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

Coming up on our program this morning...

This year's holiday travel season is into the back-end of its peak.

Authorities in Hong Kong are warning they may be moving to restrict tourists from the mainland.

There may be movement toward a lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

In business... new stats show retail spending has peaked once-again during the holiday.

In Sports... Barca and Juventus victorious in the European Champions League

In Entertainment... Chinese film Dragon Blade dominating the box office.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 5, tonight clear with a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will see rain with a high of 10 and a low of 6 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing, overcast to rainy with a high of 16.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 24.

Kabul, snowy, with a high of 2.

Over to North America.

New York, cloudy to overcast, with a high of 4degrees Celsius.

Washington, cloudy to snowy, with a high of 6 degree Celsius.

Honolulu, cloudy, with a high of 27.

Toronto, cloudy to overcast, with a high of minus 9.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires, rainy, 27.

And Rio de Janeiro, cloudy, with a high of 36 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Travel peak after the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday

 

Anchor:

This year's Spring Festival holiday travel is peaking again around China as millions return to work after the Lunar New Year holiday.

CRI's Chloe Lyme has more.

Reporter:

Since Monday, the sixth day of the week-long holiday, railway stations in cities across the country have been inundated with people trying to make their way back to work.

At the main railway station in Jiangsu's capital, Nanjing, the number of passengers essentially doubled since the start of this week.

Zu Tao works at the Nanjing Railway Station.

"During the holiday, the Nanjing Railway Station handles an average of 60 to 70 thousand passengers each day. But starting on Monday, we've seen a large increase in people heading home. Right now we expect an average of 130-thousand passengers a day."

In Anhui's capital, Hefei, the Railway Station saw passenger flows increase from 80-thousand on Monday to 110-thousand on Tuesday.

This has prompted authorities in Hefei to take steps to try to make the rush more convenient for people trying to make their way back home.

This has included adding more trains to the schedule and opening additional ticket windows.

Li Chuanbao is the deputy chief of the Hefei Railway Station.

"All high-speed train tickets have essentially been sold out. We only have a few left for some of the additional trains we've added to the schedule. The tickets to Shanghai are extremely difficult to get. We've been asking the Shanghai Railway Bureau to add more trains on their schedule so we can get people home from their Spring Festival Holidays."

Other railway stations across the country are also taking steps to ensure passengers keep moving.

Yang Shaowen is the deputy head of the main railway station in Shanxi's capital, Taiyuan.

"We're offering extra services, including more passenger inquiry officials, as well as special waiting rooms for mothers with babies. We're doing our best to make the trip home for people as convenient as possible."

On top of the railways, traffic on both the highways and at airports is also peaking.

Highway traffic officials estimate around 9.7 million trips were made on the roads, while 1.4 million people took flights on Tuesday, both of which are new records.

For CRI, I'm Chloe Lyme.

 

 

CY Leung says mainland travel scheme not to be expanded

 

Anchor:

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung says the authorities in the city are looking at tightening the restrictions for individuals making trips into Hong Kong from the mainland.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.

Report:

The latest figures from Hong Kong's Immigration Department show says the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong in the first five days of the Spring Festival holiday fell for the first time in nearly two decades.

Despite the slight drop, he says the Hong Kong government will discuss with mainland authorities measures to tighten arrangements under the Individual Visit Scheme for mainland tourists, citing Hong Kong's limited capacity to accommodate tourists.

"We totally understand the pressure created on Hong Kong residents' daily lives by the mainland travelers, so the government is concerned about it. If we want to set limitations or reduce the numbers of mainland travelers, we have to discuss the issue with the relevant departments of the Central Government to tighten the policy. "

Tensions between Hong Kong resident and mainlanders have been escalating in recent years as city residents accused visitors of snapping up daily essentials which have caused either scarcity of products or soaring prices.

A couple of protests have been held against mainland tourists and smuggling couriers in shopping malls recently.

CY Leung says local residents should not express their opinions in unlawful ways.

"We cannot accept a small fraction of people with political wills, who take advantage of local residents' resentment and make illegal actions including storming shopping malls. These acts should be condemned. We should solve the problem through policy."

Leung says he will bring up the issue during his visit to Beijing next month at the National people's Congress.

