http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/index.php Entertainment News en jayduchuang@163.com Copyright 2010 Pivot Pivot - 1.40.3: 'Dreadwind' Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:54:46 -0400 60 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=733 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=733#comm
CHONGQING - Gang boss Wang Xiaojun was sentenced to life in jail on Monday for crimes including running brothels and gambling websites in this Southwest municipality.

The sentencing came two days before the scheduled judgment of the alleged gang protector - Chongqing's former justice chief and deputy police director Wen Qiang.

The sensational conviction of Wang, coming after a trial filled with horrific and lurid stories, has re-ignited the public's interests in the city's massive gang-crushing operation, which has ebbed and rarely made newspaper headlines in the past two months.

Chief Judge Tang Wei of the ruling court - the No 5 Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing - told reporters on Monday afternoon that the court found Wang had opened a male prostitution den named "Traveler's Harbor" in central Chongqing's Yudu hotel in 2006.

Prosecutors have also said one of the gang's former associates, Song Yu, who owed 2.6 million yuan ($380,000) in gambling debts to Wang's organization, was forced to cut off his left ring finger and little finger last April to get temporary relief from debt collectors.

Prosecutors also accused Wang of having reaped 59 million yuan from organizing hundreds of female prostitutes in his club named "Haocheng" between 2004 and 2009, and gained 20 million yuan from running online gambling websites.

The court decided that Wang intentionally injured people and bribed four senior police officials with 1.28 million yuan - including Wen and another former deputy director of the municipal police bureau - to attain protection for his illegal businesses and to cover up crimes of his gangs.

The court also meted out a 16-year jail term for Li Hanbin, a senior police officer who was convicted of accepting 256,000 yuan from Wang and four other gang bosses.

Local residents said the "atrocious gangsters" deserve severe punishments.

"After today's verdict, I really expect Wednesday's sentence for Wen to be harsh," said a local 28-year-old freelancer Ma Beibei.

"It's just like watching the movie Infernal Affairs, with criminals in cops' uniforms finally getting what they deserve," she said.

Wen's lawyer, Yang Kuangsheng, told reporters that officials from the No 5 Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing informed him that Wen's verdict would be announced on Wednesday, almost eight months after the former justice chief was detained.

Wen, 55, who had served as deputy director of the Chongqing municipal public security bureau for 11 years before becoming director of the city's justice bureau, has been accused of rape, cover-ups and conniving with six mafia-style gangs.

He has also been accused of taking bribes of 15.46 million yuan and possessing 10.62 million yuan of unexplained assets.

Though acknowledging he accepted money from Wang and visited Wang's Haocheng club, Wen in court had denied protecting gangs or creating obstacles for any police investigation.

He said that since some of his peers had previously abused their power while investigating entertainment venues, an investigation should not take place unless a member of the public had first raised an alarm to police. ]]> 733@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:54:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=731 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=731#comm
Qingdao: A shipping center and seaside resort city, with per capita GDP exceeding 65,000 yuan in 2008.

Hangzhou: A key player in the Yangtze River Delta, strong in education and financial resources, with per capita GDP of 60,000 yuan in 2009.

Suzhou: Strong in foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade-oriented manufacturing, with per capita GDP of more than 77,000 yuan in 2009, higher than Shanghai.

Dalian: The logistics center for Northeast China on the Bohai Bay, strong also in FDI and tourism, with per capita GDP of 73,000 yuan in 2009.

Shenyang: A major industrial base in northeastern China, strong in machinery industry and electrical equipment, with per capita GDP of more than 55,000 yuan in 2009.

Nanjing: Important business city in the Yangtze River Delta, with per capita GDP exceeding 44,000 yuan in 2008.

Xiamen: One of the first special economic zones in China with export-oriented economy, serving as a logistics center in southeastern China, with per capita GDP of more than 64,000 yuan in 2009.

Wuhan: The largest transportation hub in Central China, strong in the metal and machinery industries, with per capita GDP of 47,000 yuan in 2008.

Chengdu: A major city in southwestern China, strong in industry and agriculture, with per capita GDP exceeding 38,000 yuan in 2008.

Chongqing: The largest city in China, strong in the auto and machine industries and also a transportation hub in southwestern China, with per capita GDP of more than 22,000 yuan in 2009.

Jinan: A player in the Bohai Bay economic zone, with per capita GDP of more than 46,000 yuan in 2008.

