新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/03/21

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition 
 
 
Shane Bigham with you on this Thursday, March 20th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
In the search for Malaysian flight MH370, Australian crews are still hunting for those mystery objects spotted in the Indian Ocean by a satellite.
The European Union has expanded its sanctions against Russia over the Crimea affair.
And Thailand's constitutional court has ruled the country's election results invalid.
In business, official data shows slower profit growth for China's state-owned enterprises.
In sports, career win number-600 for Lleytin Hewitt.
In entertainment, the stars of Captain America: The Winter Soldier are here in Beijing to promote their movie.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 5 degree Celsius. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 23 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 5, sunny tomorrow, with a high of 17.
Chongqing will be overcast, 11 degrees the low, also overcast tomorrow with a high of 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast with a high of 26.
Kabul, rainy, 14.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 27.
Canberra, rainy, 24.
Brisbane, overcast, 28.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 32.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Live call-in with Wang Xiao about Australia's searching mission to the missing jet
 
Anchor:
Australian aircraft are searching for a second day in the south Indian Sea for objects suspected of belonging to the missing Malaysian airline jet.
So far they have not found the debris spotted earlier by satellite to the south-west of Australia.
More aircraft and vessels are expected to join in the operation, including Chinese icebreaker Xuelong.
For more information on that, we are now joined by our Australian correspondent Wang Xiao.
…
That is our Australian correspondent Wang Xiao reporting from Sydney.
 
 
Info from the Malaysian PC
 
China has set up a working group to manage icebreaker Xuelong's search for the missing jet.
It will take the icebreaker about four days to arrive at the search area, some 2,500 km southwest of Perth.
Meanwhile a working group comprised of Malaysian authorities has met relatives of Chinese passengers onboard the plane here in Beijing.
The Malaysian side has briefed them about the search effort, and said there has so far been no conclusive evidence linking the spotted to objects to MH370.
Malaysian officials have also held a new press conference today.
For more on that, we spoke earlier with Nadiah Abdul Aziz, a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
…
Back Anchor:
That is Nadiah Abdul Aziz,a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
 
 
Malaysia tourism won't be hit hard after the missing flight
 
Anchor:
Two weeks after the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines flight, there is still no trace of the Beijing bound jetliner.
As tourism is a major contributor to Malaysia's economy, CRI's Li Jing takes a closer look at whether tourism to the Southeast Asian country will be affected by the incident.
Report:
China accounts for 12 percent of visitors to Malaysia.
But some Chinese people are now hesitant to visit the country after flight MH370 went missing en route to Beijing.
"The missing flight has made a very negative impact on my impression of Malaysia and its airlines; so out of concern for my safety, I will not visit Malaysia if I go to Southeast Asia."
"I will not go to Malaysia. It is not safe. Vietnam could be a more-likely destination, but definitely not Malaysia."
Gao Xue is the manager of a Beijing Youth Travel Service booth.
"The package tours to Malaysia always include Thailand or Singapore, and we don't fly with Malaysian Airlines—more likely with Air China or Singapore Airlines. We are not affected much by the incident because the local environment is secure and stable. But for those who take their own trips, they are less willing to choose Malaysian Airlines."
Malaysia's government has designated this year as "Visit Malaysia Year" and the country hopes to lure 28 million foreign tourists, that is 100-thousand more than last year.
Qin Hongyan, chief of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board's Chengdu Office, says they don't expect a significant impact on the number of visitors.
"I've heard from travel agencies that the number of tourists visiting Malaysia is decreasing, but Malaysia's domestic environment is safe, and Malaysia boasts diverse nature and culture, so the impact won't be too serious."
Qin Hongyan says her agency will promote Malaysia's tourism later this year to restore people's confidence.
"We don't think it is the right time now to do any promotional events because it is still hard for people to accept the tragedy, and they feel uneasy about the incident. But we are considering using social media, for example, to invite bloggers or travel gurus to explore Malaysia, to let them know that Malaysia is safe to travel."
Qin Hongyan also notes that it is still early to say to what extent exactly the impact of the incident will loom over the country's tourism, since March and April do not fall within Malaysia's peak tourism season.
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
 