He adds that Hong Kong will develop tourism facilities including shopping malls, to increase its capacity for visitors.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

 

 

One dead, 22 injured in road tunnel blast

 

One person is dead following an explosion in a tunnel in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

22 others have been hurt.

Two are in critical condition.

It's believed a gas leak caused the explosion, which rolled through a traffic tunnel.

 

 

Leading powers renew calls for truce in eastern Ukraine

 

The Foreign Ministers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have issued a new call for the ceasefire to be respected in eastern Ukraine.

The call follows a meeting among the four in Paris on Tuesday.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says they also agreed to reinforce the monitoring mission in Ukraine.

"We call upon all parties to ensure full access of OSCE monitors to all areas. We call on all parties to fully cooperate with the OSCE with the view at fully implementing its mandate especially regarding the monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons."

The meeting has been called to try to rescue the ceasefire the four worked out earlier this month in Minsk.

Under that agreement, Ukrainian government forces and the rebels are supposed to withdraw their heavy weapons along a 70-kilometer wide buffer zone.

However, the implementation of the agreement has yet to take hold.

Rebel forces claim they have begun a full-scale pullout of heavy weapons from the front lines.

Kiev has since responded that it will plans to begin pulling out, provided a complete ceasefire can be held for the next 48-hours.

 

 

France Mobilizes to Secure Speedy Release of French Woman Kidnapped in Yemen

 

French authorities are working to secure the release of a French woman taken hostage in Yemen.

French President Francois Hollande.

"She's a 30 year-old young woman who works for the World Bank who, whilst working, was kidnapped in front of a ministry in Yemen. We call for her to be released as soon as possible. We're trying to localise her and we're doing everything to secure her release."

The World Bank official and her Yemeni driver have been taken by unidentified gunman in the country's capital, Sanaa.

Their whereabouts are still unknown.

Yemen has been in turmoil since Shi'ite Muslim Houthi militias seized the capital in September.

It's been common for tribesmen to take foreigners hostage in an attempt to put pressure on the authorities to free jailed relatives.

 

 

Islamic State militants abducts dozens of Christians in Syria

 

Dozens of people, said to be Christians, have reportedly been abducted by Islamic State militants in Syria.

The militants have reportedly overrun a string of Assyrian villages an area of northeastern Syria that borders Iraq.

Local authorities in the area are still uncertain about the details.

"Until now we haven't been able to make contact with any of the hostages. As I said, 90 to 150 people were kidnapped and two people are missing, so we think they have been killed or martyred."

The reported kidnappings comes as Kurdish fighters from Syria continue to make advances in the region.

Some reports are suggesting the Islamic State is trying to use the hostages as bargaining leverage to have its fighters currently being held by the Kurdish Peshmerga released.

 

 

Three missing British girls cross into Syria: police

 

Police in Britain say three missing teenagers believed to be heading to join the Islamic State are believed to have crossed into Syria.

The London schoolgirls, two of them 15 and the other 16, made their way to Istanbul on Tuesday after telling their parents they were going out for the day.

British media outlets are quoting sources inside Syria saying the trio managed to cross the border with the help of people smugglers.

A fourth girl from the same school is also reported to have traveled to Syria in December.

 

 

Gunman kills eight in eastern Czech town

 

Eight people are dead after a gunman opened fire in a restaurant in a town in the eastern Czech Republic.

The gunman, said to be in his 60's, then turned the gun on himself.

It's being reported the man fired around 25 rounds into the restaurant while people were eating lunch in the eastern town of Uhersky Brod, which is around 300 kilometers southeast of Prague.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec.

"Police were under fire from the offender and closed off the area. When the operation unit came in, the offender committed suicide. Police made it impossible for the offender to leave the building and move with two loaded guns around the town."

The attacker is said to have contacted the media before the shooting, saying he was being oppressed, and that no public institutions would help him.

Czech authorities say they don't consider the incident terror-related.

 

 

US train derails after hitting truck

 

Dozens of people have been hurt after a commuter train derailment in southern California.

Three cars on a Metrolink train have jumped the tracks after it slammed into a truck and derailed near the city of Oxnard, which is about 100-kilometers north of Los Angeles.

