ping pong playing robot duels Timo Boll
It might be a stretch to include this story in sports.. but how about a robot that's really good at playing ping pong?
A German robot manufacturer showcased a ping pong playing robot in Shanghai. To show off its skills, the robot dueled German table tennis star Timo Boll in a promotional video.
The robot is called KR AGILUS, and is usually used to manufacture cars, but the company adapted the model so that it could hold a paddle and play ping pong.
In the video, Boll loses the first few match points, but he rallies to win 11-9.
"Yeah it was really amazing to compete against a robot, and of course we used some tricks, some cheats in the video shooting, but it was really exciting and amazing how fast a robot can move, how precise, and how flexible he is. All the things what a table tennis player needs."
Boll had to win though you see, he's ranked eighth in the world, and I wonder if losing to a robot would have affected his ranking.
Entertainment
Aaron Paul sends Chinese fans a message ahead of 'Need for Speed' release
Aaron Paul has sent his Chinese fans a message, inviting the Chinese audience to see his newest film, "Need for Speed."
"Hi, everyone. This is Aaron Paul. I'm very excited to have 'Need for Speed' come to China. Please come to see it in cinemas in 3D."
The 2014 American action film is directed by Scott Waugh and stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots and Scott Waugh. It is an adaptation of the "Need for Speed" video game series by Electronic Arts.
(Speed)
The film tells the story of street racer Tobey Marshall, played by Aaron Paul. After Marshall is released from prison for a crime he did not commit, he tries to avenge the death of his friend Pete.
The film is set to hit Chinese screens tomorrow (Friday, March 14), on the same day as its release in the U.S.
Chris Pine charged with drink driving in New Zealand
Hollywood actor Chris Pine, who plays Captain Kirk in the latest "Star Trek" movies, has been charged with drunk driving in New Zealand.
The 33-year-old American is due to appear in court on Monday.
New Zealand Police said he was charged with driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, which is .08 percent. He had been stopped during a routine early-morning check.
Pine has been in New Zealand filming the movie "Z for Zachariah," which is set for release next year.
A local pub landlord said Chris Pine had been drinking with many of the film's crew to celebrate wrapping filming. He added that the actor had obliged locals who wanted their picture taken with him and left with his girlfriend at around 2:30 am but did not appear drunk.
John Woo will be president of 2014 Beijing International Film Festival
The Beijing International Film Festival, or BIFF, announced on Tuesday that famous Hong Kong film director John Woo will be the president of this year's festival. The full list of this year's jurors will be released in the next few weeks.
John Woo is famous for iconic action films like "A Better Tomorrow," "The Killer," "Hard Boiled," and "Red Cliff." His Hollywood films include "Hard Target," "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible II." Woo's most recent film is "The Crossing," which stars Zhang Ziyi and Song Hye-kyo, and is scheduled to hit screens in October.
The 2014 Beijing International Film Festival will be held from April 16th to 23rd.
'The Big Bang Theory' renewed for three more years
(The Big Bang Theory)
CBS says it's renewing its hit comedy "The Big Bang Theory" for three more years.
The extraordinary deal would carry TV's most-watched sitcom through the 2016-2017 season.
The comedy about science nerds premiered in September 2007 and has been a ratings smash for virtually its entire run. It has averaged nearly 20 million viewers each week this season.
As well as the United States the show also airs in Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand.
Angelina Jolie to have more cancer-prevention surgery
Angelina Jolie has confirmed that she will have more cancer-preventing surgery after her double mastectomy last year. The 38-year-old actress had the first procedure when doctors found that she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer due to inherited genes.
At the time, Jolie said that she decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as she could. Now, she says she is very happy with the decision she had made but that there is still another surgery to have.
The mother-of-six has previously explained that her own mother passed away from ovarian cancer at 56 after fighting the disease for nearly a decade.
Jolie's partner, Brad Pitt, praised her choice as "absolutely heroic."
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has been expanded as authorities move to quell frustrations about a lack of information flowing forward.
This year's "Lianghui" is set to officially conclude today with the closing of the National People's Congress later this morning.
Tensions are on the rise in Israel and Gaza amid a series of rocket attacks and a decision to bring negotiations to an end.
In Business... Chinese regulators are to put tighter controls on insurers’ bank deposit business.
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. |