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

Coming up on our program this morning...

A former Chinese business tycoon has been put to death for gang-related crimes.

US President Barack Obama has sat down for talks with Germany's chancellor to discuss Ukraine.

Greece's economic situation dominating a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers.

In business. US chip maker Qualcomm agrees to pay record fine to Chinese authorities.

In Sports. Lester Hudson named the CBA's top player.

In entertainment. This year's Grammy awards come up short when it comes to viewers.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 11, overnight lows dipping down to minus 2 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai is sunny with a high of 10 and a low of 4 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing will be overcast with a high of 11 and a low of 7.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 26.

Kabul cloudy with a high of 12.

Over to North America.

New York will be cloudy with a high of 4 degree Celsius.

Washington, also cloudy with a high of 7 degrees Celsius.

Honolulu, cloudy, with a high of 27.

Toronto, cloudy to overcast with a high of minus 4.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires, cloudy, 30.

And Rio de Janeiro will see rain with a high of 34 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China executes five mafia-style gang members

 

Five gang members have been executed in Hubei.

The five, including brothers Liu Han and Liu Wei, are among 34 people convicted of organizing, leading, or participating in a gang.

Members of the group were also convicted of murder charges as well.

Wen Xiangzhuo is among the 34 convicted.

He says the Liu brothers were the ring-leaders.

"The brothers used their connections to get away with crimes and bribe local officials to cover-up their illegal activities. The local officials became involved with the Liu brothers because they thought the gang could help introduce them to higher government officials and give them more career opportunities."

Liu Han was board chair of Hanlong Group, the largest private company operating in Sichuan.

 

 

Serial Killer Guilty of Murder in Wrongful Conviction Case

 

Zhao Zhihong, the man who confessed to the 1996 high-profile rape and murder of a woman in Inner Mongolia, has been sentenced to death.

Zhao confessed to the crime years after a Mongolian teenager was convicted of the crime and put to death for it.

The death sentence handed to Zhao Zhihong is the latest step in the case which has drawn significant attention in China.

Most recently, the parents of the wrongly-convicted teenager have received compensation worth over two million yuan.

Hong Daode is a professor with China University of Political Science.

"The money includes one million yuan in compensation for mental damages. This is good. One million yuan is a large amount of money for mental damage compensation in one case. This is a big breakthrough, as the amount is usually around 300 thousand yuan. This in itself is quite remarkable, and also can be a good example for future cases."

At the same time, Hong Daode says the country should further improve its legal system.

"After the rehabilitation, and compensation, it is kind of hard to take individuals to blame. This has taught us a lesson. Starting from now, in the legal system, we should have clear division of responsibility to the people instead of only to departments. Then, when a miscarriage of justice happens, it is possible to find who to blame."

A number of officials involved in the original case are under investigation.

 

 

Obama meets with Merkel to discuss Ukraine

 

Anchor:

U.S President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have met in Washington. Both leaders say they're committed to finding a diplomatic solution to bring the fighting in eastern Ukraine to an end.

CRI Washington correspondent Xiaohong has more.

Reporter:

To arm or not to arm.

It is question many in Washington had been asking before U.S. President Barack Obama sat down for talks with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Ukraine.

"The possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that has been examined. But I have not made a decision about that yet."

The German government, along with many other countries in Europe, has been wary of any plans by the United States to send offensive weapons to Ukraine.

Angela Merkel says the best approach is through diplomacy.

"We stand for the same principles of the inviolability of territorial integrity. For somebody who comes from Europe, I can only say, if we give up this principle of territorial integrity of countries, then we will not be able to maintain the peaceful order of Europe that we've been able to achieve."

In pressing forward with the diplomatic approach for the time being President Barack Obama says the international community will raise the price for Russia if the upcoming talks fail to make headway.

"We agreed that sanctions on Russia need to remain fully in force until Russia complies. If Russia continues on its current course, Russia's isolation will only worsen, both politically and economically."

Angela Merkel is in the United States to brief Obama about a German-France ceasefire proposal.

Merkel has already discussed the proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The details of the would-be ceasefire have not been released.

However, its being widely reported it could create a demilitarized zone of around 70 kilometers across the current front line.

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington DC.