Sergio Martinez is with the Oxnard Fire Department.

"When crews arrived on scene they did find a vehicle on fire. As you see behind us, they also found three cars derailed. We have a total of 51 people that were victims of this incident. 28 were transported to various hospitals. We did have four critical."

Authorities have since detained the driver of the truck, who fled the scene after the crash.

It's being reported he abandoned his vehicle on the rail crossing as the train approached.

 

 

EU backs 4 months aid extension for Greece

 

Greece has secured a 4-month extension of its bailout.

The country's eurozone partners have finally signed-of on its reform plans after days of marathon negotiations.

As part of the agreement, Greek authorities are promising to combat tax evasion and corruption, as well as institute reforms in public sector.

Finance ministers from the Eurozone have finalized the agreement through a tele-conference chaired by the Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

"The following must be organised very quickly, now, I mean in the next few weeks or months: customise the program and look at ways to deploy it - there are four months to do that, then there may be new money available that way, actually we are also still looking ahead of course, I mean, the question is still what should be done afterwards, there was nothing decided about it."

The respite still needs to be ratified by some national parliaments in the coming days before becoming official.

When approved, it will avert a potential banking meltdown and bankruptcy for Greece.

The new administration in Greece has been pressing for a re-negotiation of the terms of its 340-billion US dollar bailout, with the far-left Syriza Party being elected on a platform to end the austerity which Greece has been living under since its bailout program was first launched.

 

 

Fed will remain 'patient' in raising rates: Yellen

 

US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says the central bank is going to remain patient when it comes to potentially raising interest rates.

She's suggesting this is because the job market in the US is still healing.

Yellen also contends inflation remains too low.

At the same time, she's also warning of weaknesses abroad, specifically pointing to the slowdown here in China.

In her semi-annual testimony before Congress, Yellen says the word "patient" means a rate hike is unlikely for at least the next two meetings of the Fed's Open Market Committee.

"The FOMC's assessment that it can be patient in beginning to normalize policy means that the Committee considers it unlikely that economic conditions will warrant an increase in the target range for the federal funds rate for at least the next couple of FOMC meetings. If economic conditions continue to improve, as the Committee anticipates, the Committee will at some point begin considering an increase in the target range for the federal funds rate on a meeting-by-meeting basis."

US markets have rallied on her comments, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both hitting fresh highs.

Interest rates in the United States have been near zero since 2008.

 

 

UN Climate Head Steps Down amid Harassment Case

 

The head of the UN climate change office has stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations in his native India.

Rajendra Pachauri is being accused of sexually harassing a 29-year-old woman while they worked together at the New Delhi lobbying and research organization which Pachauri heads.

Pachauri has denied the allegations.

The 74-year old has chaired the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 2002.

In 2007 he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on its behalf.

His second term as the head of the IPCC was due to end in October.

Pachauri was forced to pull himself out of an IPCC meeting earlier this week after the investigation began.

He's being replaced by vice-chair Ismail el-Gizouli.

 

 

"Super China" Documentary Wins S. Korean Hearts

 

A China-themed documentary called "Super China" has set viewership records in South Korea.

The 7-episode documentary aired on South Korean state broadcaster KBS this past month.

It looks at topics such as population, economics, geography, diplomatic relations and culture.

Woo Jong Taek produced the documentary.

"The two countries have been engaged in extensive exchanges in recent years. South Koreans have begun to know China, but only superficially. They need to fully and comprehensively understand China. That's why we made this documentary."

The documentary commanded around 10-percent of the viewing audience on any given airing, which is double the average rating for other documentaries aired in South Korea.

 

 

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 closed at highs on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen indicated an increase in interest rates is unlikely before mid-year as inflation and wage growth remain too low.

Adding positive sentiment to the market, the Eurozone's finance ministers approved Greece's new bailout plan on Tuesday.

On the corporate front,

Home Depot shares advanced nearly 4 percent after the largest U.S. home-improvement retailer reported a better-than-expected quarterly same-store sales and announced an $18 billion (USD) share buyback program.

JPMorgan Chase shares climbed 2.5 percent.

The largest U.S. bank plans to cut as much as $100 billion of some clients' excess deposits in its efforts to limit capital required under a new U.S. proposal

At close,

The Dow Jones edged up half of a percent.

