The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Shane Bigham with you on this Wednesday, March 12th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening,
Chinese premier Li Keqiang is calling for further expansion of the search effort of a missing Malaysian flight that had been heading to Beijing before it disappeared.
China's top political advisory body has concluded its annual session in Beijing, moving ahead with a number of changes and reforms.
And The Russian government says Crimea's upcoming referendum on independence is in accordance with international law.
In business, we talk about the Chinese-made video game console to be released later this month...
In sports, an update on Asian Champions League play.
In entertainment, the script for Black Coal, Thin Ice has leaked online.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius. Cloudy tomorrow with a high of 13 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will have light rain tonight, with a low of 6, Cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 11.
Chongqing will be overcast, 13 degrees the low, light rain tomorrow with a high of 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 25.
Kabul, overcast, 15.
Over in Australia
Sydney, rainy, highs of 24.
Canberra, overcast, 24.
Brisbane, sunny, 29.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 29.
Top News
Chinese premier urges expanded search efforts for missing plane
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has spoken with the captain of one of the Chinese vessels taking part in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
He called the search effort to be expanded.
The premier visited the State Council's emergency response and command center to learn the latest about the search operation.
The search is in its fifth day amid confusion over the plane's last known location.
Earlier both China and Vietnam has announced to expand their searching area.
The Chinese team is now expanding their search area to northwest of the gulf of Thailand, covering some 17 thousand square km in total.
China has sent a third military aircraft to join the search operation today.
8 Chinese vessels and 6 helicopters are taking part in the massive search right now.
China has also employed 10 satellites to provide technological support to locate the missing jet.
There are 154 Chinese nationals onboard the plane.
Meanwhile authorities from the Malaysian transport department have given another briefing about the latest searching operation.
For more on that, we spoke earlier with Nadiah Abdul Aziz, a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
…
That is Nadiah Abdul Aziz, a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
China's top political advisory body concludes annual session
China's top political advisory body has concluded its annual session in Beijing.
At the closing session of the meeting, the work report submitted to the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was approved.
During the session, CPPCC National Committee members submitted more than 5,800 proposals concerning the country's economic development and social governance.
A majority of the proposals focused on China's reforms and other prominent issues concerning people's interests and well-being.
National Advisors: To Better Do Their Work
Anchor:
The main function of the CPPCC is to hold political consultations concerning the country's governance.
But exactly what do all these political advisors really do?
CRI's Zheng Chenguang has more.
Reporter:
Yan Huiying is a member to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
She began preparing her proposals months before the start of the top advisory body's annual meeting.
"A friend of mine volunteers in 'Love Save Pneumoconiosis', an organization to help patients who have pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. What impresses me is that there are about 6 million patients in China. When they're sick, they have to wait to die. At that moment, I said nothing to them but decided to put forward a proposal to this year's session, where I can also discuss with members from various government departments on this issue."
Yan's proposal is to call on the government to establish a foundation to help pneumoconiosis patients.
Like Yan Huiying, the priority for other members of the CPPCC is to put forward proposals, offering comments and suggestions on major political and social issues to the people's congress and the government via the CPPCC.
"I believe as a member of the advisory body, we should not only focus on discussions about government policies but also issues of social concerns, and how to help with the ordinary people to solve their concerns."
Zang Yongqing, chief editor of Modern Press Company, is also a political advisor.
He says the mechanism of the top advisory body is to have all the advisors discuss and making consultations, to reach consensus and influence policy-making.
"We need to attend several meeting to discuss the Premier's government work report and our proposals. We talk about the feasibility and questions of the proposals. It is the easiest way to express opinions to the top leaders and government"
Zang further elaborates on how their proposals will be handled after the annual session.
"Last year, one of my proposals about nationwide reading was considered by the government. They responded to me in a written reply with detailed measures to deal with the proposal, and asked for my opinions on these measures. The reply is even more explicit than the proposal I wrote."
Zang says instead of being eye-catching, a good proposal should be more focusing on the content itself.
For CRI, this is Zheng Chenguang.
Violence against medical workers should be addressed in health care system
Anchor: China's lawmakers have decided to push further with the country's healthcare reforms, despite a slew of controversies over the past few years.