 

 

Ukrainian people need peace rather than arms, says Chinese FM

 

The Chinese government has issued a new statement, saying it welcomes the planned four-way talks in Minsk this week on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"China welcomes and supports all the intensive efforts made by relevant sides to ease the tensions and resolve the crisis through political solutions in eastern Ukraine. We also call on all sides to avoid taking any measures that could escalate the conflicts and jeopardize the efforts to resolve the crisis through political solutions."

At the same time, the Chinese side is calling on the US government not to send arms into Ukraine, saying what people in Ukraine need now is peace rather than arms.

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has already claimed more than 53-hundred lives since fighting broke out last year.

 

 

British hostage appears in new IS video

 

A new video released by the Islamic State featuring captured British photojournalist John Cantlie has appeared online.

Cantlie has been held captive for more than 2-years, and has been featured in a range of videos.

In the video, he describes it as the last film in the series.

The 12-minute film covers a range of topics, ranging from the battle over the Syrian city of Aleppo, to drone strikes, Sharia law and education.

"Now one of the common accusations of the West is that under an Islamic state education will suffer. Religious studies and changes to the curriculum don't quite fit their image of progressive schooling. But here in al-Bab, these young men here are learning are Koran recital and languages and, with any luck, they will form the mujahideen for the next generation in this region."

The film ends with an interview with a French militant who praises last month's Paris attacks and calls on French Muslims to start carrying out individual attacks.

Cantlie was kidnapped in Syria with American freelance journalist James Foley in November 2012.

Foley became one of the first to be beheaded on video by the Islamic State in August.

 

 

Afghanistan Drone Strike Kills IS Commander

 

Afghan officials say a drone strike has killed six people believed to be associated with the Islamic State, including veteran militant Mullah Abdul Rauf.

Police chief Nabi Mullahkhel says the drone hit a car travelling in the south of Afghanistan.

"As a result of an airstrike in Helmand Province six people have been killed including Mullah Abdul Rauf, his brother-in-law and four Pakistani militants."

A former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Abdul Rauf is believed to have joined the Islamic State from the Taliban.

Authorities contend he had been recruiting followers.

 

 

Greece dominates G20 meeting

 

The standoff between Greece and its international creditors over the terms of its bailout has dominated a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Istanbul.

The new government in Greece is looking to renegotiate the terms of its 240-billion-euro bailout.

However, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin says Athens needs to respect the European Union's rules.

"Nobody knows what the solution is today; but I know that there is a solution and we will find this solution respecting the will of the people of Greece who, by majority, elected a new government; but also respecting the rules of the European Union - since Greece is a member of the European Union and is a part of Europe they should respect the Europeans."

Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver is among those suggesting there may be room for Greece to negotiate.

"There has to be a compromise. I think it is clear that Greece has got to be prepared to make some changes, and I think a wholesale repudiation of their debt is not on the cards; but other countries, creditors will have to work with Greece to arrive at a compromise solution. I don't think anybody wants Greece to leave the currency union."

The new Greek government was elected with a sweeping mandate, and campaigned on ending the austerity conditions of its international bailout.

However, there is little sign Greece's creditors are willing to accept this.

 

 

Australians to be executed in Indonesia on drug crimes

 

Lawyers representing two Australians who are set to be executed this month in Indonesia on drug smuggling charges are preparing last ditch appeals to try to have their lives spared.

Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, both in their 30s, are the ringleaders of a group of nine Australians who were arrested in 2005.

They were convicted of trying to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin to Australia from the tourist island of Bali.

All nine were convicted of drug smuggling, but only Sukumaran and Chan were sentenced to death.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has already rejected their appeals for clemency.

Todung Mulya Lubis is one of their defense lawyers.

"The President decides to reject the clemency without giving us any rational and reasons none whatsoever. In the name of justice, in the name of human rights we cannot accept that."

The lawyers plan to challenge Widodo's decision in an administrative court in Jakarta later this week.

Meanwhile, relatives of the two men have met with Indonesia's National Committee on Human Rights in another move to save the two men from execution.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws.

In January, Indonesian officials executed six drug convicts, including foreigners from Brazil and the Netherlands, brushing aside last-minute appeals by foreign leaders.

