Welcome to the Beijing Hour; we are coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on the programme this evening:

A group of leaders from Latin American and Caribbean countries are headed to Beijing later this week for a series of meetings with China's top leadership.

Counter-demonstrations have taken place amid a growing anti-Islam movement in parts of Germany.

Authorities in Hong Kong are preparing to reopen protest sites around LegCo starting tomorrow.

In business.... Chinese authorities looking at creating a new system to track how much individuals pay in tax.

In sports... FIFA's head to be challenged by a prince from Jordan.

In entertainment.... the embattled son of action star Jackie Chan is going to have his drug trial this week open to the public.

But first, a check on what's happening weather wise...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be clear tonight, with a low of minus 6. It will be mostly sunny tomorrow, with a high of 3 degrees.　

Meanwhile Shanghai will see slight rain tonight, with a low of 3, tomorrow will be cloudy, with a high of 7.

Chongqing will see be cloudy tonight, 5 degrees the lowest, tomorrow it will be overcast with a high of 11.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 15.

Kabul, cloudy, 9.

Over in Australia

Sydney, sunny, high of 30.

Canberra, scattered thunderstorm, 31.

Brisbane will see showers, the high of 29.

Finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 34.

 

 

Just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

You can follow us on our weibo account at t.qq.com/BeijingHour, or wechat account: the Beijing Hour, or email us directly at [email protected].

 

 

Top News

 

 

China, Latin American Ministers to Gather in Beijing Promoting Cooperation

 

Anchor:

Twenty foreign ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean are set to meet Beijing with Chinese officials later this week to discuss increasing cooperation between China and the region.

The first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in July during a tour of Latin America.

CRI's Yin Xiuqi has more.

Reporter:

Zhu Qingqiao, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official, says the meeting between the Chinese government and officials with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, will focus on exploring more cooperation in areas including politics, diplomacy, trade and economics.

"We believe that development in our respective countries means opportunities for each other. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have a strong will to deepen cooperation with China. Both sides are eager to have higher-level cooperation, and this has become our common vision and a shared strategic choice."

CELAC, representing the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, includes all South American countries, certain Caribbean states, plus Mexico.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to help open the first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum, which will run from Thursday to Friday.

The presidents of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela and the prime minister of the Bahamas will be among the leaders present at the sessions.

It's expected the meetings will approve a five-year cooperation plan.

Zhou Zhiwei is a researcher on Latin American affairs with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Over the past decade, Sino-Latin American ties have been growing rapidly, mainly helped by booming trade between the two sides. But we also realize the relationships need to be reset, as both sides want to inject a new vitality to the relationship to fit in with China's current economic transformation. The China-CELAC forum needs to chart a path for the future development of relations between the two sides."

China is currently Latin America's second largest trading partner and the third largest source of foreign investment.

Trade volume last year to the end of November hit over 240 billion dollars, twice the volume achieved in 2009.

Back in July, during a visit to Brazil, President Xi Jinping proposed a 20-billion-dollar fund to finance infrastructure projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

China has also offered a credit line of up to 10 billion dollars to CELAC nations.

Zhou Zhiwei says Brazil, as the largest economy in Latin America, remains the lynch-pin for economic ties between China and the Latin American region.

"China-Latin America cooperation, especially in the sectors of infrastructure construction and industrial development, are helping Brazil promote regional economic integration. At the same time, we believe China and Brazil can be doing more to push ahead with economic and political reforms among China-CELAC countries."

China and Brazil both are members of the BRICS bloc, which groups another three emerging economies - Russia, India and South Africa.

Bilateral ties between China and Brazil have increased substantially in recent years.

In 2012, the two nations agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, with bilateral trade topping 80 billion dollars in 2013.

For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.

 

 

Organised crime charges for wife of mayor linked to missing students

 

A woman believed to be at the center of the disappearance of 43 college students last year in Mexico is facing new federal charges connected to organized crime and money laundering.

The wife of the former mayor of the city of Iguana has been transferred to federal prison in Mexico while she awaits trial.

Maria Pineda is accused of using her connections with a local drug cartel to have 43 college students kidnapped last September to stop them from disrupting a political event for her husband, then the mayor of the city of Iguana.

Federal authorities are working under the impression the students were later murdered and disposed of by the cartel.