Xi'an: A historical city in western China, strong in aircraft building and education, with per capita GDP exceeding 34,000 yuan in 2009.

Changchun: The largest auto industry base in northeastern China, also strong in agriculture and food process, with per capita GDP exceeding 41,000 yuan in 2008.

Hefei: A university town in Central China, with per capita GDP of more than 42,000 yuan in 2009.

Hohhot: China's trade hub with Mongolia and Russia, with per capita GDP exceeding 61,000 yuan in 2009.

Changsha: In Hunan province in Central China, most competitive in the cultural and entertainment industries, with per capita GDP of more than 56,000 yuan in 2009.

Foshan: A city in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, known for its light industries, with per capita GDP exceeding 67,000 yuan in 2008.

Changzhou: A business city near Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta, strong in manufacturing, with per capita GDP more than 56,000 yuan in 2009.

Yangzhou: A rapidly growing city in the Yangtze River Delta, strong in textiles and agriculture, with per capita GDP exceeding 41,000 yuan in 2009. ]]> 731@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:54:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=732 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=732#comm
Jason West and Vince Zampella said Respawn Entertainment will assemble a "world-class team of designers, artists and engineers" and has awarded EA "exclusive worldwide publishing and distribution rights to future games."

"Respawn Entertainment marks a fresh start for Jason and me," Zampella said in a statement. "For the past decade we led a great development team and poured our hearts into creating an epic game franchise in the first-person shooter format.

"Today we hope to do it all over again -- open a new studio, hire a great team, and create brand new games with a new partner, EA," he said.

"Now that the team is in control of the games and brands, we can ensure that the fans are treated as well as they deserve," West added.

The launch of Respawn Entertainment, which will be based in Encino, California, comes a month after the sudden and acrimonious departure of Zampella and West from Activision.

In its March 1 annual report, Activision, a unit of French conglomerate Vivendi, did not name Zampella and West but said it was conducting "an internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees" at Infinity Ward, the wholly owned subsidiary which developed the "Call of Duty" franchise.

Zampella and West were dismissed the next day and turned around and filed a lawsuit against Activision accusing it of firing them "before they were to be paid substantial royalty payments as part of their existing contracts."

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" came out only in November but was still the highest-grossing videogame last year.

It raked in an estimated 550 million dollars worldwide in its first five days to set an all-time entertainment industry record, eclipsing Hollywood's biggest blockbusters.

"Modern Warfare 2" is the sixth title in a "Call of Duty" franchise that has won a devoted following since the first version was released in 2003. ]]> 732@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:54:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=730 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=730#comm
The quake zone house rebuilding program, which was finished in late March, has benefited 1.31 million households in Sichuan Province, 58,700 in Gansu, and 4,500 in Shaanxi, Chongqing and Yunnan combined, said the department in a statement.

Thanks to the house reconstruction program, quake survivors are now able to live in an environment featuring improved infrastructure for water conservation, telecommunication and sanitation.

Financing of the house reconstruction program in west China's quake zone totaled 5.4 billion yuan (about 794.12 million U.S. dollars), which was part of the 9.73 billion yuan donated by CPC members across China.

A magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck in May 2008, with the epicenter in Wenchuan of Sichuan Province, leaving more than 86,600 people dead or missing. Shortly after that powerful quake, the CPC members nationwide volunteered to make donations, under a theme of "special membership fees", for quake survivors.

The rest of the donated money has gone for other relief programs in quake zone, including reconstruction of schools, village-level entertainment centers, facilities for correspondence education, as well as health centers and nursing homes, some of which are still under construction, according to the the statement. ]]> 730@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:53:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=729 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=729#comm
China reported over the weekend a $7.24 billion monthly trade deficit in March, its first in six years, which analysts said would be a short-lived phenomenon given the country's export-oriented economy.

Beijing's exports jumped 24.3 percent, year-on-year, last month to $112.11 billion, while imports surged 66 percent to $119.35 billion, the first monthly trade deficit since April 2004, when the trade deficit was $2.26 billion.

The announcement came after repeated Chinese officials' predictions of a deficit for March. Premier Wen Jiabao and Commerce Minister Chen Deming last month projected the likeliness of a trade deficit for the month, with Wen putting the figure at $8 billion.

Beijing's trade surplus, gained by its export-based economy, has shrunk following the government's efforts to boost imports amid the global financial crisis. The first quarter's trade surplus was $14.49 billion, down 76.7 percent from the same period last year.

