Evening Edition

It's Spencer Musick with you on this Monday, April 27th, 2015.

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

Coming up on our program this evening...

The death toll from the devastating quake that hit Nepal rises to over 3,700...

Rescue work underway in China's Tibet region affected by the quake in Nepal...

Four South Korean civic groups urging Japanese Prime Minister Shizno Abe to square up to his country’s' history of wartime aggression on the occasion of his visit to the United States...

In Business: Chinese authorities denied reports of a massive merger plan to cut state-owned enterprises to 40 from the existing 112.

In Sports: the latest action from the NBA playoffs...

In Entertainment: tributes rolling in for renewed Chinese poet Wang Guozhen...

All of that coming up in just a moment, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour, or email us directly at [email protected]. You can also visit english.cri.cn for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

top

China Sends Third-batch Aid team to Nepal

Anchor:

The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has climbed to over 3,700.

An intensified rescue and relief effort is underway.

As CRI's Huang Shan reports, at least three Chinese aid teams are joining the effort in Nepal, together with other international teams.

Reporter:

Besides the thousands killed, Nepalese authorities say the massive quake has also injured more than 65-hundered people with Chinese and Indian officials reporting dozens of people killed in their countries.

Nepalese officials have warned that the number of casualties could rise as rescuers reach remote areas of western Nepal.

Meanwhile, massive tent camps have emerged in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for those displaced or afraid to stay indoors.

The UN says at least 14 international medical teams are on the way to Nepal and up to 15 international search-and-rescue teams have been sent.

China is sending its third batch of aid teams to the neighboring country.

The 55-member team affiliated with China's armed forces is expected to carry out rescue missions as well as psychological counseling and medical aid.

Another 45 Chinese soldiers are set to leave for Nepal tomorrow. The total 100 soldiers are bringing with four sniffer dogs, five recovery vehicles and rescue equipment, including life detectors and entry tools.

A Chinese medical team carrying 13 tons of medical aid arrived in Nepal earlier today.

The 58-strong medical team will stay in Nepal for about two weeks.

The medical team has participated in medical rescue missions in previous major earthquakes at home.

Meanwhile, China's non-governmental organizations are also offering a helping hand to the neighboring country.

The Blue Sky Rescue Team, one of China's largest civilian rescue teams, has arrived in Nepal 36 hours after the country was struck by the powerful earthquake.

Its team leader, Zhang Yong, says they hope to conduct their rescue operation within the golden 72 hours window available after a disaster.

"We have marked some important regions and blind spots on the map. We will send our members to the epicenter of the quake. We believe the disaster situation there is very serious. After checking the quake-stricken scenes, if condition allowed, our team will carry out the work as soon as possible."

The team has brought with a large batch of rescue materials, including unmanned aerial vehicles, electric generators, life detectors, mountain rescue equipment, and medicine.

By applying the unmanned aerial vehicle to relief work, the team aims to rescue more victims in blind spots.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

Rescue Work Underway in Tibet Quake Zone

Chinese authorities say a delegation of government officials and more relief supplies have arrived in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to assist with the aftermath of the 8.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has allocated thick tents, cotton coats, comforters, cots and sleeping bags to the affected areas in Tibet.

The regional government has also sent tents, coats, food, medicine and drinking water.

A team of 38 PLA medical experts and more than 500 engineering soldiers equipped with heavy machinery have been dispatched to the disaster areas.

Nine Chinese military helicopters have arrived in quake-hit Xigaze City in Tibet to help with relief work.

However, snowy weather and landslides have hindered rescue and relief efforts in quake-affected areas.

Quake-triggered landslides have blocked many road sections to Tibet's border towns of Gyirong and Zham.

Chen Qin, a China Central Television reporter, says that conditions in that area are still not stable.

"It is very difficult to get through the road to Zham. Landslides, mud-rock flows and aftershocks can happen anytime."

Roads, power and communication remain cut off in Rongxar Town, Tingri County.

At least 20 people have been confirmed dead, 58 people injured and another four missing in Tibet after the earthquake that struck neighboring Nepal on Saturday.

Some 24,800 people have been relocated in Tibet's Xigaze City.

Automakers Eyes China's New-energy Vehicle Market

Anchor:

Chinese and foreign automakers are competing for a share in the new-energy vehicle sector in the Chinese market.

In the ongoing Shanghai Auto Show, a record 103 new-energy cars have been unveiled by both domestic and foreign manufacturers.