 

 

Marseille shooting unacceptable: French PM

 

An eruption of gunfire in the French city of Marseille has taken place just hours before a visit to the city by France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

It’s unclear what sparked the shooting.

Police don't have any suspects.

Valls later spoke about the shooting at a news conference.

"A few years ago, not a long time actually, without a doubt, the police services wouldn't have been able to enter this neighborhood so quickly. Not so long ago, we could not have intervened so quickly, could not have shut down the neighborhood, protected the schools, protected the residents and could not have found and seized multiple war weapons. These gunshots that occurred this morning are obviously unacceptable, intolerable."

There have been conflicting reports about whether police officers were the target of the automatic gunfire.

Authorities are suggesting the shots may have been connected to gang activity.

The northern part of Marseille is said to be rife with drug violence and gangs.

 

 

Mainland Aviation Experts sent to Taiwan to investigate the plane crash

 

Air crash investigators from the mainland have been sent to Taiwan to help investigate last week's TransAsia plane crash.

The three-person team will stay in Taipei for around a week.

Searchers are still searching for the bodies of three of the passengers who are still missing.

At the same time, the bodies of three mainlanders who died in the crash have arrived in the city of Xiamen.

Officials from Taiwan are coordinating the return of the victims.

Lin Chih-ming is with Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration.

"The integrated service center for handling post-crash affairs has opened counters in Taipei and the Kinmen airport. It has also formed a consolation service group to see the injured."

Of the 58 people on-board the flight, 15 managed to survive.

A memorial service for those killed is set to be held in Taipei later on today.

 

 

China Expects 1 Mln More Babies in 2015

 

Family planning officials say they're anticipating an extra million births here in China this year under the loosened family planning policies.

Officials anticipate around 18-million children are going to be born in China through 2015.

Yang Wenzhuang with the National Health and Family Planning Commission says while the number of women who are in child-bearing age is dropping, the number of births is still on the rise.

"16.87 million babies were born in China last year, about 400,000 more than that of 2013. The birth rate also increased by 0.03-percent."

Zhai Zhenwu heads the China Population Association.

He says they're anticipating a growing number of couples are going to choose to have a 2nd child.

"As most of the couples who fit into the loosened policy are born in the 1980s, they are still young. We estimate this group is going to choose to have a second child in the next 4 or 5-years. Since the overall number of couples eligible to have a 2nd child is 6.6 million, the annual average is likely to be more than a million."

Under changes to the family planning policies, if just one parent is the product of the one-child policy, that couple is allowed to have a 2nd child.

Previously both parents had to be the product of the one-child policy to qualify for a 2nd child.

 

 

China's quality watchdog sets up cross-border e-commerce platform

 

China's quality watchdog has approved cross-border e-commerce platforms in 5 different cities.

The platforms are located in Hangzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang, as well as in Pingtan in Fujian.

The trial program allows e-commerce companies to purchase foreign goods in bulk and store them in bonded warehouses.

This should help cut the time for customs clearance and make it easier for authorities to supervise overseas products.

Chen Fang is with the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in the city of Hangzhou.

"The cross-border e-commerce program is designed to regulate the foreign goods market. By collecting foreign goods in our bonded warehouses, we can inspect the goods in a better way and let qualified goods enter the domestic market more quickly. It also helps preventing fakes from entering the market."

Overseas shopping came in at at around 240-million US dollars in China last year.

 

 

Angry Workers Rally over Abrupt Factory Dissolution

 

Mass protests have been taking place outside a factory in Guangzhou where hundreds of workers have been sacked.

Close to a thousand workers at Japanese watch-maker Citizen are demanding compensation after their contracts were voided last week.

Citizen claims its followed all local laws.

Local authorities in Guangzhou says Citizen has filed the proper papers.

However, the municipal government suggests the workers should be given some form of compensation.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

Anchor:

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

Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.

Reporter:

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as investors worried about Greek debt negotiations and disappointing Chinese economic data on top of uncertainty about U.S. interest rates.

Oil prices were on the rise, lifting the S&P energy sector on the day after OPEC forecast greater demand.

U.S. crude increased 2.3 percent in a third day of gains.

