The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Tuesday, March 25, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Malaysian authorities say they now believe missing flight MH370 has come to a tragic end in the southern Indian Ocean.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.
Russia's foreign minister has met with his Ukranian counterpart for the first time since the crisis in Ukraine first erupted.
In Business... Sinopec has detailed a new set of plans to re-tool some of its divisions.
In sports.... we'll update you on the latest action from T20 cricket tournament in Bangladesh.
In entertainment.... travel plans here to Beijing have now been confirmed for actor Johnny Depp.
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
Weather
Beijing will be blanketed by heave smog today, with a high of 23 degree Celsius in the daytime.
Overnight lows are expected to dip down to around 9.
While Shanghai will see moderate rain today with a high of 19, and the temperatures dip down to 14 degrees in the night.
Chongqing will be overcast today with a high of 18.
Overnight lows should only dip down to around 13.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad can expect rain today with a high of 23.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 13.
Over to North America.
New York can expect slight snow later today with a high of 3 degrees.
Washington will see some snow too with the temperature remains low at 4 degrees.
Houston, Texas will be cloudy on Tuesday with a high of 21.
Honolulu, mostly sunny, 29.
Toronto, Canada, will see slight snow with a high of minus 1 degree.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 24.
And Rio de Janeiro will be mostly sunny with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.
There are several ways to keep in touch with us on the BJH
Weibo/Wechat account: the Beijing Hour
Email: [email protected].
Top News
China urges search efforts to keep momentum after Malaysian PM announced the jetliner's crash
Anchor:
The Chinese government is demanding Malaysian authorities provide them all the evidence which has led them to the conclusion that missing flight MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter:
It was a solemn announcement on the 18th day of the search for the missing plane.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak terminated any remaining hopes for MH370's survival at an unscheduled conference late last night in Kuala Lumpur.
"It is therefore with deep sadness and regret, that I must inform you that according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean."
The Malaysian Prime Minister says UK telecommunications company Inmarsat has studied satellite data it received from so-called "pings" from the plane, concluding that the aircraft plunged into the southern Indian Ocean around 6-hours after it first veered off its scheduled flight path to Beijing.
Najib Razak says he felt obligated to inform people of the latest developments at the earliest opportunity.
He's also pledged to hold another news conference later today to provide further details.
The sudden and unexpected news has sent a wave of shock and anger through the families of the 154 missing from China.
"During the past 18 days since March 8th, when Malaysia Airlines announced that it had lost contact with MH370, Malaysia Airlines, the government of Malaysia, and the military forces of Malaysia have concealed, delayed and hidden the truth from the relatives and the people of the world. This despicable act aimed to fool the relatives of the 154 Chinese passengers has devastated us physically and mentally, while misleading and delaying the rescue operation, wasting a lot of manpower, material resources and leading to the loss of precious rescue time. Here the relatives of the 154 passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight, condemn in the strongest possible way and protest against Malaysia Airlines, the government of Malaysia and the military of Malaysia."
Those who watched the announcement at the Lido Hotel here in Beijing wept with grief, with some taken away on stretchers by medical teams.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry is now demanding Malaysian authorities brief them on the evidence and information which has led them to their deadly conclusion.
The Chinese government is also calling on Malaysia and other countries involved to keep up the search, despite the latest pronouncement.
At the same time, Chinese maritime authorities promised to send move vessels to the waters of the southern Indian Ocean to both search and potentially salvage the wreckage of the missing jet.
In the waters off southwest Australia, a number of new discoveries have been made on Monday.
Chinese, French and Australian searchers have all reported spotting floating debris on Monday, possibly related to the missing jetliner.
Lieutenant Josh Williams is with the Royal Australian Air Force.
"The first object was rectangular in shape slightly below the ocean, second object was circular also slightly below the ocean. We came across a long cylindrical object, that was probably maybe 2 meters, possibly 2 meters long, about 30 centimetres across. We came across another, well another item in the area, that was also cylindrical and shaped in a rough fish hook."