CIR's Yu Yang reports.

Reporter:

Shifting from the focus on the display of vehicle designs seen in previous years, in this year's Shanghai Auto Show, so-called green auto cars become a priority.

Zheng Gang, general manager of BJEV, a Beijing-based auto maker, says the company is in cooperation with an Italian auto manufacturer to design a world-leading new-energy car, which is expected to hit the market by the end of this year.

"This electric car is completely newly designed, rather than a modification from traditional cars. Currently, only two mass-produced car models in the world are made with this technology. One is BMW's I3 and the other is Tesla's model S. So this car will bring the Chinese domestic brands into the world top ranking of the new-energy vehicle producers."

The plug-in hybrid vehicles sector is also one of the highlights in the Shanghai auto show.

World major automakers including Audi, BMW and Volvo all displayed the plug-in hybrid vehicles in the show.

Industry insiders say they have seen huge potential in the new-energy car sector, but add that nurturing a mature market still takes joint efforts from producers, government and the society.

Wang Hao, the US automaker Tesla's north region sales manager, says the company's future in China needs support from government policies and the general public.

"We hope that everyone can join us to understand that new-energy vehicles are development direction in the future. We also hope that the whole society can pay attention to this industry and the Chinese government can provide support in this regard. Then this sector will have a faster and healthier development in the future."

Observers say the Chinese government's huge subsidies for the purchase of new-energy vehicles has shown the country's determination to develop this green sector.

As one of the seven strategic emerging industries promoted by the government, with the advancement of technological innovation and more incentive policies, the development of China's new-energy vehicles is expected to go on the fast track in the coming years.

The ten-day Shanghai Auto Show, which will conclude on Wednesday, has attracted more than 2,000 domestic and international exhibitors.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

Malaysian PM calls for joint ASEAN effort fighting extremism

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is urging Southeast Asian leaders to jointly combat the threat posed by extremism as he hosts an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Najib welcomed nine leaders from the ten-member ASEAN bloc, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The 10 leaders will be discussing both regional and international issues during the two-day summit.

In his opening address, Najib called on the leaders to endorse a document on combating extremism in the region.

"One of the documents we'll adopt at this summit is the Langkawi Declaration on Global Movement of Moderates. It is imperative that we adopt this declaration because even in our region we're not spared the threat posed by extremism. For example, from the advocates of the so-called 'Islamic State'."

Malaysia on Sunday arrested 12 people linked to the militant group Islamic State and seized explosives, foiling a plan to attack several locations in and around the capital.

It was not clear whether any of the alleged attacks were linked to the summit.

Nursultan Nazharbaev Re-elected as Kazakh president

Preliminary results show that incumbent President Nursultan Nazharbaev has won Kazakhstan's presidential election, granting him another five years in office.

According to Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission, the ruling Nur Otan party candidate Nazarbayev won 97.7 percent of the votes.

Nazarbayev expressed his appreciation to his voters.

"We have demonstrated to the whole world that Kazakhstan's political culture means unity, responsibility. Everyone came to polling stations. Of course to elect a president means to elect one's future. So they came to vote for their future, each one of them having his own hopes. They wanted to express them, they came and expressed them. Big thanks and deep bow to all Kazakh citizens."

Nazarbayev has promised to implement reforms in his next term.

He says his first step is to create a commission to implement all five institutional reforms that he has announced.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Nazarbayev on his re-election.

In a message, the Chinese leader said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kazakhstan relations, and expressed his willingness to join hands with Nazarbayev to bring the ties to a new level.

Nazarbayev is the first and thus far only president of Kazakhstan since the country's independence in 1991.

He has kept a support rate of more than 90 percent in all previous elections.

S.Korean civic groups urge Abe for sincere apology in U.S. Congress

Four South Korean civic groups are urging Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to make a sincere apology for wartime crimes on the occasion of his speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress scheduled for Wednesday.

A total of 68 members of four civic organizations have sent a joint letter to heavyweight U.S. politicians such as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boehner, and Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to Seoul.

The letter is asking members of the U.S. Congress to urge Abe to voice clearly and publicly a heartfelt apology for its colonial rule and aggression, including military sexual slavery known to the world as comfort women.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in the Second World War, his speech at the US Congress is widely seen to be setting the tone for his address to mark the anniversary.

Some observers say the success of the visit will depend on whether and how honestly Abe confronts Japan's wartime atrocities, but some argue the issue of history will not become the focus of his speech this time.

