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

Coming up on our program this morning...

At least 22 people are dead following a bus crash in a remote part of Xinjiang at the tail-end of the Spring Festival.

Chinese authorities say they're closely monitoring the border with Myanmar amid the ethnic unrest taking place across the border.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine appears to have come to an end for the time being, raising hopes of the ceasefire finally holding.

In business... Chinese authorities are looking to make stock options available for employees of SOE's.

In Sports... Beijing draws first blood in the CBA semi-finals.

In Entertainment... the nominations have been announced for the Asian Film Awards.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

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

Shanghai. Overcast to rainy, with a high of 10 and a low of 3 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing, also overca0st to rainy, with a high of 16.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 24.

Kabul, sunny, with a high of 4.

Over to North America.

New York, overcast, with a high of 0 degrees Celsius.

Washington will see snow, with a high of 2 degree Celsius.

Honolulu, cloudy, with a high of 29.

Toronto, overcast, with a high of minus 10.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires will have shower, 24.

And Rio de Janeiro, rainy, with a high of 33 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

22 dead, 38 injured as bus overturns in Xinjiang

 

At least 22 people are dead and 38 others hurt after a long-distance passenger bus overturned on an expressway in Xinjiang.

The crash happened at the end of the Spring Festival holiday late Tuesday night in Bachu County near the western city of Kashgar.

Local authorities have just made the incident public.

It's unclear what caused the crash.

 

 

Three Detained over Flight Bomb Claim

 

Police have detained three passengers in connection with a mid-air bomb threat which forced an Air China flight to make an emergency landing yesterday.

The flight from Guangxi's regional capital, Nanning, to Beijing had to land in Chongqing yesterday afternoon after a female passenger threatened to blow up the plane.

The flight was carrying more than 100 people at the time.

The suspect and two other passengers were detained by the authorities after safely landing.

It's unclear what involvement the other two passengers may have had in the incident.

The flight resumed after passengers were taken off the flight and re-screened.

It delayed the flight by some 4-hours.

 

 

Border with Myanmar Not Closed Despite Conflict: China

 

The Chinese government says it's enhanced the management of its border with Myanmar but has not closed it, despite the ongoing conflict in northern Myanmar.

Chinese Foreign Ministry says China is going to provide necessary assistance to Myanmar nationals who have crossed into China due to safety concern.

At the same time, spokesperson Hong Lei is denying suggestions China has been involved or supporting the ongoing conflict in northern Myanmar.

"China has always followed the principles of non-interference in other country's internal affairs, and respected the sovereign and territorial integrity of Myanmar. China will never allow any organizations or individual using Chinese territory to undermine China-Myanmar relations as well as the stability of the Chinese-Myanmar border areas."

The Chinese side says it's been maintaining close communication with the Myanmar side since the conflict broke out.

Media reports say fighting between ethnic groups and authorities in Myanmar the past few weeks has seen some 30-thousand people from Myanmar cross into China.

 

 

Security Head Disqualified as National political advisor

 

A senior Chinese security official has been kicked out of the country's top political advisory body for serious discipline and legal violations.

Former vice Minister of State Security, Ma Jian, has been officially disqualified as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Ma Jian has been under investigation since January as part of the government's anti-graft probe.

 

 

Electronic "Lucky Money" Brings New Color to Old Tradition

 

Anchor:

One of the new advancements this year in sending out New Year's greetings in China has been through so-called "electronic red envelopes."

CRI's Niu Honglin has more on this year's 'e-hongbao' phenomenon.

Reporter:

Giving "lucky money" in electronic form has become a trendy spin on the Chinese tradition of giving red envelopes of cash, or hongbao, to children to mark Lunar New Year's Eve.

Stats from Alipay, Alibaba's e-payment system, show over 100 million people sent gifts of money via mobile apps during the holiday.

Some people even "pulled an all-nighter" as they played the e-hongbao "game" on their mobile phones.

"Most of my friends have been playing the e-hongbao game. Some of the lucky ones received e-hongbao in 100-yuan denominations. Some only managed to get a few fen."

Alibaba says on New Year's Eve, some 4-billion yuan was sent out as e-gift money.

Huang Zhen with the Central University of Finance and Economics says there's a reason the e-hongbao phenomenon has been so catchy this year.

