新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2015/04/06（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Morning Edition

It's Paul James with you on this Monday, April 6, 2015.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

The Chinese government has laid out a new plan for urbanization along the Yangtze River.

Testing is underway on a section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed rail link.

Heavy fighting is taking place at a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria nearly over-run by Islamic State rebels.

In business... Chinese appliance maker Midea is teaming up with Alibaba for more online sales.

In Sports... Duke set to battle Wisconsin for the NCAA Basketball Championships later on this Monday.

In Entertainment... "Fast and Furious 7" pulls in massive weekend numbers.

First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...

Weather

Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 12 degrees Celsius.

Overnight clear and temperatures will drop to 2.

Shanghai will have slight rain with a high of 13 and a low of 7.

In Chongqing, thundershowers with a high of 17 and a low of 11.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,

Islamabad will have scattered showers with a high of 34.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 19.

Over to North America,

New York will partly cloudy with a high of 18 degrees.

Washington will see sunshine with a high of 24 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 27.

Toronto, Canada, will have some snow with a high of 7 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 22.

And Rio de Janeiro, will have showers with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

Top News

China to develop city clusters along middle reaches of Yangtze

The Chinese government has unveiled a plan to develop more urban areas along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The goal is to try to create new economic growth engines along China's longest river, as well as promote urbanization.

The State Council says the plan will cover urban clusters around the city of Wuhan, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area in Hunan, as well as clusters around Poyang Lake in Jiangxi.

Covering an area of some 317-thousand square kilometers, the initiative is designed to form the core of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Among the priorities for the project is improving connectivity through infrastructure, water conservation and energy projects.

UAE joins AIIB as founding member

The United Arab Emirates has joined the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development will represent the UAE government on the AIIB's board of directors.

At the same time, the Polish government says it has also set a letter of intent to join the AIIB as a founding member.

More than 40 countries have signed up to be a part of the institution.

The exact number of founding members will be confirmed on April 15th.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is going to be a financial institution meant to provide funding for infrastructure projects in Asia.

Child abuse case ignites calls for better protection of minors

Anchor:

Police in the city of Nanjing have arrested a women on charges she severely abused her adopted child.

This follows the release of photos on the internet said to show the results of her abuse.

CRI's Qian Shanming has the details.

Reporter:

The photos first appeared on Weibo on Friday.

In them, a young boy can be seen with numerous bruises on his back, legs, arms, feet and stomach.

The photos have created wide-spread outrage on the internet in China.

Chen Lan is head of an NGO for abused children in Shanghai.

"This kind of massive soft tissue bruising can cause organ failure. When we saw the pictures, we got in contact with authorities and reported the case to the police. We also reached out to the individual who posted the pictures on Weibo to call the police as soon as possible."

Police in Nanjing say they've determined the bruising is the result of a whipping said to have been delivered by the child's foster-mother a few days before the picture's appeared.

Authorities say the assault was the result of the child simply failing to complete his homework.

The child has since been taken back his to hometown by his genetic parents.

Tong Lihua is the head of the Beijing Youth Legal Assistance Research Center.

"In dealing with family abuse cases, the first thing the police should do is take the child out of danger. Otherwise, like many cases in the past, because of a lack of knowledge by both the police and the parents, the child will likely end up in a worse situation if police don't remove them. This will be a very bad result."

But questions are also being raised about why authorities decided to return the child to his birth-parents.

Zhang Chun is a psychology expert with the Jiangsu Women's Federation.

"We need to better understand why his genetic parents gave away their child to the current family. We also need to know whether the child is in any danger in returning to his birth parents, both physically and psychologically"

Research has suggested that of the 700 child abuse cases highlighted in the media between 2008 to 2013 in China, around three-quarters were committed by the child's parents.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming .

Test Runs Underway for Hukun Railway Section

Chinese rail authorities have begun testing on a high-speed railway line linking the city of Xinhuang in Hunan with Guizhou's capital Guiyang.

The Xinhuang-Guiyang line is part of the Hukun high-speed line linking Shanghai and Yunnan's capital, Kunming.

Authorities building the line say the construction of Guizhou section is going to be the most difficult portion.

This includes a bridge to be built across the Beipanjiang River in Guizhou.

