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

Coming up on the programme this evening:

Searchers have recovered part of the black box of the downed AirAsia jet in the Java Sea.

Millions of people have rallied in France to show solidarity in the wake of this past week's terrorist attacks.

Chinese authorities are moving to standardize the regulations connected to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In business.... Synohydro secures a bid to create a new power station in Mexico.

In sports... China off to a solid start at the Asian Cup.

In entertainment.... we'll tell you who the big winners are from the Golden Globes.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will have some smog tonight, with a low of minus 4. It will also have slight haze tomorrow, with a high of 4 degrees.　

Meanwhile Shanghai will be overcast tonight, with a low of 6, tomorrow will have slight rain, with a high of 10.

Chongqing will be clear tonight, 6 degrees the lowest, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny day tomorrow with a high of 28.

Kabul, sleet, 8.

Over in Australia

Sydney, showers, high of 29.

Canberra, rainy, 27.

Brisbane, showers, 30.

Finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 35.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Divers recover flight data recorder of AirAsia QZ8501; cockpit voice recorder detected

 

Indonesian divers have retrieved the flight data recorder of the downed AirAsia flight in the Java Sea.

Searchers have also located the cockpit voice recorder, the second part of the so-called black box.

The other part of the black box is in the process of being retrieved.

Bambang Soelistyo is the head of Indonesia's national search and rescue agency.

"At 7:11am we managed to find and lift part of the black box that is the flight data recorder. The black box is composed of two parts - the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. The one that we managed to find at 7:11am local time is the flight data recorder found by joint search and rescue."

The recovery of the two devices is critical in determining exactly what happened to the plane.

A wing, the tail section and parts of the plane's engine have been located.

The AirAsia flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore went down in a storm on December 28th.

So far just under 50 bodies of the 162 people on-board have been recovered.

The remains of most of the victims are believed to still be inside the fuselage.

 

 

World leaders march hand in hand against extremist

 

French President Francois Hollande is chairing a crisis meeting with cabinet ministers in the wake of last week's terror attacks in Paris.

The meeting comes amid questions as to how militants known to the authorities were able to launch the raids in the French capital.

The attacks left a total of 17 people dead.

More than 40 world leaders have taken part in a massive rally in Paris in a show of solidarity.

"We must remember this day in the future. It's encouraging to see the reaction of the French people after this violation of freedom, because it really is a violation of freedom."

"A gathering like this is historic and this must continue in order to uphold freedom of speech for the world and for all people."

Millions have turned out for the rallies across France.

Similar marches are being held in other parts of the world.

The three days of terror began Wednesday when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stormed the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people.

They were killed on Friday after a lengthy stand-off.

Four hostages were also killed in a separate incident at a Jewish market in Paris.

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen is claiming responsibility for the attacks.

 

 

Grabar-Kitarovic elected Croatia's first woman president

 

Croatia's opposition leader has become the country's first female president.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has secured just over 50-percent of the vote with 99% ballots counted.

"Let me assure you, once again, that I will not fail you, I will not fail the people. I will be among you. I will listen to you, I will look for your ideas, I will ask for your help, because only together we can pull Croatia out of crisis. "

Grabar-Kitarovic's contender, incumbent Ivo Josipovic, took around 49-percent of the vote.

He has conceded.

Observers are suggesting her election is a sign that Croatia may be shifting to the right amid a 6-year downturn in the economy.

 

 

Chinese FM Wang Yi's African Tour

 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is now in Sudan, the 2nd leg of his 5-nation African tour.

He is there in a push to try to broker peace in South Sudan.

Wang Yi kicked off his African tour on Saturday in Kenya.

There he met with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, among others.

Wang Yi has overseen the signing of a new agreement with Kenya for the creation of a bilateral steering committee.

"China is willing to transform bilateral traditional friendship into impetus for common development, and work with Kenya to convert its potential in human and natural resources into economic strengths."

Wang Yi is also taking suggestions of African countries in the lead-up to China-Africa Cooperation Forum set to take place in South Africa.