"First, hongbao is a representation of luck. Second, people are curious to see how much money is in the packet itself. So no matter how much they receive, in the end, people are willing to try their luck."

Several Internet companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, Sina and Baidu have developed red envelope features.

To use it, people have to link their debit or credit cards to their accounts to send out money.

E-hongbao is being lauded as a benefit for consumers, the companies and the environment.

Those who send out the e-hongbao's receive money and -in theory- luck.

The companies providing the e-hongbao earn brand awareness and more users paying through their mobile devices, which makes them more money.

And the environment benefits, as it cuts down on the use of physical red envelopes.

However, some have complained the e-hongbao is just a way to make consumers spend more money.

"To activate the hongbao, you need to spend it on something first. It's just another way of marketing."

One person actually received a five-million yuan e-hongbao.

However, this hongbao can only be used to purchase an airplane from Boeing.

On top of this, some people say they've been cheated tens-of-thousands of yuan by giving out their ID numbers or the pin codes of their bank accounts.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

 

 

Uncivilized behaviors on the highway at the end of"Chunyun"

 

Anchor:

The record number of trips being taken here in China during the peak of Chunyun, or the Spring Festival travel rush, has also brought with it numerous reports of uncivilized behavior among travelers.

CRI's Chloe Lyme has more.

Reporter:

Just like the rail and air-traffic systems during Chunyun, there has also been massive amounts of traffic on China's road system during the Spring Holiday.

And with people scrambling to make it back to work, many frustrated drivers have been breaking traffic rules and jumping queues on the roads, adding to the misery for many trying to return from their holiday.

And it's not just on the roads.

Gas stations around the country have been inundated as well.

"The cars are all jammed together, so no one is able to get gas in a timely manner. Some drivers even try to jump the queue to squeeze their way ahead."

And it's not just bad behavior which is being seen on the roads.

At least one area in Liaoning has seen garbage pile up in the storm drains along the side of the road, just meters away from where garbage bins are clearly visible, creating its own set of problems for the people who have to clean it up.

"There are too many cars. And drivers seem to feel they don't have the time to throw their garbage away properly. So, they just throw it down the drain randomly."

And back on the roads, seeing vehicles cruising down the emergency lanes has been quite common during the travel peaks, even though moves like that are illegal, and are subject to fines.

Zhang Zhuting with the Ministry of Transport's Management Institute suggests more needs to be done to improve drivers' respect for law and order.

"I hope amendments to the laws can be made. The current fines of 200 yuan are obviously too little. I think the penalty of pulling 6 points off of your driver's license for using the emergency lanes is OK, as long as no accident is caused. Otherwise more punishments should be added."

Zhang also says the holiday period shouldn't be an excuse for impunity, suggesting tougher enforcement of the existing laws is needed.

Stats for this year suggest around 2.8 billion trips will be made during the 40-day "Chunyun," which runs until March 16th.

It's estimated over 300 million trips were made on China's roads during the 7-day holiday, which came to an end at midnight on Tuesday.

For CRI, I'm Chloe Lyme.

 

 

Shaolin Temple Buys Australian Land with A$4 Mln

 

The owners of China's famous Shaolin Temple have closed a land deal in Australia worth over 3-million US dollars.

The land itself its located in the southeastern coastal city of Shoalhaven in the Australian state of New South Wales.

The people behind the Shaolin Temple are going to use the Australian land to build a temple, hotels and a golf course.

This is the latest move by the 1500-year-old temple in Henan to diversify its commercial activities.

Shaolin's owners are also developing a gaming app to teach people kung fu on their mobile phones.

 

 

Ukraine under pressure of fallen currency and fresh gas cut threat as truce hope raises

 

It appears the much-anticipated truce may finally be starting to take hold in eastern Ukraine.

Government troops have, for the first time in weeks, have recorded no combat fatalities over the last 24-hours.

Rebel forces began pulling back their heavy weapons from the front-lines this week to observe the obligations of the Minsk agreement.

Kiev says it’s too early for it to do likewise.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is responsible for monitoring the ceasefire, says it cannot yet verify the withdrawal, saying neither side has provided data on how many guns were in place before the truce.

The lull at the front comes amid a worsening economic situation in Ukraine, which has seen its currency plummet 13 percent this week.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is calling for an extra-ordinary parliamentary session to address the country's financial problems.

