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

Coming up on our program this evening...

China's Supreme People's Court has issued detailed documents outlining improvements to the country's legal system...

A senior official from Japan's ruling party is to visit Beijing in May, part of an effort to improve relations...

And European Union officials announce plans to unify the bloc's energy market...

In Business: China's central bank injects more liquidity into the market...

In Sports: Guangzhou Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi has resigned...

In Entertainment: regulators remove scenes from a Chinese TV show... because of cleavage...

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of minus 5. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 3.

Shanghai will see slight rain with a low of 6. Tomorrow will see rain with a high of 6.

Chongqing will have rain tonight with a low of 11 degrees. Tomorrow will see slight rain with a high of 16.

Elsewhere in Asia

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Kabul, cloudy, 4 degrees.

In Australia

Sydney, cloudy, high of 27

Canberra, cloudy, 29.

Brisbane, thundershower, 29 degrees.

Perth will be cloudy with a high of 26.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China Top Court Issues Notice on Legal Reform

 

China's Supreme People's Court has issued a new statement with detailed measures aimed at improving the country's legal system.

The court said it will prohibit criminal defendants from wearing prison-issued vests and jumpsuits to trials, effectively removing the presumption of guilt.

It will also establish a performance evaluation system for judges, better the mechanism for protecting lawyers' rights and establish media galleries in courts for certain trials.

The court also promised to boost transparency, saying it would make more information available, and reduce local protectionism by changing the jurisdiction of courts.

 

 

Political Observers Laud President Xi's "Four Comprehensives"

 

Anchor:

Chinese political observers are applauding the "Four Comprehensives" initiated by President Xi Jinping, saying they are a strategic blueprint for China's future development.

Our reporter Yin Xiuqi has the details.

Reporter:

The catchphrase "Four Comprehensives" refers to China "comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reforms, comprehensively implementing the rule of law, and comprehensively strengthening Party discipline."

Observers say the "Four Comprehensives" are tasks raised at Communist Party of China meetings over the last two years, since President Xi Jinping came to power.

The concept was first mentioned by Xi Jinping in December.

Li Tuo, a politics professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, says the concept carries great significance.

"The concept answers the question of how to practically achieve the great renewal of the Chinese nation. In my own opinion, it is the latest theoretical fruit of the sinicization of Marxism."

The CPC has already recognized Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the "Three Represents" and the Scientific Outlook on Development as the fruits of the sinicization of Marxism, which has been the Party's theoretical guidance.

The People's Daily, the CPC's official newspaper, has published two commentaries endorsing the new concept of "Four Comprehensives." And another three opinion pieces by the newspaper are to follow.

Shortly after President Xi Jinping took helm of the CPC in November 2012, he put forward the concept of "the Chinese Dream," or "the great renewal of the Chinese nation".

Professor Li Tuo says building "a moderately prosperous society" is "a crucial step towards the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation."

"Although China has become the second largest economy in the world, there are still many impoverished areas across the country. To build a comprehensive and moderately prosperous society requires the government to give more support to these areas."

The "Four Comprehensives" come as China pays greater attention to improving governance following its decades-long economic miracle.

Observers agree that the concept, acting as a strategic blueprint, will ensure China continues steadily on its path of development.

For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.

 

 

Large Japan Delegation to Visit China for Better Ties

 

A senior official from Japan's ruling party is expected to lead a large delegation to visit China for better bilateral ties in May this year.

The 3000-member delegation will be headed by Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Council.

The delegation, consisting of tourism and local government officials, is more than double the size of Nikai's delegation that went to South Korea earlier this year for mending ties.

According to the Japanese lawmaker, the delegation will visit China for three days starting on May 22 and use private exchanges to improve Japan-China ties strained over territorial and historical issues.

Japanese media are reporting that Toshihiro Nikai is expected to meet members of China's top leadership during the trip.

 

 

Senior Chinese, U.S. Officials Meet for Xi's Visit in September

 

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has met U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice in New York.

The two sides have agreed to work closely and fully prepare for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States in September.

Yang says that President Xi has talked by phone to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama recently.

Rice says that the United States is willing to strengthen contacts and cooperation at various levels according to consensus.

The two sides have also exchanged views on issues such as celebrations of the UN's 70th anniversary, climate change, and counterterrorism.

 

 

Serial killer in wrongful conviction case lodges an appeal

 

A convicted serial killer recently found guilty for a murder that another man was convicted for and executed has filed an appeal.

Zhao Zhihong was tried on charges of murder, rape, robbery, and larceny in a court in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region early this month.

He was found guilty and given a death sentence.

