Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

Ukraine government troops have left Donetsk Airport as the bloody conflict continues to escalate... the violence includes the shelling of a bus and at least 13 civilian deaths...

Yemen's government is in turmoil after the president and prime minister tender their resignations amid a standoff with powerful Houthi rebels...

And the debate over euthanasia heats up in China following a rejected application involving an injured one-year-old boy...

In business...the European Central Bank approves a trillion-Euro stimulus package...

In Sports...Team China eliminated at the Asian Cup football tournament...

In entertainment...Chinese films showcases at a Chilean festival...

First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 6, clear tonight with a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will be sunny in the day with a high of 9, clear tonight with a low of 5.

Chongqing will be overcast with a high of 15, slight rain tonight with a low of 10.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, slight rain with a high of 15.

Kabul, overcast with a high of 3.

Over to North America.

New York will be overcast with a high of 4 degrees.

Washington, overcast with a high of 5.

Honolulu, cloudy, 27.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of minus 4 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 28.

And Rio de Janeiro will have slight rain with a high of 27 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Ukraine crisis: Army abandons Donetsk airport in bloody day of conflict

 

Anchor:

Ukrainian troops have abandoned their defense of Donetsk airport following weeks of bitter fighting with separatist rebels.

In the center of the main rebel-held city in the east, mortar shells hit a bus, killing at least 13 people and shattering a new peace initiative reached in Berlin just hours earlier.

CRI's Qi Zhi has the details.

Reporter:

Donetsk airport is said to be of limited strategic value but is regarded as a symbolic prize of the conflict, with the army and rebels continuously battling for control.

The airport, once the pride of the city, has now been reduced to rubble.

Colonel Andriy Lysenko is Ukraine's military spokesperson.

"Yesterday, there was a decision made to relocate Ukrainian military personnel from the new terminal of Donetsk Airport. This building was completely destroyed and is not suitable for defence anymore. During combat, 16 soldiers were wounded and captured. Right now, negotiations are taking place in order to free them."

Earlier, mortar shells rained down on the center of Donetsk, killing at least 13 people at a bus stop.

It is far from clear who fired the mortars and each side accuses the other.

Alexander Hug, the spokesperson for the special monitoring Mission in Ukraine says the OSCE is trying to verify all the facts.

"Our verification at the moment is on-going. We have, as of now, seen seven bodies near the vehicle that has been hit. We have not concluded our fact finding and once we conclude, we will report so, publicly."

Ukraine's President, Petro Poroshenko, has called an emergency meeting to discuss a response to the escalating tension, which Kiev blames on Moscow, accusing the Kremlin of supporting the rebels.

Russia denies the accusation, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the shelling of the bus in Donetsk as "a monstrous crime" whose ultimate responsibility rests with Kiev.

"We should not allow the party of war in Kiev - which is supported from outside and we know by who - to gain victory. We will do everything possible to stop this bloody and senseless conflict."

Thursday's violence came hours after the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France ended a crisis meeting in Berlin with a joint call to cease hostilities.

No agreement on stopping the hostilities was reached.

The main achievement was that all sides agreed that the demarcation line agreed on in September would form the basis for the pull-back of heavy arms on both sides.

However, as the conflict escalates, that solution already looks doomed.

In light of the worsening situation in Ukraine, the European Union announced that it will step up humanitarian aid to needed people there.

The Chinese side has also issued a statement, urging for a lasting ceasefire deal to be reached as soon as possible.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

 

 

Yemen thrown into turmoil as president resigns

 

Yemen's President has offered to resign amid a standoff with the powerful Shiite Houthi militia in control of the capital.

Abd-rabuh Mansur Hadi says he has reached a "deadlock" in talks with the rebels, after being pressured to make further concessions.

Prime Minister Khalid Bahah also tendered his resignation.

However, Yemen's parliament has reportedly rejected Hadi's resignation and decided to call an extraordinary session today.

Monitoring the situation from Cairo, Egyptian political analyst Shady Ghazaly Harb warns that the situation in Yemen will have consequences for the whole region.

"Of course this will have a great effect on the neighbours, especially Saudi Arabia. And Saudi Arabia is in a very vulnerable stage now, with a probable transition of power happening in the near future. So, with Iran in the east and Houthis in the south, this is not a comfortable situation for Saudi Arabia, and of course affecting Saudi Arabia affects the whole region, affects the Gulf area, affects Emirates and in turn affects Egypt as well."