Chinese authorities have diverted the icebreaker Xuelong toward the location where the debris has been spotted.
A ship carrying a special equipment to detect the plane's flight-data recorder, the so-called black box, is also on its way to the area.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
Q&A with Nadiah, broadcast jorunalist in Kuala Lumpur
For more on the latest revelations and what we can expect next, we spoke earlier this morning with Nadiah Abdul Aziz, reporter based in Kuala Lumpur.
Nadiah Abdul Aziz reporting for us from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Xi calls on U.S. to respect China's sovereignty, territorial integrity
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with US President Barack Obama in the Netherlands.
As part of their meeting on the sidelines of the on-going Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague, Xi Jinping has called on the US side to honor its commitments to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
For his part, Obama has told the Chinese President that Washington has no intentions of trying to undermine Chinese stability, or contain it.
Obama has also told Xi Jinping his administration is willing to work with China in a constructive way to try to show the world the two sides are committed to developing their relationship.
Xi Jinping's time in Europe began in the Netherlands on Saturday, and is scheduled to take him to France, Germany and Belgium in the coming days.
Dutch: China's second largest trading partner in the EU
Anchor:
Chinese President Xi Jinping's time in the Netherlands is set to come to an end today after arriving there on Saturday to begin a 4-nation European tour.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more on the surprisingly strong economic ties China has with the Netherlands.
Reporter:
This is the first time a Chinese leader has visited the Netherlands since the two sides established bilateral relations over 40 years ago.
Xi Jinping is also the first head of state that has paid a state visit to the Netherlands since Willem-Alexander was sworn in as the Dutch king last year.
At the China-Netherlands Trade and Economic Forum on Sunday, President Xi is emphasizing the importance of the advantages the Netherlands enjoys as the gateway to Europe.
"At present, the Netherlands is still the European Union's trading and investment center. There is much more we can do to push forward Sino-Dutch economic and trade cooperation. By promoting a pragmatic partnership we can not only boost development of the two countries, but also help in the steady recovery of the global economy."
President Xi is also encouraging more strong Chinese companies to invest in the Netherlands and is welcoming more Dutch companies to invest in China.
The Netherlands has been China's second-largest trading partner in the European Union, or EU, for 11 consecutive years.
Aart Jacobi, the Dutch ambassador to China, says that though the Netherlands is a small country, it is also the logistics center of the European Union.
He says bilateral trade between the two countries is about 40 billion euros per year, second only to the trade that China has with Germany.
"We have the biggest harbor and very good transport facilities to the rest of Europe. So quite a lot of that 40 billion euros is not only for the Netherlands, but there are also goods that we transport all over the European Union."
Meantime Jacobi believes that Xi Jinping's visit can accelerate cooperation in many fields, including energy, culture, and education.
But the Dutch ambassador is most confident in the country's agriculture sector.
He says the Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products, after the United States.
"We export 80 billion US dollars per year in agricultural goods. We import 55 billion, by the way, per year. And one of the secrets is technology and control of the entire chain. This is extremely difficult."
He adds that the Netherlands is willing to share its experience in agricultural development with other countries.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
Sergey Lavrov meets Ukrainian foreign minister
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met for the first time with his Ukrainian counterpart since the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russian president and Russia's move to take control of Crimea.
Lavrov has met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.
"We conveyed to him the steps that we see need to be taken by the Verkhovna Rada to finally establish a normal, pan-national dialogue based on mutual respect that takes into account the specifics of different parts of Ukraine and accounts for the interests of all of its inhabitants."
Lavrov, who has also met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the summit, says he has also reaffirmed Moscow's demand for a constitutional change in Ukraine that will give more autonomy to all regions of the country.
At the same time, G7 nations have held an emergency meeting in the Hague, seeking to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
The group has decided that a planned summit of the world's leading economic powers, which had been scheduled to be hosted by Russia, will not go forward.
In Crimea, the last remaining Ukrainian naval forces and troops are now abandoning their posts following an order from Kiev asking them to withdraw.
Back in Moscow, the Russian government has already started drawing a blueprint for the future of Crimea.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is reportedly considered granting Crimea the status of a special economic zone.
