The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Weather
Beijing will be rainy tonight with a low of 12 degrees Celsius. Overcast tomorrow with a high of 21 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be rainy tonight, with a low of 17, also rainy tomorrow, with a high of 23.
Chongqing will be overcast, 21 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 29.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, rainy with a high of 27.
Kabul, sunny, 19.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny , high of 21.
Canberra, sunny, 21.
Brisbane, sunny, 27.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 26.
Top News
Two dead as passenger ship sinks off S. Korean coast
Close to 300 people remain missing after a passanger ship went down today off the southwest coast of South Korea.
So far 4 people are confirmed dead, but 291-others on the ship at the time remain missing.
Over 50 people have been hurt in the sinking.
There were 459 people on the boat at the time it went down.
The boat was carrying hundreds of high school students when it went under the waves.
"There was an announcement telling us to sit still at the ferry, but the ferry was already sinking. Some of the students were not able to escape. The ferry started to list, so we asked if we should escape now, but the announcement kept telling us to stay still. I'm so worried about the students in rooms."
The South Korean coast guard says the manifest includes 324 high school students and 14 teachers who were on a school trip.
There are not believed to have been any Chinese nationals on-board at the time of the sinking, the cause of which remains unclear.
Chinese naval vessels move southward in MH370 search
Australian authorities now say they're considering scaling down the air and surface search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
This is because the priority is shifting to an underwater search.
Malaysian authorities say the air and surface searches will continue.
Hishammuddin Hussein is Malaysia's Acting Transport Minister.
"We will not scale down. This is the promise that I made to the families of the passengers and we will continue. But as we move forward, there might be occasions where some of the countries might want to scale down. There are other countries that have come forward, and we just have to find creative ways to do that,"
An underwater search for any remains of the missing flight began this week, with Australian authorities sending a deep-water submersable on the search for wreckage.
The underwater drone has been encountering problems because of the depths it has to travel.
Meanwhile, Chinese ships searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have adjusted their search area more toward the south.
So far nothing connected to the missing plane has been discovered.
Latest figures show China's growth slows to 7.4 percent in 1st quarter
Anchor:
The latest figures show China's economic growth has slowed to 7.4 percent through the first quarter, down from the 7.7 percent registered in the previous quarter.
The latest growth figures also fall below the official annual target rate of 7.5 percent.
Sheng Laiyun with the National Bureau of Statistics suggests the latest figures show China's economy has entered another phase of development.
"I think we should change our concept and look at the changes in China's economy with a new perspective. We have to understand that the Chinese economy has entered a new phrase of structural change and upgrading, so we must look at these reforms and changes with a new perspective of thinking."
The 7.4-percent figure marks the slowest rate of annual growth since the third quarter of 2012, when growth was also 7.4 percent.
The central authorities have announced some modest supportive measures recently, such as tax cuts for small firms and speeding up certian investment in rail projects.
For more on this, we're joined live now by Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of International Business and Economics.
Pro-protestors contune occupation of government buildings in eatern Ukraine
Pro-Russian protesters are continuing their occupation of government buildings in eastern Ukraine, a day after Kiev launched a so-called "anti-terrorist operation."
Ukranian government forces have clashed with around 30 gunmen at an airport near the city of Slovyansk on Tuesday night.
Armoured personnel carriers and aircraft are being stationed about 40 kilometres west of Slovyansk, a city that sits just 160 kilometers away from the Russian border, where an estimated 40-thousand Russian troops are situated.
Roadblocks have also been set up to search vehicles heading into Slovyansk.
Vasyl Krutov is the head of Ukraine's anti-terrorist unit.
"This is an anti-terrorist operation against the active aggression that makes the economic, social and political life of the Ukraine hard, which is heating up a very dangerous situation for the country."
Ukraine's central government contends the insurgents are being stirred up by paid operatives from Russia.
Pro-Russia activists have seized numerous government facilities in at least nine eastern Ukranian cities.
Kiev's use of force has been tacitly approved by Washington, but denounced by Moscow.
Russian Foreign Sergey Lavrov is calling on the government in Kiev to end its operations against pro-Russian groups there.