So far only one of the missing students has been positively identified from bone fragments.

The case has sparked indignation across Mexico, generating mass demonstrations.

 

 

Rival protests over "Islamisation" held across Germany

 

Supporters and opponents of a group campaigning against, what it sees, as the "Islamisation" of Europe, have held rival rallies across Germany.

Counter-demonstrations against the anti-Islamist group took place in the city of Dresden on Monday.

This is the German city which has seen a ground-swell of support for a local anti-Islamist movement, which has seen its weekly rallies in Dresden grow into the tens-of-thousands.

However, around 3-thousand turned out on Monday's rallies to block the group's march.

The anti-Islamic movement has caught the attention of the highest-levels of the German government, with Chancellor Angela Merkel calling on people to reject and ignore xenophobia.

"You're unwavering when it comes to advocating for tolerance and freedom. I want to say that again, your commitment against right-wing extremism is undisputed and of prime value in this country. Because we do have to show the flag and say that right-wing extremism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism can find no place in our society."

Germany is highly-sensitive to extremist movements, and has laws on the books to outlaw supporters of the Nazi's.

However, the country is very liberal when it comes to its free speech laws and immigration rules.

The number of asylum seekers in Germany hit 200-thousand last year, a number of whom arrived from Muslim countries, including Syria and Iraq.

 

 

AirAsia flight QZ8501 search area expanded

 

Indonesian officials have expanded the search area for the remains of the missing AirAsia flight in the Java Sea.

The search, which is in its 9th day, may have made a breakthrough.

Indonesian authorities say they may have located the tail section of the downed airliner.

This is the part of the plane which would contain the critical flight-data recorders.

Henry Bambang Soelistyo is the chief of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency.

He says the focus needs to be expanded beyond the area where the tail section may be.

"We are adding to and expanding the priority search area, it is called the second priority search area. In the second priority sector, we will focus on finding the body of the plane and other parts, especially the black box."

So far, the bodies of 37 of the 162 people on-board the doomed flight have been recovered.

However, bad weather has been holding up the recovery, as well as for the search for the main parts of the plane's fuselage.

This is where searchers believe most of the bodies of the victims are still located.

The flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore went down two Sundays ago.

Initial suggestions are the plane may have gone down in bad weather.

A Chinese ship is on its way to the search area to help in both the recovery effort and the hunt for the plane's black boxes.

It's expected to arrive on the scene on Friday.

 

 

Lebanon Government Impose New Rules on Syrian Refugees

 

Lebanon's government is imposing new restrictions on Syrians trying to enter the country.

The new policies taking effect this week are going to require Syrians to obtain visas.

This is meant to sharply limit the time they can stay in Lebanon.

The move is meant to put a stop to the continued flow of Syrians fleeing the fighting in the country.

Nohad Machnouk is Lebanon's Interior Minister.

"There's no capacity anymore to host more displaced, but the borders are still open for those who have reasons and documents to visit, work, receive medical care and education in Lebanon."

The Lebanese security officials say numerous Syrians have already been turned back at border crossings, though no exact figures have been given.

Lebanon has been struggling to cope with well over a million refugees displaced by the civil war in Syria.

Over three million people have fled Syria since the fighting began.

Most of them head into neighboring Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.

So far, the Syrian conflict has displaced a third of its pre-war population.

It's also left well over 100-thousand dead.

 

 

Seoul slams Japan video claiming sovereignty over disputed islets

 

The South Korean government is publically slamming a newly-released video in Japan which appears to lay claim to the Dokdo Islands.

The video, which appears online, shows a Japanese teacher explaining to a group of Japanese elementary school students, that the islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, are part of Japanese territory.

Noh Kwang-il is with South Korean Foreign Ministry.

"The Japanese government has made public footage absurdly insulting the sovereignty of Dokdo Island, which is Korean's own land, and we seriously demand that it stop such grave provocations."

The dispute over the islets has been a long-standing thorn in bilateral relations between South Korea and Japan.

Tensions over territorial and historical disputes have strained Japan's ties with its neighbors, including China, for years.

 

 

S.Korea says DPRK missiles can reach U.S. mainland

 

New official analysis by South Korea's defense establishment is suggesting North Korean missiles do have the ability to strike parts of the lower-48 of the United States.