In corporate news,

Toymaker Hasbro shares jumped 7 percent after posting fourth-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimates as the company sold more products marketed at boys, such as Transformers and Nerf.

At close,

Both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 dipped around half of a percent.

The Nasdaq trimmed close to two fifths of a percent.

Meanwhile,

Europe's main stock markets also slid on Monday, hurt by rising concerns about Greece's relations with Europe after its prime minister set out plans to dismantle the country's austerity program.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 ended down about a quarter of a percent.

Germany's DAX fell 1.7 percent.

And finally France's CAC 40 decreased around four fifths of a percent.

 

 

Qualcomm Pays 975 USD, Resolves China Antitrust Probe

 

U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm has agreed to pay a fine of 975 million U.S. dollars to Chinese authorities, ending a 14-month government investigation into the company's practices in the marketplace.

The deal also sees the chipmaker make changes to the royalty structure it uses to charge Chinese phone makers for using its chip designs.

Qualcomm is also going to offer 3G and 4G patents to Chinese companies, and will no longer require the bundling of those rights with other patents in its portfolio.

Qualcomm is also being forced to set its licensing rates similar to the royalties it charges elsewhere in the world.

The company earned about half its global revenues, around 26 billion U.S. dollars, last fiscal year in China.

 

 

China Launches First Equity Options

 

Anchor:

Chinese regulators have launched a new stock options program on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The new program offers investors a new hedging tool for trading index heavyweights.

The options are based on the exchange-trade fund which follows the 50 most heavily-weighted stocks on the bourse.

For more on the new system, we're joined now live by Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures.

 

 

UK Lawmakers to Probe HSBC over Tax Evasion

 

A panel of British lawmakers is planning to open an inquiry into HSBC amid reports the bank helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars worth of assets.

The British bank has already admitted to failings by its Swiss subsidiary in response to the report.

UK Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke.

"In terms of criminal action and sanctions against HSBC that is a matter for the regulators, it's not decisions made by politicians. I think one of the most important things we can do is ensure the era of bank secrecy is behind us, that it is no longer possible for people to hide money off shore, and within two to three years, all the major financial centres in the world, including Switzerland, will be operating a system that's known as "automatic exchange of information", but it means essentially that tax authorities will sharing information as a matter of course."

The leaked documents cover a period up to 2007, and are connected to accounts worth around 100-billion US dollars held by more than 100-thousand people.

 

 

China Raises Retail Oil Prices

 

The retail price of regular gasoline in China is up today.

The retail price of regular is going up by 0.21-yuan per litre.

Diesel prices are going up by 0.23-yuan.

The move reverses a trend which had seen regulators cut fuel prices 13 consecutive times since July.

Retail gas prices in China rise and fall when international crude prices change by more than 50 yuan per tonne over a period of 10 working days.

 

 

Xiamen to Launch FTZ on March 1

 

Authorities in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen have approved the impending launch of a new free trade zone on March 1st.

The new free-trade zone will be similar to that of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The Xiamen FTZ will cover 44 square kilometers, including a Bonded Port Area and the Xiamen Cross-border Trade Center.

It will mainly focus on high-tech industries, international trade service, and the financial sector.

Xiamen is already a hub for cross-straight trade between the mainland and Taiwan.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China executes five mafia-style gang members

 

Five gang members have been executed in Hubei.

The five, including brothers Liu Han and Liu Wei, are among 34 people convicted of organizing, leading, or participating in a gang.

Members of the group were also convicted of murder charges as well.

The Liu brothers, said to be the ring-leaders of the gang, used their connections to get away with crimes and bribe local officials.

Liu Han was board chair of Hanlong Group, the largest private company operating in Sichuan.

 

 

Russia's Putin arrives in Cairo for two-day visit

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Cairo for a two-day official visit to Egypt.

He's due to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi later on this Tuesday.

Egyptian media reports are suggesting a number of strategic and economic agreements will be signed during Putin's visit.

Observers are suggesting Putin's visit is part of a new chapter in Egypt's foreign policy.

Egypt's ties with the United States have deteriorated following the army's removal of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

 

 

Migrants die of cold in Italy

 

At least 29 migrants have died of hypothermia after being picked up near the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

The Italian coast guard says they are among a group of 105 people found on board an inflatable boat about 160-kilometers from the Italian island.

