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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Monday, July 29th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The Chinese government has come to an agreement with the EU over solar panel imports.
Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between the military and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
Over a hundred Palestinian prisoners are set to be released as part of a deal to move the Middle East peace process forward.
In Business, the Chinese government is set to conduct another audit of local government debt.
In sports... Lewis Hamilton wins his first race for Mercedes.
In entertainment.... composer John Williams has signed on to do the music for the latest Star Wars film.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
Weather
12 missing in SW China landslide
12 people are listed as missing after a landslide over the weekend in Yunnan.
The slide hit Saturday in Yongshan County, which is located in the extreme northeast of the province near the border with Sichuan.
Meanwhile, the 6 people buried after another landslide in the city of Dalian in Liaoning have been confirmed dead.
Geological disasters are common in China during the summer rainy season.
Beijing will see thundershowers today, with a high of 34 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be clear tonight with a low of 23.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 38 the high, and it will be clear tonight, the low of 30 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 24, and tonight will have showers with a low of 12 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 37.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 39.
And in North America
New York, thundershowers, with a high of 25 degrees.
Washington, thundershowers, highs of 28
Houston, overcast, 32.
Honolulu, sunny, 31.
Toronto, overcast, 22
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 23 degrees Celsius.
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TIMECHECK
Top News
China welcomes deal with EU on solar panel dispute
Anchor:
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says it's pleased with the new deal its reached with the European Union in its dispute over solar panels.
Under the reported agreement, Chinese producers have agreed to sell their products near what the spot market prices for solar power-generated electricity runs for.
This should reportedly give Chinese solar power producers access to just under half of the EU solar power generation market without tariffs for the next 2-years.
Exact details of the agreement have not been officially been made public.
The EU launched preliminary tariffs on Chinese solar panel imports earlier this year, and was close to bringing in much steeper dumping penalties.
For more on this situation, we're joined live now by Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
Questions:
1.Both China and the EU have expressed their satisfactions with the settlement. How is the agreement expected to benefit both sides?
2.Do you think the deal can help ease the frictions once and for all? Do we expect some on-going tensions from the solar manufacturers in the EU?
3.There have been some concerns that China and the EU may end up entering into a trade war. What's your opinion about the two parties' business relationship?
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
Overseas performance of Chinese companies
While more and more Chinese companies are looking at overseas investments, many are said to be struggling in the local markets.
Many of the issues are connected to political barriers.
To that end, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke about this issue with Wang Huiyao, Director General of the Center for China and Globalization.
Wang Huiyao, Director General of the Center for China and Globalization, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Supporters of ousted president continue protest day after deadly clashes
The death toll from a series of clashes among supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the country's military has hit over 80.
Dozens of others have been hurt in the clashes.
At the same time, interim President Adli Mansour has handed emergency powers to Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi.
Among the new powers Beblawi has includes allowing the military to arrest civilians.
Egyptian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim.
"I assure the people of Egypt that the police are determined to maintain security and safety in their nation and are capable of doing so, with the help of all the Egyptian people. I assure the Egyptian people that we will deal with any attempt to undermine stability very decisively."
This is being seen as a prelude to a wide-ranging sweep against supports of Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
The move by Mansour follows a series of attacks against security forces in the Egyptian Sinai region.
For more, we spoke earlier with Cairo-based independent journalist Shahira Amin.
(qa with Amin)
Cairo-based independent journalist Shahira Amin.
Divided Israeli cabinet decide to free 104 Palestinian prisoners
The Israeli cabinet has grudgingly approved the release of 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners.
This comes ahead of preliminary talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Monday in Washington.
The release of the prisoners is being viewed as a significant concession by the Israeli side.
However, not everyone is hailing the move.
Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti.
"The release of these prisoners is 20 years late. They should have been released in 1993 when (the) Oslo agreement was signed, but they have lost 20 years of their lives because they were kept in jail. We think this is an act of blackmail, that their release will be used as an instrument of blackmailing the Palestinian negotiating team."