The analysis is outlined in a new defense White Paper released this Tuesday.

The report says the assessment is based on the launch of the rocket into space in late 2012, which South Korea estimates has a capable range of 8-thousand kilometers.

The South Korean analysis says that particular missile, along with one which can fly as far as 10-thousand kilometers, do pose a potential threat to the US mainland.

The same report also suggests North Korea has had significant time to learn how to properly miniaturize its nuclear weapons capabilities, which is a critical step toward attaching a nuclear warhead on to a rocket.

The new South Korean report has basically confirmed what both South Korean and US defense analysts have been suggesting for the past couple of years.

 

 

Hong Kong's Legislative Council to reopen protest zone with limitations

 

Hong Kong's Legislative Council has announced it's going to reopen the demonstration site around its complex on Wednesday.

The reopening of the protest areas around the LegCo building will come with certain restrictions.

Jasper Tsang is the president of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.

"The demonstration area will be open from 07:00 in the morning to 11:00 in the evening every day. But nobody is allowed in the zone from 11:00 in the evening to 7:00 the next morning."

The new rules also ban fires, camping equipment and paint in the demonstration area.

Restrictions are also being imposed on the use of loudspeakers in the zone.

The protest zone around Hong Kong's LegCo building has been closed since demonstrators were removed from the site in mid-December after weeks-long protests there.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government is due to announce its latest plans for consultations on political reforms on Wednesday.

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung is also due to give a policy address.

While all this takes place, the Central government in Beijing has issued a new statement, calling for any protests in Hong Kong to follow the rule of order.

 

 

Police track down a cross-border online gambling ring in Shandong

 

Authorities in the province of Shandong say they've arrested 39 people in a crackdown on an international online gambling ring.

Those arrested are said to be involved in an online gambling ring, which saw some 10-billion U.S. dollars flow from China into casinos in different countries in Southeast Asia.

Han Lei is the vice director of the Public Security Bureau in Shandong's capital, Jinan.

"We went through 250,000 pieces of data and found 4,000 suspicious account numbers. By following their directions of flow, we found more than 60 suspects in Jinan."

Authorities say the ring also had operations in the southern provinces of Fujian and Yunnan.

The arrests are the culmination of an 8-month investigation.

 

 

"Finding the most beautiful Chinese doctor on foreign aid" starts now

 

A new program has been launched in China to promote Chinese medical assistance abroad.

Dubbed "Finding the most beautiful Chinese doctor on foreign aid", it's been launched by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

As part of the program, doctors who have worked in other countries will be nominated to be among a group of 10 physicians to be publically rewarded for their work abroad.

Wang Liji is with the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

"The medical teams we sent out are mostly based in rural areas. The doctors live in very poor conditions and have tough work facilities. 47% of the medical centers are located in marginal areas. The transportation and living conditions are sometimes awful. Political uncertainty and war have endangered doctors' lives. A total of 50 Chinese doctors have died on overseas mission."

One of the main focus areas over the years for the Chinese government to send doctors abroad is to Africa.

Dr. Bernhard Schwartlander with the World Health Organization says China has done a lot to help assist people there over the years.

"I've many African friends, who tell me that it was a Chinese doctor who supported their birth. Who later took care of them growing up, and that it is in Chinese-built hospitals and clinics where their parents are now receiving help as they grow older. The Chinese government and the Chinese people have been expressing their solidary with Africa for over 50 years."

China has sent 20-thousand doctors to 51 different countries and regions since 1963.

The new doctor's award will be handed out in March.

 

 

Chinese spacecraft to return to moon's orbit

 

Chinese scientists are making the final preparations to help guide a Chinese spacecraft back into the moon's orbit.

The spacecraft, a lunar service module, is due to return to the moon's gravitational pull by the middle of this month.

Zhao Wenbo with China's space program says the return to orbit by the module is to lay the groundwork for the Chang'e-5 mission.

"We'll use the effective load of the service module to get high-definition images of the projected lunar-sampling region to ensure the success of the Chang'e-5 mission of landing on the Moon, gathering samples from the moon, and returning,"

The Chang'e-5 mission is due to head to the moon sometime in 2017, where it's expected to take samples and return to earth with them.

If successful, Chang'e-5 will be the first mission from earth to return to the moon in some 40 years.