 

 

Six mobsters killed by police in Xinjiang

 

Police in Xinjiang have shot dead 6 people attempting to set off a bomb in the Kashgar region.

Local police were tipped off about a man being seen carrying an explosive device to the area.

Police say the suspect tried to attack the officers with an axe when confronted.

Five others then attempted to set off the bomb.

All were killed.

The motivation behind the attack remains unclear at this point.

 

 

More than 200 relocated after 5.0-quake hits Xinjiang

 

The clean-up work is underway following a magnitude-5 earthquake which rolled through part of Xinjiang over the weekend.

Around 50 homes were damaged in the quake in the western region on Saturday.

Economic losses are currently estimated at around 2-million US dollars.

Temporary shelters, as well as food and stoves have been set up to help those affected.

"The government has done a lot for us since the earthquake. They put up tents and sent coal and food. Even our relatives could not come to our aid at first. The administration took really good care of us."

Local officials say those who have lost their houses will be offered new ones.

 

 

China arrests more than 100 people for selling pork from diseased pigs

 

Police in China have detained 110 people on suspicion of selling pork from diseased pigs.

The Public Security Ministry has launched a wide-spread operation across 11 provinces.

More than a thousand tons of contaminated pork has been seized.

Police say the suspects are all members of syndicates, which purchased diseased pigs at deflated prices, processing them into bacon, ham and oil.

Mao Wenwei is with the Public Security Bureau.

"Wasted oil scraped from contaminated pork and pork products, guts and skin of dead pigs. Stinky pork couldn't be sold and so all of them were put together to make oil here in this factory."

Authorities believe the groups were able to purchase the pigs through bribing government livestock insurance agents.

Several of them are being prosecuted.

 

 

Taiwan Authorities control the spread of bird flu by culling

 

Over 15 thousand birds have been culled in Taiwan in an attempt to stem the outbreak of the bird flu.

A strain of H5N2 has been discovered in live chickens on a local farm.

And H5N8 has been detected in a goose breeding facility on a different part of the island.

Cai Xiangmeng is an agriculture official in Taiwan.

"The newly-found H5N virus is likely to come from the H5N8 bird flu in South Korea. Not only ducks and geese could be highly infected, so are turkeys and chickens."

Slaughter houses across the island are being shut down as inspectors move in to test for the bird flu.

Eggs from one of the affected farms have been removed from close to a hundred schools as a precaution.

Health officials note the H5N2 strain of the bird flu is not infectious to humans.

 

 

Huang Yiping:China's Outbound Investors Expected to Relocating Businesses Abroad in 2015

 

Anchor:

There's a lot of anticipation this year about China's outbound investment, with the central government announcing slew of new programs meant to try to encourage more Chinese companies to go global.

Professor Huang Yiping, Deputy Dean of the National School of Development with Peking University, says more and more Chinese firms are shifting away from simply hunting for resources and technologies overseas to relocating their businesses abroad.

For more on this, CRI's Washington correspondent He Fei caught up with the professor at a forum on the Chinese economy held in New York.

 

 

China Speeds up Promotion of TCM around the Globe

 

Anchor:

The Chinese government is moving to standardizing Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM.

CRI's Yin Xiuqi has more.

Reporter:

At a national TCM conference held in Beijing over the weekend, Wang Guoqiang, Director of China State Administration of TCM, says standardization of TCM is crucial for its internationalization.

"We should make full use of international platforms, such as WTO and ISO, and actively participated in the establishment of relevant TCM standards. We should also nurture TCM medical staff through international cooperation and internationally-recognized TCM brands."

TCM is a broad range of medicinal practices dating back thousands of years.

It includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and dietary therapy.

Many in China still rely on Traditional Chinese Medicine, but its acceptance overseas has been hindered by its lack of modern scientific proof and cultural differences.

Critics argue that TCM's theory isn't based on scientific knowledge, complaining there is a lack of cost-effectiveness in researching TCM.

But proponents say TCM is based upon a different way of thinking and unique outlook on the human body, which should not be judged by the standards of conventional medical science.

The Chinese government has been trying to make TCM globally accepted through international accreditation.