 
EU expands sanctions against Russia
 
EU leaders and interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk have signed a political association agreement here on Friday.
It comes after the EU expanded its sanctions against Russia by slapping travel bans and asset freezes on 12 more people while cancelling the EU-Russia summit.
The decision comes as the leaders of the 28 EU member states gather in Brussels for the bloc's spring summit.
EU President Herman van Rompuy:
"We put forward another 12 names to the list of 21 agreed to earlier this week. We are also canceling the next EU-Russia summit and member states will likewise cancel regular bilateral summits. We make clear that failure to settle the crisis peacefully and any steps by Russia to destabilize Ukraine will have far-reaching consequences, and by that we mean consequences on relations in a broad range of economic areas."
The EU leaders also tasked the bloc's executive Commission to prepare a raft of economic sanctions that could be imposed if the Crimea situation intensifies.
The move comes hours after U.S. President Barack Obama announced further US sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, Russia barred nine U.S. politicians including, House Speaker John Boehner, from entering the country.
Meanwhile the upper house of the Russian parliament has approved a treaty on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The vote came one day after the State Duma, or lower house of the parliament, unanimously supported the treaty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:
"They trampled down the law to place in power their stooges, those who rely on open ultra-nationalists, and then they accuse us and the Crimeans of breaking Ukrainian law - it's absolutely void from a legal point of view and simply unacceptable from a moral point of view."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called Russia and Ukraine to sit down for constructive talks while meeting up with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Ban is traveling to Kiev today to meet with interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov in a bid to cool down the current tension.
 
 
Thailand's Constitutional Court rules February election as invalid
 
Thailand's Constitutional Court has ruled February's election as invalid.
The court says the election violated the constitution, as voting did not take place in 28 districts in southern Thailand where candidates were unable to register due to anti-government protests.
Pimon Thampitakphong is the spokesman of the Constitutional Court.
"After the government dissolved parliament in 2013, the new general election was dated for the 2nd of February, 2014. But the election was held without 28 constituencies which never had candidates register for the election. We have determined that the election could not take place across the kingdom on the same day."
The snap poll was called by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in December in a bid to defuse major anti-government protests in Bangkok.
It is not clear when a new election will take place.
But protesters say if a new election is organized, they will disrupt it again.
Protesters have demanded Yingluck's government be replaced by an unelected "people's council".
Earlier, the government lifted the State of Emergency as protesters scaled down their rallies.
Twenty-three people have died and hundreds have been injured in the five-month protest.
 
 
Indian court sentences 5 to life in jail in one of twin gang rapes in Mumbai
 
A special court in India has handed life sentences to five men convicted in a brutal gang rape in Mumbai last year.
It was the second of two notorious cases that happened within weeks of each other, sparking outrage across the country.
Three of the men sentenced today had already been convicted and handed life terms in the other gang rape case.
The five got life in jail under a stricter law passed by the Indian Parliament last year in the wake of the brutal and fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student by six men on a moving bus in the national capital in December 2012.
 
 
9 killed in Kabul hotel attack
 
Nine people, including four foreigners, have been killed by gunmen during an attack at a hotel used by UN staff in Kabul.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Officials say four Taliban fighters snuck into the hotel on Thursday evening and hid for three hours before storming into the restaurant and opening fire on people.
The attackers were later killed by Afghan security forces.
Sediq Sediqqi is the Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman:
"We are still investigating exactly how these four attackers with their guns were able to enter the compound which was secured by the security arrangement by the hotel itself. Our investigation team is still there and they are working to find out."
Among the dead were two women from New Zealand and Canada, and two men from India and Pakistan.
The Serena Hotel, which is frequented by foreign visitors, is close to the presidential palace and key government ministries.
Earlier, 11 people were killed when the Taliban attacked a police station in the southern city of Jalalabad.
The latest string of attacks comes as the country is preparing for next month's presidential election.
 
 
Three out of danger in China kindergarten food poisoning
 
All five children left on the verge of death in a poisoning case in southwest China are now out of danger.
The children were sickened at the kindergarten they attend in Pinglong Village, Yunnan Province.
In all, 32 children showed symptoms of what was thought to be food poisoning on Wednesday afternoon. 7 of those students entered the hospital in critical condition.
Two girls died.
Local authorities say the children were sickened by tetramine, a banned neurotoxic rat poison.
Investigators found the substance in snacks brought to the school by a student who shared the food.
 