The group called for help via satellite phone after getting into trouble.

Lampedusa is located off the northern coast of Tunisia and Libya.

It's a favored destination for migrants from North Africa looking for refugee status in Europe.

However, hundreds have lost their lives over the years in an attempt to reach the small island.

 

 

China tests new carrier rocket's power system

 

Chinese scientists have completed a ground test on the power system for the country's next-generation carrier rocket.

Actual flights of the new system could begin as early as next year.

The engines of the Long March-5 have been fired in order to test the coordination and reliability of the new system.

The rocket is part of the Chinese effort to land a craft on the moon and return it to the earth, and to launch future space stations.

The rocket has a payload capacity of up to 25 tonnes. A test flight has been scheduled for March of next year.

 

 

Angry Workers Rally over Abrupt Factory Dissolution

 

Mass protests have been taking place outside a factory in Guangzhou where hundreds of workers have been sacked.

Close to a thousand workers at Japanese watch-maker Citizen are demanding compensation after their contracts were voided last week.

Citizen claims it’s followed all local laws.

Local authorities in Guangzhou say Citizen has filed the proper papers.

However, the municipal government suggests the workers should be given some form of compensation.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

GLOBALTIMES

Headline

Film, radio, television graft investigations

Summary

China's top disciplinary watchdog has announced that it will ramp up its inspections of the film, radio and television industries this year.

The move comes amid several cases of corruption already discovered.

Most of the corruption cases have been involved in departments that deal with advertising, the purchase of TV series from production companies and the procurement of equipment, as well as with staffers involved with large-scale shows.

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Maritime Silk Road cruise liner

Summary

A Chinese cruise liner set to ply the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road has begun its maiden voyage from the port of Beihai in Guangxi.

The liner will make stops in Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia.

BEIJING NEWS

Headline

70 listed firms involved in corruption scandals

Summary

Media reports are suggesting at least 70 Chinese-listed companies have been affected by the government's anti-graft campaign.

Companies from the energy and natural resources sectors are mostly involved.

They also include both State-owned enterprises and private firms.

BEIJING MORNING POST

Headline

No raises for underperforming SOE

Summary

China's state-assets authority says the country's state-owned enterprises have been told to limit salaries at underperforming operations.

SOE's which set lower targets than in previous years will be automatically rated "mediocre" and won't be allowed to raise salaries.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

New law on hotline complaints

Summary

Law enforcement officials in Shanghai are going to be facing punishment if they fail to act on complaints received on the city's public service hotline "12345"..

Most of the complaints on the hotline deal with illegal construction, unlicensed stalls and food safety issues.

In some cases it has been found that some officers were slow or refused to act on the complaints.

Some even colluded with offenders.

SHENZHEN DAILY

Headline

Shenzhen Ranks 4th in City Index

Summary

The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has been ranked fourth in a global list of dynamic cities compiled by Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate multinational.

It comes in behind London, San Jose and Beijing.

The report says the technology sector has become an important driver of success, helping to boost cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Turning agricultural waste into gold

 

Anchor:

A Beijing-based non-profit is working on ways of eliminating the burning of agricultural waste in China, a process which is one of the leading causes of air-quality problems in the country.

CRI's Xu Fei has more.

Reporter:

China produces more than 800 million tonnes of crop straw and stover every year.

In the past, most of this biomass had been burnt in open fires resulting in heavy air pollution.

Although scientists and engineers have found other profitable uses for these tonnes of agricultural waste, like generating bio-fuel or using them as building materials, many farmers are still unaware of how to make money with it.

The International Green Economy Association, a Beijing based NGO is taking action to tackle the problem.

Deng Jihai is the Secretary-General of the association.

"Our research findings show that those regions that have a high rate of crop straw utilization actually have very low-levels of efficiency, and this has slowed down the rate of GDP growth. Hence, the biggest most important focus of our action plan is to make this industry more profitable, making organic waste processing a key sector of the green economy."

It is estimated that if China could reduce crop straw burning by 200 million tons each year, it would lead to a drop of carbon dioxide emissions by about 214 million tons. A large scale reduction in straw burning activities could also reduce the possibility of fire hazards, further saving an estimated 100 billion yuan.