It will allow China to join the US and the former Soviet Union as the countries to have conducted a return mission from the moon.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

Chinese shares continued to rise Tuesday after hitting their highest level in five-and-a-half years on the first trading day of 2015.

The Shanghai Composite Index ended up slightly.

The Shenzhen Component Index increased 1 and a third of a percent.

Software, media and infrastructure led the gains, helped by the news that China's securities regulator has approved a new batch of initial public offerings this week.

Meanwhile, the rare earth industry is losing ground after the Commerce Ministry announced that China had to end its export quota system for rare earth minerals.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng ended down 1 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

The Japan's Nikkei plummeted 3 percent, posting its biggest drop in nearly 10 months, due to the falling oil prices and the political turmoil in Greece.

South Korea's KOSPI shed nearly one and three quarters of a percent on the back of the same concerns.

In Australia, the ASX 200 slid one and half a percent.

And in Singapore, the Straits Times Index closed almost one and half percent lower.

 

 

China Introduces Citizens' Tax ID Numbers

 

The State Council, China's cabinet, has introduced a new plan to bestow every citizen in the country a tax ID.

The tax ID would be similar to that of the social security number in other countries.

Chinese citizens will have to register their tax ID when signing work contracts, paying insurance and buying properties.

Officials contend the changes will better help them track individual's sources of income and personal assets.

Currently, only companies have tax IDs in China.

Individual citizens don't have to declare their sources of income.

Income taxes are paid through people's employers.

For more on this individual tax ID scheme, we are joined on the line by Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

 

 

Oil Prices Falls to 50 USD after Iraq Saw Record Output in Dec

 

The price of oil has dipped below the 50 US dollars a barrel mark today.

The over 5-percent single-day decrease comes after OPEC's second biggest member, Iraq, announced its crude output hit just under 3-million barrels last month.

That's Iraq's highest level of output since 1980.

Iraqi officials also say they expect to hit the 3.3 million barrel output mark this month, after Baghdad reached a deal with the Kurds to export oil via Turkish ports.

The sharp drop in oil prices is once-again weighing down on the Russian ruble.

The Ruble shed 6 percent in value today against the US dollar.

It now takes around 62 rubles to buy one US dollar.

That's almost twice as what it cost to buy at the beginning of last year.

 

 

China GDP to Slow to 6.8% in 1st Half of 2015

 

A new report from Deutche Bank is suggesting China's GDP growth may cool even further in the first half of this year.

The German banking giant's latest analysis is predicting 6.8-percent GDP growth for China through the first 6-months.

Deutche Bank's report is mainly based on its analysis of the property sector in China, which has been struggling under record high inventories and a reluctance by banks to issue credit.

Deutche Bank is also basing its assessment on smaller government revenues because of a slow-down in land sales.

The latest report from China's Ministry of Housing is suggesting 9 out of every 10 new properties being built in China haven't been sold.

The State Information Center, a leading Chinese government think tank, has warned it could take 3 to 5-years for the real estate industry to empty the massive glut.

 

 

China Service Sector Saw more Business Inflows Last Month

 

A new report from HSBC is pointing to a rebound of activity in China's service sector last month.

HSBC final reading of December's services purchasing managers index has come in at 53.4, up from November's 53.0.

The figure is in-line with China's official PMI figure of 54.1.

A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion, while readings below indicates contraction.

Observers are suggesting the rebound in the service sector comes during a month with several shopping holidays, including the double-12 Discount Day and Christmas.

 

 

China to Build North-southward Trans Western High Speed Railway

 

Chinese rail experts are holding meetings in China's western hub city of Xi'an to discuss the feasibility of creating a new high-speed rail line linking Inner Mongolia in the north with Hainan in the south.

The line would cut through six provincial-level regions, including Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong before ending on the island of Hainan.

The idea is to run the line through many of the regions in China home to this country's ethnic minorities, which are very popular tourist destinations.

Proposals will see the line make stops in the tourist cities if Yan'an, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yulin and finally in Hainan, after crossing the Qiongzhou Strait between Guangdong and the island province.

However, caution for the plan is already being voiced, as the proposed line would run through a number of ecologicially-sensitive areas of China.

The cost of the proposed link hasn't been laid out.