The shock announcements by the two Yemeni leaders comes after the Huthis tightened control in Sanaa this week after seizing almost full control of the capital in September.

Hadi, regarded as an important US ally in fighting Al-Qaeda, initially agreed on Wednesday to a power-sharing deal that extended the Houthis' control over Yemen.

But government officials accused the insurgents of failing to uphold their side of the agreement, refusing to pull back from positions surrounding the presidential palace and residence.

The potential fall of Yemen's government has raised fears that the country's dangerous al-Qaida branch, which claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a French newspaper, will only grow more powerful.

 

 

Kerry and UK FM on threat by Islamic State group

 

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has stated that the international community is determined to defeat not just the physical entity of the Islamic State group but also its underlying ideology.

"We all confirmed our commitment to the struggle, however long it takes and wherever it leads us, to defeating the scourge of violent Islamist extremism."

He made the comments after a one-day international summit in London on defeating the militant group.

Also attending the summit, US Secretary of State John Kerry called the Islamic State a global problem, stating that a coordinated, comprehensive, and enduring global response is required.

"A coalition came together around the joint statement that was issued out of the meeting in Brussels, and that outlines our multiple lines of effort that we are currently engaged in: providing security assistance, strengthening the capacity of Iraq to stand on its own, protecting our homelands, disrupting the flow of foreign fighters, draining Daesh's financial resources, providing humanitarian relief to victims, and ultimately defeating what Daesh represents, defeating Daesh as an idea, if it can be called that."

Officials from 22 countries around the world have attended the London talks focusing on what can be done to cut off the organization's funding, stop the spread of its propaganda, and stem the flow of foreign fighters to its ranks.

 

 

UN has 'duty to speak out' against anti-Semitism: Ban Ki-moon

 

Anchor:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the UN effort against anti-Semitism is being challenged by rising extremism worldwide.

But he is also suggesting the conflict in the Middle East should not serve as a pretext for violence.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

Reporter

The UN chief made the comments at a General Assembly meeting that was called to address concerns over a rise in anti-Semitic violence.

"A United Nations that wants to be true to its founding aims and ideals has a duty to speak out against anti-Semitism."

The special General Assembly meeting was requested in October by 37 countries including Israel, the United States, and members of the European Union.

But the meeting took on a fresh sense of urgency in the wake of the attacks on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Paris kosher supermarket earlier this month.

Ban Ki-moon is also warning the international community that it should avoid relating this issue with the Middle East conflict.

'Grievances about Israeli actions must never be used as an excuse to attack Jews. In the same vein, criticisms of Israeli actions should not be summarily dismissed as anti-Semitism."

The UN is set to acknowledge the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust next week.

Allied forced liberated the Auschwitz death camp on Jan 27, 1945. Six million Jewish people were murdered during the Second World War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

 

 

US and Cuba address obstacles to resuming diplomatic ties

 

The United States and Cuba are trying to eliminate obstacles to normalized ties, as the highest-level US delegation to Cuba in 35 years holds a second day of talks with Cuban officials in Havana.

During the session yesterday, the U.S. side brought up the lifting of restrictions on US diplomats in Cuba and assurances that Cubans would have unrestricted access to a future US Embassy in Havana.

The Cuban side is demanding Cuba's removal from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which Washington says it is considering.

The two sides also hope to re-establish embassies and appoint ambassadors to each other's capitals in the coming months.

Gustavo Machin, an official from the Cuban Foreign Ministry, spoke highly of the bilateral meeting.

"The meeting has taken place in a respectful and relaxed environment, just look at my face, it reflects the spirit of the meeting."

Officials from the both sides also outlined the gauntlet of traps standing in the way of a US-Cuban relationship.

Top US diplomat for Latin America Roberta Jacobson.

"We have, as our presidents have taken this step, to overcome more than 50 years of a relationship that was not based on confidence or trust, so there are things that we have to discuss before we can establish that relationship and so there will be future conversations."

The talks focused on the broader question of how the U.S. and Cuba can end a half-century of enmity, as promised by Presidents Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro last month.

 

 

British PM vows to strengthen Scottish parliament with new devolved powers

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron has published plans on new powers for the Scottish parliament.