The now- 42-year-old was arrested in 2005 and confessed to a string of rape and murder cases, including one in a public toilet in Inner Mongolia's regional capital in 1996.

That crime was pinned on an 18-year-old boy who was convicted and, just 61 days after the crime, executed.

The teen was exonerated late last year and his family has been paid compensation.

 

 

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, shows 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.

 

 

Over 120 Killed in Avalanches in N.E. Afghan

 

More than 120 people have been killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.

Homes have been buried across four northeast provinces.

The Panjshir province seems to be the worst hit.

About 100 homes have been destroyed or damaged there.

Panjshir provincial police chief Abdul Aziz Ghairat.

"31 people were killed in Dara district. 15 in Khenj district, two others were wounded. 44 were killed in Paryan district. One was killed in Aabshar district. And four others were killed in the central area."

The avalanches are said to be caused by a heavy winter snow.

 

 

EU unveils plans for single energy market

 

The EU unveiled plans Wednesday for a continent-wide single energy market to reduce its uneasy reliance on Russian supplies and cut a massive annual import bill of some 400 billion euros.

The Energy Union plan would give the European Commission more influence in the negotiation of gas supply contracts, specially with Russia, at a time of tension over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission Vice President

"This is undoubtedly the most ambitious European energy project since the European Coal and Steel Community. It has the potential I believe to boost Europe's integration project. We will integrate the 28 European energy markets into one. This means also connecting beyond the European Union's borders."

The proposals still need to be approved by member states and the European Parliament.

The Commission says the new plan will give customers more choice, bring down prices and cut down on the use of fossil fuels.

However critics accuse the Commission of trying to wrest control from member states.

EU countries import 53% of their energy at a cost of around 400 billion Euros according to EU figures.

Some member states take all their gas from Russia. In total, Russia supplies 23% of the EU's gas, making it Europe's biggest supplier.

But the deteriorating situation in Ukraine has led to fears of disruption to gas supplies. Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine last June in a dispute over unpaid bills, before agreeing to restore them as part of an EU-brokered deal.

 

 

Three in New York sought to join Islamic State says FBI

 

The FBI has arrested three foreign nationals living in Brooklyn who they say sought to join the Islamic State.

The men came to the authorities' attention after they posted terror messages on Uzbek-language websites in recent months.

In one post, they pledged to kill US President Barack Obama.

New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton:

"Two of the individuals were seeking to fly to Syria. One was arrested at the international airport, JFK International Airport as he was getting ready to board that flight. A second individual had a later flight scheduled. He was arrested at home here in Brooklyn. A third individual who we believe helped to organize the trip of the other two individuals was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida."

The FBI says two of the men had threatened to kill police officers and FBI agents in the US if they were stopped from traveling to Syria.

Two of the suspects, 24 and 30-years-old, are from Uzbekistan while the third is a 19-year-old from Kazakhstan.

They have been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

The US has so far charged about 20 people with planning to join militant groups overseas, many intending to go to Syria to join the Islamic State.

 

 

Israel's row with Obama administration deepens over Iran nuclear issue

 

A row between the US and Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened, with the Israeli leader accusing America and others of "giving up" on stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu's comments came after US and Iranian officials reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks in Geneva.

US Secretary of State John Kerry questioned the Israeli Prime minister's judgment on the issue.

"Now, I tell you, Israel is safer today with the added time we have given, and the stoppage of the advances in the Iranian nuclear programme, than they were before we got that agreement, which by the way the (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) opposed. He was wrong."

Kerry says it was premature to criticize the nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

The deal aims to clamp down on Tehran's nuclear activities for at least 10 years while slowly easing sanctions against the country.

Netanyahu has criticized the deal saying that the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany have been much too lenient on Iran.

"There are many reasons to worry about the agreement that is forming now. The world powers have committed to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. From the agreement that is forming it appears that they have given up on that commitment and are accepting that Iran will gradually, within a few years, develop capabilities to produce material for many nuclear weapons. They might accept this but I am not willing to accept this."

Republican leaders have invited Netanyahu to address the US Congress next week.

 

 

Int'l Conference Held in South Africa to End Boko Haram

 

A two-day conference has been held in Johannesburg, South Africa to develop plans to end Boko Haram's insurgency in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Academics, diplomats and international military experts have attended the conference.

Professor Hennie Strydom from the University of Johannesburg is one of the two organizers of the conference.

"I think one of the aims that we have is to raise awareness about the nature and extent of the conflict. Also because of the fact that from international community up until now there has been very little intervention, and very little focus because of developments elsewhere in the world."