On the other hand, if crop straw can be processed and used in the manufacturing of biodiesel, organic fertilizer, bio-feed and even used to as a building material instead of wood, this could help to increase a farmer's income by 1800 to 2400 yuan per acre of cropland.

The International Green Economy Association is determined to assist farmers to convert their agricultural waste into clean bio products.

Deng Jihai explains:

"This year, we'll accelerate to develop the industry of comprehensive utilization of crop straw. This project aims not only to tackle the soil erosion and air pollution issues, including smog, as a result of crop straw burning, but develop it into a new industry instead of mere utilization."

A conference on the industrial development of crop straw resources' will be held in Ulanhot in Inner Mongolia in mid-June. It will bring together high-tech enterprises and agriculture scientists from China and abroad to come up with effective ways to turn agricultural waste recycling into a thriving industry.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Basketball: CBA: Lester Hudson Gets 2nd MVP as Liaoning Wins Game Two of Playoffs, NBA Preview

 

Lester Hudson defended his Chinese Basketball Association MVP crown on Monday, and he did well enough to accept the award on the same day.

The Memphis native had 36 points and 10 assists to carry Liaoning over Guangsha 121-105 to get a 2-0 lead in the CBA playoffs first round series.

The CBA named Hudson as the 2014-2015 MVP on Monday, making the 28-year-old shooter the first foreign player to win two MVP trophies.

The former NBA player made 10 out of his 11 two-point attempts in Liaoning's victory, followed up by four three-pointers.

Liaoning is one win away from moving into the CBA semifinals.

In Monday's other game, Qingdao beat Shanxi 118-101 to get a 2-0 series lead.

Qingdao led 25-17 after the first quarter but Shanxi closed it to 57-55 at halftime.

But Qingdao came into the second-half determined, and finished the period with a 91-77 lead. They would extend their lead over Shanxi by 17 to take the game 2 win.

Tonight:

Guangdong and Dongguan will hit the court against each other. Both teams are looking to break away from the series 1-1 tie.

And Beijing will face Jilin; a win tonight would send Beijing through to the semis.

And over in the National Basketball Association:

Nine games tipping off this morning--

San Antonia take on Indiana;

Golden State is in Philly against the 76ers;

Orlando will face Washington;

The Knicks will meet Miami;

It's Brooklyn versus Milwaukee;

Atlanta will battle Minnesota;

Utah and New Orleans will go at it;

The Los Angeles Clippers will face Dallas;

And Oklahoma City are in Denver to face the Nuggets.

 

 

Football: La Liga, Serie A Recap

 

Taking a look at football action in La Liga:

Elche downed Rayo Vallecano 2-0.

Damian Suarez opened up scoring in the 21st minute, putting Elche on the scoreboard with a shot from outside the box to find net in teh top-right corner.

Elche doubled their lead in the 82nd minute, with Rodrigues scoring from the center of the box on an assist from Faycal Fajr.

Over in action from Italy's Serie A:

Genoa beat Lazio 1-0; Diego Perotti converted a penalty to score the only goal of the game and get Genoa the win.

 

 

Tennis: 1st Round of World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Pattaya Open Results

 

Over in Tennis:

Men's action kicked off at the World Tennis Tournament at the Ahoy Rotterdam convention centre in Rotterdam on Monday.

There was an opening day upset as number six seed Ernests Gulbis was knocked out in straight sets by world number 47 Dominic Thiem.

The Austrian beat Gulbis in five sets at last year's US Open and overcame the Latvian again with another confident performance.

The 21-year-old Thiem recorded a 6-4, 6-2 victory and will face either Marcel Granollers or Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round.

Simone Bolelli also advanced on Monday, beating Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-1.

Next up for the Italian is a possible meeting with second seed Milos Raonic, should the Canadian overcome first round opponent Andrey Kuznetsov on Tuesday (10th February).

Roberto Bautista Agut avoided the early exit of fellow seed Gulbis, brushing aside German wild card Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-1.

Spaniard Bautista Agut, the seventh seed, dropped just nine points on his serve and eased through to the second round, where either Gael Monfils or Edouard Roger-Vasselin will provide opposition.