"In the past nine months, 51 and a half (b) billion US dollars have been sold on the financial market of Ukraine. It is almost a tenfold figure in relation to the total amount of gold reserves. In other words the market has been filled with dollars."

On top of its currency problems, Kiev is also facing another potential cut in it gas supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to cut gas supplies to Ukraine if it doesn't pay in advance for future deliveries.

"The prepay which was made by the Ukrainian side is for the gas supplies for three, for four days. If there won't be a further prepay, then Gazprom according to the contract and an addition to it, will stop the supplies. Of course, it may create a threat to the transit of gas to Europe, to our European partners."

The Europe gets around one-third of its natural gas supplies from Russia, with around 40 percent of it shipped via Ukraine.

The fight over gas supplies between Russia and Ukraine follows reports that Kiev has cut power to a number of rebel-controlled areas in the east.

 

 

Japan's Abe chairs first meeting on WW II statement

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met with a panel of experts to discuss his forthcoming statement connected to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

There has been speculation he may be preparing to water down previous Japanese government apologies for the country's wartime past.

Abe has appointed a 16-member panel to advise him on what he should say in his speech, which is scheduled to be delivered on August 15th.

Observers say many on the panel have right-wing outlooks similar to Abe's own.

Takakage Fujita heads an association which supports carrying forward with the Murayama Statement.

This is a statement issued in 1995 which, for the first time acknowledged, Japan's colonization and aggression in parts of Asia during the war.

"The core people are the right-leaning ones who support Abe. They are all pro-Abe specialists and will help Abe say out what is in his mind. In the speech scheduled to be delivered in summer, Abe would not be willing to use some key words including 'aggression' and 'colonial rule'. So, at that time, Abe will say it is the specialists' advice at the meeting that convinced him not to use these words and that is the reason why he will have done so. Abe is completely taking advantage of this meeting,"

Abe has signaled his intention to revise the 1995 Murayama statement.

This has triggered criticism from both China and South Korea.

Abe has since said his Cabinet stands by the 1995 apology, but that he wants to issue a more forward-looking statement on the anniversary.

 

 

Gemalto confirms probable cyber attack by NSA, GCHQ

 

The world's largest maker of mobile SIM cards, Gemalto, says a preliminary internal probe shows British and U.S. intelligence services "probably" hacked into its office networks.

But the Amsterdam-based company contends the attacks have not resulted in a massive privacy leak.

Gemalto CEO Olivier Piou says their investigation shows the US National Security Agency and its British counterpart, GCHQ, "probably happened," with two sophisticated attacks taking place in 2010 and 2011.

"What was most interesting was a second attack which was impersonating some real Gemalto employees in order to reach customers. And this attack was very innovative, it had never been seen before. So it was like it was not done by a hacker or mafia as usual."

The attacks first came to light last week through documents released by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden.

The documents show the attacks potentially allowed the US and British intelligence to monitor the calls, texts and emails of billions of mobile users around the world.

However, Gemalto contends the hack could not have resulted in a massive theft of SIM encryption keys, suggesting 3G and 4G mobile phones are immune to this sort of attack.

Gemalto the supplier of SIM cards to a number of major mobile phone operators around the world, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint in the US.

 

 

Water leaks into NASA astronaut's helmet after a spacewalk

 

A NASA astronaut is reporting water managed to leak into the spacesuit's helmet during a spacewalk this week.

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti notified Mission Control in Houston noticing the water inside astronaut Terry Virts helmet while pulling him back into the International Space Station.

"Houston, on one with a water in the helmet report. Yeah Terry was saying he's got some water in his helmet. He just noticed it a minute ago. It's about three inches in diameter. It's kind of pooling on the front side of the helmet above his eye level. And he does feel a bit of squishiness in the back of the head. Not bad. I'm watching it, I don't see anything dramatic. If you agree, I'll just go ahead and take him out?"

Virts was one of two U.S. astronauts taking part in an almost seven-hour spacewalk to begin preparing parking spots for new commercial space taxis.

NASA says the astronaut was not in any immediate danger.

The incident isn't the first issue with water getting into the space suits during a spacewalk.

In another spacewalk back in 2013, that astronaut's vision was blocked and communication equipment stopped working.