The agreement to get the Palestinian prisioners released has been brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry - in a string of diplomatic reproaches - has managed to get the two sides back talking after a 5-year stalemate over Israeli settlement construction.
Cambodian ruling party gets 68 seats, opposition 55 in polls: gov't spokesman
Cambodia's ruling party has taken the country's parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party has garnered 68 seats in the national elections.
The main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has taken 55 seats.
While still holding a majority, Hun Sen's ruling CPP has lost a significant amount of seats.
The party had held a 90-seat majority coming into the vote.
The victory ensures Hun Sen will remain Prime Minister for another 5-year.
He's been in power for 28-years in Cambodia.
Malians vote in presidential election in calm
Voting has concluded in the presidental elections in Mali.
A total of 27 candidates are contesting the vote.
Despite the recent civil war in the country, the voting in the West African country has gone off without any major incidents.
"I've just voted. Mali is a country in crisis, we need a president who can take decisions."
Among the expected frontrunners is former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Unless someone takes a majority of the votes, a runoff will be held on August 11th.
Mali was torn in half last year by ethnic Toureg's, who took advantage of a military coup and took control of the Sahara region of the country.
The rebels were eventually overrun by a French-led international coalition.
This has led to an uneasy national reconciliation, with the ethnic Tuareg's political faction represented in the election.
Zimbabwe's Mugabe stresses black ownership of minerals at last rally before polls
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has used his last weeeknd election rally to take issue with the ownership of the country's mineral resources.
Mugabe, who is pushing to extend his 33-year old rule of the country, has told a group of supporters that black Zimbabweans should control the country's mineral resources.
He has told his supporters the mining resources are more valuable than the capital foreigners bring into the mining sector.
Under the current rules, 51-percent of any mining operation in Zimbabwe has to be controlled by a local.
Polling among voters suggests economic development and the improvement of their own livelihoods are the keys to unlocking their votes.
"The future that we want is the future which will see a compliance of true development of the economy. I hope that my vote will be a seed that will produce a government that will be mainly content about my whole being as a youth and a government that will make sure that my future will be guaranteed through investing in the youth today."
The 89-year old Mugabe is vying for another 5-year term in office.
He's being challenged by his main opposition rival and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangari.
Courthouse in Libyan city of Benghazi bombed: security sources
A courthouse the restive city of Benghazi in Libya has come under attack.
This comes just a day after some 12-hundred prisioners escaped as part of a prison break in Benghazi.
"During Iftar, the first blast occurred near October 7 hospital. We went out to see the blast. Then the second blast rocked the area and smashed the glass windows and houses in Al-Shajara square. We came to the site to find this damage and the injured. We called the fire engine and ambulance, so far they hadn't shown up."
Benghazi was the hub of the revolution which eventually toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
However, the city has become a beacon for militants and radical Islamists.
Florida man sets home on fire before going on shooting rampage
Local police say the gunman who killed six people in a South Florida apartment complex set fire to his apartment before the shooting rampage.
43-year-old Pedro Vargas, who was killed by police, torched his apartment before gunning down his building manger and the man's wife.
Police are looking into whether Vargas had any ongoing disputes with the building manager.
Carl Zogby is the local police department spokesman.
"Nobody seems to know why he acted the way he acted. He doesn't have a criminal history that we have been able to discover thus far. He doesn't have a history of irrational behavior from the people we have interviewed thus far. He was a quiet man, as described by some, so we don't have an explanation."
After killing the couple, Vargas went back into his burning apartment and fired as many as 20 shots into the street, killing a man who was parking his car.
He then gunned down a family of three in an apartment below him.
Vargas also took a pair of hostages before eventually being gunned down by police following a lenghty set of negotiations.
Both hostages survived.
Biz Reports
Market preview
Anchor
Let's get a preview of what's happening in the business world this week.
Here's CRI's Jordan Lee.
Reporter
This is a crucial week for the markets.
Investors will be eyeing key economic data including US employment data and central bank monetary policy dominating affairs.
In the US, the pending home sales figure is set to come out on Monday.
On Wednesday, the ADP non-farm employment change and advance Q2 GDP will be released.