Zhang Shuangyang is in-charge of building a scale model of Beipanjiang Bridge.

"We're designing the bridge to ensure both a smooth ride, as well as to prevent the bridge from deforming. We have attached counter-weights on each section of the scale model. We're also assessing the concrete to make sure it can properly handle the weight of the bridge. This should allow us to better estimate the stress the bridge will be under."

The planned Beipanjiang Bridge will be 450 meters in length.

The Guizhou section of Hukun high-speed railway line is expected to be finished by June.

China to Work towards Comprehensive Solution to Middle East Affairs

Anchor:

China's special envoy for Middle East affairs is actively promoting the Chinese government's 'Belt and Road' initiative, suggesting it may help ease the tensions in the region.

CRI's Qizhi has more.

Reporter:

China's special envoy on Middle East affairs, Gong Xiaosheng, says any future solution for the Middle East is going to have to include a reconstruction plan.

"Any future solution to the Middle East should include not only peace agreements, but also humanitarian aid, post-war reconstruction, economic recovery and development. Only a comprehensive solution including political, economic, cultural aspects and others can really push forward the peace process and make breakthrough."

He's suggesting the 'Silk Road Economic Belt' and '21st Century Maritime Silk Road' can help create a lasting peace.

"The 'One Belt and One Road' initiative may become an important aspect of the peace process. We hope to contribute to peace in the Middle East through 'One Belt and One Road', and bring some hope and peace to the people in this region, especial to those living in conflict zones."

The comments have been made as part of meeting among Gong Xiaosheng and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki and chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Gong says the Chinese side is hoping to help push-forward Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

(Soundbite 3, Gong3, male in Chinese)

"The current situation in the Middle East is very difficult. The Palestinian and the Israeli sides have large differences in their positions and do not trust each other. It is difficult to restart negotiations. We hope that through our efforts, both sides can increase trust to each other and insist on solving problems through political way."

Among the topics discussed was the Palestinian acceptance as a member of the International Criminal Court.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

"We hope China will help us solve our problems peacefully and avoid more violence. We always respect the international law and hope to solve the problems under the framework of international law. Joining international institutions including the International Criminal Court shows sufficiently that Palestinian people hope to avoid violence, solve the problems and realize the two-state solution through international law."

The International Criminal Court officially accepted Palestine as an ICC member this past week.

For CRI, I'm Qizhi.

Netanyahu presses U.S. to seek better deal on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once-again denouncing last week's Iranian nuclear deal.

Speaking on the US Sunday talk shows, Netanyahu is describing the preliminary deal reached on Thursday as a "bad deal" that "endangers" Israel.

"I'm not trying to kill any deal. I'm trying to kill a bad deal. You say it's an historic decision an historic deal, it could be a historically bad deal. Because it leaves the pre-eminent terrorist state of our time with a vast nuclear infrastructure. Remember, not one centrifuge is destroyed. Thousands of centrifuges will be left spinning uranium. Not a single facility, including underground facilities is being shut down."

Netanyahu is vowing to continue to lobby against the framework deal before it’s to be finalized at the end of June.

Meanwhile in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been pressing to try to convince a domestic audience that a final deal is in Iran's interest.

Appearing on Iranian television, Zarif is also warning that a lack of a final agreement will allow for the full resumption of nuclear development.

"We will prove to the world that we are committed to our promises and will show the world that others are seeking pretext against us. However, any time our national interests are harmed because of violation by the other side, we will decide how to act. Any time a deal is finalized, if the other side violates the agreement within a period of less than two months, we can return to our current level of nuclear activities."

The framework agreement is meant to limit Iran's ability to create a nuclear weapon.

It will also see the international sanctions currently being imposed on Tehran removed.

Palestinians flee fighting in Yarmouk refugee camp

New reports are suggesting the Islamic State now controls around 90-percent of a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

It's said that around 18-thousand Palestinian refugees remain trapped inside the camp.

The United Nations is making a public plea to allow the civilians still inside the camp to leave.

It's also asking for access to the camp itself to allow for relief materials to be brought in.

Pierre Krahenbuhl is with the UN Relief Agency.