Putin opens account in bank blacklisted by Washington
In a symbolic gesture of defiance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened an account in the Rossija bank, where his monthly salary will now be deposited.
Rossija Bank was blacklisted as part of sanctions imposed on Russia by Washington in connection with the situation in Crimea.
Putin has insisted Rossjia Bank has nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine, saying its unfair its customers should suffer.
The move by Putin comes as Ukrainian authorities prepare to withdraw all their military forces from Crimea, which has been absorbed into the Russian Federation following a referendum last week.
The move to reclaim Crimea has sent ties among Russia, the US and the European Union to their lowest level since the Cold War.
Japan to turn over sensitive nuclear material to U.S. for destruction
Following weeks of official protests by the Chinese government, Washington now says Japanese authorities have confirmed they will be returning hundreds of kilograms of sensitive nuclear materials to the United States.
The agreement has come on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague.
As part of the deal, Tokyo will return all the highly-enriched uranium and separated plutonium it received from the United States in the 1960's.
The US gave Japan hundreds of kilograms of sensitive nuclear materials in 1967 for the purpose of studying the physics behind fast-core nuclear reactors.
Revelations earlier this year that Japan still has the material has drawn criticism from the Chinese government.
108 missing or unaccounted for after Washington State landslide
Authorities in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington now say many as 108 people are missing or unaccounted for following a massive landslide over the weekend.
A massive wall of earth gave way on Saturday, plowing through a former fishing village about 90-kilometers northwest of Seattle.
Dozens of homes remain buried by tones of mud and debris close to 5-meters deep.
So far official death toll from the slide remains at 8.
However, officials are warning that figure, along with the number of missing, could either rise or fall, as authorities are still unclear as to how many people were in the village at the time of the slide.
Searchers are also warning of the possibility of more slides.
Initial indications are that heavy rains in the area triggered the mudslide.
Hundreds of crews battle oil spill in Houston channel
Emergency personnel in the US state of Texas are scrambling to try to contain a significant oil spill near Houston.
Hundreds of people are now working in the Houston Ship Channel near the Gulf of Mexico to contain and clean up around 168-thousand gallons of bunker fuel, which spilled from a bulk vessel.
The ship was clipped by another while making its way up the channel on Sunday.
Around 400 people are being tasked with both containing and cleaning up the large spill.
The incident has temporarily shut down the channel, which links the busy Houston Port with the Gulf.
Biz Reports
US markets declined on Monday, as a selloff in the bio-technology sector persisted for a second straight session, while investors also focused on negative economic data coming out of China and Europe.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%.
The S&P 500 declined half a percent.
The Nasdaq posted the steepest decline among the major benchmarks.
The index, home to many biotechnology companies, fell 1.2%.
The catalyst behind the recent slide emerged Friday with a congressional complaint over the high price of a Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C drug.
Meanwhile, investors were also bearish about new lackluster economic data.
Markit's preliminary composite PMI for the euro zone fell to 53.2 in March.
A weaker-than-expected reading out of Germany offset strength in France.
Here in China, the preliminary HSBC Manufacturing PMI data for March fell to an eight-month low of 48.1 from February's 48.5.
European markets also ended Monday lower.
Germany's DAX gave up 1.7%.
France's CAC 40 shed 1.4% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 eased off 0.6%.
Sinopec details sale plan of fuel unit
Sinopec has announced plans to complete the sale of 30-percent of its marketing operations by third quarter.
China's second-largest oil and gas producer is also planning to set up a company to control its motor fuel distribution operations, which includes over 30-thousand fuel stations.
Sinopec announced last month it hopes to divest around 30-percent of its fuel marketing operations to non-state entities.
Average annual fuel sales per station in Sinopec's network increased by 6-percent last year, following a 5-percent rise in 2012.
Non-fuel sales jumped more than 20-percent to surpass 13 billion yuan, after growing 33-percent in 2012.
At the same time, Sinopec has unveiled plans to produce 5-billion cubic metres of shale gas per year by the end of next year.