The International Organization for Standardization, the ISO, last year approved two TCM standards, including one which requires that sterile acupuncture needles can only be used once.

An additional 19 ISO standards for TCM are under development, including the standardizing of a device which is used in the cooking of herbal medicines.

Jiang Libing is the chief manager of a Beijing-based medical equipment maker which manufactures the device.

"China should have a leading voice in setting the standards for this device. We feel our device should extract at least 50-percent of the medical-effective ingredients of the herbs. But this proposal has been opposed by Japan and South Korea, because they can't make devices up to our standard."

Ye Zhengliang with Tianjin Tasly Pharmaceutical, a TCM drug maker, says his company is pushing for the approval of its Dansheng Dripping Pill by US regulators.

The pill, used for heart failure and blood vessels disorders, is undergoing the final phase of clinical testing by the US Food and Drug Administration.

"The prospective standard of the pill will not only cover the Dansheng Dripping Pill but also cover its original materials, manufacturing process and its herbal additives. We feel the standards, once approved; it will help the standardization of other TCM medicines."

Dansheng is the Chinese name for Salvia miltiorrhiza, a perennial plant highly valued for its roots in traditional Chinese medicine.

For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.

 

 

Chinese military offers aids to Malaysia

 

Two Chinese IL-76 aircraft loaded with relief goods are on their way to Kuala Lumpur.

The Chinese military immediately prepared relief goods including tents, generators, sewage pumps and water purifying equipment after the Malaysian defense ministry sent a request for aid.

Malaysia has suffered its worst flooding in 45 years since the end of 2014, with over 200,000 people evacuated from their homes.

The Chinese government also pledged humanitarian aid worth about 3 million U.S. dollars to Malaysia and Sri Lanka for flood relief.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

First, let's have a look at the numbers across the Asian markets this Monday evening.

Joining me on the desk is Yu Yang.

Reporter:

Chinese markets started the trading week down on concern that the market's rise over this past year has been overblown.

At close,

The Shanghai Composite Index dropped nearly one and three quarters of a percent, hitting its lowest level in two weeks.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost around a third of a percent.

Finance and property sector led the losses, with Poly Real Estate Group, Haitong Securities and Soochow Securities declining around about 3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng advanced half a percent, led by the gains of shares in a pair of companies owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing.

Investors have been gravitating toward the re-organization of Li Ka-shing's conglomerate.

The share price of Cheung Kong Holdings soared 14-percent, shares of the retail-focused Hutchison Whampoa were up over 12-percent.

The two new companies are going to be register in the Cayman Islands.

They will still be listed in Hong Kong.

Elsewhere in Asia,

In Japan, the Nikkei was closed today for a public holiday.

South Korea's KOSPI dropped one fifth of a percent.

In Australia, the ASX 200 down four fifths of a percent.

But in Singapore, the Straits Times Index picked up a fifth of a percent.

 

 

Sinohydro to Build Hydro Power Station in Mexico

 

The Mexican government has awarded a 380 million-dollar hydropower project to a consortium which includes Chinese state-owned giant Sinohydro Group.

The new facility is being built to supply electricity to over half-a-million homes in the state of Chiapas.

It's going to take 3.5-years to build.

Sinohydro is the firm which built the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower facility.

The deal comes just days ahead of re-bidding for a high-speed rail project in the country.

A consortium led by China Railway Construction originally won the bid.

However, the tendering process had to be restarted amid opposition protest in Mexico.

 

 

Biauto Secures 1.3 Billion from JD and Tencent

 

Online car-sales outfit Bitauto has secured investments from JD.com and Tencent.

The two firms are pouring 1.3-billion US dollars into the start-up.

JD.com will control 25-percent of the company.

Tencent is to hold a much smaller, 3.3 percent stake.

Bitauto offers sales data and other information on new and used vehicles.

The website saw sales of around 300-million dollars during Double-Eleven Day in November.

Over 73-hundred Chinese car dealers are part of Bitauto.

 

 

Alibaba to Build Shopping Center in South Korea

 

E-commerce giant Alibaba is reportedly set to spend some 920-million US dollars on the creation of a shopping center in South Korea.