"We will be trying to settle the situation in a peaceful way and do everything so that the Kiev government will consider, with respect, the opinion and demands of the people living in the southeast of Ukraine and immediately start negotiations with them to relieve the situation instead of trying to escalate it by using national security, defence and law enforcement agencies, especially the army which is prohibited by Ukrainian law.""
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin contends the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine has brought the country to the verge of civil war.
Putin has made that suggestion while speaking with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a telephone conversation late Tuesday.
The teleconference between them comes just ahead of a four-party negotiation planned for this week in Geneva.
Envoys from Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States are scheduled to meet to discuss the unrest in Ukraine.
Meanwhile the U.S. State Department says it anticipates brining in more Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia.
State department spokesperson Jen Psaki.
"Well, they are all on the table. There are a range of individuals who have ties to the Russian government, tied to the events happening in Ukraine, that we are looking at and we are certainly prepared to sanction. If escalation continues, sectoral sanctions, of course, also remain a viable option and we have the tools, if we decide to move in that direction."
The US State Department is suggesting any new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia will likely to target influential people or firms in its business sectors, such as energy, engineering and financial services.
The US government has already imposed sanctions on a number of Russian individuals and institutions following the Russian move to absorb Crimea into the Russian Federation.
S.Korea, Japan begin talks on comfort women ahead of Obama's visit
South Korea and Japan have begun talks on the issue of comfort women ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama' s visit to the two countries next week.
This is the first time the two sides have formally met to discuss comfort women, a euphemism for women forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War Two.
In the 1990s, Japan set up the so-called Asian Women's Fund, a private-public fund to compensate for former sex slaves in Asia.
However, most South Korean victims have refused to take money as it does not directly come from the Japanese government.
Japan has claimed all issues related to the wartime atrocities with South Korea, including comfort women, have been resolved under the 1965 treaty that normalized the diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The United States has been pressing its two close Asian allies to mend ties ahead of Obama's visit to Japan and South Korea.
Boston Honors Survivors
Anchor:
Tributes are continuing to take place in the United States to mark the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings.
The blast took three lives, including that of a Chinese student.
Ann:
At 2:49 Tuesday afternoon, the city of Boston paused to remember the tragedy that occured at the marathon's finish line.
Earlier, nearly three thousand people gathered in downtown Boston to pay tribute to victims and survivors of the attack.
The event also paid tribute to the city's first responders, medical staff, volunteers and the brave citizens of Boston.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the tribute is not just for Boston, but for the whole American nation. He praised survivors for their resilience, saying they have become the face of American resolve.
"It takes you incredible courage for you to be here. I want you to know that you're an inspiration without knowing to people all across this country who suffered tragedies and are going through tragedy. They'll hear you, they see you, they know of you. And the fact you're here, I promise you, gives them the hope that maybe, maybe, they can overcome what they're facing now."
The vice President says the city's response to the attacks a year ago is something the citizens of Boston can be proud of.
"We're Boston. We're America. We respond. We endured. We overcome. And we own the finish line!"
Some survivors attending the event shared their stories. Dance instructor Adrianne Haslet-Davis lost a leg in the tragedy but is standing once again, and danced with her prosthetic leg. She said it's okay sometimes to feel not ok, but urges people to act.
"We use this day not just as a day of remembrance but as a day of action. I wish that everyone who is facing adversity can have the support that we have had. Let April 15 be a very that we all work together to make the world a better place."
Xiaohong, CRI, Boston.
Man charged with possession of hoax device near finish line
Police in Boston say a man has been taken into custody after he dropped a backpack containing a rice cooker near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
The Boston Police Department says the backpack has been blown up by the bomb squad as a precaution, as was a second unattended backpack found nearby.
Randall Halstead is a superintendent with the Boston Police Department.
"When the backpack was dropped on the ground that's when we made calls for the bomb squad to come in and they did their job. That's why the area was locked down, we kept people safe, kept them out of the direct line of Boylston Street. The device after it was being investigated by the bomb squad, it was rendered safe. In the process of rendering that safe we noticed a second backpack off to the side, nobody came ownership of it at that time, that bag was rendered safe at this time."
Halstead has refused to say what was in the second backpack or who it belonged to.
The unattended backpacks have rattled nerves on the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing.
Backpacks containing home-made pressure cooker bombs were used in the terror attack one-year ago.