 
Biz Reports 
 
Stocks
 
Asian markets found their footing on Friday after Wall Street shook off concerns about Federal Reserve policy.
Chinese shares rose sharply higher Friday on the announcement of regulations for a preferred stock trial by the country's securities regulator.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission says the trial is an important reform to China's capital market.
The cabinet decided in late November to launch the trial and specific rules are now available.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped up 2.7 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index advanced 3.5 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.2 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei was closed.
South Korea's Kospi added 0.8 percent.
Singapore's Strait Times Index rose 0.6 percent.
Finally, Australia's ASX200 climbed 0.8 percent.
 
 
Chinese SOEs profit growth slows Jan-Feb
 
New data say Chinese state-owned enterprises, or SOEs, saw their combined profits grow at a slower pace in the first two months of 2014 amid signs of a slowing economy.
The Ministry of Finance says the total profits of SOEs edged up 2.8 percent year on year to over 326.5 billion yuan, or around 53.1 billion U.S. dollars in the first two months.
The pace is lower than the 9.7-percent growth seen in the same period of last year and 5.9 percent for the whole year of 2013.
The slowdown in profit growth comes amid increasing signs of a slowing Chinese economy.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector retreated to an eight-month low in February and slowed for the third month in a row.
China's power consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, also slowed by one percentage point from a year earlier to 4.5 percent in the first two months.
 
 
China to launch multi-tier household gas pricing
 
China's price watchdog says the government will launch a multi-tier pricing mechanism for household natural gas before the end of 2015.
The National Development and Reform Commission says under the new mechanism, the residential natural gas price will increase as consumption above the base amount increases.
The mechanism will have three tiers.
The benchmark tier will take into account the average consumption of about 80 percent of households.
Consumption beyond the benchmark amount will cost 20 and 50 percent more in the second and third tier respectively.
An official from NDRC says the new move aims to make the household gas pricing system more just and encourage energy saving.
This is the third multi-tier pricing mechanism introduced by the government following the two on household electricity and water.
 
 
Barroso welcome deal on rules to fight tax evasion
 
The European Union has agreed to a sweeping policy to fight tax evasion, after Luxembourg dropped its reservations to new rules which render its secretive banking culture more transparent.
The legislation proposes an EU-wide automatic exchange of data on bank deposits to allow governments to identify and pursue tax evaders with foreign accounts on home soil.
Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Commission President, says the move would bring an end to banking secrecy in Europe.
"It took six long years of negotiations but we did it. We are bringing an end to banking secrecy in Europe and we will now be in a strong position to negotiate with key international financial centers. I hope we can achieve real progress in this matter by the end of this year."
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long seen as a paradise for tax evasion because of slack regulation, lax taxes and its famed secrecy that drew everyone from Belgian dentists to international investors looking for ways to launder money.
 
 
Europe strikes deal to complete banking union
 
European authorities have taken the final steps toward the completion of a banking union.
An agency tasked with shutting down failing euro zone banks has now been officially established.
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.
"It's a very good agreement. It's progress. The point we always made is that we needed a mechanism, which is properly funded and the agreement actually improves on the pre-existing funding. It's also a clear reference to enhanced borrowing capacity from the market by the fund. We will have to clearly see in detail what this means. The decision-making mechanism is also swifter and more operational so it's an improvement on that front too."
The deal means the ECB now has the means to shut down banks it deems too weak to survive.
The agreement makes it harder for EU countries to challenge the ECB if the central bank triggers bank closures.
However, the new deal does not include any joint provision for dealing with the cost of shutting down individual banks, meaning individual countries will have to foot the bill themselves.
 
 
Doug Young on corporate news of the week
 
Anchor:
Let's check out some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
That was Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
All big U.S. banks but one pass Fed's health test
 
The Federal Reserve says U.S. big banks have enough capital to withstand a drastic economic downturn.
29 out of 30 major banks have met the Fed's minimum criteria in the annual banking-sector health check.
The tests aim to show how banks would weather a financial collapse similar to the 2008 financial crisis.
Banks have to show how they will cope with a halving of the stock market and the eight largest banks have to weigh the impact of the default of their biggest trading counterparty.
Stress tests are closely watched by financial markets as a sign of the industry's health, and also because the Fed can reject banks' plans to return capital to shareholders if they think the banks are not strong enough to carry them out.
European regulators plan to conduct their own stress tests later this year.
 