It's going to be located in the city of Inchon.

The complex is going to take up area of around 1-million square meters.

The city of Inchon and Alibaba are going to be the co-owners of the facility.

It's going to target mostly Chinese tourists, who make up the largest tourist numbers in South Korea.

 

 

Volvo to Sell Chinese-made Cars in U.S. this Year

 

Anchor:

Volvo says it's hoping to export Chinese-made midsize sedans this year to the United States.

The company says it expects to ship roughly 15-hundred made-in-China S60L's to the United States this year.

Volvo is also looking at building a factory in the United States.

The company lost around 8-percent of its sales volume in the US last year.

Zhejiang-based Geely purchased Volvo from Ford 5-years ago.

For more on the move, the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Director of the China Business Centre based in London.

 

 

China's Car Market Drastically Slows

 

New stats show auto sales in China increased nearly 7-percent this past year.

That was compared with the 13.9 percent rise from a year earlier.

23.5 million vehicles were sold in China in 2014.

Vehicle production also increased by over 7-percent to 23.7 million units.

 

 

The Year's 1st Gas Price Cut

 

The National Development and Reform Commission have announced the first cut of retail gas price in the new year.

The price of regular gas is being cut by 0.13 yuan per liter.

The price for diesel is going down 0.2 yuan per liter.

Meanwhile, the tax for regular gasoline is going up 0.12 yuan per liter.

Diesel taxes are being increased by 0.1 yuan.

 

 

State Asset Watchdog Sets Timetable for SOE Reform Policies

 

A timetable has been set for the reform of China's state-owned enterprises.

An official with the country's Assets Management Division says the majority of policies will be rolled out before Spring Festival, which falls on February 19th this year.

The State-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission is putting together new rules for mixed ownership of state assets, as well as changes to the evaluation system for this country's SOE's.

Mixed ownership will allow private capital to enter into SOEs.

The move comes amid the deterioration of profits at China's SOEs.

Combined profits only increased 4.5-percent through the first eleven months last year.

This is down from the 8.2 percent growth posted a year earlier.

 

 

Taobao Owners to Be First Affected by Citizen's Tax ID

 

A researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is suggesting many of this country's online shop owners are poised to come under more scrutiny with the creation of the new tax ID.

The tax ID, similar to a social security number in other countries, was announced last week.

Zhang Bin with the Academy says small online shop owners operating out of their home will have to pay tax once the new system is in place.

Currently, home-based Taobao owners don't pay taxes.

But with the tax ID, everyone's source of income will become taxable.

Overseas incomes will also be monitored and taxed.

The new tax ID is set to be formally introduced later this year.

 

 

Beijing turns street lamps into chargers for electric cars

 

The Beijing Municipal government has launched a project to transform street lamps to serve as charging poles for electric cars.

The project is in the Changping district in northern Beijing.

It's similar to one on the Beijing-Shanghai expressway where drivers can stop every 50 kilometers to charge up.

There are an estimated 84-hundred fully-electic vehicles on the roads here in China.

The Chinese government has been encouraging consumers to buy electric vehicles.

China's government is going to continue subsidizing electric vehicle purchases for the next 5-years.

 

 

China Eastern Studies Bahamas Charter Trips

 

China Eastern Airlines will undertake a feasibility test on charter flights from China to the Bahamas.

The plan aims to bring more Chinese tourists and investors to the island country in the Caribbean.

With the visa-waiver policy, Chinese visitors can stay up to 30 days in the Bahamas.

The first direct flight between China and the Caribbean will begin this September.

Air China will launch its first direct air route, from Beijing to the Cuban capital of Havana by then end of September, marking a huge cut in travel time between China and the Caribbean.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

AirAsia Cockpit Voice Recorder Located: Official

 

Searchers have located flight data recorder of the downed AirAsia Flight in the Java Sea.

Indonesian authorities say they're also working to collect the cockpit voice recorder as well.

Divers retrieved the flight data recorder earlier this morning.

The flight data and cockpit voice recorders are crucial to helping determine the cause of the air crash.

Initial suggestions are the flight went down in bad weather.