The General Administration of Customs (GAC) said in a report that the March deficit is a result of the shrinking exports of labor-intensive products, surging imports and rising commodity prices.

Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, attributed the late Spring Festival, cold weather that pushed up energy imports, an increase in raw materials imports and the policy to expand the import of technologies, equipment and resources, as key factors in contributing to the trade deficit.

However, Mei predicted that China would not post an overall trade deficit in 2010 because the processing trade that naturally leads to surplus still dominates China's exports, according to his blog on sohu.com.

Tian Yun, vice president of the China Macro Economics Institute, said March's trade deficit was only a temporary phenomenon and the country will remain a surplus country in the long run.

The March trade deficit is mainly a result of expanded deficits with the Taiwan region, Japan and South Korea, customs figures indicated.

The March deficit with Japan more than tripled over the same month of last year to $6.53 billion, and its deficit with South Korea jumped 76 percent to $6.13 billion. The Chinese mainland's deficit with Taiwan amounted to $7.9 billion in March, up 78.7 percent, year-on-year.

However, China continued to report a trade surplus with the United States and the European Union. The March surplus with the US dropped 3.5 percent to $9.87 billion, year-on-year, and that with the EU fell by 13.1 percent to $6.96 billion, customs figures showed.

The US and the EU have long pushed China to revalue its yuan, which has been pegged at around 6.83 per dollar since July 2008, claiming that the weaker yuan gives an unfair advantage to the country's exports. China argued that a quick appreciation of the yuan could hurt exports, cause unemployment among laborers and hurt social stability.

'Yuan not to blame'

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian said Saturday that China's trade deficit in March proves that the exchange rate is not the decisive factor affecting the trade balance.

"China's trade surplus continued to fall, and China even posted a trade deficit in March under a basically stable yuan exchange rate," Yao said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday paid a brief visit to Beijing, during which he was believed to have held talks with Vice Premier Wang Qishan over the yuan.

Zheng Jianmin, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said that the deficit is a result of an adjustment in the division of labor in the post-financial crisis era and will be an overriding trend in China's international trade.

However, he said the trade deficit will not help relieve the pressure on China to appreciate the yuan.

"But China will not bend to the pressure to let the yuan rise too soon. Hot money will come in and hurt China's economy if China rushes to raise the yuan's value," Zheng said.

Song Shengxia contributed to this story ]]> 729@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:13:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=728 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=728#comm
After contacting its counterparts in European Union, the Chinese Marine Search and Rescue Center (CMSRC) learned there were 26 crew members on the St. Vincent and Grenadines flagged cargo ship, or RAK AFRIKANA, which were hijacked in the Indian Ocean waters near Seychelles. They are Indian, Pakistan and Tanzanian, the CMSRC said on its website.

On Sunday, regional maritime officials in Kenya said all the 23 crew members on the Rak Afrikana are Chinese. ]]> 728@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:12:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=727 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=727#comm
That number doesn't even include the nearly 25,000 iPod Touch and iPhone games that will also play on Apple's latest gadget which is a mix between a smartphone and a laptop but also clearly aims to cater for the growing numbers of gamers.

"The iPad is the fourth step in the gaming evolution," said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president of publishing at Gameloft.

"The first being the microcomputer, the second being the game console and the third being smartphones. Each of these platforms revolutionized gaming in its own way."

Apple has already sold over 500,000 iPads and Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty forecasts the tech giant will ship 8 to 10 million iPads this year worldwide.

"Can the iPad sell 5 million devices in the first year without games and apps? Probably," said Kevin A. Wood, vice president and senior analyst of Technology Market Insights at research firm Infogroup/ORC.

"However, Apple's ability to re-define this space of the computing world will be dependent on its ability to sustain excitement. Apps and games redefined what a smartphone was and what it could be used for, and we suspect that will be the same situation for the iPad."

Peter Farago, vice president of marketing for research firm Flurry, said just over a third of the 2,300 plus apps currently available for iPad on iTunes.com are games, with entertainment apps ranking a distant second with 14 percent.

GAMING ON THE GO

He believes that games percentage will rise as Apple sells more hardware and attracts more game makers.

"I think people are going to be blown away by iPad when they actually have the opportunity to interact with it," said Neil Young, founder and CEO of the largest iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad game developer, ngmoco.