That figure is expected to rise to 10-billion cubic meters by 2017.
Sinopharm to step up drug sales in retail sector
Sinopharm, the mainland's largest drug distributor, has laid out new plans to increase its retail sales to more than 10 billion yuan by 2016.
As part of the new plan, the Chair of the company says they're going to encourage their subsidiaries in various provinces to rapidly open more stores.
Sinopharm has has an investment goal of completing its retail and distribution network by the end of next year.
Last year, Sinopharm's retail drug sales rose by 17.5-percent to almost 5-billion yuan.
The company's net profits increased nearly 14-percent to two and a quarter billion yuan.
Drug distribution accounted for nearly 95-percent of the company's revenues last year.
China's Yanzhou Coal drops plan to buy out Yancoal Australia
Anchor:
Chinese coal mining firm Yanzhou Coal has abandoned plans to buyout of Yancoal Australia.
Yanzhou hasn't given any explicit reasons for backing away from the deal, which would have seen Yanzhou take Yancoal private.
The original deal was announced in July.
The deal would have seen Yanzhou buy out the remaining minority investors in Yancoal, then delist from the Australian Stock Exchange.
Yanzhou already holds a 78-percent stake in Yancoal.
Hong Kong-listed Yanzhou, one of China's largest coal mining companies, said at the time of the planned buyout that it could better manage the impact of weak coal prices if it had full control of the Australian unit.
For more on this we're joined live on the line now by Gao Shang, Analyst with Guangtong Futures.
Questions:
1. What's a major reason for Yanzhou to abandon the buyout plan?
2．Does Yanzhou's move influence other Chinese companies to acquire or buy out foreign companies?
3. According to industry information portal cqcoal.com, thermal coal price has dropped more than 12 percent to 533 yuan ($85.6) a ton since the beginning of this year.
It is expected that the price may drop further given overcapacity and weak demand.
What's main reason behind the price drop? Is it related to coal overcapacity and weak demand?
Anchor:
Gao Shang, Analyst with Guangtong Futures.
Bain to buy Brazilian insurer for $851 million
U.S private-equity firm Bain Capital has signed an agreement to acquire Brazilian health-insurance operator Intermedica for just over 850-million US dollars.
Bain Capital takes over Intermedica from its owner and founder Paulo Barbanti.
Intermedica is part of a group called NotreDame Intermedica, which also has a dental-services provider.
Bain Capital has only acquired the health-insurance arm of the company.
Intermedica posted revenues of 860 million US dollars through 2012, up from 808 million US dollars in 2011.
Box Inc. announces $250 million IPO
Cloud storage company Box Incorporated has filed an IPO persecutes with plans to raise 250-million US dollars.
In making the announcement, Box has revealed its revenues for last year came in at 124 million US dollars, up from the 59 million US dollars it made in fiscal 2012.
According to the filing, the firm lost 169 million US dollars last year.
Box Incorporated says it doubled its expenses on research and development, as well as sales and marketing, through last year.
Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and J.P. Morgan have been listed as the lead underwriters for the IPO.
Box hopes to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol BOX.
Tingyi 2013 profit down 10.9%
Tingyi, one of China's largest food and beverage makers, has seen its net profit decline by nearly 11-percent this past year.
Tingyi, which has a partnership with Pepsi and sells noodles under the Master Kong brand, says its net profit for 2013 has dropped to below 410-million US dollars from 459-million a year earlier.
The results are well-below market expectations of 444-million US dollars in profits.
Tingyi, which competes with rival Uni-President China, says its revenue for 2013 came in at just below 11 billion US dollars, up nearly 19 percent from a year earlier.
U.S. Markit Flash March PMI Slips
New data shows U.S. factory expansion has slowed down slightly this month.
Markit's flash purchasing managers' index has slipped to 55.5 in March from a final February reading of 57.1.
March's reading is still the second-highest since January of last year.
Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.
Sub-indexes were generally steady this month compared to the final February readings.
Markit's flash output index has ticked down slightly to 57.5 in March from 57.8 in February.