Venezuela's gov't and opposition agree to set up commission
Venezuela's government and main opposition groups have agreed to create a so-called "national truth commission."
The commission is being set up to get to the bottom of who has been responsible for the unrest which has been gripping Venezuela in recent weeks.
Jorge Arreaza is Venezuela's Vice President.
"We will create the respective working groups, to go forth with the right foot, with rigour, with much rigour. We must emphasise that the meeting was never stress-free, but always took place, like last Thursday, on good terms, with respect and tolerance. We listened to each other, debated, and respected each other's rights, so that we can move forward positively."
Opposition leader Ramon Aveledo.
"We agreed on a wide national truth commission, which is not only legislative, but is wider with representation, with personalities of national life, known personalities that are trustworthy to everyone."
The independent truth commission is being established to determine responsibility for the 41 deaths tied to protests that have rattled Venezuela since February.
The opposition has also been demanding President Nicolas Maduro's government free jailed opponents, including detained leader of the Popular Will party, Leopoldo Lopez.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Asian markets moved higher today as China posted slightly better-than-expected growth data.
Japan also helped lead the region higher after Tokyo picked up from a recent spate of heavy selling.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite was up 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component edged up 0.25 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.5% following the release of the GDP figures here in China.
The biggest gains in the region have been made in Japan, where the Nikkei has risen 2.1% as the yen weakened.
This follows Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda's comments that the Japanese economy is on a steady track toward 2% inflation--a key target set by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Elsewhere in Asia, markets digested events that sparked a volatile trading session in the U.S. and continued geopolitical tensions in Ukraine.
Although Wall Street ended the day higher, regional markets were only slightly higher ahead of today's flurry of economic data coming from China.
Australia's ASX 200 added 0.4%.
South Korea's KOSPI was up less than 0.1%.
Singapore's Straits Times added 0.2%.
Regulator denies immediate resumption of IPOs
The China Securities Regulatory Commission is rebuffing reports its planning to resume IPO applications immediately.
The CSRC says there's no specific timetable for the resumption of IPO's.
The commission says IPO applicants are still filing for their latest annual fiscal auditing reports.
The CSRC says it is working on the restart of the IPO process, and will release the list of applicants to be examined by the panel.
Chinese incomes continue surging in Q1
New figures show that average incomes here in China have increased through the first quarter.
Disposable incomes for urban resident have reached 81-hundred-55 yuan per month, which is around 13-hundred US dollars.
The growth marks a 7.2 percent increase in urban wages year on year.
As for rural resident, average monthly incomes have hit 32-hundred-24 yuan, which is more than 10 percent growth on an annualized basis.
China's housing sales falls in first quarter
Official data here in China shows housing sales have fallen 7.7-percent to 1.1 trillion yuan through the first quarter.
It's believed this is due to lending limits and falling prices in certian Chinese cities, which have hit housing demand since the start of the year.
The National Bureau of Statistics is reporting total property investment growth has also slowed to 16.8-percent.
This is down from the more than 19-percent jump through the first two months of the year.
Construction starts by area in the January-March period have fallen 25-percent to 290 million square meters.
Sina Weibo to be listed in Nasdaq
Anchor:
Sina Weibo, China version of Twitter, is going to be listed on the Nasdaq tomorrow.
The listing is going ahead, even though Sina Weibo has reported significant losses through the first quarter of this year.
Sina Weibo, China's number-one micro-blogging platform, reported a first-quarter net-loss that was more than twice of the first-quarter losses they reported last year.
The Chinese version of Twitter said its net-loss was 47-million U.S. dollars during the first three months. The amount was 19 million around the same period last year. Last week, Hong Kong-based newspaper, South China Morning Post, reported that Sina Weibo might have 300-million "skeleton," or inactive accounts among 500-million registered in total.
Li Ruyan has a Weibo account, but she says she doesn't use Weibo as much as before.
"I used to use Weibo a lot, but not anymore. Now, I use WeChat, but I think Weibo and WeChat are different media. If I want to acquire information based on my interests and my needs, I'll use Weibo. If I need to share my personal life or read my friends' posts, pictures and threads, I just use WeChat."