"When you play games on the large format, multi-touch fields using two hands it's much more 'Minority Report' than even the iPhone is."

With seven iPad games available at launch, ngmoco is taking advantage of the multi-touch screen by allowing players of games like "Godfinger" and "We Rule" to multitask by literally sliding small game windows aside so they can focus on the bigger playing field and then read the story progression or check out friends' castles in between.

Johnny Coghlan, head of publishing for Chillingo, which has 14 iPad games available, said the Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities allows for all of its games, including "Super Shock Football HD" and puzzle game "Quantz HD," to incorporate Crystal integration. This is the company's social gaming network that enables players to compete against one another and tout high scores.

With its large screen, game makers can offer multiplayer options on a single iPad.

Firemint's "Flight Control HD" offers split-screen competitive and cooperative gameplay for two players to successfully land a never-ending stream of planes.

Gameloft's virtual card game "Uno" allows up to four friends to gather around an iPad and play.

There are hundreds of free iPad games, while other games range in price from $5 to $13. Games range from EA Mobile's ubiquitous "Tetris" to SGN's third-person shooter "EXO-Planet."

Some publishers offer lower-priced iPod Touch/iPhone ports as well as slightly more expensive iPad versions that take advantage of the new functionality.

"By taking an existing iPhone game and modifying it for iPad we believe that it will not only bring a new experience to an existing title, but basically create a new game," said de Vallois.

For example, Gameloft's iPad shooter "N.O.V.A Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance" allows players to use two fingers to curve a grenade toss and offers multi-targeting capabilities with a hand-drawn grid that eliminates all enemies on the screen with a rocket. The game originated on iPhone and iPod Touch.

"I think Apple learned their lesson about the importance of gaming from the iPhone and the iPod Touch," said Young. "It was really that first holiday season for the iPod Touch where Apple recognized and realized gaming was such a huge part of the business and the iPod Touch had found its home as a game machine." ]]> 727@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:14:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=726 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=726#comm
Together with partner Sony, FIFA plans to supply 25 World Cup matches in the immersive 3D technology made popular in cinemas by blockbuster movie Avatar and expected to spread to living rooms around the world this year.

Viewers with 3D television sets who live in a country where the broadcaster with World Cup rights also has 3D capabilities will also be able to watch live in 3D at home -- if they are not put off by the need to wear special glasses.

Currently, Disney's ESPN in the United States, Prisa's Sogecable in Spain and Korea's SBS have live 3D rights. More such deals are expected to be announced "shortly," FIFA's TV Director Niclas Ericson said.

In some countries, home 3D viewing will not be an option. For example, in Britain only BSkyB will have a 3D channel by the start of the World Cup in June, but the rights are held by ITV and the publicly-owned BBC.

Asked at a London media event on Thursday how many viewers were likely to watch World Cup games live in 3D, Ericson said: "We hope it will be at least a few hundred thousand per match," adding that most of the audience was likely to be in cinemas.

Rights for cinemas and entertainment venues are being managed by Swiss-based Aruna Media AG, which plans to broadcast live to about 26 countries and is in advanced discussions with several major markets, FIFA and Sony said.

Sony hopes the tournament will whet viewers' appetite for 3D, an industry still in its infancy, with several competing technologies and very few TV sets in homes. It plans to show 3D promotional trailers in thousands of retail stores worldwide.

The Japanese electronics giant will start selling its own 3D TVs in early June in Japan. Rivals LG, Panasonic and Samsung have all also recently unveiled 3D offerings.

Technology research firm iSuppli expects about 4.2 million 3D TV sets to be sold worldwide this year at an average price of $1,768. That should rise to 78 million sets by 2015, worth a total of $64.4 billion, iSuppli forecasts.

Much is at stake for Sony, which will need to show it can translate its expertise in 3D hardware and film content to the very different environment of sports, where fast-moving action can mean blurry images and even induce nausea in viewers.

"It will be a much richer experience, there's a lot of depth to it. It won't be similar to the Hollywood experience where there's a lot of in-your-face Wow! type of effects," David Bush, Marketing Director of Sony Professional," told Reuters TV.

"What we expect to replicate is the experience of being in the stadium."

The World Cup runs for a month from June 11 in South Africa. The list of matches to be captured in 3D can be read here:

link.reuters.com/waj96j. ]]> 726@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:13:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=725 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=725#comm
Profit jumped to 2.46 billion yuan (361 million U.S. dollars). Sales revenue was 60.27 billion yuan, an increase of 36 percent from 2008, the company said in its annual report posted on its website. ]]> 725@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:47:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=722 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=722#comm
The Thaicom has agreed to reconnect the signal after the confrontation that left altogether 22 injured, including one person with a serious head injury.