For more on this, CRI's Tu Yun earlier spoke to Dr. Teng Jianqun, Director of the Research Department of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.

Back anchor:

That is Dr. Teng Jianqun, Director of the Research Department of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, speaking with CRI's Tu Yun.

Memories at Prisoner-of-war Camps Hard to Forget for US WWII Veteran

Anchor:

Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, US survivors of the battle in the Pacific theatre have been recounting their experiences.

CRI's Niu Honglin brings us the story of a US veteran who became a prisoner of war.

Reporter:

92-year-old Ralph Griffith served in the U.S. army in the Philippines during World War II.

He and a number of other U.S. soldiers were captured after Japanese forces over-ran Corregidor Island in 1942.

Griffith spent 5-months in a prisoner-of-war camp in Cabanatuan before being transferred to a Japanese POW camp in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang in Liaoning.

He says many of his fellow prisoners didn't survive the transfer.

"I know one fellow, that we buried at sea. He had, he had dysentery, and he was skin and bones. Me and another fellow was talking to him one day, and the next minute by, he died. There was around 400 died that winter from starvation. We got very little rice and we started working at a factory called MKK."

Griffith says they were also subject to medical experiments.

"They put medicine, drop of medicine four places on my arm, and then took a scalpel, and made a cross and with each of those medicine. I never got sick or anything. I don't know what it was about. They never did tell us what it was."

It's been suggested as many as 580-thousand died as a result of medical experiments or germ warfare unleashed by the Japanese military during World War II.

Griffith says he hopes the history of what took place will finally be accepted as fact.

"The Japanese were pretty, they were pretty brutal against the Chinese people. They keep denying the things that went on, I guess. They even, I've heard they've even [deemed] that it was our fault to start the war, that we started the war, instead of the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. They don't say too much about that. The schools, the denial of what things that went on, and they don't let the people know. The people, I guess, one day hear the things will get surprised, you know."

Japan surrendered on August 15th, 1945.

It's capitulation ended over 30-years of attempts to carve out territory throughout the Asia-Pacific, including the failed attempt to over-run China.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

UNICEF starts delivering relief aid to Yemen

The United Nations Children's Fund has started delivering medical aid to Yemen.

UNICEF spokesperson Mohamed Al-Asadi says the aid includes essentials for hospitals in the country.

"Today we have distributed medicine and relief aid to four main hospitals in the capital Sanaa. They will be used in the coming months, at least for two months, to provide relief, first aid and also obstetric aid as well as nutrition for malnourished children."

UNICEF estimates over a hundred children have been killed since the Saudi-led air strikes began a month ago.

The Saudi-led coalition has been targeting Houthi rebel locations throughout the country, despite an announcement last week that its campaign was coming to an end.

Houthi forces, said to be backed by Iran, have taken over much of the country, forcing President Abd-rabu Manour Hadi to flee the country.

Fighting in Yemen over the past month has killed an estimated 550 civilians.

More than 150-thousand people have fled the country.

Most have crossed over to neighboring Djbouti.

China International Cartoon and Animation Festival to Open Tomorrow

The 11th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival will kick off tomorrow in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Around 600 animation exhibitors from more than 70 countries and regions are expected to participate in the event.

As the biggest event dedicated to animation and cartoons in China, the festival will bring together leading artists, industry insiders, university professors, and fans.

For more on the event, I earlier spoke with Andrew Jones, senior editor at gbtimes, CRI's partner radio station in Finland, who is covering the event in Hangzhou.

That's Andrew Jones, senior editor at gbtimes, CRI's partner radio station in Finland.

Colombians call for a revival of railway system

Anchor:

A growing number of Colombians are calling for a revival of the country's once-vital railway system amid rising complaints about the traffic congestion in the country's major centers.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

Reporter:

Daniel Linares is one of many commuters in Colombia's capital, Bogota, who uses the city's overloaded TransMilenio system every day.

Like many of his fellow commuters, Linares has to endure long queues to get on to overcrowded buses.

As such, he's among a growing chorus of voices in Columbia calling for a revival of the country's once-dominant rail system.

"It seems like an excellent idea to me to incorporate trains, for example the 30 [main street in Bogota] would be a good route for a train that would make some stops. This would allow for the movement of a lot more people, and there would be less congestion."

Right now, Bogota remains one of the very few capital cities in Latin America without a subway system.