With the IPO listing of Sina Weibo approaching, the discussion on whether Weibo is losing its value is becoming more intense. Some even say the listing is just a swansong.
However, Zheng Baowei, director of Renmin University of China's Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, says Weibo will still be an important part of Chinese people's lives.
"There is a noticeable decline in the amount of active Weibo users, but in general, Weibo will remain a very influential medium, especially in China. It's a significant way for ordinary people to express their opinions, and get information. And the governments at different levels have also realized its importance, for example, using Weibo as an anti-corruption tool. Of course, the listing will bring Sina Weibo more opportunities in expanding its brand value and competitiveness. But there will also be more challenges from the market—it depends."
Cheng Manli, Vice-Dean of Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication, adds Weibo differs from WeChat because the microblogging platform not only functions as an information sharing and commercial activity platform, it is also playing an important role in diplomatic relationship.
"There is a trend in which many overseas countries value Weibo's function in the diplomatic field. It's necessary for public diplomacy in the new media era. Many influential people in the U.S., Europe and Australia opened Weibo accounts before they visited China. They hope to present a closer and more vivid image of themselves to the Chinese people."
According to Sina, some 200 world leaders have opened Weibo accounts. Sina says more than 70 percent of active users have logged on at least once a month on mobile devices, indicating a strong shift to the mobile Internet market.Sina Weibo says it expects to garner up to 500-million dollars in the IPO.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Alibaba's growth accelerates, U.S. IPO filing expected next week
Alibaba is reporting its revenue growth for the final quarter of last year have increased.
The news comes as the Chinese Internet company prepares to file a prospectus next week for its IPO in the United States.
Alibaba is expected to file its prospectus as early as Monday.
The company, which controlls four-fifths of all Chinese online consumer shopping, has recorded a 66-percent surge in sales to 3.1 billion US dollars through the final three months of last year.
Alibaba's revenues have increased after several quarters of slowing growth.
Alibaba's net income from October to December has come in at 1.4 billion US dollars.
Tesco announces 6% fall in profit
Tesco is reporting a 6-percent decline in annual profits.
However, the British-based retailer earned 5.5-billion US dollars, even though Tesco continues to lose market share to discount rivals.
It is the second year in a row Tesco has recorded declining profits.
In Europe, profits are down some 28-percent as sales have been slumping in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and Ireland.
Profits are also down 5.6-percent here in Asia to 1.1-billion US dollars.
Tesco's core UK market share has fallen to a near 10-year low.
Tesco is refurbishing 650 stores across the UK over the next 3-years.
The supermarket has also recently cut prices on essential items such as bread, eggs and milk by close to 25-percent in an effort to compete with discount stores.
Danone Q1 Sales Decline; Reiterates Full-year View
French diary giant Danone is reporting a 5.2-percent decline in its first-quarter sales.
Sales, however, are showing growth of 2.2 percent.
The company is still standing behind its original full-year outlook.
Headline News
Two dead as passenger ship sinks off S. Korean coast
Close to 300 people remain missing after a passanger ship went down today off the southwest coast of South Korea.
So far 4 people are confirmed dead, but 291-others on the ship at the time remain missing.
There were 459 people on the boat at the time it went down.
The boat was carrying hundreds of high school students when it went down.
There are not believed to have been any Chinese nationals on-board at the time of the sinking, the cause of which remains unclear.
Chinese naval vessels move southward in MH370 search
Australian authorities now say they're considering scaling down the air and surface search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
This is because the priority is shifting to an underwater search.
An underwater search for any remains of the missing flight began this week, with Australian authorities sending a deep-water submersable on the search for wreckage.
The underwater drone has been encountering problems because of the depths it has to travel.
Meanwhile, Chinese ships searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have adjusted their search area more toward the south.
So far nothing connected to the missing plane has been discovered.
3 dead, 5 missing in E China chemical plant blast
An explosion has rocked a chemical plant in Jiangsu, killing 3 and leaving 5 others missing.
The blast hit the chemical plant this morning in the city of Rugao, which is about 100-kilometers east of the provincial capital, Nanjing.
Firefighters have since gotten the fire under control.
Its unclear what caused the blast.
Latest figures show China's growth slows to 7.4 percent in 1st quarter
The latest figures show China's economic growth has slowed to 7.4 percent through the first quarter, down from the 7.7 percent registered in the previous quarter.