The new orders index slipped to 58 from 59.6, while employment edged down to 53.9 from 54.1.
Suppliers' deliver times' sub-index jumped to 47.5 this month from 40.6, which is the strongest since last June.
Headline News
China demands Malaysia to provide satellite data about flight MH370
The Chinese government is demanding a look at the satellite information which has led Malaysian authorities to determine missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has, indeed, crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
Malaysian authorities have informed the families of the missing that they believe there are no survivors.
China's Deputy Foreign Minister says they're demanding the Malaysian side make clear the specifics behind what has led them to this determination.
Malaysian authorities last night announced they have new evidence from British satellites which have determined the missing flight, with 239-passangers and crew onboard, did take a southerly turn into the Indian Ocean before eventually losing contact about 6-hours after it first went off course.
Despite the news, the Chinese side says the search and rescue work will be continuing in the area where authorities believe the plane may have gone down.
Six Chinese ships have been dispatched to the region southwest of Australia where signs of possible debris have been discovered.
Hundreds of crews battle oil spill in Houston channel
Emergency personnel in the US state of Texas are scrambling to try to contain a significant oil spill near Houston.
Hundreds of people are now working in the Houston Ship Channel near the Gulf of Mexico to contain and clean up around 168-thousand gallons of bunker fuel, which spilled from a bulk vessel.
The ship was clipped by another while making its way up the channel on Sunday.
Around 400 people are being tasked with both containing and cleaning up the large spill.
The incident has temporarily shut down the channel, which links the busy Houston Port with the Gulf.
Train derails at Chicago airport, injuring over 30
Over 30 people have been hurt in a commuter train derailment in the US city of Chicago.
The train jumped the tracks at the underground station at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The 8-car train then rode on the platform and scaled an escalator before coming to a stop.
Of the 32 people onboard the train at the time, 6 are listed in fair-to-serious condition.
The rest suffered only minor injuries.
It's unclear at this point what caused the train to jump the tracks.
Thai bus accident kills 27
At least 27 people are dead following a bus crash in Thailand.
Thai authorities say the bus, with over 50-people on it, plunged down a valley last night in the northern province of Tak.
Tak is a mountainous province located in Thailand's northwest.
It's a key transit point for tourists travelling from Thailand into neighboring Myanmar.
On top of the 27-dead, 24 others on the bus have been hurt in the crash.
Thai authorities say they believe the brakes on the bus failed.
The nationalities of those killed and injured have not been revealed.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Shanghai students to be tracked
Summary
Primary and middle school students in Shanghai are going to be equipped with new electronic student ID cards in the new spring semester.
Their after-school activities and social practices will be tracked through the e-card in an attempt to build up their personal growth records.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Unregistered school reopens
Summary
An unregistered kindergarten that was ordered closed earlier this month has reopened at a new location here in Beijing.
The kindergarten, Happy Reggio Emilia School, was closed down earlier this month for failing to register with local education authorities.
However, the school, which is mostly for expat children, has shifted its classes to a nearby building that used to be a club.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Top fashion at retail village
Summary
A designer outlet village is set to open next year within the Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone in the Pudong New Area.
The project, to be called Shanghai Village, is going to feature more than 100 international fashion brands, including several flagship stores.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Beijing smog
Summary
Meteorological experts are warning days of heavy smog are likely to enshrowd Beijing again, as there is no significant wind forecast this week.
Beijing's Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center says the city's air quality has dropped significantly since yesterday morning.
Pollution levels are expected to hit extreme levels in certian places.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
More rural enrollment
Summary
A circular released by the Ministry of Education is suggesting authorities are eyeing a 10-percent increase in the number of students from impoverished rural areas attending the country's top universities this year.
Central government-affiliated universities, along with key local universities, are expected to recruit 50-thousand rural students this year, up from 30-thousand last year.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Ctrip says security glitch fixed
Summary
Ctrip.com International, the nation's largest online travel agency, says its website is now safe, and that a reported loophole has been fixed.