That fact is somewhat surprising, as modern Colombia developed, in part, through the development of its rail system.

At one time, Colombia's nearly one-thousand kilometers of railway tracks streched throughout the country, linking Bogota to the Caribbean city of Santa Marta in the north.

However, passenger trains in today's Colombia have mostly become a thing of the past, as successive governments have chosen instead to invest in highway infrastructure.

Luis Fernando Andrade, director of the country's National Infrastructure Agency, says at this point, only freight trains are being used on a regular basis by large coal producers.

"Colombia in its way let its trains die. Today only large coal producers us them and what we want to see is that the railway infrastructure is used for all sectors of the economy - for containers, for liquids, for bulk loads, not just coal."

One of the only passanger-rail services available in Columbia is "La Sabana Train."

This is tourist steam locomotive running through Bogata.

Eduardo Rodriguez is the train's engineer.

A rail worker his entire life, Rodriguez says he longs for the days when trains dominated Colombia's travel sector.

"This is on the Colombian state, so that they realize what we have lost, what we have neglected. We hope they follow other countries in the world that invest more in railways, so that they don't leave us as the castaway country of the continent."

In the 1990s, the near bankrupt national railway system was shut down.

But with many now enduring massive traffic jams and packed buses on a daily basis, growing calls for a revival of Colombia's once-thriving train system are being heard throughout the country.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

weather

Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 15, tomorrow it will see slight rain with a high of 26.

Shanghai will be partly cloudy tonight with a low of 17, it will continue to be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing will be clear tonight, 19 degrees the lowest, tomorrow it will be sunny with a high of 31.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,

Kathmandu, in Nepal, will have thundershowers tomorrow with the highest temperature of 23.

Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 43.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

Headline news

China Sends Third-batch Aid team to Nepal

The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has climbed to over 3,700.

An intensified rescue and relief effort is underway.

At least three Chinese aid teams are joining the effort in Nepal, together with other international teams.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities say a delegation of government officials and more relief supplies have arrived in southwest China's Tibet region to assist with the aftermath of the 8.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has allocated thick tents, cotton coats, comforters, cots and sleeping bags to the affected areas in Tibet.

The regional government has also sent tents, coats, food, medicine and drinking water.

Automakers Eyes China's New-energy Vehicle Market

Chinese and foreign automakers are competing for a share in the new-energy vehicle sector in the Chinese market.

In the ongoing Shanghai Auto Show, a record 103 new-energy cars have been unveiled by both domestic and foreign manufacturers.

Fire shuts down Taiwan nuclear power reactor

It is being reported that a fire broke out at a nuclear power station in southern Taiwan shortly before midnight on Sunday, forcing the shutdown of one of its two reactors.

Taiwan Power Company says that the fire began inside an auxiliary electrical transformer at the Third Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, setting off an alarm at 11:58 p.m.

It was put out by the plant's own firefighters 17 minutes later and the plant is continuing to operate as normal.

It is estimated that it will take two weeks to get the second reactor operational again.

The incident has caused no radioactive leak and no personnel have needed to be evacuated.

Malaysian PM calls for joint ASEAN effort fighting extremism

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is urging Southeast Asian leaders to jointly combat the threat posed by extremism as he hosts an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Najib welcomed nine leaders from the ten-member ASEAN bloc, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In his opening address, Najib called on the leaders to endorse a document on combating extremism in the region.

Malaysia on Sunday arrested 12 people linked to the militant group Islamic State and seized explosives, foiling a plan to attack several locations in and around the capital.

biz reports

Turning now to our business news, but first let's have a look at the numbers from the Asian markets starting out the week on this Monday evening.

Joining me on the desk is CRI's Yu Yang.

Reporter:

Chinese stocks jumped to a fresh seven-year high amid speculation about SOE mergers on Monday.

However, The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission later cleared the rumor of a massive merger plan.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped 3 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 1.4 percent.

The bull-run is led by heavyweights involved in the reform rumors.

Oil giants China Petroleum & Chemical and PetroChina both jumped by their 10 percent daily limit in Shanghai.

Rumors of consolidation also pushed shares of China Shipbuilding, CSSC Holdings and Guangzhou Shipyard International up over 8 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index rallied 1.3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2 percent mainly on the yen's gains.

South Korea's Kospi shed 0.1 percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index ended slightly down.

In Australia, the ASX 200 added 0.8 percent.