 
Mt. Gox says it found 200,000 bitcoins in "forgotten" wallet
 
Mt. Gox says it found 200,000 "forgotten" bitcoins on March 7, a week after the Tokyo-based digital currency exchange filed for bankruptcy protection.
In the filing, the company says it lost nearly all the 850,000 bitcoins it held, worth some $500 million at today's prices.
Mt. Gox has made the announcement on its website. Online sleuths have noticed around 200,000 bitcoins moving through the crypto-currency exchange after the bankruptcy filing.
It adds that it moved the 200,000 bitcoins from online to offline wallets on March 14-15 "for security reasons."
Many of Mt. Gox's 127,000 creditors, who feared they had lost their investments when the exchange filed for bankruptcy, are skeptical about what the exchange has said happened to the bitcoins it had.
In its bankruptcy filing, Mt. Gox also said 28 million U.S. dollars was "missing" from its Japanese bank accounts.
 
 
Headline News 
 
 
Live call-in with Wang Xiao about Australia's searching mission to the missing jet
 
Australian aircraft are searching for a second day in the south Indian Sea for objects suspected of belonging to the missing Malaysian airline jet.
So far they have not found the debris spotted earlier by satellite to the south-west of Australia.
More aircraft and vessels are expected to join in the operation, including Chinese icebreaker Xuelong.
China has set up a working group to manage Xuelong's search for the missing jet.
It will take the icebreaker about four days to arrive at the search area, some 2,500 km southwest of Perth.
Meanwhile Malaysian authorities have confirmed that investigation to the aircraft stimulator found in the captain's home showed no motivation of a terror attack.
 
 
EU expands sanctions against Russia
 
EU leaders and interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk have signed a political association agreement on Friday.
It comes after the EU expanded its sanctions against Russia by slapping travel bans and asset freezes on 12 more people while canceling the EU-Russia summit.
Meanwhile the upper house of the Russian parliament has approved a treaty on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The vote came one day after the State Duma, or lower house of the parliament, unanimously supported the treaty.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called Russia and Ukraine to sit down for constructive talks while meeting up with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Ban is traveling to Kiev today to meet with interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov in a bid to cool down the current tension.
 
 
Japan confirms meeting with DPRK in Beijing on March 30-31
 
Japan's foreign ministry has confirmed high-level talks with North Korea will take place later this month.
The meetings are to be held on March 30th and 31st in Beijing.
The agreement to resume formal talks was reached between diplomats who met on the sidelines during two days of meetings that ended on Thursday in northeastern China.
The talks later this month will bring up issues like North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and Japanese citizens abducted and taken to North Korea in the 1970s and 80s.
Previous talks on these issues broke off in December of 2012 following a missile test by North Korea.
 
 
S.Korea agrees to summit with Japan, U.S. despite unsolved issues
 
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has agreed to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of next week's Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.
The meeting is to be arbitrated by U.S. President Barack Obama
It would be the first official meeting between Park and Abe since the two leaders took office.
Each leader has served for a little over a year.
Park has previously refused to meet one-on-one with Abe due to his wrong perception of history.
Last week, Abe said he and his cabinet will inherit the Kono and Murayama statements, or past apologies for Japan's past militarism, sex slavery, and wartime aggression.
 