CRI's Li Jing talked to a doctor to find out what may be done to help facilitate this process.
Report:
China started a new round of nationwide healthcare reforms in 2009.
Since then, government investment in the field has reportedly surpassed 370 billion US dollars.
38-year-old Zhao Chunyan is the head of Yanshan Hospital in Beijing's Fangshan district.
She says reforms have benefited the public, providing easier access to hospitals, and reducing the individual and family financial burden.
But Zhao Chunyan notes these reforms have failed to bring substantial dividends to medical staffers.
"Doctors are limited by regulations. But all the pressure is on doctors, who are on the frontline in confrontations with patients. I hope the reforms can reduce such limitations and make full use of our medical insurance fund. Also, I hope the security of hospitals can be included in police responsibilities. Hospital workers are now in charge of dealing with conflicts or even violence, which we are not capable of."
News stories about doctors and nurses beaten or stabbed to death are not rare in China.
Some have been seriously injured, even paralyzed.
Zhao Chunyan ascribes the phenomenon partly to the scarcity of medical resources.
"People have too high expectations towards medical science, which in fact has many unknown areas. They think doctors can heal whatever sickness they have but this is not the truth. Some patients queue up for two or three hours to see a doctor, but are only given short consultations, which is far from their satisfaction."
Brain strain is another problem in hospitals.
Zhao Chunyan suggests mechanism be established to improve medical workers' social status and salaries.
"To be honest, Chinese doctors have more advanced skills in many fields compared with our foreign peers, because we have gained rich experience from cases and surgeries. But our income standard is way below. I am not asking for an excessively high salary, but I hope it could be consistent with our work load and stress."
Due to the previous reasons, there has been a common practice that patients give red envelopes with money in exchange for better treatment and services.
This may also cause tensions when patients couldn't get a satisfactory result.
Zhao Chunyan suggests medical staffers be more devoted to patients.
Public hospitals provide 90 percent of the country's medical services.
This year, China will further reduce restrictions on foreign investment in the healthcare sector.
Zhao Chunyan says this is good news.
"I think it could be helpful to divert people, reducing crowding in public hospitals. These hospitals may have more flexible regulations, with better services. But supervision is important. "
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
Russia says referendum in Crimea abide by international law
Russia says the upcoming referendum in Crimea is in accordance with international law.
Russia's Foreign Ministry also says that a vote in favour of joining Russia would ultimately lead to Crimea becoming an "independent and sovereign state."
Alexander Lukashevich, Russian foreign ministry spokesman
"The Russian Foreign Ministry considers the Crimean parliament's decision absolutely lawful. The Russian Federation will fully respect the results of the free referendum of the Crimean people to which observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe are also invited."
The statement comes after the Crimean parliament voted to declare itself an independent state if people there vote to split from Ukraine in a referendum on Sunday.
The Ukrainian government is describing the forthcoming referendum as illegitimate.
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is calling for countries, including the United States, to defend Ukraine against Russia.
He is pleading with the U.S and Britain to abide by a treaty they signed in 1994, in which they pledged to guarantee Ukraine's security.
Yatsenyuk is due to travel to the U.S. and meet with US President Barack Obama today.
Meanwhile the US has issued a new statement, suggesting that the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is still in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman.
"He (Kerry) also reiterated his willingness to continue to engage with Foreign Minister Lavrov, including this week, but that the environment has to be right and the goal must be to protect the immunity and sovereignty of Ukraine and we didn't see that, obviously, in the responses that we received back".
In the meantime, the European Commission has agreed to extend 500 million euros of unilateral trade benefits to Ukraine, removing import duties on a wide range of agricultural goods, textiles and other goods in an effort to support the Ukrainian economy.
The agreement is expected to come into effect on November 1.
Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission President.
"But let me stress that the economic support is just a part - an important part but just a part - of our broader efforts to support Ukraine in the current difficult circumstances. Let me recall that, as a matter of priority, Europe has decided to sign the political chapters of the Association Agreement with Ukraine before the 25 of May, so before the elections."
Meanwhile, UN Assistant Secretary- General for Human Rights has dropped his plan to travel to Crimea.
A UN spokesperson says Ivan Simonovic, who is currently in Ukraine, will not go as planned to Crimea given the logistical situation.