SASAC clears rumor on massive merger plan

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission earlier today denied reports of a massive merger plan to cut state-owned enterprises to 40 from the existing 112.

This came after stocks of several SOEs soared to the daily limit of 10 percent in Shanghai over the reports.

Though several moves have already been made, for example China's two major bullet train makers merged recently, officials say a massive merger plan for the SOEs is not likely to happen in the foreseeable future.

Chinese listed firms more profitable in Q1

First-quarter business reports from major Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges show that their combined profits climbed higher.

China Securities Journal reports that 1,307 companies which released first-quarter business reports as of Sunday raked in profits of more than 110 billion yuan or some 18 billion U.S. dollars.

That is up nearly 6 percent compared with the same period last year.

The most profitable listed companies were those in the brokerage, Internet and environmental protection sectors.

Expanded business scopes and industrial upgrades are serving as new profit drivers for many of them.

The profitability of machinery, mining, steel and other traditional industries witnessed a sharp decline in the reported period.

China Securities Regulator to crack down on stock manipulation

Anchor:

Chinese securities regulator has launched a new campaign to try to crack down on illegal trading.

The campaign itself is focused on fraud connected to the merger of listed companies, stock price manipulation, insider trading and the manipulation of the futures market.

This comes amid the bullish market that has seen the Shanghai Composite Index soar more than 80-percent over the past 6-months.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission is also stepping up the supervision of the National Equities Exchange and Quotations.

This is a platform where small, unlisted companies can raise funds.

For more on the campaign, the Beijing Hour's Paul James spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

Back Anchor:

That was Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London, speaking with the Beijing Hour's Paul James.

China's industrial profits down 0.4 pct in March

Newly released statistics show that profits of Chinese industrial businesses dipped 0.4 percent year on year in March.

The figure totaled some 500 billion yuan, or some 80 billion U.S. dollars.

The National Bureau of Statistics says the decline narrowed sharply from a 4.2-percent slump in the Jan-Feb period.

NBS statistician He Ping attributed the improvement in March to lower raw material prices and operating costs, and higher investment returns in industrial businesses.

China's Hong Kong to ink FTA with ASEAN by 2016

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is expected to sign a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2016.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says the Hong Kong-ASEAN free trade agreement negotiation has been going on since last year.

Leung hopes that negotiations can wrap up with all ASEAN nations by 2016.

According to Leung, total trade between Malaysia, an ASEAN member, and China, including the Hong Kong SAR, rose 16 percent last year.

12 percent of that trade, now over 100 billion U.S. dollars, was settled via Hong Kong.

He also says the cooperation between Malaysia and the Hong Kong SAR could be further strengthened in tourism and logistics industries.

HSBC mulls selling British banking unit

It is being reported that HSBC is considering selling its 20 billion U.S. dollar worth of British retail banks.

Directors of the second-largest company in Britain are considering the future of its retail operations, as a so-called "ring-fencing" scheme may cause it lose control over its retail arm.

The move comes on the heels of a plan to move their headquarters out of Britain.

There is speculation that the headquarters could move back to HSBC's former home in Hong Kong, due to the stress brought on by high taxes and heavy regulations in Britain.

China Vanke Q1 core profit falls 59% amid sector weakness

China's largest residential property developer, Vanke group, says its first-quarter 2015 core profits fell some 59 percent.

The company's core profits totaled some 630 million yuan or some 100 million U.S. dollars in the period from January-March, compared with 1.5 billion yuan a year earlier.

This reflects a slide in the property sector that prompted China's central bank to take steps to boost the market.

The company says the year-on-year fall was due to a high overhead and lower profit margins.

But the company says it expects to see growth in profits for the full year.

Duties on rare earth exports to be ended

It is being reported that China's Ministry of Finance is set to end export duties on rare earths on May 1.

Analysts say the move will stimulate China's exports of the limited resources.

Rare earths are a group of minerals that are crucial to the technology and defense industries.

Tungsten, molybdenum and wrought aluminum will also enjoy a zero duty rate.

Analysts estimate the move will reduce the prices of rare earths by 20 to 25 percent and have an impact on international rare earths prices.

Sports

NBA Playoffs: Cleveland, Washington complete 4-0 sweep to win series

Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and The Washington Wizards completed a 4-0 sweep and won their series this morning.

Cleveland swept Boston 101-93 and are through to the next round.

Washington beat the Toronto Raptors 125-94.

Washington led by 16 points in the first quarter and extended the advantage to as many as 32 to enter the fourth quarter.