It comes after a meeting between Cameron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Scotland is to be given the power to set income tax rates and tax bands, but not to alter the threshold above which tax is paid.

It also proposes a proportion of value-added tax levied in Scotland will remain there.

The Scottish Parliament will have the power to fix its own air passenger duty.

However, Sturgeon says the proposals gives the British government a veto over key devolved powers, calling for an urgent rethink of what was on offer.

The publication will not become law until after May's British General Election. In the meantime, extensive debate by politicians on all sides is expected.

 

 

UK's Prince Andrew publicly denies underage sex allegations

 

Britain's Prince Andrew has publicly denied allegations he had sex with an underage girl.

He made the denial during a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, which was his first public appearance since accusations surfaced that he had a relationship with a teenager.

"And I just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace. My focus is on my work. And this evening's reception allows me to tell you about just a couple of the initiatives that I have founded and I'm passionate about."

The woman behind the charges says in court papers the prince's denials are false.

Buckingham Palace officials have strongly denied that Andrew had any sexual involvement with the woman, who is identified only as Jane Doe No. 3 in court papers.

 

 

'No US civil rights charges' against Ferguson officer: media

 

Media reports are suggesting that US justice department will not bring civil rights charges against a white police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager in the town of Ferguson, Missouri.

Experts say the justice department must present proof meeting certain difficult-to-meet standards to bring such charges to court.

Besides, no similar charges have been made from many high-profile cases either.

Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson in last August, sparking violent protests.

A grand jury later decided not to bring criminal charges against Wilson, which prompted further nationwide protests.

Brown's family is said to be waiting for official word from the justice department before commenting.

 

 

Euthanasia for Dying Boy Rejected in Anhui

 

Anchor:

The debate over whether euthanasia should be legalized here in China has become heated after an application by a couple in Anhui Province for their injured one-year-old son was rejected.

Our reporter Luo Wen takes a closer look.

Reporter:

Xiong Zhengqing's son suffered severe brain damage after getting stuck on a conveyer belt last month. The boy is now on life support, unable to breath on his own.

Jin Danqun of Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital is in charge of the boy's treatment.

"He suffered hypoxia, without a heartbeat and breath for eight minutes. Generally speaking, over four minutes of hypoxia will lead to irreversible brain damage. According to his condition, his recovery is highly unlikely."

To end their son's suffering, Xiong Zhengqing and his wife applied for euthanasia. But the hospital rejected the request, saying it would amount to illegal conduct.

The parents later turned to the local civil affairs bureau to plead their case, but nothing changed.

"It will be rejected everywhere in the country. It's illegal. Though he is ill, as long as he is alive, there should be respect for his life."

The bureau is helping the financially strained family to apply for subsidies from the public health insurance program.

Euthanasia is banned here in China.

But the call for its legislation, especially for minors, has risen in recent years after the media unveiled a series of rejected applications for euthanasia of children with severe birth defects or late-stage cancer.

Supporters say the practice can meet humanitarian principles.

But opponents express concern that legalization of the practice could lead to murder.

Currently, only the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland allow euthanasia for minors.

For CRI, I am Luo Wen.

 

 

China has world's 4th largest bone marrow donor pool

 

Heath authorities here in China say the country's bone marrow donor pool has become the fourth-largest in the world, after the United States, Germany, and Brazil.

The China Marrow Donor Program has organized over 4,700 bone marrow donations since its set-up in 2001, including 756 in 2014 alone.

More than 180 of those donations went outside of China, helping patients in 19 countries.

But despite the increasing numbers, program deputy director Gao Dongying says the need for new donors is always there.

In announcing the news, the program also took the chance to honor a man from Shenzhen, who has become the two-millionth bone marrow donor here in China.

Li Yiming, who works in the Shenzhen Blood Center, began giving blood in 2009 and recently decided to join the list of bone marrow donors as well.

"The two million donors can tell the public that donating bone marrow is harmless. It won't hurt your health. If one day someone needs my bone marrow, I will definitely donate it."

The number of voluntary donors to China's bone marrow databank reached 1 million five years ago.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

Anchor:

First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

Joining me on the desk, Bejan Siavoshy.

Reporter:

The European Central Bank decided to start a large-scale quantitative easing program and pump over one-trillion euros into the Eurozone economy in a bid to address risks of deflation.