"Three weeks ago it was clear that that civilians were in an extremely weak condition. (The situation) has never been as grave and desperate as its now in Yarmouk Camp. It is a place that has been besieged for two years where about 18000 people have been surviving on very minimal assistance for a long time and now with fighting intensifying their lives are in immediate danger. I think you know that not only there are the 18000 civilians but there are 3500 children among them. And with the intensity of the confrontations, our call has been for parties to immediately suspend military operations that put civilians in danger."

It's being reported a Palestinian militia is helping lead the fight against the Islamic State militants in the camp, along with fighters with the Free Syrian Army.

The Islamic State took over large areas of the camp on Wednesday.

It's said to be the group's first major attack near the heart of the Syrian capital.

The conflict in Syria, which has entered its fifth year, has claimed the lives of more than 200-thousand people.

It's also displaced millions of others.

Yemen rebels making gains on Aden

Fighting between the Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces is said to be intensifying in the southern port city of Aden.

The city is one of the last strongholds of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Hadi remains in-exile after fleeing last week.

A Saudi-led coalition has been leading the fight to try to keep Aden in the hands of forces loyal to Hadi.

But the rebel forces are said to be making gains in Aden.

"The situation is now stable, and the army and the security and the popular committees are fighting off the extremist groups in the al-Mualla district of Aden and are currently completing the cleanse. And God be praised, they were great victories and we will not be broken and will continue onward, God willing."

The Red Cross has been appealing for a ceasefire in Aden to allow it to bring assistance to the civilians caught-up in the fighting.

Some emergency aid is starting to get through.

Two planes carrying medical supplies and aid workers are due to fly into the capital, Sanaa, later on this Monday.

The United Nations estimates more than 500 people have been killed in two weeks of fighting in the country.

Meanwhile, foreign nationals continue to be evacuated from Yemen.

Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey are among a number of countries who have been helping their citizens out of danger.

The Chinese Navy has been assisting the relocation effort, shuttling hundreds out of the country this past week.

One Kenya University attacker identified as the son of a government official

One of the gunmen who are said to have carried out last week's attack at Garrissa University in Kenya has been identified as the son of a government official.

Abdirahim Abdullahi is the son of a local chief in the north-east of the country.

It's believed he joined al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2013.

Last week's attack at Garissa University left 148 people dead and 79 others injured.

Four of the attackers killed themselves after being surrounded.

A fifth gunman is under arrest.

The harrowing ordeal included hundreds of young people being taken hostage.

"Because we were not thinking. We just ran. What we could see was just getting out of that place and exiting that place. So we just ran to the fence, jumped the fence then go out of the school. All we could do was just run. No one was looking back, no one wanted to see what was happening. Because everybody was running for their lives."

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowing a response in "the severest way possible."

Kenya has been a target of al-Shabaab since the country's armed forces began leading an African Union mission into neighboring Somalia in 2011.

Large Hadron Collider restarts after two-year rebuild

Scientists with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, have begun working again after a two-year hiatus.

The Large Hadron Collider was shutdown in 2013 for a major refit.

It's allowed for its power to be doubled, enabling scientists to probe into the so-called "dark universe" that lies beyond the visible one.

Laurette Ponce is the Chief Engineer at CERN.

"Now we have just managed to do the first turn with the anti-clockwise beam, the beam 2. We have been striding the beam all along the ring and we managed to keep it for 25 turns already without the RF capture, so this is already a big success."

The refit will allow particle beams to travel through the Large Hadron Collidor as just-below the speed of light.

Testing of the updated Collidor is set to begin in around a month.

Scientists at CERN say they hope the updated Collidor will help them push the boundaries of science beyond the current Standard Model of particle physics.

Biz Reports

The week on the US markets will begin with how traders have absorbed Friday's jobs report, which has shown weaker job creation in U.S.

This is likely to put stocks under pressure to open the week.

However, it also makes the likelihood of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in June much less likely.

The U.S. Commerce Department is due to issue its February numbers for wholesale inventories on Thursday.

The street is anticipating inventories will have increased 0.2 percent through February.

The Treasury Department is set to release its data for the Federal Budget on Friday.

This week is also the last week before the main thrust of first-quarter earnings reports.

Brazil's consumer price index for March is due out on Wednesday.