Six Wizards scored in double figures, including Marcin Gortat, John Wall and Bradley Beal.

In other action,

The Los Angeles Clippers leveled it 2-2 against the San Antonio Spurs after downing the Spurs 114-105;

The Dallas Mavericks managed to stay alive for at least one game in their series against the Houston Rockets after winning 121-109.

The Golden State Warriors had earlier made it into the next round on Saturday.

Golf: Wu Ashun Becomes 1st Chinese to Win European Tour Event at China Open

In Golf:

Wu Ashun made history by becoming the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soil at the Volvo China Open in Shanghai on Sunday.

Wu birdied the 18th for a nine under, which put pressure on England's David Howell, who was fighting for first.

But Howell missed his putt for par on the 18th and finished one shot short.

Wu Ashun says he is happy to emerge victorious from a tough tournament:

"Very tough here today and everybody has played very well also. Last year's champion he was also very, very good today. I also played very good today and my heart is very happy and keep very happy."

At the PGA's Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

England's Justin Rose emerged victorious, beating out Cameron Tringale by one stroke thanks to a birdie putt at the 18th that got him to 22 under.

At the LPGA Swinging Skirts classic:

Top-ranked Lydia Ko won for the second straight year after beating American Morgan Pressel in a playoff.

China's Feng Shanshan finished in fifth place.

Bayern Munich claim early Bundesliga title

Bayern Munich have all but won their third successive German Bundesliga title.

With four games still left to go, Bayern are holding an unassailable 15-point lead over their closest rival Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg somewhat helped Bayern to an early title after they went down 1-0 against Moenchengladbach.

It is Bayern's 25th Bundesliga title in the team's history.

They have lost twice so far and conceded 13 goals in 30 matches, a record for this stage of the Bundesliga.　

Putting domestic glories aside, Bayern will face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

They have also reached the German Cup last four where they will take on Dortmund.

Lee Chong Wei handed 8-month ban for doping violations

Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei received an eight-month backdated ban for an anti-doping regulation violation.

The Doping Hearing Panel ruled to backdate the start of the ban to the date of sample collection, which was in last August.

Lee argued that he received the drug during stem cell treatment for a thigh injury.

The panel found Lee "negligent" instead of intending to cheat and handed the 8-month ban instead of two years.

Lee tested positive for a banned anti-inflammatory drug during last year's World Championships in Copenhagen.

Lee said that he was happy to be able to go back to court soon, adding that he hoped that he can learn from this case.

Snooker: O'Sullivan on verge of 17th Crucible quarter-final spot

In Snooker,

Tournament favorite Ronnie O'Sullivan is leading Matthew Stevens 12-4 after the second session at the World Championships.

O'Sullivan won seven of the eight frames scheduled in the second session.

He only needs one more frame on Monday to secure a quarter-final spot.

It will be his 17th time in the quarter-finals at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

In other action from the tournament's last 16,

Neil Robertson is holding a 11-5 advantage against Ali Carter;

Shaun Murphy is also one frame away from the quarter-finals. He is 12-4 against Joe Perry;

And Judd Trump is leading Marco Fu 10-6.

Alejandro Valverde wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege

In cycling,

Spain's Alejandro Valverde of the Moviestar team has won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic in Belgium.

The 35-year-old rider emerged from a reduced group of big names at the end of a hilly 253-kilometre ride.

Valverde acted at the right moment and checked an attack by Katusha's Daniel Moreno in the final kilometer.

"Yes, it's incredible. I felt pretty good during the race. And then at the end we saw Daniel Moreno go and I knew I had to go, I knew I had to react. And then I just waited for the finish and the sprint."

It was Valverde's third Liege title.

He wrapped up a remarkable Ardennes Classics season, where he also won the Fleche Wallonne and came in 2nd in the Amstel Gold Race.

In other cycling action,

Britain's Mark Cavendish won the opening stage the Tour of Turkey.

Cavendish followed his Etixx QuickStep's lead-out train and edged Caleb Ewan in a photo finish.

It was the 126th victory of Cavendish's career.

Michael Schumacher's son wins first Formula 4 race

Michael Schumacher's son Mick claimed a victory in Formula 4 in Germany.

He controlled the race without any mistakes and led his teammate by over half of a second at the finish.

Young Schumacher was very happy about the result and how the race went.