So far just under 50 bodies of the 162 people aboard the plane have been recovered.

 

 

World leaders march in hand in hand against extremist

 

French President Francois Hollande is chairing a crisis meeting with cabinet ministers in the wake of last week's terror attacks in Paris.

The meeting comes amid questions as to how militants known to the authorities were able to launch the raids in the French capital.

The attacks left a total of 17 people dead.

More than 40 world leaders have taken part in a massive rally in Paris in a show of solidarity.

Millions have turned out for the rallies across France.

Similar marches are being held in other parts of the world.

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen is claiming responsibility for the attacks.

 

 

Six mobsters killed by police in Xinjiang

 

Police in Xinjiang have shot dead 6 people attempting to set off a bomb in the Kashgar region.

Local police were tipped off about a man being seen carrying an explosive device to the area.

Police say the suspect tried to attack the officers with an axe when confronted.

Five others then attempted to set off the bomb.

All were killed.

The motivation behind the attack remains unclear at this point.

 

 

Grabar-Kitarovic elected Croatia's first woman president

 

Croatia's opposition leader has become the country's first female president.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has secured just over 50-percent of the vote with 99% ballots counted.

Grabar-Kitarovic's contender, incumbent Ivo Josipovic, took around 49-percent of the vote.

He has conceded.

Observers are suggesting her election is a sign that Croatia may be shifting to the right amid a 6-year downturn in the economy.

 

 

Two dead, four injured in LG Display's gas leak incident

 

Two people are dead and four others have been hurt in a nitrogen gas leak at a factory in South Korea.

The incident has taken place at an LG Display plant in the city of Paju, which is about 40-kilometers northwest of Seoul.

One of those sickened is said to be in critical condition.

Authorities say a gas valve was opened for an unknown reason.

A similar incident took place in December at the construction site of a new nuclear reactor in the southeastern city of Ulsan, leaving 3-people dead.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

SHANGHAI DAILY

Electric car option for Beijing trips

Five electric vehicles have set off on a journey from Beijing to Shanghai, piloting a scheme that would see the 1,260-kilometer trip cost a maximum of 400 yuan, or roughly 64 US dollars in charging fees — half the fuel cost of gas-powered vehicles.

The vehicles are recharged at stations currently being built by the State Grid Corp of China along the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway.

Charging stations are located every 50 kilometers along the route and a single station can fully charge a vehicle within half an hour.

An electric vehicle needs to charge around six times en route — or every 200 kilometers.

The State Grid, the monopoly power distributor in all but five provinces in China, is building tens of thousands of charging spots across China to establish a network on highways from Beijing to Hong Kong.

--

GLOBAL TIMES

Cabbies strike over high fees, phone apps

China has witnessed a series of protests by taxi drivers in the past few weeks, as public debate rages as to whether the industry should be made more market-oriented and how taxi and car-hailing mobile apps should be regulated.

Following the strikes in Shenyang and Dongyang this month, cab drivers in Nanjing took to the streets the past weekend, bringing the city's traffic to a standstill.

The drivers said they were calling for a reduction in the franchise fees they pay to the taxi companies every month, which is nearly half of their total fares.

Apart from franchise fees and increasing competition, drivers have also complained that excessively low fares, low fuel surcharge allowances, low compensation for time spent stuck in traffic and the new ride-hailing apps have greatly hurt their incomes.

--

SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA

Brazil drought brews trouble for coffee

Brazil's coffee harvest last year was hit by one the country's worst droughts in decades, with effects on the world's largest producer now threatening to spill over into this year, pushing prices even higher.

Brazil's 290-thousand growers produce around a third of the world's coffee.

According to the ministry of agriculture, last year's total yield was down over 7 percent from 2013 and well below initial forecasts.

Production of high grade arabica slumped even more drastically, by 15 percent.

The falling production has sent prices soaring, with arabica up by half in 2014 and expected to keep increasing this year.

Unlike many crops that are replanted and harvested each year, coffee is grown in a two-year cycle. So initial predictions for 2014, made before the drought took hold, had initially forecast a much stronger harvest.