Crimea's main airport in Simferopol has been closed for flights coming from other regions of Ukraine.
NATO AWACs to fly over Poland and Romania to monitor Ukraine
NATO says it has dispatched two surveillance planes to fly over Poland and Romania to monitor the crisis unfolding in neighboring Ukraine.
The military alliance says two planes took off from its bases in Germany and Britain today.
A NATO spokesman said the flights would not leave the air space of its member nations, to cross either into Ukrainian or Russian airspace.
NATO says one aircraft already went on a surveillance mission to Romania on Tuesday and more missions were being planned.
NATO's 28 member states on Monday decided to intensify the assessment of the possible threat the Ukrainian crisis poses to the alliance.
Russia to build 2 nuclear power plants in Iran
Iran has announced plans for two new nuclear power plants, to be built by Russia.
An Iranian atomic energy official says the facilities will be built in the southern Persian Gulf city of Bushehr.
Iran's official news agency says the government has reached a preliminary agreement with the Russian side.
Each power plant is expected to be able to generate at least 1000 megawatts of power, and both will be built next to an existing nuclear power plant.
Peace conference on Syria convenes in Tehran
A peace conference on the Syrian crisis has opened in neighboring Iran.
The chairman of Iran's parliament says senior lawmakers from Islamic countries and other states have gathered in Tehran, including representatives from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela.
While specifics of the talks have not been released, the stated goal is to bring back stability and security to Syria.
Politicians have also exchanged views on how to help the war-stricken Syrian people.
UN says number of Syrian children affected by war in last year doubled to over 5.5 million
The United Nations children's agency has said that the number of Syrian children affected by the civil war in their homeland has doubled in the past year.
The number is now standing at around 5.5 million, which is over half the country's children.
The agency says the war is affecting the health, education and psychological well-being of an entire generation.
UNICEF describes the impact of children in Syria as "especially acute" in their latest report.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Director of Emergency Programs
"The situation of Syrian children is truly terrible after three years of conflict. And this is what our report called 'Under Siege' brings out."
Also, he says nowhere is more severe than in besieged areas.
"Our colleagues were able to get into the old city of Homs a few weeks ago and bring out about 500 children and what they saw, what they described were children who were restless, children who were tired, children who have witnessed all sorts of violence and, you know, were in need of profound care and support, both in terms of their physical but also in terms of their psychological well being."
On the education front, UNICEF says that nearly half of Syria's school-age children cannot get an education because of the devastation and violence.
According to the UN agency, more than 10 thousand children have been killed in the violence, which would translate into the highest casualty rates recorded in any recent conflict in the region.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Asian stocks fell on persistent concerns over economic growth here in China. Meanwhile, continued tension in the Ukraine continues to dampen investor sentiment.
The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.2 percent
The Shenzhen Component Index edged up by 0.1 percent
Over in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng dropped 1.7 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei lost 2.6 percent
Singapore's Strait Times Index lost 1 percent
South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.6 percent
Finally, Australia's ASX 200 dropped 0.6 percent.
ZTE and the9 to release game console
Anchor:
China's second biggest telephone equipment maker, ZTE, has teamed up with online developer the9 to create a gaming console.
The console, named Fun Box, is set to be released this month exclusively to the Chinese market.
This comes after the authorities lifted a 14-year ban on video game consoles in China.
Analysis from PricewaterhouseCooper is suggesting China's video game market will be worth some 10-billion US dollars by next year, and is poised to become the second largest video game market in the world behind the United States as soon as 2017.
Joining me on the line is Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
…
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
China on track to exceed own 2015 shale production target
China is on course to exceed its own 2015 shale output goal.
China Petrochemical, the parent company of Sinopec, last week agreed to expand its shale gas capacity at its Fueling site to 5 billion cubic meters by 2015.
Analysts believe that the accelerated development of the Fuling project means China is likely to surpass 6.5 billion cubic meters by 2015.
China has the world's largest reserves of shale gas but difficult terrain, high production costs and want of necessary infrastructure have hampered production.
The country's production of shale gas has more than fivefolded over the course of 2013 and is set to further expand.
At the National People's Congress in Beijing, producers PetroChina and China National Petroleum both pledged to open up the industry to private investment as part of the overreaching reforms.