 

 

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 ended little changed on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's dovish tone was little changed during her second-day congressional testimony.

The Nasdaq snapped a 10-session winning streak in the day while the Dow eked out another record high close.

Apple shares lost 2.6 percent as technology shares slumped 0.7 percent.

Hewlett-Packard shares tumbled nearly 10 percent.

The world's No. 2 PC maker reported flat or lower quarterly revenue in all of its operating units and forecast full-year earnings well below analysts' expectations.

Energy shares climbed with sharp gains in oil prices.

The S&P energy index was up 0.4 percent, while U.S. crude oil prices rose 3.5 percent to almost 51 US dollars a barrel.

At close,

The Dow Jones edged up slightly.

The S&P 500 finished down slightly.

The Nasdaq closed virtually unchanged.

Meanwhile, European stocks fell from a seven-year high as declines in energy companies and automakers outweighed Axa SA's advance.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 trimmed a fifth of a percent.

Germany's DAX closed flat.

And finally France's CAC 40 slid slightly.

 

 

China Pushes forward New Round of SOE Reform

 

The Chinese government is pushing forward with a new round of reforms among the country's state-owned enterprises, with a focus on employee stock ownership.

Shanghai International Port Group is among them.

SIPG chair Chen Xuyuan says they've been working on create stock incentives for the past couple of months.

"Allowing our employees to become shareholders should help the overall development of our company, as well as their salaries. Giving them stock options should inspire more loyalty, and should help the success of our company."

The broader-based reform plans by the government are expected to be approved during the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference next month.

 

 

More Easing Moves likely to Combat Deflation

 

Anchor:

New government stats show average housing prices in the 70 major cities monitored by the National Bureau of Statistics dropped 5-percent year-on-year last month.

Average new home prices contracted 0.4 percent month-on-month, the 9th consecutive month of declines.

This is leading to suggestions the recent reduction of the reserve requirement ratios for banks has done little to increase spending in the housing sector, even though more money is available.

It's also prompting speculation of further monetary easing by the People's Bank of China, given the real estate sector continues its downward trend and a deflationary trend shows no signs of going away, especially at the wholesale level.

For more on what the central banks options are, we're now joined live by CRI's Financial Commentator Cao Can.

 

 

China Vows 'Stronger and more Effective' Proactive Fiscal Policy

 

China's State Council is promising to step up fiscal policy support and strengthen its targeted controls to combat downward pressure on the economy.

It has decided to extend tax breaks to more small and micro-sized firms.

The State Council also says taxes on investment earnings are going to be levied in stages, rather than a one-off collection.

In addition, authorities are also cutting unemployment insurance rates to 2 percent of people's salaries from 3 percent.

It's expected the moves will save over 40 billion yuan for both businesses and employees every year.

The Cabinet is also planning to speed up construction of major water projects in the country's less-developed central and western regions.

Approvals of a series of new projects are expected to be concluded by the end of July.

The policy adjustments come as China's economy continues to struggle after growing just 7.4 percent last year, its weakest annual expansion in 24 years.

 

 

China, ROK Wrap up FTA Talks

 

China and South Korea have wrapped up their latest round of negotiations on an impending free trade agreement.

The FTA will cover 17 areas, including trade in goods and services, as well as bilateral investment.

This current round of talks has also dealt with trade rules, as well as topics such as e-commerce and government procurement.

The deal will see South Korea eliminate tariffs on nearly 80 percent of all products from China within 10 years after the implementation.

The Chinese side, in return, will remove tariffs on some 70-percent of all South Korean products.

Sun Yuanjiang is with China's Ministry of Commerce:

"The Sino-South Korean FTA plays a key role in the integration of the east Asian economy. The establishment of Sino-South Korean FTA will lay a good foundation for the Sino-Japanese-South Korean FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership FTA. The Sino-South Korean FTA is important for boosting the integration of the East Asian economy."

China and South Korea began their FTA talks in May 2012.

The two sides say they're hoping to officially sign the FTA sometime in the next few months, then put it into effect in the second half of the year.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

22 dead, 38 injured as bus overturns in Xinjiang

 

At least 22 people are dead and 38 others hurt after a long-distance passenger bus overturned on an expressway in Xinjiang.

The crash happened at the end of the Spring Festival holiday late Tuesday night in Bachu County near the western city of Kashgar.