The Bank of Canada is set to release its Business Outlook Survey and Senior Loan Officer Survey.

The quarterly business outlook is a summary of interviews with management at 100 different Canadian companies.

On the corporate front,

Aluminum maker Alcoa is scheduled to release its first-quarter figures after the markets close on Wednesday.

Constellation Brands, the maker of Corona beer and Robert Mondavi wine, is expected to report fourth-quarter profits.

It's expected the company is going to post a significant rise in revenues, largely due to sale of higher-priced beer.

Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores also scheduled to issue its quarterly report.

China's transport investment surges 17 pct in the first two months

New figures show transport investment in China is up around 17-percent through the first two months of this year, reaching nearly 29-billion US dollars.

Railway investment is up 8 percent.

Spending on roadways is up around 16 percent compared to the first two-months of last year.

Investment in waterways is up around 85-percent.

However, that's mostly because of a lack of spending during the first two months of last year.

The same analysis shows passenger volumes on the roads, trains and waterways is down nearly 3-percent year on year through January and February.

6 brokers penalized for breach

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has announced 6 brokerages have been punished for violating its margin trading rules.

This follows an on-site inspection tour of securities firms back in February.

Among them, Great Wall Securities has been suspended from opening new margin trading accounts for customers for three months.

Others, including Huatai Securities, Guosen Securities and China International Capital have also been forced to make changes to their margin-trading policies.

Margin trading, which allows investors to borrow cash from brokerages to buy shares, is one of the main drivers of the latest rally in the Chinese A-share market.

Merger between China's top nuclear power giants underway

The merger of China Power Investment and the State Nuclear Power Technology has begun.

Two SOEs are coming together to form "State Power Investment."

The company will have a focus on overseas contracts.

The executives structure hasn't been revealed.

It's being reported the President of State Nuclear Power, Wang Binghua, is likely to chair the new company.

For more on the merger between the two nuclear power giants, we are now joined live by Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

Talking points:

Back Anchor:

Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

Chinese banks implement salary regulations for senior executives

China Construction Bank has announced the salaries of some of its senior executives have been reduced in-line with the new executive salary guidelines laid out last year.

At the same time, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China have also revealed in their annual reports that the salaries of their senior executives will be cut this year.

Chinese authorities approved the plan to reform executive compensation packages in China's state-owned enterprises in August.

The average annual salaries for the chairs of China's five main state-run banks ranges from between 170 to 190-thousand U.S. dollars.

The gap between what top executives earn and what the average employee takes home has been a long-standing source of frustration.

Midea and Alibaba tie up in sales

Chinese appliance maker Midea has announced plans to more than double its sales on Alibaba.

The company says it's hoping to expand its online retail sales to some 1.8-billion US dollars this year.

Midea's online sales through Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao last year made up half of the company's overall revenue through e-commerce last year.

Midea has also announced its increasing its ties with Alibaba's small finance unit.

This is part of a plan by the company to create a "smart" home furniture management system.

TCM company Yunnan Baiyao profits surge nearly 8%

Traditional Chinese Medicine manufacturer Yunnan Baiyao is reporting a nearly 8-percent rise in net profits last year.

The Shenzhen-listed company earned over 400-million US dollars.

This follows a decrease in the company's profits through 2013.

Chinese TCM manufacturers are still being eclipsed by their counterparts from Japan and South Korea.

Those two countries control around three-quarters of the world's TCM market.

Ukraine to triple gas imports from Russia in April: Russian official

Ukranian state-run energy firm Naftogaz is reportedly going to triple its gas imports from Russia starting this month.

Russia's Energy Minister has made the suggestion during a televised interview.

Headline News

China to develop city clusters along middle reaches of Yangtze

The Chinese government has unveiled a plan to develop more urban areas along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The goal is to try to create new economic growth engines along China's longest river, as well as promote urbanization.

The State Council says the plan will cover urban clusters around the city of Wuhan, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area in Hunan, as well as clusters around Poyang Lake in Jiangxi.

Covering an area of some 317-thousand square kilometers, the initiative is designed to form the core of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Among the priorities for the project is improving connectivity through infrastructure, water conservation and energy projects.