 
Newspaper Picks 
 
 
Xinhua
"Beijing to host global camping, caravanning rally"
The 80th International Camping and Caravanning Federation rally will be held from May 30 to June 8 in northwest Beijing.
The event, which is also the 1st camping & caravanning rally in China, will be held at a campsite by the side of Jinniu Lake in Yanqing District built specifically for this purpose.
A variety of activities have been arranged for the 10-day occasion, including celebrations of the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat festival, a parade of RVs, a family music life festival, and tours of Yanqing via water, land and air-borne vehicles.
As China's economy grows, more households own cars and the pattern of tourism is changing, seeing a growth in the potential of camping and caravanning.
Beijing Youth Daily
"Beijing railway stations to add security checks at ticket halls"
Beijing is about to add security checks at ticket halls in all of its railway stations.
Passengers now have to put their baggage through security checks before going into the waiting hall, but there will be no checks before going into the ticket hall.
The same set-up will be at Beijing Railway Station and Beijing North Railway station. Beijing South Railway Station, the newest one, has a combined ticket hall and waiting hall.
Beijing Railway Station also said anyone who wants to go to the platform to pick someone up will be checked as well.
Railway stations nationwide have tightened security checks since the deadly terrorist attack at Kunming railway station in Yunnan province on March 1.
Mashable
"Anti-social networking app helps you avoid friends you don't like"
A new app called Cloak can collect location data to make it easier for you to avoid your connections.
Connect Cloak to Foursquare and Instagram and the app brings up a map displaying your location and the locations of friends who have checked in nearby.
If there's someone you want to avoid, select "flag" and the app will alert you when that person gets within a certain radius of you. A half mile is the default radius but you can set it to be as small as one block or as big as two miles.
For now, the app only pulls in location data from Foursquare and Instagram but the developers say they are working to make the app compatible with more social media platforms.
Medical news today
"Researchers discover how our body clock reacts to environmental changes"
A new mechanism by which our body clocks react to environmental changes has been discovered by researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK.
Internal biological timers, also known as circadian clocks are responsible for our body's daily rhythms, including our sleep and wake patterns and metabolism.
In the team's study, which they conducted on mice, they found that an enzyme that controls how the body clock can be reset or adjusted by changes in light. Blocking this enzyme 'could speed up adaptation to environmental changes'
What's important, faster adaptation to the new environment reduced metabolic interference - a negative health effect associated with a disrupted body clock.
The investigators say their discovery could open the door to solutions for individuals who experience negative health implications out of disrupted body clocks, from shift work, jet-lag and sleep deprivation.
These negative health implications may lead to a weakened immune system, which can potentially cause obesity, diabetes and even cancer.
 
 
Special Reports 
 
 
Experts Call for Gov't Investments in Sleep-related Researches
 
Anchor:
Today is World Sleeping Day, and a Chinese research group is recommending the government invest in studying links between traffic accidents and a lack of sleep.
CRI's Xu Fei explains.
Reporter:
The China Sleep Research Society defines the theme of this year's World Sleep Day as 'Good Sleep, Safe Driving'
Professor Chen Guihai, a senior doctor who specializes in sleep difficulties explains that fatigue and distractions due to sleep loss played a role in an increase in traffic accidents.
"Research shows that 30 percent of traffic accidents took place as a result of drowsy driving. The main factors that lead to a driver's tiredness include inadequate sleep, bad quality of sleep and not enough breaks being taken during long drives, successively."
Along with those who sit behind the wheel for a living, regular workers in Chinese cities, where life often moves at a fast pace, are at high risk for having sleep problems.
Xin Bing, head of sci-tech popularization with the China Association for Science and Technology, reveals the severity of sleep disorders in China.
"Almost one-third of the world's population has problems sleeping. Here in China, 38.2 percent of the population suffers from sleep difficulties, and the percentage is much higher than the world average. As far as we know, over 80 types of diseases are caused by inadequate sleep."
Sleep problems, including snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and restless legs syndrome, are common. However, most Chinese people are not aware that sleep disorder can trigger heart disease.
This fact makes many experts in the field believe relevant departments did little in informing the public of the dangers of sleep disorder. There's also very little investment in sleep-related research.
Professor Hu Zhi'an, an expert on the sleep-wake cycle with Third Military Medical University, says this needs to change.
"The government should first invest in the sleep-related research. Then the government should also guide the development of sleep-related products. For example, devices that can monitor a driver whether he or she feels sleepy behind the wheel have not yet reached China. At the beginning phase, the government should support its development."
By contrast, the US has been leading the way in sleep research. Professor Hu believes intervention helps with both people's health and the economy.
"First, the US leads in fundamental sleep-related research. Secondly, the US began to pay attention to the ties between drowsy driving and traffic safety much earlier than China and many other countries. Thereafter, they invented two ways to deal with the problem. First, they've invented sleep monitoring devices. Secondly, they now also have early intervention devices, like a pair of special glasses which can prevent drivers from falling sleepy."
As sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors, Hu urges the public to raise its awareness of sleep health, as well as the relevant health authorities to research sleep-related health problems and publish their result.
For CRI, I'm XU Fei.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Lleyton Hewitt notches up 600th career win at Sony Open in Miami
 