Local authorities have just made the incident public.

It's unclear what caused the crash.

 

 

Three Detained over Flight Bomb Claim

 

Police have detained three passengers in connection with a mid-air bomb threat which forced an Air China flight to make an emergency landing yesterday.

The flight from Guangxi's regional capital, Nanning, to Beijing had to land in Chongqing yesterday afternoon after a female passenger threatened to blow up the plane.

The flight was carrying more than 100 people at the time.

The suspect and two other passengers were detained by the authorities after safely landing.

It's unclear what involvement the other two passengers may have had in the incident.

The flight resumed after passengers were taken off the flight and re-screened.

It delayed the flight by some 4-hours.

 

 

Prince William to visit China next week

 

More details about the upcoming visit of Britain's Prince William to China have been released.

The Duke of Cambridge is due to visit Beijing, Shanghai and Yunnan beginning next month.

As part of his four-day stay, Prince William is also due to launch the Great Festival of Creativity to mark the start of a year of cultural exchange between China and Britain.

The event will showcase British products in the creative industry and offer an exchange platform for businesspeople from both countries.

 

 

China-Kazakhstan cargo train rolls out of eastern port city

 

Cargo train services linking China's eastern city port city of Lianyungang and the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan have been launched.

The first train of nearly 100 containers has left Lianyungang.

It's expected to arrive in Almaty in 12 days.

There will be two trains each week departing from both cities.

The train currently enroute to Almaty is carrying medical supplies, auto parts, daily necessities and electronic products from the southern parts of China, Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.

There are already two regular cargo trains linking China and other countries.

One route connects the eastern city of Yiwu and Madrid in Spain, while the other line links Chongqing with Duisburg in Germany.

 

 

Death toll rises in Afghan avalanche: police

 

More than 120 people have reportedly been killed in avalanches which have rolled through villages in the Panjshir Valley in eastern Afghanistan.

A number of others are still missing after the avalanches hit overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Heavy snowfall in the region is preventing rescue teams from reaching some of the affected areas.

Parts of Afghanistan have been inundated with heavy snowfall the past weeks, with snow affecting both main roads and mountain passes.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

THE BEIJING NEWS

Headline

Oil price rebound

Summary

It's expected gas prices are going to go up here in China tomorrow.

The recent rebound in oil prices is expected to push regular gas upto around 6-yuan per liter.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

Beijing commuter plans revealed

Summary

It's been revealed there are initial plans for rail links between cities in Hebei and Beijing.

Specific details have not yet been announced but stations will be built far enough apart to guarantee they will be able to travel at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Forest protection

Summary

Authorities are working on plans to ban commercial logging in the country's natural forests, which produce nearly 50 million cubic meters of timber every day

A trial launched last year in Heilongjiang is expected to be expanded this year.

The final decision on a logging ban decision is due to be made by the end of next year.

BEIJING YOUTH DAILY

Headline

Global Math Challenge

Summary

The China screening competition for the Global Math Challenge will be held next month.

It's international online math competition.

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Firefighter Safety

Summary

Experts say a lack of professionalism and poor training are hampering China's fire departments, and putting lives at risk

Fifteen firefighters died in the line of duty in last year while fighting the 1.2-million fires reported last year.

Most firefighters are recruited from the military, and have limited firefighting training.

BEIJING TIMES

Headline

Beijing Language and Culture University open Japan campus

Summary

Beijing Language and Culture University is planning to open a new campus in Tokyo.

There will be a Business Chinese and English courses available starting in April.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

"Jupiter Ascending" to Land on the Chinese Mainland in March

 

Anchor:

The people who brought you the Matrix trilogy, film directors Lana and Andy Wachowski, are soon set to premier their new science-fiction spectacle "Jupiter Ascending" here in China on March 6th.

CRI's Xu Fei has more.

Reporter:

As Jupiter, the name of a planet, becomes the name of a person, a measly human may turn to be a key to the universe.

That's basically the story from Jupiter Ascending, the latest movie from the Wachowskis, writer-director-producers Andy and Lana, whose Matrix trilogy was a landmark in its period of between 1999 and 2003.

Famous for her role in Black Swan, a 2010 American psychological thriller, American actress Mila Kunis acts Jupiter Jones in this big spacey fairy tale.