Taiwan investigates civilian visit to Apache chopper

Prosecutors in Taiwan are investigating an unauthorized visit of an Apache attack helicopter by civilians.

Eleven people have been questioned in connection with the incident, including Lao Nai-cheng, former deputy head of a helicopter squadron in Taoyuan.

It's being reported he used his clout to allow actress Janet Lee and a number of his friends to view the helicopter without permission.

The incident came to light after Lee posted the visit to the sensitive military facility on social media, prompting the investigation.

Lao and a number of others have already been sanctioned by military authorities in Taiwan.

Forest fire rages in south China, casualties unknown

A forest fire continues to rage in the southern province of Guangxi.

The blaze broke out in a forested area of the city of Baise on Sunday afternoon.

So far the fire has torched around 20 hectares.

Part of the fire which had been threatening a liquefied natural gas facility has since been put out.

No casualties have been reported.

China's transport investment surges 17 pct in the first two months

New figures show transport investment in China is up around 17-percent through the first two months of this year, reaching nearly 29-billion US dollars.

Railway investment is up 8 percent.

Spending on roadways is up around 16 percent compared to the first two-months of last year.

Investment in waterways is up around 85-percent.

However, that's mostly because of a lack of spending during the first two months of last year.

The same analysis shows passenger volumes on the roads, trains and waterways is down nearly 3-percent year on year through January and February.

Newspaper Picks

CHINA DAILY

HEADLINE

Eco-friendly burials

SUMMARY

More than 300 people took time over the weekend to commemorate their dead relatives to mark the Qingming festival along the shore in Tianjin.

The group scattered petals in the sea.

Sea burials are becoming more common in China, given that burials have become much more expensive.

SHANGHAI DAILY

HEADLINE

Qingming numbers down, but still gridlock

SUMMARY

New figures suggest the number of people in Shanghai who took time to visit cemeteries for the Qingming Festival came in down more than 13 percent

Around 3 million people visited the city's cemeteries.

THE BEIJING NEWS

Antiques book

SUMMARY

A book laying out a series of Chinese antiquities collected by the London-based Victoria and Albert Museum has been published.

The book has been compiled by the National Museum of China.

BEIJING MORNING POST

HEADLINE

Record Park visits

SUMMARY

New figures are suggesting more than 20-thousand tourists entered parks in Beijing at 2pm yesterday afternoon, setting a new hourly record.

Authorities say they believe a rush on people hoping to see the spring flower blossoms is the main reason.

CHANGJIANG TIMES

HEADLINE

Abandoned embryos

SUMMARY

New analysis is suggesting that 3 out of 5 unused embryonic eggs extracted from a woman for embryonic implants are abandoned by the would-be mothers in China.

Keeping frozen eggs costs around 24-hundred yuan per year, which is something many parents don't want to pay, particularly if they've had a child already.

THE BEIJING NEWS

HEADLINE

Tomb-sweeping services offered online

SUMMARY

New stats show around 600-thousand people visited websites here in China offering tomb-sweeping proxy services.

The fad, which exploded a couple of years ago, allows people to pay money to have someone else weep and offer prayer services for dead family members.

Special Reports

UK scientists 'milk' deadly snakes to create potent new anti-venom

Anchor:

Scientists in the UK are using a new process dubbed 'antivenomics' to create a single, affordable treatment for snake-bite victims in sub-Saharan Africa.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara has more

Reporter:

Scientists in the UK experimenting to develop a new single anti-venom to treat victims of potentially deadly snakebites across sub-Saharan Africa.

A team at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine aims to create a potent new anti-venom that can be stored safely at room temperature, without being refrigerated.

Dr. Robert Harrison is the lead researcher of this global team.

They have already collected over 450 reptiles from the 21 deadliest snake species in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Harrison has been extracting venom from the reptiles, using a process known as 'milking', to concoct a new anti-venom that he hopes will prevent the deaths and severe injuries suffered by snakebite victims.

"32,000 people are dying from snake bite every year in sub-Saharan Africa. But it's not only that; other people who survive the bite - about 100,000 of them - are living with severe disabled limbs or legs, just really very disabling conditions."

According to the UK's Medical Research Council, a single vial of the most effective anti-venom currently costs about $140 USD per vial.