The S&P 500 increased about a quarter of a percent.

The Nasdaq ticked up a fraction of a percent.

Over in Europe,

Shares there witnessed broad gains following the approval of Greece's bailout extension plan, with the Greek shares rising nearly 10 percent.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 hit a new high, passing through the previous record set on 30 December 1999.

The index and France's CAC 40 both rose around half of a percent in the day.

And finally Germany's DAX added about three fifths of a percent.

 

 

Retail Sales Surge during China's Lunar New Year Holiday

 

New stats show retail sales in China through the Spring Festival holiday peaked significantly compared to last year.

Shops and restaurants across the country have pulled-in an estimated 111-billion U.S. dollars in sales through the holiday.

This is up 11 percent from the same period last year.

Sales of festival-related items have grown significantly.

However, high-end items, including tobacco and liquor, have still been down amid the government's ongoing austerity campaign.

However, lower gold prices have increased jewelry sales.

Major jewelry stores in Shanghai are reporting average daily sales of over 200-thousand yuan through the holiday.

 

 

China's Real Estate Land Use Drops 25.5% in 2014

 

Anchor:

Official data shows the land area used in Chinese real estate development has fallen sharply through this past year.

151-thousand hectares of land was set aside for new home construction last year.

This is down over 25-percent compared with 2013.

China's real estate market has been on a steady decline for the past number of months.

New home prices in January saw month-on-month declines in most of the cities surveyed.

Fore more on China's property market, we are now joined live by Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

Talking points:

 

 

China Tops Patent Applications List in 2014

 

New stats show patent applications for new inventions in China came in at 928-thousand this past year.

This is up around 12-percent from a year earlier.

Chinese patent authorities certified 233-thousand invention patents last year.

There have been a rising number of patent applications in China, as authorities move to try to upgrade the economy.

However, observers are warning many of the applications still lack a competitive edge compared to patent filings in other major economies.

 

 

China Grants Loans to Benin for Broadband Project

 

The Chinese government is offering the country of Benin a preferential loan of nearly 70-million U.S. dollars to help fund telecommunication infrastructure in the West African country.

The deal has been inked by Benin's Foreign Minister and China's ambassador to Benin.

The former French colony is moving to upgrade its broadcasts from analog to digital.

 

 

New Milan-Shanghai Flight Launches for Expo

 

Italian air carrier Alitalia has announced plans for direct flights between Milan and Shanghai during this year's World Expo.

Milan is hosting this year's Expo.

It runs from May to October.

Flights will leave Milan in the morning on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

They'll arrive in Shanghai around midnight.

Alitalia's direct flights are being serviced by a 250-seat Airbus A330.

 

 

Postal Savings Bank of China Chases Pre-IPO Investors

 

The Postal Savings Bank of China is reportedly in talks with potential investors about selling a minority stake in the company ahead of a potential initial public offering early next year.

Potential investors in Postal Savings are said to include Alibaba, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek and US-based Blackstone.

Postal Savings Bank of China is one of this country's largest lenders by assets.

The bank is reportedly preparing to raise up to 25-billion US dollars in an IPO next year.

It's still unclear whether the IPO will go forward.

 

 

Russia Mulls Founding of Independent Credit Rating System

 

The Russian government says its looking to create a system of rating agencies within the BRICS countries.

This comes on the heels of the world's main rating agencies downgrading Russia’s credit rating.

Moody's has cut Russia's bond rating to junk status, citing the situation in eastern Ukraine and the slump of global oil prices.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

One dead, 22 injured in road tunnel blast

 

One person is dead following an explosion in a tunnel in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

22 others have been hurt.

Two are in critical condition.

It's believed a gas leak caused the explosion, which rolled through a traffic tunnel.

 

 

44 killed in fire accidents during Spring Festival

 

New figures from the Ministry of Public Security show 44 people were killed in fires through the Spring Festival holiday.

17 others were left injured

Some 15-thousand fires were reported during the week.

Fireworks are normally the main cause of fires during the holiday, as its customary to light off fireworks and firecrackers to mark the occasion.