The latest growth figures also fall below the official annual target rate of 7.5 percent.
The 7.4-percent figure marks the slowest rate of annual growth since the third quarter of 2012, when growth was also 7.4 percent.
The central authorities have announced some modest supportive measures recently, such as tax cuts for small firms and speeding up certian investment in rail projects.
Pro-protestors contune occupation of government buildings in eatern Ukraine
Pro-Russian protesters are continuing their occupation of government buildings in eastern Ukraine, a day after Kiev launched a so-called "anti-terrorist operation."
Ukranian government forces have clashed with around 30 gunmen at an airport near the city of Slovyansk on Tuesday night.
Ukraine's central government contends the insurgents are being stirred up by paid operatives from Russia.
Kiev's use of force has been tacitly approved by Washington, but denounced by Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin contends the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine has brought the country to the verge of civil war.
The comment comes just ahead of a four-party negotiation planned for this week in Geneva.
Envoys from Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States are scheduled to meet to discuss the unrest in Ukraine.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
"TV broadcast restriction to regulate industry"
Starting from Jan 1, 2015, Chinese TV series will no longer be allowed to broadcast on more than two satellite channels at the same time during prime time, according to the latest regulation issued by the country's top media authority.
TV series run on satellite channels during prime time will also be restricted to no more than two episodes each day, the regulation by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television states.
The move is to "further balance the program structures of satellite channels, strengthening their positions as comprehensive platforms, optimize resources of the channels and enrich TV screens," the administration said on its website on Tuesday.
The new regulation is expected to increase the number of TV series that are broadcast.
And less money will be made by production companies as fewer TV stations will buy each series, according to a producer.
China News Service
"Air China flights offer trial in-flight Wi-Fi service"
Enjoying a live webcast on the plane is no longer just a dream in China, as trial in-flight Wi-Fi service was provided on Wednesday for passengers on two Air China flights.
The new service enabled passengers on board the flights linking Beijing and Chengdu to surf the Internet, check e-mails, make online trading, and browse micro blogs on their tablet computers or laptops, but not smartphones.
As a technology boasting proprietary intellectual property rights of China, the in-flight broadband Internet access featuring 4G mobile technology can help users enjoy connection speeds of about 30 megabits per second.
Asia One
"Bio-battery can charge phones in just 30 seconds"
A prototype battery - roughly the size of a cigarette pack - which can charge a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone in about 30 seconds was showed at a symposium in Tel Aviv StoreDot lately.
And as we all know, traditional battery packs usually take hours to fully charge a phone.
The rapidly-charging smartphone battery is a type of biological battery made with a type of amino acid known as peptides.
StoreDot CEO said: "Batteries are just one of the industries we can disrupt with this new material. It is new physics, new chemistry, a new approach to devices."
According to the Daily Telegraph, the batteries will not be commercially available until late 2016.
Even then, the prototype shown in Tel Aviv is far too large. It has to be compatible with today's slim mobile devices before it can reach the shelves.
The batteries are expected to retail at about ?18 (S$37).
Yahoo News
"Are Long Commutes Killing Your Employee Productivity?"
Recent research from the UK's Office of National Statistics found that long time commute had a huge impact on an employee's productivity.
And those with a commute higher than 45 minutes are "less satisfied with their lives", "rated their daily activities as less worthwhile" and "reported higher anxiety" than those who don't have a long commute to make each morning.
To get the most out of your employees, it is important that they are put into a position where they can do their job to the best of their ability.
For some employees this means being supplied with the correct equipment, and for other employees this means being given appropriate training, but all employees can benefit from a "good start to the day."
And there is one thing all your employees will have in common: a burning dislike for their morning commute.
Special Reports
BJIFF kicks off tonight with star-studded red carpet walk
Anchor:
This year's Beijing International Film Festival is kicking off tonight at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
This year's opening ceremony will see the international jurors of the Tiantan Awards, movie stars and other guests walking the red carpet.
The festival runs until April 23rd.
Our correspondent Doris Wang is now at the red carpet ceremony.