In tennis:
Australian Lleyton Hewitt has notched his 600th career win at the Sony Open in Miami.
He defeated Robin Haase of The Netherlands 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday night in Florida.
With this milestone Hewitt becomes only the third active player to achieve so many victories, joining an elite group that includes two of the all-time greats Rafa Nadal – who's won 674 and Roger Federer on 937.
The Australian says he has mixed feeling about achieving this feat:
"It's not something you think about whatsoever. Even today I totally forgot about it when I was going out there to play but it's obviously something I look back on and be really proud of.　It means I'm getting bloody old though. I've been around for an awful long time now," Hewitt said.　
In other action, American Donald Young cruised past Argentinean Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2.　
Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut came back to defeat American Steve Johnson 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 after dropping the first set.
And Former world top 20 Sam Querrey took an hour and 14 minutes to beat Serguy Stakhovsky 7-6, 5-3.
In the women's event the fourth seeded Maria Sharipova defeated Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-3, 6-4 to join Serena Williams in the next round.
Sharipova is a five-time runner-up in Miami.
 
 
Adam Scott levels course record to take lead at PGA at Bay Hill, Florida
 
Staying in Florida,
And in GOLF…. Adam Scott matched the Bay Hill course record by shooting a 10-under 62 to build a three-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scott made five putts from about 20 feet or longer, two of them for eagle and one of them from off the green for birdie.
It was the lowest round in 30 years at the course.
Adam Scott's round gives him a three stroke lead over Ryo Ishikawa and John Merrick.
After the round he said the secret to his success was keeping his nerves under control:
"I've played a lot feeling like this and sometimes it works in your favor - just by lowering the expectation a little bit and having no feeling, not even the nervous feeling."
Further back Graeme McDowell – who is four under par after 18 holes, played one of the shots of the day when he rolled in a 74-foot eagle putt on the par-five sixth hole.
McDowell played in five previous U.S. PGA Tour tournaments this season and recorded four top-10 results, but says he has his work cut out if he is to catch up here:
"Yeah, I mean, you know when you're going out there chasing 10 under par from Adam Scott this morning - what a wonderful score that is - it always kind of changes the attitude a little bit for the afternoon, you know. Perfect scoring conditions, I mean, hardly a breath of wind today. Receptive greens, which I'd imagine are going to get firmer as the week goes on - they seemed to get a few of the front pins out of the way today that I don't think they'll be able to use on the weekend when the greens get firm. So, all in all, I'm very happy with four under par, good start of the week, get back out there tomorrow morning I must put the ball on the fairways tomorrow, I didn't drive it very well today. Iron play was good and made some putts."
Elsewhere Tiger Woods was unable to make it to this tournament as he is struggling with a back injury.
 
 
Tyson Fury flips ahead of Dereck Chisoro heavyweight rematch
 
In Boxing,
Heavyweight Tyson Fury lost his temper during a news conference last night to preview his rematch with Dereck Chisora in a WBO title eliminator.
The six foot nine inch fighter using language that cannot be broadcast on radio, and then slammed down a microphone, flipped over his table and headed out of the news conference in Manchester, England.
The dramatic effect was reduced as Chisora applauded what he later said was a fine performance, and the audience audibly giggled.
Though Chisora himself has a track record of losing his temper on such occasions this time he remained cool:
"As you can see right now I am very calm. You know, I am very calm right now. I haven't much to say anymore. I am a professional boxer, I am a professional athlete. I made my name already, and we know Tyson hasn't been on the bigger stage before in his career, and he needs to understand I am giving him another payday so, I am the champ. I am the European champion.　I held the British title, the Commonwealth title, and the WBO and the Continental title so I am the champion so, now the first fight wasn't great. He trained hard, he came to take my titles and he did take them. This time will be different."　
Fury fought Chisora in 2011 in London and relieved him of his British and Commonwealth titles with a points victory.
Chisora goes to the July 26 rematch in Manchester as European title-holder.
 
 
Sport Football - Europe League results and Champions League draw
 
Elsewhere in the Europe League Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked out of the competition despite a late rally against Benfica.
The Portuguese side scored first courtesy of a header by Ezequiel Garay in the 34th minute, this put the hosts up 4-1 on aggregate. But just when it seemed that all was lost Spurs Striker Chadli scored twice towards the end of the second half to give them a sniff at pushing the match into extra time.
Their hopes were dashed however as Tottenham's Sandro barged Lima in the box gifting Benfica a penalty allowing the hosts to put the final nail in the coffin with the last kick of the game.
Looking to the champion's league. much awaited match ups have just been drawn.
 