A security researcher uncovered a loophole, enabling him to download information from 93 different c-trip customers.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Life sentence upheld on "fake banker" case
Summary
An appeals court in Zhejiang has upheld a life sentence for a businessman who claimed to have purchased a US bank.
Lin Chunping has been sentenced to life for making false value-added tax invoices worth 520 million yuan and selling them to companies across the country.
Special Reports
Beekeeping in the city
Anchor:
While most of us will simply go to the store, at least one foreigner here in Beijing is promoting the idea of bee keeping as a way to quench your need for honey.
CRI's Doris Wang explains.
Reporter:
They can be used in sweetening our coffee and tea or as a spread on our daily bread.
For some people, honey is an indispensable condiment and cooking ingredient in their daily lives. But, where do you buy your honey from?
While most of us urbanites buy ours from grocery stores, Safi Malik and his family gets it from the bees themselves. A co-founder of the Beijing social enterprise, Shangrila Farms, Malik is trying to promote urban beekeeping in China's capital city.
"Urban beekeeping is a movement that's been going on in North America and Europe, which is now starting to crop up all over the world. We're very excited in Beijing to try and get it started here. It's very straightforward. It's about people keeping bees in a place near their homes and trying to make the city a slightly more interesting place."
Malik has had success in urban beekeeping in Beijing's Sanlitun neighbourhood. According to him, beekeeping is a very simple activity that requires minimal materials to get started. But first, you need the knowledge of how to keep these insects alive.
"Although it's not hugely labor intensive on a small scale, it's something that you need to know well so that you know when to diagnose your hives with a potential mite infestation. You need to know when to feed them. You need to know what time of the year to help them shut down and go into hibernation. There's a lot of information involved with beekeeping. In terms of the actual beekeeping, you just need a place to do it and bee boxes."
Unperturbed by changes in temperature, Bees can be kept in all sorts of climates – from hot and humid places like Sichuan to cold and dry areas like Heilongjiang. But, they need to be kept in an open area outdoors.
"The bees should have access to flying away from the hives. I would recommend a rooftop. Balconies also work. With balconies, you need to be sensitive to your neighbours above and below you. Given that people are sensitive to bees and to insects in general, it's always best to make sure that you are treading lightly and make sure your neighbours are bee-friendly."
The most exciting thing about beekeeping, of course, is harvesting the honey. According to Malik, naturally harvested honey is more nutritious and delicious than the jars you buy in stores.
"You'll be producing a poly-floral honey, which means it has a variety of different pollen sources. With a mono-floral honey, you'll probably just have one type. This poly-floral honey might be healthier because it's drawing on all these different types of nutrients as oppose to one. With our pomegranate honey, for instance, it is well-known for reducing the risk of heart diseases."
So if you have the time and the space, come and try your hand at urban beekeeping this season. You might find yourself living a sweeter life.
BACK ANCHOR:
That is CRI's Doris Wang reporting.
Sports
Sri Lanka dismisses Netherlands for lowest score in T20 international history
In cricket, at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by nine wickets, dismissing them for 39 runs in 10.3 overs, which is the lowest score in Twenty20 international history.
Tom Cooperwas the sole player who made it into double figures, as Angelo Matthews and Ajantha Mendis both took three wickets apiece.
Dutch captain Peter Borren called the loss embarrassing.
"It was like a slow-motion train crash out there watching us bat and it was hard to watch. So Mendis and Malinga - they are quality but when they come on to bowl you can't be four-down for not many you know. We have got to have more of a base."
The Dutch score was 17 runs less than the previous worse record, which belonged to Kenya's 56 all out against Afghanistan last year.
Also yesterday South Africa defeated New Zealand by two runs. Those two nations are tied in second in group one standings, behind Sri Lanka at the top.
Later today, Bangladesh will take on the West Indies.
Elsewhere,
Dynamic English batsmen Kevin Pieterson is headed to Surrey to play next season after being sacked from all forms of international cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Surrey head coach Graham Ford is targeting a return to Division One, and is thrilled to have a player of Pieterson's caliber.