Alipay to issue online credit cards
Users of Chinese online payment service Alipay will soon be able to apply for credit cards for online use.
Alipay is teaming up with CITIC Bank to issue one million online credit cards starting next week.
The online cards will have a minimum line of credit of 200 yuan.
The maximum line of credit will depend on the users personal credit conditions.
The credit cards can only be used online through Alipay's website or its mobile app.
Alipay has more than 300 million registered users, and maintains a large database on its users' credit and spending habits.
At the same time, Tencent is also planning to issue a million online credit cards in partnership with CITIC Bank and Zhong An Online Property Insurance.
Users of Tencent's WeChat app can apply for the cards, which will have a minimum line of credit of 50 yuan and a maximum of 5-thousand yuan.
The two Internet giants have made the announcement on the same day China's banking regulator announced the companies have been shortlisted as possible pioneers of a pilot scheme to set up private banks in China.
A total of ten companies have been selected to set up private banks.
The first five banks will be established in Tianjin and Shanghai as well as the provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong.
No timetable has been given for when they may be operational.
Alibaba takes control of HK-listed ChinaVision
Alibaba has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Hong Kong-listed ChinaVision Media Group.
Alibaba is buying just under 12.5-billion existing and new shares of ChinaVision for 6.24-billion Hong Kong dollars.
The 800 million U.S. dollar investment will raise Alibaba's holdings of ChinaVision to 60-percent.
ChinaVision Media Group focuses on TV and film production, print media and mobile new media.
Alibaba's chair Ma Yun suggested late last year the company has plans to invest in new areas such as health care, culture and education over the next 10 to 20 years.
Firm in landmark bond default to sell assets
The first company in China to default on a corporate bond has announced plans to sell some of its assets in a bid to meet interest payments, as possible bankruptcy looms.
Shanghai-based Chaori Solar Energy Science & Technology has defaulted on interest payments worth 90 million yuan on a five-year bond the company issued in 2012.
Headline News
Chinese premier urges expanded search efforts for missing plane
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has spoken with the captain of one of the Chinese vessels taking part in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
He called the search effort to be expanded.
The search is in its fifth day amid confusion over the plane's last known location.
Earlier both China and Vietnam have announced to expand their searching area.
The Chinese team is now expanding their search area to northwest of the gulf of Thailand, covering some 17 thousand square km in total.
China has sent a third military aircraft to join the search operation today.
8 Chinese vessels and 6 helicopters are taking part in the massive search right now.
China has also employed 10 satellites to provide technological support to locate the missing jet.
China's top political advisory body concludes annual session
China's top political advisory body has concluded its annual session in Beijing.
At the closing session of the meeting, the work report submitted to the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was approved.
During the session, CPPCC National Committee members submitted more than 5,800 proposals concerning the country's economic development and social governance.
A majority of the proposals focused on China's reforms and other prominent issues concerning people's interests and well-being.
Russia says referendum in Crimea abide by international law
Russian's Foreign Ministry has issued a new statement, saying the upcoming referendum in Crimea is in accordance with international law.
The statement comes after the Crimean parliament voted to declare itself an independent state if people there vote to split from Ukraine in a referendum on Sunday.
The Ukrainian government is describing the forthcoming referendum as illegitimate.
Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is calling for countries, including the United States, to defend Ukraine against Russia.
In the meantime, the European Commission has agreed to extend 500 million euros of unilateral trade benefits to Ukraine, removing import duties on a wide range of agricultural goods, textiles and other goods in an effort to support the Ukrainian economy.
The agreement is expected to come into effect on November 1.
Peace conference on Syria convenes in Tehran
A peace conference on the Syrian crisis has opened in neighboring Iran.
The chairman of Iran's parliament says senior lawmakers from Islamic countries and other states have gathered in Tehran, including representatives from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela.
While specifics of the talks have not been released, the stated goal is to bring back stability and security to Syria.
Politicians have also exchanged views on how to help the war-stricken Syrian people.
Three militants killed in attack on Afghan spy agency
Three militants who apparently attacked the Afghan Intelligence Agency have been killed.
Provincial police in Kandahar say the trio tried to overrun the agency's compound, but ended up being shot dead by security forces.
The area is said to be a former Taliban stronghold.