Sports
Sport LA Clippers score record 57th victory
In Basketball,
The Los Angeles Clippers thrashed the Denver Nuggets 117-105 and in doing so racked up a franchise record 57th victory of the season
Blake Griffin scored 24 points while picking up his 16th technical foul of the season meaning he is subject to a one game suspension. Elsewhere Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists and DeAndre Jordan pulled down 16 rebounds along with his 13 points.
This victory keeps the Clippers to within one game of the Oklahoma City Thunder the second seed in the Western Conference with one game remaining in the season.
They could take their place if they win at Portland on Wednesday night and if the Oklahoma City Thunder lose at home to the Detroit Pistons.
Novak Djokovic triumphs in Monte Carlo opener
In Tennis,
Novak Djokovic opened his Monte Carlo Masters title defence by demolishing Spain's Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-0 to reach the third round.
In his first clay court match of the season, the Serbian world number-two took just 45 minutes on the centre court winning 11 games in succession.
Second seed Djokovic is bidding to become the first player to achieve an Indian Wells to Miami to Monte Carlo Masters treble in the same season.
.
The 26-year-old has won the past four Masters events he's played in, prevailing in Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
Elsewhere Sixth seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-0.
Asian Champions League results and live scores
In football
Defending Champions Guangzhou Evergrande were defeated 2-0 by Melbourne Victory last night in the Asian Champions League. That group is as tight as it can be with all four sides on seven points after 5 games a piece. Guangzhou still sit top on goal difference however.
Elsewhere Japan's Kawasaki Frontale defeated Guizhou Renhe 1-0 to move closer to qualifying for the knock-out stage in Group H.
Coming up today, Beijing Guoan have just kicked off against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home…. (19:30 kickoff)
AND Shandong Luneng are currently up against Thai side Buriran United (Kick-off 19:00)
Arsenal back in top four after defeating West Ham 3-1
In English football,
Arsenal won their match against West Ham last night putting them back into the top four of the Premiership, a point ahead of Everton, where they need to stay to qualify for the Champion's League.
The match was goalless for most of the first half but then in the 40th minute Matt Jarvis put the Hammers in front threatening to add to Arsenal's winless streak of five games.
But then just a minute before the break Lukas Podolski restored the balance, and then in the second half Olivier Giroud and Podolski again scored to take the final result to 3-1.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, felt his side were unlucky with the result
"Not getting in at half time at one nil up was a big disappointment. When we got to the first 12-15 minutes of the second-half we're looking comfortable again and the second goal just about sickened me off really because the performance meant nothing after that."
Meanwhile Arsenal Manager Arsen Wenger said his side now need to just focus on one game at a time:
"In the Premier League if you can find me some easy games I'll be taking them but I haven't seen some this season and we know we have to win our games and hope that Everton will slip up somewhere but let's focus on our job and not focus to much on Everton."
Everton will have the chance to reclaim the fourth spot in the league when they take on Crystal Palace at 2:45 Beijing time, or 7:45pm in England.
Kicking off at the same time third placed Manchester City will get the chance to close the gap on Chelsea when they take on bottom of the league Sunderland.
Manchester City top earning team in world sport - Survey
AND Man City should defeat Sunderland to earn their wages as a new survey has found that they are the highest paid team in global sport.
Sportingintelligence.com has calculated that the average pay for a first team player is 5.3 million pounds per year (8.9 million US dollars).
Major League Baseball sides the New York Yankees and LA Dodgers rank second and third in the list, with Spanish football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona rounding off the top five.
Five Premiere League clubs sit in the top 20 with Manchester United Ranked 8th, Chelsea 10th, Arsenal 11th and Liverpool – who currently sit top of the Premiere League - in 20th position.
The report looks at 294 teams in 12 countries across seven different sports, football, basketball, gridiron, cricket, ice hockey and Aussie rules football.
The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are the only NBA sides to make the top 10 but on the whole that league is the highest paying on average.
The survey only takes into account earnings from playing sport and not any sponsorship or extra curricular earnings.
Entertainment
Prosecutors approve arrest of singer Li Daimo over drug use
Prosecutors here in Beijing have approved the arrest of talent show singer Li Daimo.
The decision has been announced via the procuratorate's official Sina Weibo account.
Li could face upto three-years in prison if found guilty.