 

 

Obama vetoes Keystone oil pipeline bill

 

US President Barack Obama has used his Presidential veto to scuttle a bill that would have approved construction of the controversial Keystone oil pipeline.

The 14-hundred kilometer pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Canada to the US state of Nebraska, where it would then joins pipelines running to Gulf ports in Texas.

Congressional Republicans have been pressing to have the pipeline approved, arguing it will create jobs.

However, the Democrats and their environmentalist supporters contend the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.

The Keystone bill is Obama's first veto since Republicans won full control of Congress in November, but only his 3rd since taking office.

However, its widely expected he's going to have to sign more vetos in the coming months, with Republicans in Congress drafting partisan legislation to reverse health care, immigration and financial regulations drafted by Obama.

 

 

Three missing British girls cross into Syria: police

 

Police in Britain say three missing teenagers believed to be heading to join the Islamic State are believed to have crossed into Syria.

The London schoolgirls, two of them 15 and the other 16, made their way to Istanbul on Tuesday after telling their parents they were going out for the day.

British media outlets are quoting sources inside Syria saying the trio crossed then managed to cross the border with the help of people smugglers.

A fourth girl from the same school is also reported to have traveled to Syria in December.

 

 

UN Climate Head Steps Down amid Harassment Case

 

The head of the UN climate change office has stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations in his native India.

Rajendra Pachauri is being accused of sexually harassing a 29-year-old woman while they worked together at the New Delhi lobbying and research organization which Pachauri heads.

Pachauri has denied the allegations.

The 74-year old has chaired the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 2002.

In 2007 he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on its behalf.

His second term as the head of the IPCC was due to end in October.

Pachauri was forced to pull himself out of an IPCC meeting earlier this week after the investigation began.

He's being replaced by vice-chair Ismail el-Gizouli.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Shanghai Daily

Headline

Mobile online developed

Summary

New stats show mobile-based online games grew rapidly last year in China.

China Internet Network Information Center says there were more than 200 million mobile online game players as of the end of last year, surging more than 30 million from 2013.

Advancements in 4G technology and Smartphones are being pointed to.

Shenzhen Daily

Headline

Renter states

Summary

A new survey shows that 3 out of 4 renters in Shenzhen share their apartments with others.

The online survey says most of those say rents would be just too expensive otherwise.

Among them, 34 percent they share with one other person, while 21 percent said they shared with two others.

Shanghai Daily

Headline

Modest sales growth reported

Summary

Retail sales in Shanghai have come in slower though this Spring Festival holiday.

New stats show consumers in the city spent more than 6 billion yuan, an increase of around 6 percent from the same period of last year.

The cold and wet weather, as well as the crackdown on extravagance are being blamed.

Beijing Times

Headline

Olympic Names

Summary

A program run by Peking University has seen people spend 3-thousand yuan each to carve their names on back of seats at the Olympic table tennis Venue in Beijing.

Peking University Alumni mostly took part, which is a chairty event to raise money for the school.

Guangzhou Daily

Headline

Abortion restrictions

Summary

Authorities in the city of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, are banning women abortions beyond 14 weeks gestation starting next year.

The move comes as the local authorities move to increase the birth rate, particularly for girls.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Train Your Dog to Be More Polite

 

Anchor:

This Spring Festival has seen a number of dog owners take time out to consult experts about how to properly train their animals.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

"My dog likes dragging me here and there, picking up anything she can eat and throwing herself on anyone she meets. This really bothers me."

"Lisa" is like most dogs.

It likes to run around and have fun.

But here in China, this can be a problem, especially in this country's urban centers, where encounters between dogs and people can lead to problems.

Dog ownership in China has been going through a revival over the past 20-years, as owning a pet was once-considered a bourgeois luxury.

Given that pet ownership is relatively new in China, not many people know how to properly train a dog.

As such, dog trainers such as Gangzi are finding much more work these days.

Gangzi is training "Lisa" and other dogs through the use of a 'choke-chain.'

It's a simple device which is put around the dog's neck.

If the dog tries to run off, the chain simply tightens around the dog's neck.

While it may initially appear somewhat cruel, dog trainers have found it's one of the most effective ways of making a dog behave.

Another element to dog training is creating vocal commands.

Gangzi says training a dog to understand your voice is key to making it more obedient.