--

NDTV.COM (India)

Road Safety Week: Nitin Gadkari Promises Stringent Laws To Make India's Roads Safer

India's roads are a dangerous place with data showing that over 1.4 million people die every year due to accidents.

The India Road Safety Week starting from January 11 hopes to draw attention to this serious issue and take some constructive steps to make India's roads safer.

The campaign will organize many ground activities across Mumbai, Bangalore and among others, through the week.

Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari while lending his support to the campaign also provided details of the proposed road safety and highway bill for last year.

The proposed bill has been drafted in sync with the best practices of the advanced nations.

Mr Gadkari explained that the new road safety law will ensure that no one gets a license through manipulation. In India, 30 percent of the motorists carry bogus licenses.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Rising of the Robots in CES 2015

 

Anchor:

Robots have been one of the highlights of the just-concluded International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The number of robotic exhibits at this year's show have increased by 25 percent.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

Reporter:

Clever robots are dancing to a new tune at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The trend-setting tech fest hosted a collection of innovative robotic companies keen to show off numerous intelligent, autonomous machines.

Sopo, a butler robot created by US-based Opobotics, is one of the shining stars.

Aside from raiding your fridge, Sopo can be programmed using a graphical user interface.

That means anyone can tailor the robot's capabilities, whether they are educational, helpful or entertaining.

Kevin Shah, marketing manager for Opobotics, says the robots can do more and more day by day.

"Many people state that it's never going to happen, that they can take the place of humans. But day by day, with the newer technology available to us, it is coming to that point."

At this year's CES, robotic exhibits have grown by 25 percent, covering nearly 800 square metres of event space.

It's a hint that robot tech may be finally ready to hit the mainstream.

However, Matt Burns from TechCrunch does urge some caution.

"I think we're at a point where the term robot is a catch all, actually, where maybe five years ago it would've been called a machine but now it's a robot. So some of the smaller guys might not necessarily be a robot in the general sense of the term but still offers a whole lot of new functions that you've never seen before."

Robot-making isn't just for tech experts. Many robots at CES have been created strictly for fun.

That's because in recent years interactive, customizable droids have become even easier to program.

One of the most intriguing robots on display is 'Jibo', dubbed as the 'world's first family-friendly robot'.

Jibo can tell stories to children or remind their busy parents of upcoming appointments, as well as take pictures during family events.

Future versions will accommodate a tele-presence avatar, allowing users to communicate.

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal is the CEO of Jibo.

"The thing that's so exciting about Jibo is that it's really thinking about robots as a platform for human engagement and for content. Bringing content to life in this whole new way around this different level of personal emotional engagement."

Jibo is set to make a full public release in the summer next year.

During this year's CES, more than 3,500 exhibitors including big tech companies like Sony, Samsung and LG, have taken part in the event to show their latest technologies.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Football, Asian Cup: China downs Saudi Arabia 1-0

 

In Asian Cup action from the weekend:

Saturday saw the first big upset of the tournament, as China shut out Saudi Arabia 1-0. China's YU Hai deflected a free kick on the 81st minute to give China this win after Wang Dalei saved a penalty, denying the Saudi side.

In other action:

South Korea blanked Oman 1-0.

Uzbekistan downed North Korea 1-0.

United Arab Emirates took down Qatar 4-1.

And Iran shut out Bahrain 2-0.

Today's action saw Japan shut out Palestine 4-0.

And in the latest match, Iraq blanked Jordan. 1-0

 

 

Golf: Andy Sullivan reacts to victory at South African open

 

Briton Andy Sullivan has profited from a flurry of late dropped shots by home favourite Charl Schwartzel to win the South African Open at the first playoff hole and record his first European Tour victory on Sunday.

Shwartzel dropped four shots in his last five holes to enter a playoff with Englishman Sullivan, having seemingly been cruising to what would have been his maiden home championship win.

Having carded a final round 67 for a tournament total of 277, Sullivan then produced a superb iron into the green from the rough to set up the birdie chance on the first extra hole and defeat a deflated Schwartzel.

Sullivan said even he had trouble believing the result.