Two security personnel were injured in the firefight.
Earlier in the day, three suicide bombers attacked a base of the National Directorate for Security in Kandahar City, damaging several shops and homes.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
"Shanghai judges quit, citing cost of living"
According to a panel discussion by national legislators from Shanghai, a growing number of judges in Shanghai have quit, citing high costs of living.
An official from Shanghai High People's Court said the disproportionately-low income compared to the long working hours prompted 74 judges at local courts to leave their posts in 2013.
In contrast with their poor compensation, one legislator said each judge in Shanghai handled an average of 131 cases in the past year. This indicates that they turn over about one case every two working days.
Many deputies have attributed the problem to no-competitive salaries and an outdated management model, and urged more innovation to reinvigorate the system.
China News Service
"Kindergarten suspended for giving RX pills to kids for months"
A kindergarten in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has been suspended for feeding antibacterial pills to 400 kids behind parents' back.
The private kindergarten affiliated with Soong Ching Ling Foundation's Shaanxi branch was exposed Monday on Sina Weibo.
The head of the kindergarten he was trying to protect the kids from virus infections, but he didn't know whether the pills were over the counter.
The pills were purchased from a pharmacy, and the decision was made to give them to the children after a discussion with the kindergarten's health director.
A director at the local hospital's pharmacy said the pills are not OTC, and are not recommended for children. Taking the pills over a long period may lead to side effects such as excessive sweating and loss of appetite.
The telegraph
"Chinese teachers sent into English schools to boost results"
Teachers from China will be sent into English schools as part of a taxpayer-funded program designed to raise education standards.
For the first time, a team of 60 teachers from high-performing schools in Shanghai will be hired in an attempt to promote Chinese-style teaching methods in the state education system.
The program comes amid concerns that schoolchildren in England are underperforming compared with their peers in the Far East in subjects seen as vital to the nation's economic future.
International league tables published late last year suggested that 15-year-olds were the equivalent of three years behind those in Shanghai and between one and two years behind pupils from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
Some insiders in the country believe British schools too often emphasize problem-solving in real-life situations over pure mathematics.
Medical news today
"Smart phones to diagnose diseases in real time"
A new system based on nanotechnology to diagnose disease has been developed by the University of Houston in Texas. You only need a smart phone and a 20$ lens attachment to make a diagnoses.
The lens attachment was specially designed with nanotechnology and the research team hopes to lower the cost.
The system detects the result of a chemical reaction between a pathogen and a molecule that has a unique bond with it.
The pathogen could be a virus or bacterium, and the molecule could be a disease-fighting antibody. A good example of an ironclad diagnosis is the reaction that occurs when a strep bacterium reacts with a unique anti-strep antibody. The diagnostic system allows the reaction to happen and then senses the result in a way that it cannot be confused with any other.
Special Reports
Yue Opera Endows Beijing Southern Grace
Anchor:
A number of leading Yue opera troupes have been touring Beijing recently.
CRI's Li Ningjing with more on this unique form of Chinese opera.
Reporter:
On the stage of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, wearing long flowing gowns and singing rolling and gentle tunes, artists portray the tragic love story between ancient poet Lu You and his wife Tang Wan.
Not only is the performance elegant and graceful, but more importantly, the opera is performed exclusively by women.
This is Yue opera, a unique form of drama and musical theatre born in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China.
Originating from the folk tales and ballads of local farmers, Yue opera borrows many aspects from traditional theatre and even western culture. Featuring soft melodies and exquisite performances, it blends literary classics, fairy tales and historical stories.
In order to promote Yue opera, leading troupes and artists have been invited to perform in the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing from late February till mid-March.
Opera lovers have high expectations about the performances.
"Two years ago, I watched "The Butterfly Lovers" performed by first-rate actresses in this theatre. This time, the cast is different, which is definitely a highlight of the show. "
Some audience members have even brought friends from other lands along to watch the show.
"I booked the tickets a month ago in case all the good seats sold out. See, she flew all the way from Japan to watch the play."
Besides the classics, these troupes also bring fresh pieces to the stage, such as a new adaptation of the hit TV show "Palace of Desires," and a play recomposed from the novel "The Family" by novelist Bajin.