All the wounded were admitted to the local hospital.

"Red-shirts" began their scheduled rally in Bangkok Friday morning, defying a emergency decree imposed by government since Wednesday.

Thousands of protestors, by motorcycles and cars, departed from their two major rally sites Ratchaprasong Intersection and Phan Fah Bridge at about 10:30 a.m. They assembled together before heading toward Thaicom's head office in Patum Thani province, about one hour's drive from Bangkok.

The Centre for Public Administration in Emergency Situations ( CPAES), which is in charge of security under emergency decree, was quick to make response.

In a nationally-televised live address, CPAES spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the authorities had to control the situation and the security forces guarding the satellite uplink station have prepared tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons for possible intrusion by protestors.

The Nation online reported that about 7,000 soldiers and police were deployed to guard the station, which had cut the signal transmission of PTV since Thursday noon follow the government's order.

PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey confirmed Thursday afternoon that the airing in all the frequencies by PTV had been shut down, citing it distorts information to cause misunderstanding.

The "red-shirts" motorcade arrived at the company at about 1:30 p.m. Friday amid government's tight security measure to safeguard the satellite station.

At the gate, the "red-shirts" co-leader Jatuporn Promphan issued a 30-minute ultimatum, demanding the military to withdraw from inside by 2:40 p.m., or else the "red-shirts" will break in and occupy the Thaicom.

The protesters threw objects at soldiers and the buildings, trying to break into the grounds after the soldiers failed to withdraw on time. When they managed to broke their way through the barbed fence and the closed gate, the security forces tried to stop them with water cannons and tear gas but no avail.

The soldiers were forced to retreat to inside of the building while the police maintained at the grounds to prevent "red-shirts" from advancing.

The "red-shirts" leader Natthawut said in a speech to his colleagues after the break-in that they were calling on officials to come out for talks on putting the PTV back on air.

He demanded the government withdraw soldiers and police from inside the station and get the PTV signal unblocked so that it could resume its broadcast by 4:00 p.m.

It's not long before the police and Thaicom company sent their representatives to talk to three "red-shirts" leaders including Natthawut and Jatuporn Promphan, and at about 5:00 p.m. Natthawut made the announcement that Thaicom will reconnect the signal within one hour.

He also thanked the soldiers for refraining from using force against the red-shirts and urged them to return to the barracks and not be a tool of the government.

The soldiers were withdrawing from the company and the "red- shirts" were moving back to Ratchaprasong Intersection and Phan Fa bridge, leaving only PTV technicians and Thaicom personnel to reconnect the signal.

As the major of protestors have returned their main rally sites, there is no access to PTV signal through either the TV set or the website so far.

Later the day another brief skirmish occurred at the gate of General Police Hospital in Bangkok at about 5:20 p.m., not far away from Ratchaprasong Intersection. Nobody was injured.

Scuffle took place as "red-shirts" were trying to block the gate of the hospital, an exit to the police, whom they believed were about to come out to disperse the protestors at the intersection.

There are seven companies of riot policemen deployed inside the National Police Headquarters, next to the hospital, TV reported.

Before the incident, the "red-shirts" were bracing for anti- riot operation as the riot forces were seen inside the Police headquarters.

"Red-shirts" leaders, Weng Tojirakarn, Veera Musigapong and Kokaew Pikulthong, took turn to rouse the crowds.

Weng urged protesters to act as human shield to prevent the advance of riot forces.

The Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon after the protestors surrounded and raided the Parliament House earlier the day, forcing the Cabinet and parliament meetings cancelled.

The "red-shirts", many of them supporters of the ousted ex- premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have been staging rolling rally in Bangkok since March 14, pressuring Abhisit to dissolve the parliament and hold a snap election. ]]> 722@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ default Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:46:00 -0400 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=2 http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/entry.php?id=2#comm This is an entry in the linkdump category. Most people use this to quickly post links to interesting sites or resources. If you write a new entry, and select 'linkdump' as the category, the entry will automagically be published in this section of your weblog.

]]> 2@http://gsdkjchy.com.cn/pivot/ linkdump Sun, 17 Jun 2007 12:15:00 -0400