"It is just one of them shots, it was an all or nothing shot and it just came off. Unbelievable. And when Charl (Schwartzel) hit it close, I thought I might have two putts for it. But he made me work for it and fortunately enough it just stayed up to go in. But as I say, it is unbelievable feelings right now, I can't describe how I feel."

Schwartzel had led by five shots going into the final round, but could only manage a 74 on Sunday as his game fell apart on the final five holes.

 

 

Golf: Three-Way tie at at first PGA tournament of the year in Maui.

 

The third round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the first PGA tournament of the year, took place at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii.

South Korea's Sang-Moon Bae, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson and Russell Henley were tied for the lead at 11-under heading into the third round.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66) ran off three straight birdies from the 13th to 15th holes to grab a share of the lead with Walker at 16-under.

The 22-year-old stuck his third shot to a foot of the pin at the 18th to close with a birdie and climb to 17-under.

Walker (67) and Matsuyama are tied for the lead at 17-under heading into the final round.

Patrick Reed bounced his third shot at the 9th off the flagstick, he cleaned up the birdie putt to move to 13-under and would eventually finish his round on 15-under after a 68.

Bae, who captured the Frys.com Open last October, carded a 4-under 69 to join Reed at 15-under.

Henley (70), the 2014 Honda Classic winner, and Brendon Todd (69), the 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner, are another shot back at 14-under.

Reigning US Masters Champion Bubba Watson birdied the 3rd, 4th and 5th to move to 10-under, another followed at the 9th.

 

 

CBA: Foshan Long Lions beat Shandong 118-112.

 

A full slate of games were played last night in the CBA:

The Foshan Long Lions beat Shandong 118-112.

Qingdao downed Fujian 119-112.

Liaoning crushed the Bayi Rockets 94-75.

The Beijing Ducks beat Chongqing 108-80.

Dongguan beat Jiangsu Tongxi 118-110.

Shanxi beat the Guangsha Lions 113-102.

Guangdong Southern took out Tianjin 126-114.

The Shanghai sharks edged the Jiangsu Dragons 97-90,

Jilin downed Sichuan 102-91,

And it was the Xinjiang Flying Tigers taking out Zhejiang 123-98.

 

 

NBA: Portland downs Lakers, 106-94.

 

In NBA action:

Damian Lillard scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 106-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers earlier today.

The Hawks have continued their hot streak.

Kyle Korver scored 19 points and DeMarre Carroll added 16 to help the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks win their eighth straight game, 120-89 over Washington on Sunday.

Improving to 16-3 at home and 29-8 overall, the Hawks got 15 points from Al Horford and 11 each from Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Mike Scott. Teague finished with a game-high 10 assists.

Atlanta has won 13 of the last 14 and 22 of the last 24. It leads the Eastern Conference this late in the season for the first time in 21 years.

In other action:

The Memphis Grizzlies downed the Phoenix Suns 122-110.

The Heat proved too much for the Clippers. Miami downed Los Angeles 104-90.

And LeBron James's absence is still not doing Cleveland any favors. They fell to the Sacramento Kings 103-84. Cleveland now moves to 19-19 on the season, with a loss to a team with a 16-21 record.

 

 

NFL: Colts beat out Broncos 24-13 in AFC Divisional Playoff

 

In NFL action over the weekend:

The Indianapolis Colts took down the Denver Broncos 24-13 in the AFC divisional playoff earlier today.

And the Greenbay Packers got the better of the Dallas Cowboys 26-21 in the NFC divisional playoff.

On Saturday,

The New England Patriots bested the Baltimore Ravens 35-31 in the AFC.

And the Seattle Seahawks shamed the Carolina Panters 31-17.

 

 

China sweeps table tennis world cup in Dubai

 

China swept the men's and women's titles at the Team Table Tennis World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

The Chinese men beat surprise finalists Austria 3-0 to win their sixth straight men's trophy.

Chinese youngster Fan Zhendong beat Daniel Habesohn 3-0 and Olympic champion Zhang Jike defeated Robert Gardos in straight sets.

Zhang then paired up with Xu Xin in the doubles, beating Stefan Fegerl and Habesohn 3-0.