The ADP non-farm employment change figure is often taken as the lead indicator of which direction Friday's headline NFP release is expected to go.
Investors also expect to get clues about how the economy is doing from the advance GDP figure for the second quarter of 2013.
Later on Wednesday, we also hear from the Fed with the release of their monthly interest rate decision.
Lastly, Friday will bring the Labor Department's July employment report.
In Eurozone, this week is relatively quiet. One event to make note of is the ECB rate decision on Thursday.
Meanwhile in the UK, the manufacturing and construction PMI figures are released alongside the BOE monetary policy committee statement during this week.
Here in Asia, the most notable release of the week comes in the form of HSBC's Chinese manufacturing PMI figure for the second quarter.
In Australia, the markets will be looking towards Tuesday's release of the building approvals figure for an indication of improvements within the domestic economy after the recent downturn in the region.
China to start nationwide audit of government debt
National Audit Office here in China has announced a nationwide audit of government debt.
The national auditor says the move comes as a request of the State Council.
There has been no timetable set out for the audit.
The NAO has already conducted two audits of local government debt.
The first one found the local government debt here in China totaled 10.7 trillion yuan as of the end of 2010.
And earlier this year the NAO revealed a follow-up audit has found local government's owed 3.85-trillion more than they did in 2010.
China to auction local govt bonds
The Ministry of Finance is set to auction off just over 23.5-billion yuan worth of local government three-year bonds.
The auction runs from today until Wednesday.
The ministry is selling the bonds on behalf of 6 local governments.
They include the provincial-levels regions of Heilongjiang, Hunan, Qinghai, Tibet and Guangxi, along with the city of Xiamen in Fujian.
Plans are in place to issue some 350-billion yuan worth of local government bonds this year to help them finance expenses.
China's Animation Industry Explores World Market
Anchor
Industry insiders here in China are suggesting this country's animation industry is poised to go global.
CRI's Shen Chengcheng explains.
Reporter
15-year-old Sun Haoyin treated Japanese animation as her favorite in the past. But now, she is a fan of Chinese animated show Qinsmoon (Qin Shi Ming Yue) because of its exquisite pictures.
"I used to watch Japanese animation, but recently I attended the Comic and Games Expo in Shanghai for Qinsmoon. I enjoyed it very much. It has fantastic characters and is an interesting story."
Unlike previous expos, in which foreign animation dominated the market, this year's event saw a great number of outstanding Chinese animated shows, including Qinsmoon (Qin Shi Ming Yue)and Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (Xi Yang Yang yu Hui Tai Lang).
Animation producer Yang Zhichao says they are quite familiar about how to attract domestic fans, as stories in Chinese history, fine pictures and vivid description would help.
But when it comes to attracting foreign viewers' attention, they need careful consideration and market analysis.
"When we promoted our products in the U.S., we asked their publisher whether we need to alter our stories to suit American viewers. They said No and told us traditional Chinese culture is what they expected to see, and they urged us to maintain the Chinese characteristics."
Finally, Yang Zhichao has a film with Chinese elements in it that works for the international market. Until now, the TV edition of Qinsmoon (Qin Shi Ming Yue) has been released in more than 37 countries and regions, like the U.S., Canada, and Italy - earning sales revenue of more than one million dollars in overseas markets.
Promoting Chinese animation not only needs good production, but also solid foundations which could be realized through joint ventures with foreign expertise. For example, Oriental DreamWorks is an important project signed in the China-US Economic and Trade Forum. It is by far the largest Chinese-foreign joint cultural project, gaining an initial investment of nearly 330 million US dollars.
Oriental DreamWorks aims to introduce Hollywood's leading animation production and technologies into China, creating successful stories and promoting Chinese culture to the world.
One of their shows is the well-known Kong Fu Panda(功夫熊猫). By the year 2015, Kong Fu Panda 3 will hit the screen. It is jointly invested and produced by Oriental DreamWorks in China and DreamWorks in the US.
By 2017, Oriental DreamWorks will be able to devise and produce animated movies independently.