But it's said to be under consideration for the Chinese government's next 5-year planning cycle, which is scheduled to begin next year.

 

 

olvo's China Sales up 33 Percent in 2014

 

Geely-owned Volvo is reporting a big jump in global sales through this past year.

Volvo says its sales have increased 9 percent overall.

Sales in China have led the hike, with sales climbing 33 percent through 2014.

Sales in Western Europe increased over 10-percent last year to 240-thousand vehicles.

 

 

ZTE Takes Brand Closer to US Consumers at Las Vegas

 

This year's International Consumer Electronics Show is underway in Las Vegas.

Chinese electronics giant ZTE is hoping to use the show to bring its brand closer to US consumers.

ZTE says it believes it sold around 20-million handsets in the United States last year.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China, Latin American Ministers to Gather in Beijing Promoting Cooperation

 

Twenty foreign ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean are set to meet in Beijing with Chinese officials later this week to discuss increasing cooperation between China and the region.

The first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in July during a tour of Latin America.

Chinese officials say the meetings on Thursday to Friday will focus on exploring more cooperation in areas including politics, diplomacy, trade and economics.

Xi Jinping, along with the presidents of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela and the prime minister of the Bahamas are scheduled to attend the meetings.

 

 

S.Korean court rules restriction on anti-DPRK leaflet spread "legal"

 

A court in South Korea has ruled that it's legal for the government to interfere in the spreading of cross-border leaflets into North Korea by activist groups.

In making the ruling, the local court north of Seoul says while spreading anti-DPRK leaflets is an activity allowed under the freedom of expression rules, authorities do have the right to restrict their activities if the activity poses a clear danger to people living along the border.

The ruling is in stark contrast to the South Korean government's stated position that it has no legal rights to stop the activity.

The court decision is expected to help ease tensions along the inter-Korean border, as well as help Seoul in its attempt to open serious talks with Pyongyang about the potential reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

 

 

Trial on Boston Marathon bombing begins with jury selection

 

The first day of jury selection has come to an end in the high-profile Boston Marathon bombing case.

The lawyers for both the prosecution and the suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, are going through the process of selecting a 12-member jury, along with 6 alternates.

Observers say the jury selection is an important process to determine how the case will be shaped by both sides.

The 21-year old Tsarnaev is accused of setting a pair of bombs with his elder brother at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15th of 2013.

The bombing left 3 dead, including a Chinese national studying in Boston.

The attack left over 250 others injured, many of them seriously.

 

 

New Zealand's South Island braced for aftershocks after big quake

 

Seismologists are warning of more significant aftershocks on the South Island of New Zealand following a magnitude-6 earthquake early Tuesday morning.

The quake hit at a shallow depth of just 5-kilometers in the mountains of the South Island.

However, the quake hit in a remote and relatively unpopulated area.

No casualties have been reported.

Officials have been checking infrastructure for damage.

So far, the region has been hit by a number of aftershocks, including one measuring 4.7.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

CHINA DAILY

 

Many Africans in Guangzhou earn more than local white-collar workers

 

A new survey shows that more than 20 percent of African people staying in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, are earning more than 30-thosuand yuan or roughly 48-hundred US dollars a month.

The figure is higher than the average income of local white-collar workers.

Some African businesspeople think that Guangzhou has a wide range of good-quality products at competitive prices and that the business environment is getting better.

More than 50 percent of the African businesses in Guangzhou achieve a profit rate of between 50 and 100 percent.

Garments, silks, ceramics, handicrafts, electronics, toys, shoes and watches are the products those African businesspeople like to purchase in Guangzhou and ship to Africa.

According to statistics, Guangzhou has about 120-thousand permanent foreign residents, including 16-thousand from Africa.

 

 

SHANGHAI DAILY

 

Bikes banned on railways, unless boxed

 

People can no longer carry bicycles, including folding ones, on Chinese trains. At least not in one piece.

Officials say that the new ban, drawn up by the China Railway Corp, took effect Monday. Its aim is to create more room for people within train carriages.

Passengers can still take their bicycles on trains, but they must first dismantle them and pack the parts into suitable containers.

An official with the Shanghai Railway Bureau says the authority hopes the new rule will help improve relations between passengers during next month's Spring Festival holiday, which is a peak time for rail travel.