The decision was welcomed by markets.

The U.S. dollar rallied against other major currencies and climbed to an 11-year high against the Euro, under the influence of the easing program.

And in late New York trading, the euro dropped to $1.14 from $1.16 in the previous session.

Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange also rebounded.

At close,

The Dow jumped nearly one and a half percent.

The S&P 500 rose over one and a half percent.

While the Nasdaq surged one and four fifths.

Over in Europe, shares surged on the bond purchase programme, which did not disappoint the high expectations of the markets.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 is up by over one percent.

Germany's DAX gained 1.3 percent

And finally, France's CAC 40 advanced nearly nine-tenths of a percent.

 

 

ECB to inject over one trillion euros to stimulate economy, inflation

 

As we mentioned in the stock market news, stocks in both the Europe and the US market soared after the ECB announced this larger-than-expected bond-buying program.

But some analysts express worries that the program may help only temporarily.

Robert Halver is head of market research Baader Bank from Germany.

"Mr (Mario) Draghi did not disappoint the markets. He made it clear that he wants to get the inflation rate up to two per cent whatever it takes. Should this not work until September 2016 when this programme is supposed to end, it will be extended. "

However, few options were left for the ECB to choose in terms of fighting the risk of deflation.

The annual inflation rate in the euro zone dipped into negative territory and reached minus 0.2 percent despite the ECB's previous stimulus efforts.

Meanwhile economists here in China also warn that the QE policy might also serve as a double-edged sword for Chinese economy.

Guan Tao is head of the department of international payments at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

"On one hand, given the monetary policy of the U.S. getting normalized, European QE would ease the tightening effect of the withdrawal of the U.S. QE. On another hand, the widening division of the monetary policies of the major world economies will affect exchange rates among major currencies, which will further jolt the international finance, particularly the foreign exchange market. It will also make it more difficult to manage cross-border capital flow and currency expectation.

From March of this year, the ECB and national central banks in the euro zone purchased additional bonds and securities from euro zone governments, agencies, and European institutions amounting to about 69 billion U.S. dollars per month.

 

 

PBOC uses 7-day repo after a year

 

China's central bank has injected money into the country's banking sector using a short-term tool it hasn't employed in a year to address a seasonal cash squeeze.

But the new injection of liquidity was offset by demand for money as short-term funding costs continued to rise.

The People's Bank of China used a seven-day reverse repurchase agreement for the first time since January 2014 to inject over 8 billion US dollars in the banking system.

The funds will be withdrawn from the banks next Thursday as the repo matures.

 

 

Corporate News of the Week

 

Anchor:

Goubuli Group, which owns a chain of steamed stuffed bun restaurants, has inked a joint venture agreement with Australia's Retail Food Group Ltd to operate the latter's coffee house brands, Gloria Jean's Coffees and It's a Grind, in China.

Gloria Jean's Coffees has over a thousand locations spanning 42 countries, and is the largest coffee retail company in Australia.

A subsidiary of Goubuli will hold an 80 percent stake in the joint venture and Retail Food Group the other 20%.

For more on this, we are now joined live by Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

…

Anchor: Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

King Abdullah dies in his 90s

 

A breaking news here,

According to the Saudi state TV, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died in hospital aged in his 90s.

King Abdullah was admitted into hospital last year due to lung infection.

 

 

Ukraine crisis: Army abandons Donetsk airport in bloody day of conflict

 

Ukrainian troops have abandoned their defense of Donetsk airport following weeks of bitter fighting with separatist rebels.

In the center of the main rebel-held city in the east, mortar shells hit a bus, killing at least 13 people.

Thursday's violence came hours after the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France ended a crisis meeting in Berlin with a joint call to cease hostilities.

Diplomats have said that all sides agreed that the demarcation line agreed on in September would form the basis for the pull-back of heavy arms on both sides.

 

 

Yemen thrown into turmoil as president resigns

 

Yemen's President has offered to resign amid a standoff with the powerful Shiite Houthi militia in control of the capital.

Abd-rabuh Mansur Hadi says he has reached a "deadlock" in talks with the rebels, after being pressured to make further concessions.

Prime Minister Khalid Bahah also tendered his resignation.

However, Yemen's parliament has reportedly rejected Hadi's resignation and decided to call an extraordinary session today.