Vice President of Oriental DreamWorks Shuai Min elaborates on the advantages of such partnerships.
"Oriental DreamWorks stands for world-class production techniques. There is no export barrier for our products. The way of our story narration and the birth of creative ideas follow international standards. Our production has high quality which even exceeds that of the West."
But on average, the animation quality is not that satisfying.
Yu Jie, Operating Manager and Deputy General Manager of Shanghai ToonMax Media, says that China is in great need of exquisite animated shows, and it is essential and imperative for the industry to improve product quality.
"By the end of 2012, TV animation in China had reached 220,000 minutes, ranked No.1 in the world. But we still lack something. We need competitive products; otherwise the products would be useless. It is extremely urgent that we enhance the quality of our animation products."
Yu Jie adds that some animation companies excel at technology, but don't know much about creativity and marketing. Therefore, a creativity incubation mechanism is needed to discover good story ideas. A Chinese story with an international expression could help them gain the advantage when bargaining with foreign counterparts.
BACK ANCHOR: That was Shen Chengcheng reporting.
China allocates 66.9b yuan for road construction
The central government is setting aside 67-billion yuan in its budget for road construction.
The Ministry of Finance says the money will mainly be used to build national and provincial-level roads, as well as highways for the military.
The government has earmarked just under 187-billion yuan from the tax income it's collected from vehilce purchases to fund transportation projects so far this year.
The government has plans to spend 4.7-trillion yuan on this country's road network by 2030.
Publicis and Omnicom to merge
Global advertising firms Publicis and Omnicom have announced a merger.
The merger of the US and French firms will see create a company with a market value of over 35-billion US dollars.
The new company, named Publicis Omnicom, will be traded in both New York and Paris.
Shareholders in both Publicis and Omnicom will each hold about 50 percent of the new company's equity.
Omnicom Chief Executive John Wren and Publicis CEO Levy will jointly lead the new company for the first 30 months.
Levy will then shift to becoming the non-executive chair, while Wren will take control as CEO.
The new holding company will be located in the Netherlands.
Siemens probes China operations
Siemens is reportedly mulling potential changes to its Chinese operations.
This comes as sales and orders have failed to grow.
The Munich-based company's strategy division is carrying out the probe into its Chinese operations.
The final results will be handed to the board before an executive meeting in October.
8 percent of Siemens revenues are generated in China.
However, Siemens is warning it doesn't see industrial demand in China recovering in the near-term.
Meanwhile, it's being reported Siemens Chief Executive Peter Loescher is going to leave the company, four years before the end of his contract.
Siemens is scheduled to release its latest quarterly results on Thursday.
Headline News
Egypt's interim president gives emergency powers to PM: report
The death toll from a series of clashes among supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the country's military has hit over 80.
Dozens of others have been hurt in the clashes.
At the same time, interim President Adli Mansour has handed emergency powers to Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi.
Among the new powers Beblawi has includes allowing the military to arrest civilians.
This is being seen as a prelude to a wide-ranging sweep against supports of Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
The move by Mansour follows a series of attacks against security forces in the Egyptian Sinai region.
U.S. says Israeli-Palestinians peace talks to resume on Monday
The U.S. State Department says Israeli and the Palestinian negotiators are set to resume their peace talks in Washington later on this Monday.
Kerry has managed to get the two sides back talking after a 5-year stalemate over Israeli settlement construction.
Meantime, the Israeli cabinet has grudgingly approved the release of 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners.
The agreement to have the Palestinian prisoners released has also been brokered by Kerry.
Courthouse in Libyan city of Benghazi bombed: security sources
A courthouse the restive city of Benghazi in Libya has come under attack.
This comes just a day after some 12-hundred prisoners escaped as part of a prison break in Benghazi.
Benghazi was the hub of the revolution which eventually toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
However, the city has become a beacon for militants and radical Islamists.
12 missing in SW China landslide
12 people are listed as missing after a landslide over the weekend in Yunnan.
The slide hit Saturday in Yongshan County, which is located in the extreme northeast of the province near the border with Sichuan.