"For example, I use 'ai' as a signal. When I say 'ai', the dog knows to stay. Through using the choke-chain, I can teach the dog the command, and this way, I don't need to continue using the chain."

Dog trainers also note it's important to be consistent when training your dog.

Most dogs like to jump on their owners.

But trainers like Gangzi recommend that you discipline your dog if it does this.

Otherwise, if you give your dog praise, it's unlikely to break the habit, and will do this to people other than its owner, which can lead to problems.

In the end, Wang Yu says taking "Lisa" for training has been a good experience.

 

"Raising a dog is somewhat scientific. It's very important to find the right way to train them."

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

 

 

Sports

 

 

European Championship League preview

 

In football,

In European Champions league action from last night,

Luis Suarez struck twice on his return to England as Barcelona taught Manchester City another Champions League lesson with a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Juventus claimed a 2-1 advantage after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund.

Tonight...

It's Monaco heading to Arsenal for the first-leg of their last-16 encounter tonight.

Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim.

"Since the start of the Champions League Monaco have never been favourites, that said we still managed to finish top of our group and that's thanks to the players work. With the same case again, we don't start this game as favourites but it shouldn't stop us playing well, and it shouldn't stop us taking advantage of the opportunity we have,"

The other match tonight has Bayer Leverskusen up againest Atletico Madrid.

 

 

AFC Champions League review

 

In action from the AFC Champions league last night.

It was Guangzhou R&F earning a 2-0 victory in Group F over the 2008 champions Gamba Osaka from Japan.

Abderrazak Hamed-Allah and Wang Song tallied for Guangzhou.

In other action,

Iranian side Persepolis rolled over Qatar club Lekhwiya 3-0.

It was the UAE's Al Ain and Baghdad side Al-Shabab ending in a nil-nil draw.

Later today,

Beijing Guo'an are up against the Brisbane Roar in a Group G encounter.

 

 

NBA preview

 

Four games in the NBA this morning.

The league-leading Golden State Warriors are up against the Washington Wizards.

Golden State comes in with a record of 43-10.

The Wizards are 11-games back of Atlanta in 2nd the Southwest Division.

--

Later on this morning, its LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers up against Detroit.

The Cavs, 35-22, are one-game back of the Bulls in the Central.

--

At 9am, its Oklahoma City at home to Indiana.

The Thunder sit 2nd in the Northwest Division, 5.5-games back of Portland.

Indiana, 23-33, don't even have a sniff at the playoffs.

--

And at 9:30 its Dallas entertaining Toronto.

The Mavericks, at 38-20, currently sit 3rd in the highly-compeditive southwest division, 4.5-games back of leaders Memphis, but just one-game back of 2nd place Houston.

Toronto, at 37-19, dominates the weak Atlantic Division, 11-games ahead of 2nd place Brooklyn.

 

 

Djokovic wins first round match at Dubai open

 

In tennis,

In first-round action from the Men's turn at the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

It was world number-1 Novak Djokovic easily moving into the next round, rolling past Canada's Vasek Pospisil in straight-sets 6-4, 6-4.

In other action,

3rd seed Andy Murray got past France's Gilles Muller 6-4, 7-5.

It was 4th seed Tomas Berdych getting past France's Jeremy Chardy 7-6, 6-4.

There was one minor upset,

8th seeded David Goffin was handed an early exit, going down to Cypriot veteran Marcos Baghdadis 6-2, 7-5.

The men are in Dubai this week following the WTA Duty Free event in Dubai last week.

--

The women, meanwhile, are in neighboring Qatar for the Total Open.

China's Zheng Saisai was given an early exit.

She went down to Jelena Jankovic in stright sets, 6-love, 6-2.

In other first round action, it was 6th seed Andrea Petkovic needing 3 sets to get past Belgium's Kristen Flipkins 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

9th seeded Carla Suarez-Navaro is out after withdrawing in the first set against Garbine Muguruza, who made it into the semi-finals of last week's event in Dubai.

And it was 7th seeded Venus Williams getting past Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova in 3-sets.

 

 

Love named United States Ryder Cup captain for 2016

 

Former PGA Championship winner Davis Love III will captain the United States in the 2016 Ryder Cup match against title-holders Europe at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

It will be the second time the 50-year old Love will led the team.