Reportedly, compared with traditional plays, the staging and costumes for these new shows will be a real surprise. More importantly, the cast is no longer limited to women.
However, according to Wu Fenghua, a renowned performer of Yue opera, the changes are not enough.
"First of all, I think we need to be creative when searching for stories, but at the same time following the established traditions. We could learn from other countries. By integrating Chinese drama and foreign culture, we may help develop Yue opera."
BACK ANCHOR:
That is CRI's Li Ningjing reporting
Sports
Guangzhou Evergrande battles Yokohama Marinos in Japan
In football,
Asian Champions Guangzhou Evergrande are now battling J-League side Yokohama Marinos in their Asian Champions League group clash.
Guangzhou came into this match having won its title defense opening match 4-2 against Australia's Melbourne Victory last month.
Guangzhou's Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti scored twice in that win.
Yokohama however, suffered a 3-0 defeat to South Korean powerhouse Hyundai Motors in their champions league opener.
Later on, another Chinese Super League side Guizhou Renhe will host Australia's Western Sydney in their champions league group match-up.
Tip-off at 8 sharp Beijing time.
The Chinese FA Cup holders debuted in the Asian champions league last season but failed to make into the knockout stage.
Western Sydney started its first champions league campaign with a setback, having been dealt a 3-1 blow by South Korean's Ulsan Hyundai in round one.
Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid move into the last eight of the champions league
In European champions league action,
Reigning champions Bayern Munich looks to be on course to become the first team to retain the trophy after they advanced to the quarterfinals at the expense of Arsenal last night.
Bayern Munich drew 1-1 with the English side on home pitch and progressed with a 3-1 aggregate after the two-leg match-up.
In the night's other champions league draw, Spanish side Atletico Madrid thumped AC Milan 4-1 and secured a place in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years.
Atletico are in fabulous form this season, standing on par with Barcelona on the La Liga table and having won 16 of their last 17 home matches.
The exit of seven-time European champions Milan means that for the first time in five years there will be no Italian side in the last eight of the tournament.
And coming up later tonight, Spanish champions Barcelona entertain Manchester City in their second leg of the champions league last 16 draw.
Manchester City lost its home game 2-0 and are desperate to overturn that deficit.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.
"It is obviously one of these games in which everyone has to be at their best: the fullbacks, the wingers... You won't really achieve anything here if you have any passengers. We have done it before - performance-wise - and that is what we are trying."
Manchester will be without manager Manuel Pellegrini this match, having been suspended for his outspoken comments about the referee following the first leg.
And over Paris, Paris St Germain look comfortable going into their second leg match against German side Bayer Leverkusen.
PSG won the first leg 4-0 in Germany.
Li Na moves into the last eight at Indian Wells and faces Cibulkova in a rematch of the Australian Open final
In tennis, top seed Li Na has reached the last eight of the Paribas Open after dispatching Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
The win sets Li against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the quarterfinals, which will be a repeat of the Australian Open final two months ago.
Also today, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska booked her place in the last eight after she ousted Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round.
The Pole will now play Jelena Jankovic, who knocked out Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki earlier in the day.
On the men's side, second seed Novak Djokovic moved to the fourth round with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win over Colombia's Alejandro Gonzalez.
American John Isner and Latvia's Ernests Gulbis also went through to the fourth round.
Ding Junhui overcame a scare to beat Rankaj Advani in the second round at Haikou Open
In snooker,
World number two Ding Junhui had to overcome a scare before knocking out Thailand's Rankaj Advani in the second round of the Hai Kou Open.
Ding took the first frame with ease but Advani took the second.
The two then split the next two sets.
But Advani went on to claim the next two frames in quick succession, leading 4-2.
Ding had to stage a comeback before securing the game at 5-4.
Ding will next meet the winner between Shaun Murphy and Mark King in the last 16.
Earlier, Chinese player Liang Wenbo eliminated Englishman Mark Davis 5-3 to face Mark Selby in the last 16.
Oklahoma roars past Rockets 106-98
Onto basketball, seven games in the NBA.
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant registered his 11th 40-point game of the season as the Thunder roared past the Houston Rockets 106-98.
Serge Ibaka added 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Thunder, who have now dropped their last two games.