"Well I think (it's) a huge boost. I mean everybody knows what a brilliant player he is, a test average of well over 40 speaks for itself. Most importantly, (he's) a fantastic leader a man who knows how to get the best out of individuals. The leadership that he produced for South Africa was phenomenal so to have him on board and in the dressing room and helping our young guys, as we try to develop them, we couldn't ask for anybody better."
Pieterson was dismissed from England's cricket teams earlier in March, in what was a controversial decision that surprised many.
One of the rumors is that the decision had something to do with the falling out between Pietersen and England captain Alastair Cook during the disastrous Ashes tour where the English were whitewashed 5-0.
Arsenal looking to recover against Swansea after big loss to Chelsea
In the English Premier League, there's three games on the lineup today.
Arsenal is looking to recover against Swansea after the 6-nil mauling they endured at the hands of Chelsea the other day.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was at a loss to explain the defeat, only managing to compare it to the 5-1 loss they suffered against Liverpool a few weeks ago.
"The common thing is that it was a 1245 game (1245 kick-off) and twice we were caught and at the start of a game and we think about that and at the moment there is no rational explanation other than the quality of our opponents and that we were caught at the start of a game. Why? We don't really know."
Manchester United manager David Moyes is looking forward to a Manchester derby, when his club goes up against City later today.
"Yeah, we'll do everything we possibly can. Look, we've got to win every game, not just the derby game. We're trying to win every game, it's not any different, but obviously it means a lot more to the supporters and it means a lot in the city if you win a derby game. But we go into every game with the same intention, to try and win."
Newcastle and Everton are both coming off wins in the last match, and will play each other later today.
In other news,
Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs have been cleared by the Football Assocaiation after a referee mistakenly sent off Gibbs during the team's 6-0 defeat at Chelsea.
The association also ruled that oxlade-chamberlain's goal-line handball was not deserving of a red card in the first place, so he's off the hook as well.
And in the Chinese Super League,
Beijing Guoan tops the table after defeating Shanghai Shenhua 2-0 yesterday. Shanghai SIPG is in second, and Guizhou Renhe sits in third.
Sharapova joins Williams and Kerber in quarterfinals at Sony Open
In tennis, at the Sony Open in Miami.
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Elina Svitolina
Ana Ivanovic vs. Petra Kvitova
Four-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova fought back from being down a set to beat Kirsten Flipkens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 and advance into the quarterfinals.
She joins Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber who are both through after fourth round wins.
Later, China's Li Na will play Spain's Suarez-Navarro for a place in the quarters.
On the mens side, round three is in progress.
Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France)
Earlier, David Ferrer advanced after beating Andreas Seppi in straight sets. He will go up against Japan's Kei Nishikori in round 4.
Andy Murray will face Jo Wilfried Tsonga of France, and Spain's Tommy Robredo will face Novak Djokovic in round 4.
Rugby Sevens squads prepare for Hong Kong
In rugby, it's a rough week for the international sevens squads.
They battled this past weekend at the Japan sevens tournament, and only have a few days to recover and prepare ahead of this weekend's Hong Kong sevens, arguably one of the most important stops on the world sevens series tour.
Fiji triumphed at the Japan Sevens over the weekend, after defeating South Africa 33-26 in the Cup Final.
Tries from Emosi Mulevoro and Samisoni Viriviri put Fiji up 12-0 at the start, but the Springbok fired back with three successive tries to take the lead 19-12.
The contest remained tight in the second half, but was decided in Fiji's favor after Waisea Nacuqu broke through the defensive line for the winning try.
South Africa leads the series with 116, a slim two points ahead of the All Blacks after this past weekend's sixth round. Fiji is in third with 95.
NBA, March Madness, and CBA updates
In the NBA, plenty of games on the lineup this morning.
Houston vs. Charlotte
The Portland and Miami game just tipped off a few minutes ago, as did the Phoenix Atlanta game.
Four games are tipping off at 8am. Brooklyn will be playing New Orleans. The Indiana Pacers are taking on Chicago. Denver is at Oklahoma City. And Minnesota is up against Memphis.