Love, who won his sole major at the 1997 PGA Championship, played in six consecutive Ryder Cups from 1993.

He tasted victory on his first appearance and in 1999.

Europe have won eight of the last 10 Ryder Cups.

 

 

Islanders and defenseman Nick Leddy agree to 7-year deal

 

In off-ice news from the National Hockey League,

The Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens have pulled-off a trade ahead of the March 1st deadline, moving a pair of young talents both ways.

The Habs have dealt Jiri Sekac to the Ducks in-exchange for Devante Pelly-Smith.

The 22-year olds are both power-forwards.

Smith-Pelly is in his first full NHL campaign.

He has 14 goals and 26 assists in 129 regular-season games since making his debut with Anaheim in 2011-12.

He was drafted 42nd overall in 2010.

Sekac has seven goals and nine assists and averaged 13:48 of ice time per game in 50 games, but has no goals and two assists in 21 games since December 29th.

He was a healthy scratch twice last week.

The never-drafted Sekac signed as a free agent with Montreal from Lev Prague of the KHL on July 1st after fielding offers from at least 12 NHL teams.

He was impressive early in the season, but looks to have lost the confidence of coach Michel Therrien

In other off-ice news,

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with Nick Leddy on a 7-year contract.

Leddy was set to become an unrestricted free-agent at the end of this year.

The Islanders, who are one of the best teams in the NHL this year, have agreed to pay the 23-year-old D-man 38.5-million over the course of the contract.

Leddy leads Islanders defensemen with 8 goals and 25-points this season.

 

 

NFL:Giants release veteran DE Mathias Kiwanuka

 

The New York Giants have released veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka in a move that clears about 4.8 million US dollars of space under the NFL salary cap.

The NFL Players Association estimates the new salary cap will rise to 143 million US dollars.

Cutting Kiwanuka's contract, which had a year to run at 4.8 million US dollars, increased the Giants' cap space to nearly 23 million US dollars.

A big chunk of the total will likely go to either signing unrestricted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a long-term deal or placing the nearly 15 million US dollars franchise tag on him.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

'Dragon Blade' Dominates Chinese New Year Holiday

 

Jackie Chan's "Dragon Blade" was the big winner over Chinese New Year celebrations.

The year of the Goat began with the historical action movie, directed by Daniel Lee, taking over 54 million U.S. dollars in its opening four days.

Starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody, "Dragon Blade" is about a missing legion of Roman soldiers who traveled into Han Dynasty China. Chan plays Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions.

In second place was the follow-up to the Chow Yun-fat movie "The Man from Macau", which took over 43 million U.S. dollars in its opening weekend.

 

 

Oscars telecast draws smallest audience in six years

 

ABC's broadcast of this year's Oscars ceremony saw its lowest ratings in six years.

The event averaged 36.6 million viewers, down by 16% from last year.

First-time host Neil Patrick Harris received lukewarm reviews, while some critics blamed the drop on a lack of nominations for films with mass appeal.

Last year 43.7 million tuned in when comedienne Ellen DeGeneres hosted the show.

Many of this year's prizes were awarded to favourites including Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore who took the top acting prizes on the night.

Birdman triumphed over Boyhood to win both best picture and best director.

 

 

Imitation Game leads Empire Awards nominations

 

The nominations for the Jameson Empire Awards have been announced and "The Imitation Game" leads the race.

The movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who helped solve the Enigma code during the Second World War took six nominations.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" followed with four nominations each.

"Boyhood," "Gone Girl," "The Theory of Everything" and "Interstellar" were all short-listed in three categories.

The Jameson Empire Awards, is voted for by readers of film magazine Empire, winners will be announced on March 29th.

 

 

American Horror Story actor Ben Woolf dies after car accident

 

Some sad news from the world of entertainment...

US actor Ben Woolf, who played Meep in "American Horror Story: Freak Show," has died at the age of 34.

Woolf sustained a head injury last week when he was struck in the head by a car mirror, crossing a street in Hollywood.

He was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but sadly never recovered from the injury.

In addition to playing Meep in Freak Show, Woolf also appeared in the first season of American Horror Story.