James Harden led the Rockets with 28 points and nine assists but still fell short to extend the Rockets' winning streak to six.
Over in Chicago, Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tony Parker had 20 as San Antonio grabbed its seventh straight win, 104-96 over the Bulls.
The win helped the Spurs improve to 24-6 on the road, which is the NBA's best mark away from home.
In other action, it was a turnaound for Eastern Conference leaders Indiana, who snapped a season long four-game slide with a 94-83 victory over Boston.
Andrew Bynum, signed by Indiana as a free agent on Feb. 1st, totaled eight points and 10 rebounds in just under 16 minutes off the bench.
For Boston, this is the fifth consecutive road loss.
Elsewhere, Portland suffered its third straight loss, 109-99 at the hands of Memphis.
Golden State hammered Dallas 108-85 to cement its position as the sixth seed in the West.
And lastly, Detroit fought off Sacramento 99-89 while Minnesota thumped Milwaukee 112-101.
Entertainment
Aaron Paul invites Chinese audiences to see "Need for Speed"
Aaron Paul has sent his Chinese fans a message, inviting the Chinese audience to see his newest film, "Need for Speed."
"Hi, everyone. This is Aaron Paul. I'm very excited to have 'Need for Speed' come to China. Please come to see it in cinemas in 3D."
The 2014 American action film is directed by Scott Waugh and stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots and Scott Waugh. It is an adaptation of the "Need for Speed" video game series by Electronic Arts.
The film tells the story of street racer Tobey Marshall, played by Aaron Paul. After Marshall is released from prison for a crime he did not commit, he tries to avenge the death of his friend Pete.
The film is set to hit Chinese screens this Friday March 14th, on the same day as its release in the U.S.
"Black Coal, Thin Ice" script leaks online
A working version of the script for Diao Yinan's film "Black Coal, Thin Ice" has leaked on the Internet.
Diao won the Golden Bear this year, the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for "Black Coal, Thin Ice." The thriller is scheduled to screen in Chinese cinemas next week.
As of now, there is no telling if the leak will impact ticket sales.
New study finds too few women on the big screen
A new study has found that female characters are dramatically under-represented in the biggest films of 2013. It says women made up just 15% of lead characters, 29% of major characters and 30% of all speaking characters on film. Only 13% of the top 100 movies had equal numbers of major female and male characters.
The study was conducted at the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film in San Diego, California and looked at the presentation of about 7,000 characters in 300 films. The researchers found that female characters were younger than their male counterparts and were more likely to have a specific marital status.
Dr. Martha M Lauzen, who oversaw the report, says the discussion of women's under-representation on the big screen is especially relevant in light of Cate Blanchett's Oscar win for playing a dominant female role in Blue Jasmine. In her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, Blanchett addressed the film industry's attitude towards women.
"Those of us in the industry who were still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films – with women at the center – are niche experiences, they are not. Audiences want to see them and in fact, they earn money."
The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has also found similar under-representation in a report on how many women are employed behind-the-scenes in the film industry.
Disney's TV president Anne Sweeney to stop down
Anne Sweeney oversees the $10-billion-a-year Disney TV network and is the most powerful woman at the Walt Disney Company and, perhaps, in all of Hollywood. Today, she surprised many when she announced that she will be stepping down as the president of Disney/ABC Television Group by next year in order to pursue more creative endeavors.
With Sweeney leaving, Disney is left with the difficult prospect of naming a successor who can navigate a business in transition and steer the company's network at a critical time in the television business.
To succeed Sweeney will be no small task. Not only was she one of the few top female executives in Hollywood, she was absolutely critical in building Disney Channel into a worldwide juggernaut in children's programming. Sweeney, who was known for her steely resolve and her spotless desk, is credited with being the guiding force at ABC amid a tumultuous period at the network and the entire broadcast industry.
The 56-year-old executive explained that she loves the creative process but has never really been part of it. She added, "if not now, when?"
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang is calling for further expansion of the search effort of a missing Malaysian flight that had been heading to Beijing before it disappeared.
China's top political advisory body has concluded its annual session in Beijing, moving ahead with a number of changes and reforms.
And The Russian government says Crimea's upcoming referendum on independence is in accordance with international law.
In business, we talk about the Chinese-made video game console to be released later this month.
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