"It's incredible, and it is an honour for me. I'm extremely delighted, and delighted also for the team that we were able to secure such a good result - 1st and 2nd, which is an outstanding starting point for the season."

The 16-year-old son of the 7-time Formula 1 champion had just started racing for the Van Amersfoort Racing team.

Entertainment

Netizens pay tribute to poet Wang Guozhen

Renowed Chinese poet Wang Guozhen died at the age of 59 on Sunday, one month before his latest anthology of poems was to be published, according to Beijing News.

Online users have paid tribute to the poet, remembering their favorite poems and also discussing the golden age of poetry.

Wang's passing has also triggered an increase in the number of subscribers to public Wechat accounts such as Read A Poem For You among young poetry lovers.

A graduate of Jinan University in Guangzhou, Wang kicked off his poetry career in 1985 when his works were frequently posted in newspapers and magazines.

His books sold so well in 1990 that the people in the publishing business called it "The year of Wang Guozhen". The following decade witnessed an astonishing output of over 50 books.

During a speech at the 2013 APEC CEO Summit in Indonesia, Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted a sentence from Wang's poem saying "There is no mountain higher than man, and no road longer than his feet" to emphasize China's determination regarding economic reform which made Wang's works more popular.

Avengers takes number 1 spot in all overseas markets

Avengers: Age of Ultron the latest installment from Disney's Marvel unit has exploded in its overseas opening, taking $201 million at the international box office.

It was the number one movie in all of the territories it opened representing 55 percent of the entire international market exceeding the first installment in the series by 44 percent in today's exchange rate according to Disney's calculations.

Directed by Joss Whedon, the movie which opens stateside Friday bowed in much of the European and the Asia Pacific markets although it doesn't open in China until May 12 and Japan until July 4.

On the international front, Furious 7 crossed the $1 billion mark making it the only the third film following Avatar and Titanic to hit that benchmark. In China, Furious 7 has amassed $323 million in 15 days beating Transformers: Age of Extinction's record of $319 million.

Wang Xiaoshuai to head to this year's Asian Film Academy

Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai will be heading this year's edition of the Asian Film Academy this fall, Busan International Film Academy organizers announced Monday.

The Asian Film Academy, a workshop for aspiring young Asian filmmakers will open its 11th edition from September 24th until October 11th in conjunction with the 20th BIFF that runs October 1-10 in the South Korean port city of Busan.

Wang is best known for internationally acclaimed works that delve into the many layers of the Chinese social fabric such as the Berlin Silver Bear winning Beijing Bicycle and Chongqing Blues which competed at Cannes. Last year his 2014 film Red Amnesia was invited to BIFF.

Lewis Hamilton lands cameo in Zoolander 2

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has landed a cameo role in Zoolander 2.

The racing driver was spotted in Rome on the set of the upcoming comedy sequel starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

Hamilton dressed in a dark red suit was seen sitting and chatting with actress Olivia Munn on the front row of a catwalk show before speaking to director Stiller.

Stiller recently confirmed that Billy Zane would cameo in the comedy while Penelope Cruz will also have a starring role opposite Stiller and Wilson.

Stiller wrote the sequel to the 2001 sequel with Justin Theroux and is also producing and directing the upcoming comedy.

Super Troopers sequel given go ahead after crowdfunding campaign

Some good news for Super Troopers fans- production on the sequel to the 2001 cult classic is to go ahead after a successful crowdfunding effort.

The Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for Super Troopers ended on Friday raising a whopping $4.4 million.

While the Broken Lizard comedy group previously secured a studio distribution deal, a campaign was launched to raise money for the project.

Fox Searchlight agreed to put out Super Troopers 2 if the makers of the film raised $2 million – a target which was achieved just one day into the campaign.

The film's script has already been written and filming is due to take place over the summer.

Super Troopers starred Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme.

weather

Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 15, tomorrow it will see slight rain with a high of 26.

Shanghai will be partly cloudy tonight with a low of 17, it will continue to be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing will be clear tonight, 19 degrees the lowest, tomorrow it will be sunny with a high of 31.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,

Kathmandu, in Nepal, will have thundershowers tomorrow with the highest temperature of 23.

Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 43.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

Over in Australia

Sydney, cloudy with a high of 19,

Canberra, cloudy, 17,

Brisbane will be partly cloudy, 25,

Finally Perth will see some clouds with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

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

The death toll from the devistating quake that hit Nepal rises to over 3,700

Rescue work underway in China's Tibet region affected by the quake in Nepal...

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