But several vials are needed to fight the poison in the body after snakebite, and the cost of medication is a huge burden for many in Sub-Saharan Africa who earn less that $1 USD a day.

But according to Dr. Harrison the new process would slash the cost of producing a single dose of anti-venom by almost three fourths.

"So what we're going to try and do is take our existing anti-venom. Now we're going to make it more effective against all the snakes of sub-Saharan Africa. And we're going to do that by identifying the proteins that are unique to all the other species. And taking these unique proteins. i.e. different from the Source Scale Viper, the Puff Adder or the Spitting Cobra, and add that to the venoms of the original."

Anti-venom also needs to be manufactured at special temperatures and refrigerated at all times. Therefore many rural hospitals with an unstable electricity supply are unable to store them.Dr. Harrison's team is also planning to address this problem

"And at the end of three-and-a-half, four years now; so 2018, July 2018 - we will do the ultimate test of whether this new anti-venom, when it's stored at room temperature for at least a year, is effective against all the snakes of sub-Saharan Africa."

In rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa where people are exposed to various species of deadly snakes, having access to treatment on time is a life-or–death issue. Some victims have to travel for several hours before they can get help and by this time, the poison has already spread throughout the body, and they will be disabled even after receiving treatment.

The new affordable anti-venom hopes to change this.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara

Sports

NCAAM: Wisconsin Beats Undefeated Kentucky, Meets Duke in Final

In NCAA action:

Wisconsin beat previously undefeated Kentucky 71-64 in the second NCAA college basketball semi-final in Indianapolis, USA on Saturday to advance to Monday night's championship game against Duke.

With 1:44 left, Wisconsin had a 63-60 edge.

But Kentucky did not quit, and when Aaron Harrison made a layup with less than a minute to go, the Wildcats trailed 64-62. They cut the deficit to one at 64-63, on Harrison's free throw.

But Wisconsin made key free throws of their own down the stretch to maintain a commanding 5-point lead, 69-64.

Frank Kaminsky, the Associated Press national player of the year, and Bronson Koenig went 7 for 8 from the line over the last 24 seconds to seal the win.

Kentucky could not overcome that deficit, and Wisconsin won the game 71-64.

Kentucky finishes the season at 38-1 - two wins short of becoming the first undefeated team in college basketball since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers.

Wisconsin will take on Duke in Monday night's title game, seeking their first national championship since 1941.

Basketball: NBA Recap

Over in the National Basketball Association:

Seven games on deck this morning:

Going on right now,

Miami Heat are taking on the Indiana Pacers (UPDATE)

Games already in the books:

Houston Rockets downed Oklahoma City 115-112

and The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls (UPDATE)

Games coming up later this morning:

Golden State vs. San Antonio;

Philadelphia vs. New York Knicks;

Utah vs. Sacramento;

And it's the battle for Los Angeles when the Lakers take on the Clippers.

Tennis: Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic Emerge Victorious at Miami Open

In tennis:

Novak Djokovic won his fifth Miami Open title earlier this morning, beating Andy Murray for the seventh successive time winning 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-0.

Third seed Murray battled back valiantly to snatch the second set and take the match into a decider, only for his game to desert him as Djokovic claimed victory after almost three hours on court.

Djokovic was gracious toward his opponent after hoisting the trophy:

"I want to congratulate Andy for a great tournament. Bad luck today, but a great battle. It's always a pleasure playing against you. I wish you all the best for the rest of the season."

And Serena Williams thrashed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 to win her eighth Miami Open title.

The win makes Williams the fourth woman in history to win the same WTA tournament at least eight times.

The other three are Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Chris Evert.

When asked how this win compares to her previous titles, the world no. 1 said this:

"I think they're all really special because every time you play a final and come out a champion, you give your best no matter what; and that's what I did today, i gave my best and I ended up winning, so I was just really happy to do that."

Williams now heads to the European clay-court season in the midst of a 21-match winning streak.

Football: Liverpool Jump to 2nd in EPL, La Liga and CSL

In football, first from the Chinese Super League:

Beijing Guoan beat leaders Shanghai Shenhua 2-0 on Saturday to top the league.

---------------------------------------------

In European football action:

Over in the English Premiere League:

Arsenal jump to second in league rankings after their 4-1 surprise victory over Liverpool.