The shock announcements by the two Yemeni leaders comes after the Huthis tightened control in Sanaa this week after seizing almost full control of the capital in September.

 

 

U.S. special envoy to visit Japan, China over DPRK policy

 

The United States is going to have a trilateral meeting with South Korea and Japan over its policy toward North Korea.

Sung Kim, a special US envoy, will visit Japan on Monday.

He is also due to pay a visit to Beijing next week, where he will sit down with Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs.

The forthcoming diplomatic efforts come after the White House rejected a call from Pyongyang to reopen the six-party nuclear talks without conditions.

 

 

US and Cuba address obstacles to resuming diplomatic ties

 

Cuba is demanding its removal from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism as the two sides met in Havana on re-establishing diplomatic ties.

Washington says it is considering Havana's demand.

US and Cuban officials have met for a second day of talks in the Cuban capital.

The two sides hope to re-establish embassies and appoint ambassadors to each other's capitals in the coming months.

 

 

British PM vows to strengthen Scottish parliament with new devolved powers

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron has published plans on new powers for the Scottish parliament.

It comes after a meeting between Cameron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Scotland is to be given the power to set income tax rates and tax bands, but not to alter the threshold above which tax is paid.

It also proposes a proportion of value-added tax levied in Scotland will remain there.

The Scottish Parliament will have the power to fix its own air passenger duty.

The publication will not become law until after May's British General Election.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Beijing Morning Post

Headline

Advice to crack parking disorder

Summary

Members of a local legislative body suggest the government to establish a set of comprehensive regulations on street parking in a bid to crack the problem of parking disorder in the capital.

Experts suggest the authority found a department especially for managing vehicles and formulate a unified charging standard for parking.

Shanghai Daily

Headline

City cracks down on illegal parking

Summary

Shanghai's traffic law enforcement team has shut down 45 illegal parking operations throughout the city.

Nearly a hundred other legal parking areas are told to bring their operations up to standard within four weeks or face fines of up to 2,000 yuan.

Bohai Morning Post

Headline

Zookeeper sacked over cub abuse

Summary

A Zookeeper has been sacked after a video was posted online showing him beating a South China tiger cub, a near extinct subspecies.

Nanchang Zoo in Jiangxi Province says the cub has had a checkup and it's not injured.

It is healthy and another zoo keeper has been assigned to take care of it.

South China Metropolitan Daily

Headline

Man busted for planting marijuana

Summary

A man was arrested for planting and cultivating over 400 marijuana seeds at a home in Foshan city Guangdong province.

China Daily

Headline

Third-party help recruited to assess rush at Spring Festival

Summary

Transportation departments will be inspected by regulators and receive third-party assessments during the annual Spring Festival travel rush.

Public opinion is to be solicited online on a number of issues including ticket sales and the operation of railway stations and airports.

Global Times

Headline

Freshman sues his college for health discrimination

Summary

A college freshman has sued his college in Beijing saying he was expelled because of his rare blood disorder, hemophilia.

The 21-year-old had been studying at the China Institute of Industrial Relations

The lawsuit has been filed in a Haidian district court.

 

 

Special Reports  

 

 

A Change is encouraged for Unhappy Employees

 

Anchor:

Forums have been held in Beijing and Shanghai to discuss how people work toward finding and building a global career.

CRI's Xu Fei has more.

Reporter:

"It surpassed my expectations."

"Identify what you would like to do and follow it" "It's so important to do what you love."

"I'm studying business administration. And I think it's important for my future because I want to work in a Multinational corporation."

'Careers beyond borders' is a global event hosted by EF Education First at various global destinations ranging from Manchester, Chicago, London and also here in Shanghai and Beijing.

Panelists from different sectors of the industry would share their experiences on how to build global careers in today's challenging global economy.

The forum in Beijing also addressed the importance of learning a second language, like English. A first-ever such workshop explained there is much more than just learning a language to build a career.

Sange Lee, a Swedish, President of Asia Pacific with EF International Language Center, is a panelist who joins the forum held in Beijing earlier this month.

"We, of course, believe that learning a language will benefit you tremendously in your career. It's a package of lot of things when it comes to learning. It's not necessarily the language itself; it's experiencing the language and the culture. I think there is a segment of people that are professionals but they may have not found the right job, or a passion for the job and how to actually find the future or investing in the future and find the right job for them."