Bicycles can be carried as cargo on trains, but this incurs an additional charge.

Some Shanghai cyclists say they might have to use the bus in the future.

 

FOX NEWS (U.S.)

 

Eating whole grains may help you live longer, study finds

 

A new study finds that eating whole grains such as popcorn, oats and quinoa is linked to increased longevity, and may decrease risk of deaths from cardiovascular disease over a 25-year period, but not cancer deaths.

The study followed over 110-thousand people for more than 24 years.

The researchers found that people who ate at least 28 grams of whole grains a day had a 5 percent lower risk of dying over the study period, and a 9 percent lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular-disease-related death, than people who ate little or no whole grains during the course of the study.

The researchers also found that eating the part of the whole grain called the bran had the largest effect on reducing mortality and deaths from cardiovascular disease.

 

 

THE GUARDIAN (U.K.)

 

British and Dutch researchers develop new form of lie-detector test

 

Researchers in Britain and the Netherlands have made a breakthrough in lie-detector tests.

They are developing a method with a success rate in tests of over 70 percent that could be in use in police stations around the world within a decade.

Rather than relying on facial tics, talking too much or waving of arms, the new method involves monitoring full-body motions to provide an indicator of signs of guilty feelings.

A leading researcher says that an advantage of the new method is that the total body motion is relatively unaffected by cultural background, anxiety and cognitive load that confounds other lie-detection technologies.

The basic premise is that liars fidget more and so the use of an all-body motion suit will pick this up. The suit contains 17 sensors that register movement up to 120 times per second in three dimensions for 23 joints.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

The 31st International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin kicks off

 

Anchor :

People from around China and other parts of the world are braving sub-zero temperatures in Helongjiang to take part in the now-opened annual Snow and Ice festival in the provincial capital, Harbin.

CRI's Lai Ming with more.

Reporter:

Over 700 enthusiasts from 49 amateur groups nationwide have braved icy waters to compete in a two-day ice swimming competition, in one of the coldest cities in China.

Winter swimming, as it is known in China, is in fact enjoyed across the north of the country, mainly by middle-aged and elderly people who either believe it benefits their health or simply enjoy the way it feels.

People would break a hole in a frozen river surface and jump in, using sticks and brooms to sweep ice off the surface as it forms.

Contestants try to be the first to make it across the 25 meter pool in temperatures colder than minus 17 degrees Celsius.

Most of the participants swam for around a minute before getting out.

"I took part in the ice swimming contest to challenge myself. I feel very relaxed after going for a swim."

"I don't feel cold at all, people's enthusiasm affected me and brought me joy. I feel very happy that so many people support and like ice swimming."

Some onlookers are amazed by what they saw.

Gao Chiming, a 50-year-old from Anhui Province, Eastern part of China.

"Normally I can stand water temperatures that is above five degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit). The water temperature here must be below zero. I don't have the courage to go in there and swim, so I really admire them, admire their perseverance and their willpower to challenge themselves."

The swimming competition is part of the ongoing International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin.

Besides the winter swimming, many visitors attend to marvel at giant sculptures carved from ice and snow during the festival.

The main venue, Ice and Snow World, features castles and famous buildings recreated out of thick blocks of ice that light up after nightfall.

Thousands of tourists from all over China and overseas, brave the north-eastern city's freezing temperatures to climb up castles made of ice, then slide down an ice toboggan and lounge on ice sofas.

Peter Rudolfsson is a tourist from Sweden.

"Beaches you can find everywhere. Sunny beaches? You can find everywhere. Where can you find this everywhere? Not so many places."

Harbin's trademark annual event, the world's largest ice and snow festival, lasts until February 25th.

For CRI, I am Lai Ming.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Football: FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan to run for presidency

 

In off-pitch football news:

FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan says he will run for FIFA presidency.

Current president Sepp Blatter, 79, will run for his fifth mandate in the FIFA presidential election on May 29 in Zurich.

Prince Ali, 39, said in a statement that the decision came after careful consideration and many discussions with his FIFA colleagues.

Prince Ali did not specify which five of FIFA's 209 members will nominate him for the presidency, as required before a Jan. 29 deadline.

He was expected to travel to Australia for the Asian Cup, which kicks off Friday in Melbourne.