The win propels Arsenal to second and drops Liverpool out of the top four to fifth in league standings.

And Manchester United are now in third after their 3-1 win over Aston Villa. They currently sit one point ahead of rivals Manchester City.

Speaking of Chelsea, they maintain their top spot after a 2-1 win over Stoke.

In action de La Liga:

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick within eight minutes as Real Madrid obliterated Granada 9-1.

Ronaldo netted five goals in total on Mardid's way to racking up 9 and closing the gap between them and league leaders Barcelona.

Barca, however, are not looking to vacate the top spot anytime soon. The catalan giants defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 in their match earlier this morning.

Rugby: England Now 4th Ahead of Australia After Beating S. Africa At Tokyo Sevens

In Rugby:

England moved ahead of Australia in the Rugby Sevens World Series standings, following a 21-14 win over South Africa in the Tokyo Sevens final on Sunday.

The result means England leapfrog Australia into the fourth qualifying place for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where Sevens is making its Olympic debut.

With events in England and Scotland remaining, England need to maintain their position in the standings to secure Team GB a place in Rio.

Golf: Tiger Woods Says He Will Play The Masters

In golf news:

Tiger Woods confirmed over the weekend that he will compete in the Masters down at Augusta National on Thursday.

In a statement posted on his website, Woods says competing in the Masters is "obviously very important to [him]" and he's been working "a lot on [his] game" and is looking forward to competing.

Woods' entry into the Masters will end a nine-week layoff from tournament golf.

The former world no. 1 stepped away from competition after he had to drop out the Honda Classic due to back pain and didn't make the 54-hole cut at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Entertainment

Chinese box office: "War Warrior" takes in 130 million yuan in three days

The 3D war epic "Special Force: Wolf Warrior" has taken in 130 million yuan in the first three days since it was released on April 2.

Chinese martial arts superhero Wu Jing plays the lead role in the film.

Wu Jing plays the role of a Chinese Special Forces soldier who is expelled from the army and then joins a mysterious group of insurgents known as the Wolf Warriors.

Skeptics had earlier said that films like "War Wolf" that focus on themes of war usually fail at the Chinese box office.

But "War Wolf" has proven the critics wrong. It has become the biggest dark horse in the recent history of Chinese cinema, and has even managed to overtake other international releases like "Kingsman: The Secret Service", "Let's get married "and "Insanity" at this week's box office.

A sneak peek into the annual Tribeca Film Festival

The 14th Tribeca Film Festival will open in a few weeks, with big names like James Franco, Richard Gere, Katie Holmes and even Arnold Schwarzenegger expected to attend the event.

The festival was founded in 2002 in response to the 2001 attacks on The World Trade Center.

The festival founder Robert De Niro says it’s a way to help revitalize Lower Manhattan which was devastated by the falling towers.

"That's the reason we started it, so it' was essential. It has evolved over the years, obviously to what it is, and it will evolve into whatever it will become later on. Things are changing so much," De Niro said.

The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on April 15 with "Live From New York," a documentary on the Emmy Award-winning comedy show Saturday Night Live.

The festival will see performances by Mary J. Blige, ballerina Misty Copeland and tap dancer Savion Glover, who will celebrate the life of Frank Sinatra with a concert following the screening of his latest biopic "On the Town."

The festival also features former CIA spy Valerie Plame and "We Steal Secrets" director Alex Gibney, who will join a panel on secrecy and power.

Box Office: "Furious 7" breaks Records With $143.6 Million Debut

"Furious 7," the latest movie in the fast and furious franchise has raced to the top of the North American box office, picking up a massive 143.6 million US dollars in its opening weekend.

The film's gross earnings have already established a new high-water mark for the month of April, blowing past the 95 million US dollars debut of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".

It also marks the highest grossing kick-off for any film in the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

Audiences flocked to see star Paul Walker in one of his final roles.

The film has created a buzz not just in North America.

Internationally, the film rolled out across 10,500 screens in 63 countries.

The month of April is lean on blockbuster fare and "Furious 7" won't get serious competition until "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" debuts on May 1.

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

The Chinese government has laid out a new plan for urbanization along the Yangtze River.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.