Beijing police detained six suspects, including singer Li Daimo, for allegedly taking drugs at Li's temporary home in Sanlitun on March 17.
Urine samples taken from the suspects all tested positive for methamphetamines.
All have reportedly admitted to taking the drugs.
Li Daimo joined the first season of 'The Voice of China' in 2012 and shot to instant fame after performing his rendition of Qu Wanting's "You Exist in My Song".
Artist Red makes a portrait of Jackie Chan with 64,000 chopsticks
Malaysian artist 'Red' has created a portrait of Kung Fu star Jackie Chan using 64-thousand chopsticks.
Red says she collected the 64-thousand disposable chopsticks herself, bound them in bundles of various sizes, then hung them on a steel frame.
The artwork took a month to complete.
The artist says the portrait has been commisioned by Chan's office as a birthday gift for the action film star.
Red has created portraits of other celebrities with recycled materials.
She once made a portrait of Chinese director Zhang Yimou out of socks and pins, along with one of Taiwan pop star Jay Chou from coffee cup stains.
Red's current portrait is being stored at Chan's office in Beijing, and will be displayed at a gallery to be named later.
Paul Walker brothers help finish "Fast and Furious 7"
Two of the brothers of late actor Paul Walker are set to step in to help complete "Fast & Furious 7," which has been on hold since the actor's death late last year.
According to the film's official Facebook page, Caleb and Cody Walker will help film the remaining action scenes.
Walker was in the middle of shooting "Fast & Furious 7" when he was killed in a fiery car crash in Valencia, California over Thanksgiving last year.
Filming the rest of the film has been held up for several months, as the director and writers pour over existing footage and tweak the script.
Production resumed this month.
The film is being slated for release in April of next year.
Disneynature to present feature film "Bears" on Earth Day
Disney Nature is planning to put forward a feature film on bears for this year's Earth Day.
"Bears" is about the first year in the life of mother bear and her two cubs in Alaska.
Director Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey each spent several months on the ground in the remote Alaskan wilderness, shooting more than 400 hours of footage to make the 75-minute feature film.
The filmmakers note the film is not a documentary.
They wrote a script for the film and treated the bears as movie stars.
"What we're looking for is obviously a mother with two newborn cubs, but we're also looking for a relaxed mother. And bears, just like human beings, have different personalities, and when we discovered Sky we knew that she was a winner for us. She was an absolute star, and she proved to be."
Disney Nature's "Bears" opens in the U.S. on Earth Day, which is Friday.
For every person who sees the film in its opening week, Disney will donate money to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's National Park system.
Billy Crystal brings '700 Sundays' from Broadway to HBO
After two successful Broadway runs, American comedian Billy Crystal's autobiographical stage show "700 Sundays" will be moved to the small screen.
The two-act, one-man show deals with Crystal's relationship with his father, who died when he was 15.
The title refers to the number of Sundays Jack Crystal shared with his son before he passed away.
Billy Crystal first performed the show in 2004, but says it's become less emotional to perform over time.
"But a different emotion than when I first did it 10 years ago. I was very close to the death of my mom then, so, and uncles, and very close friends, all within a short period of time, so writing the original '700' was a very cathartic experience. So now removed a lot from that real pain, the pain is now different and let me be more emotional in a better way and freer with it."
"700 Sundays" premieres Saturday on HBO.
Miley Cyrus hospitalized and cancels shows
Singer Miley Cyrus has been hospitalized.
A bad reaction with medication has forced her to cancel her "Bangerz" concert in Kansas City, Missouri.
A spokesperson for the singer says she canceled her performance Tuesday after being hospitalized for a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics.
Cyrus's publicist says the young singer is on "medical rest" at her doctors' advice.
Tickets for the concert she's missed are being refunded.
This is the 2nd time Miley Cyrus has cancelled a concert this month.
She also cancelled a concert two Monday's ago for what is being described as "the flu."
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Close to 300 people are missing after a boat sank today off the southwest coast of South Korea.
Australian authorities are now considering scaling back the air and surface search for missing flight MH370 as the underwater search gets underway.
GDP growth here in China through the first quarter has come in below the government's full-year target.
In business, Chinese regulators are dismissing reports of an impending reopening of the IPO market here in China.
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.
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