 
American baseballers baffled by cricket ahead of season opener in Australia
 
In Major League Baseball the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamond backers are gearing up for their season opener at Sydney cricket ground in Australia tomorrow.
While getting ready to play at the prestigious ground, the Diamondbacks' Wade Miley confessed that Cricket still baffles him:
"I've been watching every night before I go to bed and trying to figure out, like, what is going on? What is a wicket? What is all that? I mean, what is happening? I'm getting a little but more, but it's tough. It's tough to figure that out just by watching TV with nobody telling what's going on."
The two teams will open the 2014 season with two games this Saturday and Sunday
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans come to Beijing to promote "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
 
U.S. stars Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans, along with other cast members of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," will visit Beijing to promote the film on Monday, March 24th.
The upcoming superhero action film features Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is intended to be the sequel to 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger.
The sequel is set two years after the first movie and sees Steve Rogers peacefully residing in Washington D.C. but struggling to adapt to contemporary society. However, after a S.H.I.E.L.D. compatriot is killed, Rogers becomes entangled in a mystery that may endanger the world. Captain America tries to uncover the growing threat of conspiracy while fending off hired hit men. Captain America and the Black Widow must recruit the aid of the Falcon and together they encounter an unanticipated and powerful adversary – the Winter Soldier.
The film is set hit Chinese cinemas in two weeks, on April 4th.
 
 
"Mr. Peabody & Sherman" release in China on March 28
 
US animated children's comedy, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," hits Chinese screens on March 28th.
The film tells the story of Mr. Peabody, a two-time Olympic medalist and genius that happens to be a dog. With his most ingenious invention, Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy, Sherman, hurtle back in time to experience history-making moments and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time. However, when Sherman breaks the rules of time travel, they find themselves in a race to repair history and save the future.
Chinese actor Huang Bo and cross-talker Jia Ling have been invited to voice the two lead characters.
The film premiered on February 7 in the United Kingdom and was released on March 7 in the United States.
 
 
Shanghai "DreamCenter" project begins construction
 
Construction of the "DreamCenter" project, a media and entertainment destination, has officially kicked off in Shanghai.
The project is a joint venture by DreamWorks Animation, China Media Capital and Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong Group.
With a total area of 463-thousand square meters in Shanghai's Xuhui District, the center will consist of 12 art, cultural and entertainment venues as well as a number of theaters and music halls.
The headquarters of Oriental Dreamworks, expected to become Asia's leading animation production base, will find its home in the DreamCenter. The new facility in Shanghai will also see the construction of a 500-seat IMAX Cineplex, tailor-made for premieres and red carpet events.
This mega-project will have its fair share of bars and restaurants to boot.
The "DreamCenter" is expected to be completed by 2017.
 
 
South Korean Crayon Pop to tour with Lady Gaga
 
South Korean group Crayon Pop has just scored the gig of a life time.
The all-girl group will join Lady Gaga on her forthcoming "Artrave: The Artpop Ball" tour.
Gaga herself announced on Thursday that the colorful South Korean group will open for her as she takes her tour to cities across North America, including Atlantic City, Boston and Toronto, from June 26th to July 22nd.
Crayon Pop had a hit last year with their catchy song, "Bar, Bar, Bar." Additional supporting acts for Gaga's tour have yet to be announced.
 
 
"The Wolverine 2" and "Fantastic Four 2" release dates revealed
 
It's no surprise that super heroes are dominating entertainment headlines again with the official release dates for "The Wolverine 2" and "Fantastic Four 2" confirmed. Fans can expect Hugh Jackman's next solo outing as Wolverine on March 3, 2017, with the Fantastic Four sequel opening on July 14, 2017.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
In the search for Malaysian flight MH370, Australian crews are still hunting for those mystery objects spotted in the Indian Ocean by a satellite.
The European Union has expanded its sanctions against Russia over the Crimea affair.
And Thailand's constitutional court has ruled the country's election results invalid.
In business, official data shows slower profit growth for China's state-owned enterprises.