In college ball,
March Madness has boiled down to the last sixteen teams, a phase we call the sweet sixteen.
All number one seeds are through with the exception of Witchita State, who lost to eight seed Kentucky. I was hoping to see another 8-1 upset when Gonzaga played Arizona, but it didn't happen.
In the South, the unexpected matchup is eleventh seed Dayton vs. tenth seed Stanford. One of those guys will be going through to the elite eight.
And over in the Midwest, eleventh seed Tennessee got through after beating Mercer, the underdog team from Georgia that toppled Duke.
And in the CBA,
Xinjiang and the Beijing Ducks are resting and practicing today ahead of game 4 of their finals series tomorrow. That game will also be held in the Mastercard center here in Beijing, tip off is at 7:30.
Entertainment
Johnny Depp coming to Beijing
(Transcendence)
Keep your hat on ladies, superstar Johnny Depp is coming to Beijing.
The actor will visit the capital to promote his upcoming sci- fi thriller "Transcendence" at the end of this month.
Depp stars in the film as an artificial intelligence researcher who wants to create a machine which possesses both sentiment and intelligence.
Alongside the obligatory premiere attendance, Depp's itinerary includes sampling Chinese rock and roll music and vanguard painting.
He will even visit the city's hutongs and learn how to make some local Beijing dishes.
The film is set to hit Chinese cinemas, including IMAX theatres, on April 18th.
Hong Kong International Film Festival opens
The 38th Hong Kong International Film Festival kicked off yesterday with a sparkling red carpet event.
"Aberdeen" and "The Midnight After", two hotly tipped Hong Kong productions, were chosen as the openers this year.
"Aberdeen," a drama about a Hong Kong family, reunites director Pang Ho-Cheung with his favorite leading lady, Miriam Yeung - who worked with him on his hit films "Love in the Puff" and sequel "Love in the Buff."
Despite dazzling on the red carpet, the star of "Aberdeen" Louis Koo says getting securing a date for the event is not without its challenges.
"The thing I worry about the most tonight is that, I invited my 'daughter' to go with me to the after party tonight. She said she needs to think about it. She has school tomorrow. I said, 'Just say yes.' "
His co-star, Gigi Leung, has something else to celebrate.
Leung is turning 37 today and says that she hopes for a simple celebration.
"I hope at midnight, I can spend (my birthday) with my husband. Either he joins us, or I leave earlier. We can celebrate together. "
With 300 films, from 56 countries, this year's lineup promises to be as eclectic as ever, with a focus on local cinema.
The festival runs until April 7th and will close with Dante Lam's action thriller "That Demon Within".
Ellen Page may enter Belushi biopic
"Inception" star Ellen Page is reported in talks to join the cast of the upcoming John Belushi biopic.
The actress is tapped to star opposite Emile Hirsch as the legendary Saturday Night Live comedian’s widow, Judy.
The film is based on Judy Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby's book with a script written penned by director Steven Conrad.
Known for his balsy, raunchy and brash humour, Belushi died from an overdose at the age of 33 in 1982.
He was postumously honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.
Robbie Williams honoured by home town
(Robbie)
Decades since making eyes water with his bombastic moves with Take That, Robbie Williams has been officially honoured by his home town.
Local Council leaders in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, voted unanimously to award Williams with the title of Freedom of Stoke.
The symbolic title goes towards recognising the star's prolific career which has had him hailed as "one of the city's most famous sons".
The title will be presented at a ceremony, the date of which is yet to be set.
Stoke recently held several events to celebrate the singer's 40th birthday, praising him for raising the city's profile and helping with local fundraising.
A blue plaque was mounted in Tunstall Park which is close to Williams' childhood home.
The industry veteran has always been vocal about how proud he is to be a "Stokie".
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Malaysian authorities say they now believe missing flight MH370 has come to a tragic end in the southern Indian Ocean.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.
Russia's foreign minster has met with his Ukranian counterpart for the first time since the crisis in Ukraine first erupted.
In Business... Sinopec has detailed a new set of plans to re-tool some of its divisions.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.
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