There's an old Chinese saying that goes as "Flexible people may succeed". Apparently, panelists believe in this and adds that an opportunity to link travel, study and work abroad as an effective option for adults and young professionals who are unhappy at work.

A report released by Gallup, the Washington, D.C.-based polling organization, finds there are people who are disengaged with their jobs and people who are engaged with their careers.

Since the late 1990s, Gallup has been measuring international employee satisfaction through a survey. In total it has polled 25 million employees in 189 different countries.

Overall, Gallup finds that only 13% of workers feel engaged by their jobs. That means they feel a sense of passion for their work, while the vast majority, some 63%, are "not engaged," meaning they are unhappy but not drastically so.

Getting this in mind, Sange Lee, encourages a change in the life of the passionless worker. He adds that is why his organization designed such a forum.

"By attending this forum, it's a little bit like 'open your own eyes'. Haven't you this feeling, ah, maybe there is a different career path for me. Maybe there's another job that I can do. Maybe I can do something to change my life. The things you haven't really thought about yourself, by going to this forum, there is another opportunity."

A similar career forum was held last month in Shanghai.

BACK ANCHOR:

CRI's Xu Fei reporting.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Asian Cup: China is Out After 2-0 Loss to Australia

 

In Asian Cup action from last night;

China's impressive run on the pitch down in Australia has ended, with Team Dragon crashing out after being defeated 2-0 by the host country.

Three minutes after the break, Cahill, who plays for New York Red Bull, put his team ahead with a brilliant bicycle kick taken from close range.

Zhang Linpeng fired a long ranger but Australia goal keeper Mathew Ryan was up to the task and averted the danger.

The hosts then doubled the lead in the 65th minute - a brilliant cross by Jason Davidson from the far side found Cahill in the area and the veteran striker jumped above his markers to knock in a header past Chinese keeper Wang Dalei.

Here are some fan reactions to China's Asian Cup run and their elimination last night:

"I think the team showed greater momentum and better tactics during this match, but there remains a certain gap for our team compared to the Australians."

"We can definitely expect better results from Team Dragon in the future. I will keep on supporting our national football team."

And South Korea ousted Uzbekistan 2-0 in extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes.

Australia will face the winner of tonight's match between Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

And South Korea will face the winner of tonight's match between Iran and Iraq.

 

 

Australian Open: Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka Through to 3rd Round

 

Taking a look at tennis at the Australian Open;

In women's action;

Former no. 1 and currently unseeded Victoria Azarenka ousted eighth-seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets.

Azarenka is looking to do what current world no. 1 Serena Williams did eight years ago, when she entered the Aussie Open as an unseeded player and won the grand slam.

Speaking of Williams, the top-seeded American had to save three set points and win the last 10 games to take a 7-5, 6-0 win against former world no. 2 and two-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva.

Williams will go on to play Elina Svitolina, who beat Nicole Gibbs 7-6, 7-6.

Venus Williams is also through to the third round, with a 6-2, 6-3 win against fellow American Lauren Davis.

Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova will face Madison Keys after beating Mona Barthel 6-2, 6-4.

No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska, no. 11 Dominika Cibulkova, no. 19 frenchwoman Alize Cornet and no. 24 Spaniard Garbine Muguruza also made it to round three.

In men's tennis action:

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round with a 6-love, 6-1, 6-4 against Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov in 84 minutes of play.

Defending champ and fourth-seed Stan Wawrinka, who ended Djokovic's 25-match win streak in Melbourne last year, also made it to the third round with a win over Marius Copil.

Japan's Kei Nishikori was in fine form during his win over Ivan Dodig; Nishikori winning that one 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-6.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Milos Raonic, Spain's David Ferrer and John Isner are all through, as well.

Today's tennis action continues at around 10:30 a.m., Beijing time.

 

 

Golf: 3-Way Tie after Day 2 of Qatar Masters

 

Three players - George Coetzee, Bernd Wiesberger and Branden Grace - were all tied at the top of the halfway stage of the Qatar Masters in Doha on Thursday.

Three players share the lead though - George Coetzee has been in the top five in the last two years in Doha, and is well set once again.

The South African fired a round of 67 on Thursday to take a share of the lead on nine under.

Bernd Wiesberger enjoyed a good finish at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and has continued his fine form in Doha.