Meanwhile, the 6 people buried after another landslide in the city of Dalian in Liaoning have been confirmed dead.
Geological disasters are common in China during the summer rainy season.
China to start nationwide audit of government debt
National Audit Office here in China has announced a nationwide audit of government debt.
The national auditor says the move comes as a request of the State Council.
There has been no timetable set out for the audit.
The NAO has already conducted two audits of local government debt.
The first one found the local government debt here in China totaled 10.7 trillion yuan as of the end of 2010.
And earlier this year the NAO revealed a follow-up audit has found local government's owed 3.85-trillion more than they did in 2010.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Complaints spike in baby formula imports
Summary
Low confidence in domestic baby formula has led to a surge in complaints about imported baby formula, as some businesses turn to inferior foreign brands.
Nearly two-thirds of the complaints that the China Consumers' Association has received about baby formula in the first half of the year are about foreign brands.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Pandas join reality TV
Summary
The Giant Panda Breeding center in Chengdu is planning to air round-the-clock broadcasts of pandas in Sichuan.
28 high definition video cameras have been installed around the base to record the daily activities of the over 80 pandas living there.
ipanda.com has already attracted some 15-thousand site visitors after launching this past week.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
More counterfeit bank notes
Summary
Police are investigating a case where a man claims he received 23 counterfeit 100 yuan bank notes after in a single withdrawal of 3-thousand yuan from an ATM in Shanghai.
The counterfeit notes are reportedly of high quality and difficult to spot.
ICBC says it can't be proven the fake notes came from its machine.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Hepatitis B cooperation
Summary
The World Health Organization is teaming up with Chinese authorities to try to better prevent the spread of hepatitis B.
The WHO's lead representative in China says the collaboration may include vaccination for at-risk adults and better affordable anti-viral treatment for the needy.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Hangzhou heat exceeds 40 degrees
Summary
Temperatures in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang are peaking above 40 degrees Celsius for the past few days.
Sales of sun protection products have increased rapidly in the city as a result.
CHINA NEWS SERVICE
Headline
Air carriers blamed for delays
Summary
New analysis is suggesting over 40-percent of all flight delays here in China can be blamed on the airlines management.
The study has also found problems with air-traffic control accounts for a quarter of all delays.
Weather delays around one-fifth of flights, while military activity accounts for around 7-percent of all the delays here in China.
Special Reports
Alibaba's smart TV
Anchor
E-commerce giant Alibaba is making inroads into internet television the launch of a newly developed smart-TV operating system and a set-top box.
CRI's Li Dong has the details.
Reporter
The new TV-centered system will include online shopping services and integrate the group's Alipay payment system into televisions. It will also share contents with mobile phones and other devices.
Yu Ce, Alibaba's Vice-President says the group's future business plan is to combine more functions into TV sets
"We can introduce more web contents into the interactive space of such a large screen. E-commerce is, in fact, one of the most important contents. We shall gradually introduce video games, education materials and jobs postings among many other features."
Yu added that, as profits of e-commerce account for more than 50 percent of the total profits within the PC internet space, he believes the business will generate far greater revenues on TVs than on PCs.
Analysts say that Internet TV breathes new life into the traditional TV industry and the integration of mobile phones, PCs and TVs will enable them to better complement each other.
Sun Baohong, a marketing professor with the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business says the amount of personal information they collect will also be immense.
"Once all the media forms are integrated, Alibaba is going to go to another level, because as we said, for all those social media companies or e-commerce platforms, the biggest, biggest asset is customer information."
Sun talks about the huge business potentials from the expansion.
"Now, by expanding into digital media through this integrated platform, they are going to know more about the consumer and their payment history. So in the future, you can imagine, they can also expand further into media, consulting and information services industries. It's going to be a beautiful business model."
Meanwhile, Alibaba will begin to sell set-top boxes in collaboration with Wasu Media Holding that will link traditional TVs to the Internet. The set-top box, called Wasu Rainbow, will be released in the next few months.
Wasu Media, the first company to receive an Internet TV license from the Chinese government, has the largest Internet TV user base in China.