"She's not a superhero. She doesn't know how to work a gun. She's just your everyday girl who kind of circumstantially gets put into this environment and figures it out. Her destiny becomes the decision of what you do, and who do you save. It won't be about anything she's faced with to save your mom and your uncle, or do you save earth."

Jupiter Jones is the center of Wachowskis' new space opera film. She was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things.

Now grown up, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job with her mom, working as a cleaner in other people's houses. Only when Caine, a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

Lana and Andy Wachowski explain their thinking process when it comes to the technicalities of the movie.

"We want it be real, so we were flying real stunt people and we took Mila and Channing over there and we shot with real-life humans because we think there's just something that you react to as an audience, when you see a live human sort of in the jeopardy of hanging from a helicopter that you'll never ever achieve with CG."

"There's a physics to the human body that we don't feel like you can achieve, like this chase scene is made by the fact that we have two people hanging by this helicopter. You can feel the weight and the way their bodies react and break apart and you know, catch."

Anyone who believes in conspiracies, or wonders how the world got started will find evidence in Jupiter Ascending that suggests the Wachowskis have been thinking about all that, too. Have they been thinking longer, and better? You will get the chance to draw your own conclusion when you see it.

 

 

Sports

 

 

AFC Champions League review

 

In action from the AFC Champions league last night,

Guangzhou Evergrande managed to get past FC Seoul 1-nil in their first match in Group H last night in Guangzhou.

New Evergrande addition Ricardo Goulart notching the goal.

The match is the first for new Guangzhou head coach Fabio Cannavaro after taking over from Marcelo Lippi.

The victory marks a somewhat bitter-sweet day for Cannavaro.

Back in his native Italy, the courts there have sentenced him to 10-months in jail this week for an incident involving tax evasion.

He's been convicted of illegally entering a home the authorities had seized in connection with the tax evasion case he's involved in.

Cannavaro remains free on bond, as he's currently appealing.

In other action,

It was Beijing Guo'an getting off to a good start to its Champions League campaign, edging the Brisbane Roar away in Australia 1-nil.

 

 

European Championship League: Soccer-Resilient Monaco stun Arsenal with 3-1 away win

 

In football,

In European Champions league action from last night,

Arsenal are in danger of an embarrassing exit from the Champions League after Monaco romped to a stunning 3-1 win away in the opener of their last-16 match-up.

The other match last night had Bayer Leverkusen upsetting Atlético Madrid1-nil.

 

 

Basketball: Beijing beat Guangdong at 114 to 108

 

The semi-finals of the CBA playoffs have begun.

The Beijing Ducks have drawn first-blood in their semi-final matchup against Guangdong, getting past the Southern Tigers 114-108.

Game 2 of the best-of-five shifts down to Dongguan on Friday.

The other semi-final kicks off tonight, with the three-and-four matchup seeing Qingdao entertaining Liaoning.

The Eagles finished the regular season in 3rd place with a record of 28-10, while the Hunters, who played for over half-the-season without a loss, come into the semi-finals as the favorite.

They finished the regular season with a 33-5 record.

In the NBA, a full schedule this morning, with a dozen games being played.

Among them, a match-up among two of the league's best, with Atlanta taking on the Dallas Mavericks.

The Chicago Bulls are also in action against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Bulls are going to be without Derrick Rose.

The team has announced Rose is, once again, going to have to go under the knife for knee surgery.

Rose has a torn miniscus.

The Bulls say a timetable for his return will be determined once his surgery is complete.

 

 

Kane out for at least a month in the NHL

 

A tough day all-around for Chicago sports fans.

On top of losing Derrick Rose, the city's top hockey player has also been sidelined.

Patrick Kane is going to be out anywhere from 4 to 10-weeks with, what's being described as an upper body injury.

The league's leading scorer was injured in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Florida.

A couple of off-ice moves of note ahead of the March 1st trading deadline this morning.

The LA Kings have acquired Defenseman Andrej Sekara from the Carolina Hurricanes for a first-round draft pick and a prospect.

The Canes have also traded forward Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for a a pair of draft picks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Daniel Winnick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Zach Sill and a pair of draft picks.

There is a light schedule on the ice this morning, with only 3-games.