The Austrian nearly pitched in for an eagle at the first - but a round of 66 sees him on nine under.

Branden Grace is also on nine under par heading into the final two rounds.

The South African carded a round of 68 on Thursday.

Overnight leader Oliver Fisher fell away after a one-over par 73 - and Henrik Stenson also endured a frustrating day.

 

 

Basketball: NBA and CBA action

 

Taking a look at hoops action,

first, on this side of the Pacific in the CBA:

Tonight at 8 p.m., Beijing Time:

Tianjin will take on Zhejiang Guangsha;

Shandong will face Shanxi;

Fujian will battle the Sichuan Blue Whales;

Beijing will hit the court against league leaders Liaoning;

Guangdong Southern will face off against Dongguan;

Xinjiang takes on Jilin Northeast;

The Bayi Rockets will face the Jiangsu Dragons;

Zhejiang Chouzhou and Jiangsu Tong Xi will meet;

The Shanghai Sharks will take on Guangdong Foshan;

and Chongqing will play against Qingdao.

And over in the NBA;

Just four games on deck this morning:

The San Antonio Spurs are on the road against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have hit a point of struggle in the mid-season and are on a six-game losing streak as they head into a match against a strong Spurs team.

Milwaukee will face the Utah Jazz. While the Bucks are barely above .500, they are also fifth behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East; the Jazz, on the other hand, are in last place.

The Portland Trailblazers are looking to turn things around after dropping four out of five matches when they face the Boston Celtics.

And the Los Angeles Clippers will be on the hunt for their third consecutive win when they host the Brooklyn Nets.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Chilean film festival to showcase Chinese films

 

Three Chinese movies will feature at the 2015 Chilean Film Festival.

As this year's guest country, China will bring dramas that showcase Chinese culture through different themes.

The films that will be screened include Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster" with the story of martial arts master Ip Man.

Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock", depicting the aftermath of the tragic earthquake that hit Tangshan in 1976 will also be shown during the festival, along with Zhong Shaoxiong's "Mark of Youth", which follows four students preparing for their university entrance exam.

Known as the Ficil Biobio, which began in 1999, it's Chile's third largest film festival.

The 15th festival will run from the 13th February to the 19th.

 

 

Chinese stars to front "Action for Autism" campaign

 

Chinese films stars Tang Wei, Zhou Xun and Andy Lau will front a public service announcement that calls for autism awareness.

The video, which stars over 30 A-list celebrities, is part of a charity campaign titled "Action for Autism" initiated by Tang and Chinese director Xue Xiaolu.

Their joint effort aims to raise autism awareness among university students and young people.

The campaign's first cause of action is initiating the 22nd Beijing College Student Film Festival, and a film-making contest on the theme of autism.

Xue is a Chinese director who has long paid attention to the autism group.

In 2010, her first major feature, "Ocean Heaven," addressed the theme on autism and won several awards.

Actor and singer Andy Lau has also just been confirmed to return to this year's Spring Festival Gala with CCTV, on the 18th of February.

 

 

'Mockingjay - Part 1' highest-grossing movie of 2014

 

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1" has become the highest-grossing domestic release of 2014.

The film garnered over 333 million U.S dollars in box office revenue, bringing the worldwide total to more than 700 million dollars.

The second film in the installment, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", was the highest-grossing domestic film of 2013, beating superhero film, "Iron Man 3."

This is the first time in box office history a franchise nabbed the highest-grossing title two years in a row.

The news comes on the heels of Lionsgate's announcement of the arrival of "Mockingjay – Part 1" to DVD and Blu-ray on February 17th.

 

 

Rihanna wins legal battle against Topshop

 

U.S. pop star Rihanna has won a legal battle against popular high street store Topshop.

The Court of Appeal in London upheld a ban on the store selling a sleeveless T-shirt, featuring a photo of the star without obtaining her permission.

In the first successful celebrity case of its kind, three appeal judges agreed marketing the item without Rihanna's approval amounted to "passing off".

In other words, the unauthorized image was damaging to Rihanna's brand.

The star sued Topshop's parent company Arcadia for 5 million U.S. dollars back in 2013 over the T-shirts.

Topshop lawyers had previously argued there was "no intention to create an appearance of an endorsement or promotion".

All three judges unanimously dismissed the appeal.