Information technology research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. projects that about 85 percent of flat panel TVs will be Internet connected smart TVs by 2016.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
Japanese men and North Korean women win at East Asian Cup
Japan claimed its first ever East Asian Cup title last night after defeating hosts South Korea 2-1.
Yoichiro Kakitani scored both goals for Japan, including the injury-time winner.
With the match tied at 1-1, the Blue Samurais were equal on points with China, but Kakitani broke the deadlock in the 91st minute to claim the match and the cup.
That meant a second place finish for China, who defeated Australia in an exciting 7-goal finisher earlier in the day.
China snagged the lead four minutes in with a goal by Yu Dabao. Then Western Sydney midfielder Aaron Mooy answered with a shot from 30 meters in the 29th minute.
In the second half, China took advantage of the socceroos sluggish defense. Goals by Sun Ke, Yang Xu, and Wu Lei put China up 4-1, and it looked like it was going to be a smashing.
But then Australian substitute Adam Taggart and Mitchell Duke scored back to back goals in the dying minutes of the game, to close the margin to just one point. However, the attempted comeback was too late in coming.
The socceroos finished at the bottom of the table after a winless run at the East Asian cup.
And for the women,
The North Korean squad claimed its first east Asian cup title after beating China 1-0 in their final match on Saturday.
In the other final, South Korea stunned a reigning womens world cup champion Japan team, by winning 2-1.
A coach-less USA team will face Panama in the CONCACAF final
The USA will meet Panama for the second time in the concacaf gold cup final today.
The American side will be missing their coach Jurgen Klinsman who has been suspended for losing his temper at the end of the semi-final against Honduras.
It'll be a rough game for Klinsman to miss, since he knows that Panama is not going to be an easy win for his team.
"They (Panama) beat Mexico twice in three weeks. You deserve a lot of respect. We played them in Seattle a couple of weeks ago and it took a long time until Eddie Johnson's second goal to break them down. It's pretty much the same team. They kept it together. They kept their flow. They know where each other are running. Their two forwards with (Blaz) Perez and (Gabriel) Torres - they are dangerous."
Striker Landon Donovan says the team is disappointed that Klinsman won't be a part of the final match, but says they will try to win it for him anyways.
Panama snuck into the finals after a surprising 2-1 win over Mexico.
Langer and Wiebe tied for first at the Senior British Open
The Senior British Open was sent into a fifth day after the sudden death playoff between Bernhard Langer and Mark Wiebe ended without a victor.
The pair battled it out for two extra holes in the fading daylight, before the contest was cut short for the night.
Langer had a three shot lead on the final day, and it looked like he was going to comfortably win it all.
But a double-boogey on the 18th hole allowed Wiebe to tie it up right at the end.
Meanwhile, Australian golfer Steve Elkington came under fire for an insensitive tweet about Pakistanis.
The 50-year-old also attacked the town of Southport, criticizing the food, the trash, and the fat tattooed people.
Elkington issued an apology before the start of his third round, but he had a police escort accompanying him on the course during the first few holes.
At the RBC Canadian Open,
American Brandt Snedeker has a one-shot lead after the third round.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion shot a 9-under par round of 63 to move to 13-under.
No racist tweets stirring controversy at this tournament, but an abrupt exit from tournament leader Hunter Mahan surprised everyone.
Mahan led after the first two rounds, but he withdrew overnight so that he could return home to attend the birth of his first child.
Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen clock top times to qualify for finals
In Barcelona, acquatic competition at the FINA World Championships continued over the weekend.
China's gold medalist Sun Yang easily qualified for the men's 400 meters yesterday, clocking the best time out of the eight qualifiers.
Ryan Cochrane took second place. The Canadian just barely missed qualifying for the Olympic final by 100th of a second.
China's Hao Yun also qualified with the sixth fastest time.
In the first round of the womens 200 meters individual medley, Ye Shiwen finished in second.
The 17-year-old gold medalist came in behind Hosszu Katinka of Hungary, who was fourth at the London games.
American teams dominated the 4x100 freestyle relays. Both the mens and womens teams took first place to qualify for the finals.