 

 

Tennis: Serena Williams takes a coffee break at Hopman Cup

 

Moving down to Australia for the Hopman cup:

Lethargic and jet-lagged, Serena Williams decided a coffee might perk her up after she lost her first set 6-0 at the Hopman Cup.

It did the trick.

Williams recovered to beat Flavia Pennetta 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 on a sweltering day in Perth, John Isner followed up with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 win over Fabio Fognini and the American pair combined to win the doubles for a 3-0 win over Italy in Group A on Monday in the international mixed team competition.

Williams later joked that it was "miracle coffee."

In other action:

Lucie Safarova gave the Czech Republic the lead in their Hopman Cup Group A tie with Italy, beating Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3 in the women's singles rubber.

And Andy Murray had two wins in Britain's 2-1 victory over France in Group B, beating Benoit Paire 6-2, 7-5 and then combining with Heather Watson to win the deciding mixed doubles 6-4, 2-6, 10-8. Alize Cornet beat Watson 6-2, 6-2 in the women's singles to help France level the match 1-1.

Lucie Safarova and Adam Pavlasek beat Flavia Pennetta and replacement Ben Mitchell 8-6 in a mixed doubles rubber at the Hopman Cup as the Czech Republic completed a 3-0 victory over Italy in their Group A tie.

 

 

Tennis: Simona Halep advances to round two of Shenzhen Open

 

In tennis action, from the Shenzhen open,

Top-seeded Simona Halep overcame 10 double faults and a tough challenge from Germany's Annika Beck to advance to the second round of the Shenzhen Open with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Halep, last year's French Open runner-up, was down a break in the deciding set before reeling off the last four games to clinch the win.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, seeded No. 2, had a 6-3, 6-1 win over Duan Yingying of China.

Third-seeded Peng Shuai, China's top player, was upended by Vera Zvonareva of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

And in women's single's today:

From round 2-

Zheng Saisai, China, beat Polona Hercog, Slovenia, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

4-th seeded Zarina Diyas, of Kazakhstan, beat Timea Babos, Hungary, 6-3, 6-4.

2nd seeded Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic, beat Bojana Jovanovski, of Serbia, 6-1, 6-2.

 

 

NBA: Cavaliers are now 0-7 if playing without LeBron James.

 

A heavy schedule of games played earlier today in the NBA:

Tony Wroten scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 95-92 win over the Lebron-less Cleveland Cavaliers, who are now 0-7 if playing without their star athlete.

Over in Los Angeles:

Paul Millsap scored 23 points, Jeff Teague added 20, and the Atlanta Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 107-98.This gives Atlanta their 7th straight win on this current road trip.

Other scores now on the books:

The Charlotte Hornets bested the Boston Celtics, 104-95.

Dallas beat out the Brooklyn Nets, 96-88.

The Chicago Bulls took down the Houston Rockets, 114-105.

The Memphis Grizzlies got the better of the New York Knicks, 105-83.

The Denver Nuggets beat out the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-101.

It was the Washington Wizards beating out the New Orleans Pelicans, 92-85.

The Indiana Pacers upset the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, 105-101.

The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles 98-94.

And it was the Golden State Warriors taking out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 117-91.

It is a light schedule for tomorrow:

Phoenix are away to Milwaukee , tip off for that game is at 9 am Beijing time.

And the Detroit Pistons are away to San Antonio. Tip off for that game is at 9:30 am Beijing time.

 

 

Chongqing taking on Zhejiang in CBA

 

One game now underway in the CBA:

Chongqing are taking on Zhejiang Chouzhou at the Yiwu Maeho Sports Center.

Zhejiang are looking to avenge their 120-116 loss to Chongqing back in late November.

 

 

Hockey: Canada takes gold at World Juniors in Toronto

 

In hockey from the World Junior Championships in Canada,

The medal games took place this morning, with Canada taking gold in a hard-fought victory over Russia.

Canada jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second period, but had to hold-on to a tight 5-4 win over Russia to earn Canada's first World Junior gold medal since 2009.

In the bronze medal game, it was Slovakia capping off a remarkable tournament by upsetting Sweden 4-2.

The 3rd place bronze for Slovakia is the country's 2nd-only medal at the annual tournament.

Slovakia's only other medal at the World Juniors was also in Canada, when that squad also took bronze in the 1989 event in the city of Winnipeg.