The Chinese women ousted North Korea 3-0 earlier in the day.

Zhu Yuling, Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning all won their games to secure China's seventh consecutive crown.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Boyhood takes top awards at Golden Globes

 

Coming of age film Boyhood has taken the top honors at the Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles.

The movie which took 12 years to make, won best film drama, with Richard Linklater named Best Director and Patricia Arquette best supporting actress.

Linklater dedicated his award to his parents.

"Bottom line is we're all flawed in this world. No one's perfect. I just want to dedicate this to my parents and who gave so much love and support. I want to dedicate this to parents that are evolving everywhere and families that are just passing through this world and doing their best. Thank you very much."

British actor Eddie Redmayne won best actor in a drama for his role as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. He beat competition from fellow Brits Benedict Cumberbatch and David Oyelowo.

The star thanked Professor Stephen Hawking for his help.

"This was a huge privilege Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking family allowed us into their lives and entrusted us with their story. Getting to spend time with Steve Hawking who, despite all of the obstacles put in his way, has lived passionately and fully and with great humor was one of the great, great honors of my life."

The Theory Of Everything also collected two of the four awards it was nominated for. Besides Redmayne's prize, it was also awarded best original score by Johann Johannsson.

Despite being nominated for five awards, Alan Turing drama The Imitation Game came away empty- handed.

George Clooney was at the ceremony to accept his lifetime achievement award. During his speech he paid tribute to late star Robin Williams and also voiced his support for the victims of the Charlie Hedbo attack.

The star even had time to joke about the backlash from the Sony hacking scandal.

"Now, it's always fun to come here and catch up with old friends, and now we've seen that everybody has been hacked, it's also a good chance for us to meet face to face and apologize for all the snarky things we said about each other.　I'm sorry, Don."

The outcome of the 72nd Globes will not influence the Academy Awards slate, since voting for next week's nominees’ announcement is closed. But it can give crucial momentum to the Oscar race.

 

 

Taken 3 knocks The Hobbit off the box office top spot

 

After three weeks atop the US box office, The Hobbit has been knocked off its top spot by Taken 3.

The film starring Liam Neeson, nabbed the top spot at the weekend box office in North America with earnings of 40 million dollars.

Neeson says the success of the franchise was surprising.

"I knew we had made a tight, solid, fast-paced, little European thriller, you know? We were all surprised the life that it had. 20th Century Fox did an amazing PR job with the film and helped to make it a success, you know? And we were all surprised. Especially myself."

Taken 3 also earned 41 million dollars in 36 international territories this weekend.

The third installment of the 20th Century Fox thriller series stars Neeson as a vengeance-seeking retired CIA operative with "a very particular set of skills"

The original "Taken", debuted in 2009 with less than 25 million dollars, while "Taken 2" launched in 2012 with nearly 50 million dollars.

The third taken film will be the last in the series.

 

 

Lenny Kravitz to join Katy Perry at Super Bowl half time show

 

Katy Perry has invited singer Lenny Kravitz to perform with her at the halftime show at this year's Super Bowl.

Perry is set to headline the American football event which sees the annual championship match of the USA's National Football League.

The star announced Kravitz as her special guest in an interview on NBC's Today show describing him as a rock and roll icon and guitar god.

Following the Super Bowl, Kravitz will go back on the road for the international leg of his tour in support of his 2014 album Strut.

Last year's Super Bowl halftime show saw Bruno Mars performing with special guests Red Hot Chilli Peppers drawing a record 112 million viewers in the US alone.

 

 

Snoop Dogg to release new album

 

Snoop Dogg has confirmed that he will be releasing a new album this year.

The Pharrell produced album's release is penned for March.

Stevie Wonder as well as Charlie Wilson are slated to make guest appearances.

The album marks Snoop's return to the name Snoop Dogg after releasing an album Reincarnated under the name Snoop Lion in 2013. He last released an album under Snoop Dogg in 2011 with the album Doggumentary.

The star is keeping himself busy having just agreed to make a guest appearance as himself in hip-hop drama Empire. The episode is set to air in late February or early March.