Lewis Hamilton wins first victory for Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win for Mercedes at yesterday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton pulled clear of the championship leader Sebastian Vettel on the way into the first set of corners. Vettel had trouble getting out from behind Jenson Button after making his first pit stop.
Red Bull's Mark Webber was on a two-stop strategy, and took the lead at a couple points.
But Hamilton regained control and crossed the finish line in one hour 42 minutes and 29 seconds
The teams now have a four-week break before the season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sri Lanka takes 3-1 series lead over South Africa
Sri Lanka took a 3-1 lead on their five-match one-day international series against South Africa over the weekend.
Dilshan made his 17th ODI century in 119 balls. That left Sri Lanka just 24 runs away from victory with 62 balls remaining.
Sangakkara and Rory Kleinveldt's 184-run partnership was the highest for Sri Lanka and helped their side take the match by eight wickets.
Meanwhile,
England and Australia are getting ready ahead of the third Ashes test at Old Trafford, which starts later this week.
England has added star batsman Kevin Pietersen to its 14-man squad. The English side will also bring in Monty Panesar as a second spinner and fast bowler Chris Tremlett to replace Steven Finn and Graham Onions.
Entertainment
John Williams to Score New Star Wars Film
Legendary film composer John Williams has signed on for the newest entry into the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars Episode 7.
(star wars theme)
The 81-year-old musician promises several of the epic original Star Wars themes will make their way into the new film.
Though Williams admits he hasn't read the script and doesn't know what the story is about he assumes references to the original films will be mentioned.
The 5-time Academy Award winner has scored all 6 of the previous Star Wars films as well as the Indiana Jones series, Harry Potter series, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan among several other famous projects.
Star Wars Episode 7 is scheduled to force its way into theaters sometime in 2015.
Johnny Depp to Retire Soonish
(depp clip)
US actor Johnny Depp has hinted he may not be too far away from retiring from acting.
The 50-year-old star recently revealed he feels a little overworked and would welcome a long respite.
Depp who is best known for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribean franchise pointed out he feels strange that over the course of a year he speaks more words that were written for him rather than his own words.
Depp has signed on to reprise his role as the Mad Hatter in a sequel to 2010's re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland and as the swashbuckler in the fifth installment to the Pirates franchise.
His latest film The Lone Ranger has been a major bomb at the box office though it hasn't seemed to have strained his relationship with Disney too badly.
Musician JJ Cale Dies
(after midnight clip)
US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died in California.
The 74-year-old musician's website confirmed Cale passed away in hospital following a heart attack.
The Grammy-Award winner was known for songs such as After Midnight and Cocaine and helped introduce Tulsa Sound in the late 1950s and early 60s.
Tulsa Sound describes a fusion of rockabilly, country, jazz, and blues.
Cale worked closely with fellow musician Eric Clapton as well as Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Conrad Murray to be Released From Prison Early
Conrad Murray, the doctor who was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of pop legend Michael Jackson, will reportedly be released from prison in 3-months.
Murray is not even halfway through his 4-year sentence since he was found guilty in 2011.
Authorities have decided to grant him an early release due to good behavior and overcrowding in California prisons.
Murray's time in prison has been spent in solitary confinement though he has had access to television and a mobile phone in his cell.
Jackson's mother Katherine is currently suing concert promoters AEG for 40-billion US dollars claiming the company was negligent when it hired Murray.
Jackson died of a sedative overdoes in 2009.
Arrested Development to Return...Again
Fans of the award winning show Arrested Development have a reason to celebrate as the show's creator has announced it will return to Netflix.
(arrested clip)
Mitch Hurwitz, the show's creator, has revealed the video-streaming site will air more of the show though it remains to be seen whether it will take the form of more episodic installments or a feature length movie.
Netflix aired 15-brand new episodes this summer after the show had been cancelled from network television in 2006.
The new season received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike mostly because it broke up the ensemble cast with each character having their own individual episodes.
Hurwitz has revealed he wants to get the whole cast back together and keep them together throughout the new episodes or film or whatever form it'll take.
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