The Calgary Flames are looking to snap a 3-game losing streak as they take on the New Jersey Devils, who come into the game on a 4-game winning streak in their push for a playoff spot.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to solidify their hold on 3rd in the Metropolitan Division against the Washington Capitals.

A win by the Caps today would see them replace Pittsburgh in the standings, though the Penguins do have a game-in-hand.

And the other game has Ottawa on the road in Anaheim to take on the Ducks.

 

 

Tennis: Murray and Berdych reach quarter-finals in Dubai

 

In tennis,

In men's action from the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

Most of the top players have moved into the quarter-finals at the event.

It was top seed Novak Djokovic making easy work of Andrey Golubev, hammering the young Russian 6-1, 6-2.

Second seed Roger Federer is also through in straight sets, getting past veteran Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-3.

3rd seed Andy Murray also advanced, destroying Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-love, 6-2.

And it was 4th seed Tomas Berdych needing 3-sets to get through Italy's Simone Bolelli, 7-6, 5-7, 6-love.

There were a couple of upsets on Wednesday, with unseeded Frenchmen Richard Gasquet upsetting 7th seeded Roberto Bautista Agut in 3-sets.

And it was unseeded Russian Marcel Ilhan upsetting 6th seeded Feliciano Lopez in a 3-set affair.

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

Top seed Petra Kvitova downed Jeleva Jankovic 6-3, 6-3.

5th seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova needed three sets to get past Czech Lucie Sararova.

And it was 3th seeded Caroline Wozniacki advancing in a straight-sets victory over Alexandra Dulgheru.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Nominations for the Asian Film Awards announced in HK

 

The nominations for the 9th annual Asian Film Awards have been announced in Hong Kong, and Ann Hui's "The Golden Era" topped the list.

The movie, a period drama about China's most influential female novelist, Xiao Hong, is nominated in five categories including Best Director and Best Screenwriter.　

Though it failed to grab a Best Film nomination, nominees in that category, included China's "Black Coal, Thin Ice," "Blind Massage" and India's "Haider." 　

Chinese director Jiang Wen's "Gone with the Bullets" received four nominations.

Hong Kong singer-turned-actress Ivana Wong was nominated in the Best Newcomer for three different films in the same category.

"It's a huge honor to be nominated. I won't ask for more. If I win, I'll think of it as a bonus. If I get a chance to go up on stage, I have a lot of people to thank. If not, I will find a way to thank the people I worked with."

A total of 74 nominations were announced for 42 films from eight countries.　　　　

The Asian Film Awards will be handed out on March 25th in Macau.

 

 

Ed Sheeran wins 'Album of the Year' at 2015 Brit Awards

 

Ed Sheeran has scooped the top prize for his record 'X' at the 2015 Brit Awards.

The show has just come to an end at London's O2 arena.

And Sheeran won 'Album of the Year' which was the best-selling record of 2014 in the UK.

He also won best British male at the opening of the awards, going head-to-head with soul singer Sam Smith for most of the main prizes.

Smith took home best breakthrough artist and the global success award.

Taylor Swift opened the event, playing her hit single 'Blank Space'.

She went on to win best international female, her first award after eight years of releasing records in the UK.

Paloma Faith won best British female, while Brighton rock duo Royal Blood were presented with best British Group by rock legend Jimmy Page.

 

 

Lady Gaga to join the cast of "American Horror Story"

 

Ryan Murphy's FX anthology series "American Horror Story" has made its first casting announcement for the upcoming fifth installment.

And pop singer Lady Gaga is joining the show.

The news comes off the back of her "Sound Of Music" performance at the Oscars that became the telecast's top moment on social media.

Details of the pop star's character are being kept under wraps. The new installment's title and premise are also yet to be announced.

While no other cast members have been confirmed for Season 5 yet, members of the core American Horror Story cast that have appeared in multiple installments are likely to return.

 

 

Polish court adjourns Roman Polanski's extradition case

 

A court in Poland has adjourned filmmaker Roman Polanski's extradition case until April.

Polanski testified at a closed door hearing in Krakow, regarding a request to extradite him to the US on charges of sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The Oscar-winning director fled the US in 1978 before he could be sentenced for the crime.

Polanski's lawyer says the director wants to clarify his status before he starts filming in Poland this summer.

If the court decides to approve the request, the case will be passed to Poland's justice minister who will make the final decision.