 

 

NHL: San Jose Sharks get 3-2 victory over the Winnepeg Jets

 

Only one game was played today in the NHL:

With 8 seconds remaining in the third period of a tied game, Joe Pavelski won an offensive zone faceoff to Logan Couture, who set up Marc Vlasic for the decisive goal with 4.5 seconds to go that gave the Sharks a 3-2 victory over the Winnepeg Jets.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Jaycee Chan to be tried for drug offences in public

 

Jaycee Chan, son of Chinese kung fu star Jackie Chan, will be tried in public on Friday for drug related crimes.

He was detained in August along with Taiwan movie star Ko Chen-tung for drug offences.

The pair tested positive for marijuana and both admitted to having taken the drug. Police seized more than 100 grams of marijuana from Chan's home.

According to Chinese law, the maximum sentence for this crime is three years in prison as well as a fine.

 

 

Taking of Tiger Mountain holds top spot at Chinese box office

 

War adventure film The Taking of Tiger Mountain has held onto the top spot at the Chinese box office for the second week.

The 3D action film, added 58 million dollars compared with 51 million in its opening week. This gives the film a cumulative score of 110 million.

Second placed Love on the Cloud added 19 million dollars in its second week for a 12 day cumulative of 42 million.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the tomb became the first Hollywood studio movie to be released this year. The film earned just over 4 million dollars in its first day.

 

 

CEO of Sony speaks out about hackings

 

CEO of Sony Corporation has spoken out for the first time about the recent hackings.

Kazuo Hirai condemned the recent hacking assault against its film division, saying his employees were the victims of a malicious cyber attack.

He also praised their efforts in releasing film The Interview, the controversial film which featured the fictional assassination of Kim Jong-Un.

"I have to say that I am very proud of all the employees and certainly the partners that we've worked with as well, who stood up against some of the extortionist efforts of the criminals that actually attacked Sony Pictures and its employees and worked tirelessly - literally 24-hours a day, sometimes days on end - to bring 'The Interview' to audiences."

Hackers calling themselves the Guardians of Peace managed to cripple the computer systems of Sony Pictures Entertainment in November before releasing a mass of sensitive corporate and employee records.

Sony initially said the film would not be released to major theatres in the face of threats by the hackers. But the company was criticized for the decision and scrambled to release the film at independent theaters and online streaming websites.

 

 

Eminem being sued for sample use

 

Rap star Eminem is being sued by a Chicago rap trio for the use of a sample in one of his songs.

Raymond Jones from the group Hotstylz is suing Eminem and his record label for 8 million dollars over the song Rap God. The group claims his track features a 25 second sample of their song Lookin' Boy mid track.

The song appeared on the Detroit rapper's The Marshall Mathers LP 2 album.

Eminem and the group have been in a long feud after Hotstylz leaked a freestyle rap titled 'Rap Fraud' in which they made fun of Eminem's daughter and the star's past drug problems.

 

 

Steve Carell speaks out about Golden Globe nomination

 

Steve Carell has spoken out about his nomination for the upcoming Golden Globes.

The actor is nominated for Best Actor in a motion picture, Drama, for his portrayal of multimillionaire wrestling sponsor John du Pont in the film Foxcatcher.

Speaking at a recent press event in London, Carell called his nomination "pretty neat."

"I was on the Internet in the morning just before I got my kids ready for school and I noticed that had happened. Everyone is really excited, it was great. I mean my kids don't really know about that stuff so they just said 'yey, drive me to school.' That was it."

The haunting movie which picked up three nominations in all is based on the clash between du Pont and wrestlers Dave and Mark Schultz in 1996.

The Golden Globes take place on this coming Sunday.

 

 

Grease stars reunite for performance in Las Vegas

 

A Grease reunion took place yesterday as Olivia Newton John and Didi Conn took to the stage in Las Vegas to perform together for the first time in almost 40 years.

The Grease girls who played memorable best friends and cousins Sandy and Frenchy in the 1978 classic joined one another onstage at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino to perform the song Summer Nights.

The surprise performance was part of Olivia Newton John's Summer Nights show which features an eight piece band and includes numerous Grease throwbacks including Hopelessly Devoted to You and You're the One That I Want.