In women's action:

China's Wang Qiang was ousted from the Pattaya Women's Open yesterday. Wang went down 6-2, 6-2 to Russia's Vera Zvonareva.

Today at the Thai tournament:

Top-seed Chinese Peng Shuai will face Russian Alla Koodreeovtseva (sp);

It's China vs. China when Zheng Saisai faces Xu Yi Fan;

And Duan Ying Ying will face Chinese Taipei comptetitor Chan Yung-Jan.

 

 

Andy Murray Arrives in Netherlands for Rotterdam Tournament

 

Andy Murray said that he is looking for more consistency in 2015 after he arrived in Rotterdam, Netherlands to play the World Indoor Tournament.　

Top-seed for the Rotterdam event, Murray is playing his first match since losing the Australian Open final in four sets to Serb Novak Djokovic in Melbourne on February 1.

Despite the defeat, Murray was pleased with his performance in the tournament which moved him up to number four in the world rankings.

Murray opens his challenge for the Rotterdam title against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut on Wednesday.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Grammys audience lowest since 2009

 

This year's Grammy Awards drew the smallest TV audience since 2009.

According to CBS, just 25.3 million people tuned in to watch British soul singer Sam Smith grab four big wins.

As well as music awards being handed out, this years ceremony featured somber messages about domestic violence and civil rights.

Even though the ratings were low, the 2015 Grammys still ranked as the most-watched awards telecast of the year so far.

Outpacing the Golden Globe Awards by six million viewers.

The Grammys are not expected to top the film industry's Academy Awards on February 22nd, which was watched by 43 million in the U.S. last year.

 

 

Sam Smith reacts to Grammy Win

 

After conquering the Grammys, Sam Smith has said he's now looking for a nice boyfriend to clean his trophies.

The 22-year-old British singer joked with reporters back stage at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles about how he was feeling after his big win.

"I feel like Kate Winslet at the Oscars right now. I've never done one of these. This is amazing. I don't know how to react right now. This is absolutely incredible. It's a dream come true. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life."

Fans can expect more from of Smith's soulful sound as he's been writing songs for a new album.

"I've already started writing. I'm living through it now. I'm trying to kiss as many people as I can, so I can write some good music. But I'm writing some music that I'm very proud of and it's more honest than anything that I've ever done."

Smith took home honors for song and record of the year for "Stay With Me," best new artist, and best pop vocal album for "In the Lonely Hour."

 

 

Australian Ballet to get significant gov't grant

 

The Australian Ballet will receive a significant government grant to tour China.

117,000 U.S. dollars will be given to support the group in Beijing and Shanghai later this year.

The grant is part of a total funding package of 365,000 U.S. dollars to Australia's top arts bodies.

These include the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra and the National Film and Sound Archive, who will play to audiences around China and India in 2015.

Australia's Arts Minister George Brandis announced the allocations in a recent statement.

The Australian Ballet last toured China in 2006, details of the tour will be released in March.

 

 

SpongeBob knocks American Sniper off US box office spot

 

"SpongeBob SquarePants" has knocked "American Sniper" off the top of the US box office.

The second animated film to be based on the TV series, took 56 million U.S. dollars in its opening weekend.

Subtitled "Sponge Out of Water," it follows SpongeBob as he leaves his home on the ocean floor to recover a stolen burger recipe.

Clint Eastwood's Navy Seal drama fell to second place after taking 24.2 million U.S. dollars in its fourth week.

Since its release, "American Sniper" has grossed over 282 million U.S. dollars.

Based on the memoirs of US soldier Chris Kyle, it has received six Oscar nominations, including a best actor nod for Bradley Cooper in the title role.

 

 

Bruce Jenner giving cops cell phone records after deadly crash

 

Sheriff's investigators in the U.S. are contacting Bruce Jenner, after a fatal chain-reaction crash, for access to his cellphone records.

A publicist for the Olympic gold medalist says Jenner wasn't texting while driving and will provide his phone records if asked.

Jenner rear-ended a Lexus sedan that slammed into a Toyota Prius that had slowed or stopped on the highway.

The Lexus veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a black Hummer.

The driver of the Lexus died at the scene.

Most recently, Jenner has made headlines over rumors he has started transitioning to become a woman.

He has not commented publicly on the speculation.