It made headlines when Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls last April.

The Islamist group now launches more attacks into neighboring countries including Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The conference has focused on terrorism in Africa, and touched upon crucial issues of Nigeria's capacity and military ability to solve the conflict.

The African Union is also urged to deal with this crisis militarily.

 

 

At least 15 IS militants killed in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in western Iraq

 

A security source in western Iraq's Anbar province says 15 IS militants have been killed in recent airstrikes.

Six senior members of the Islamic State group are said to be among the dead.

Reports indicate that coalition warplanes, acting on intelligence reports, struck positions where the militants were gathering, in a town northwest of Baghdad.

Another 30 people were wounded in the US-led strikes.

 

 

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Anchor:

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

Joining me on the desk is Poornima Weerasekara.

Reporter:

Chinese shares ended higher, the second trading day after the Spring Festival break, led by financial companies and construction.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up more than 2 percent. And the Shenzhen Component Index advanced nearly 2 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index added half a percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

The Japanese Nikkei gained more than one percent.

South Korea's KOSPI added a fraction of a percent.

Singapore's Straits Times index shed more than two fifths of a percent.

Australia's ASX 200 lost almost two thirds of a percent.

 

 

PBOC conducts money injection after Spring Festival holiday

 

China's central bank is pumping money into the markets through reverse repurchase agreements to ease liquidity after last week's national holiday.

The move is a process of central banks purchase securities from banks with an agreement to resell them at a future date.

The bank has injected 38 billion yuan, which equals more than 6 billion U.S. dollars, into the markets through 14-day reverse repos, priced to yield 4.1 percent.

The injection aims to ease the condition of tightened liquidity as a series of other operations made before the Spring Festival holiday are due this week.

 

 

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, the Beijing Hour's Paul James spoke earlier with Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.

 

 

Yuan reserves set to rise by $500 billion over 5 years

 

United Bank of Switzerland says more than 60 central banks hold China's renminbi in their currency reserves.

The amount held in the banks and in sovereign wealth funds should grow by 3 trillion yuan over the next five years, or 500 billion U.S. dollars.

UBS says data and discussions with clients suggest the yuan now makes up around 0.1-0.3 percent of global reserves.

But that is expected to grow to 2 percent over the next five years.

 

 

A new insurance credit system is to come out this year

 

China's top economic and insurance regulators have jointly published a plan about building a nationwide insurance credit system.

The system will establish a "red list" to praise those insurers who have integrity, and a "black list" to inform the public about, and penalize, those who break the law and regulations.

The scheme aims to supervise and better regulate the insurance market and help to promote integrity, credibility and good faith in the sector.

The new system, which will roll out in this year, is to be promoted nationwide by 2018, and completed by 2020.

 

 

China encourages private capital to invest in elderly care industry

 

The Ministry of Civil Affairs, together with nine other government departments, is encouraging private capital to invest in the elder-care industry to help with the aging population.

It says that private investors can cooperate with the government to build and develop care facilities, including nursing homes and recreation centers.

The government will also increase investment in this sector.

According to the document released on Wednesday, more than half of the welfare funds collected through lottery sales should be channeled to elderly care.

People aged 60 and over accounted for nearly 15 percent of China's total population by the end of 2013.

Reports say the aging population in China will reach its peak in 2030.

 

 

UnionPay cross-border transactions surge in Spring Festival spree

 

UnionPay, China's massive bank card provider, says its cross-border transactions surged during Spring Festival, rising nearly 50 percent year on year.

The total volume of transactions at home and abroad through China UnionPay cards totaled nearly 40 billion U.S. dollars during the seven day holiday.

South Korea and the United States topped the list of Cross-border transactions.

Card payments for transportation almost doubled from last year, while transactions in shopping grew about 50 percent from last year.

China UnionPay is responsible for all bank card transactions on the Chinese mainland and has extended its reach to 150 countries and regions.

 

 

Samsung Elec, China trade deal give boost to South Korea's yuan hub ambitions

 

Samsung's Electronics says it is preparing to start trading the Chinese currency directly with the South Korean won in the near future.

The deal is expected to boost Seoul's ambitions to become a global hub for the offshore yuan business.

South Korea has been encouraging companies trading with China to settle transactions with the yuan or the won instead of the U.S. dollar.

The news came as South Korea announced that it hoped to sign a final free trade agreement with China within the first half of the year.

South Korea became the third country in the world to begin direct trading of the yuan for a local currency in December last year following Russia and Japan.

 

 

Anbang buys Manhattan office tower

 

Chinese insurance company Anbang has bought an office tower, reportedly for between 4 to 5 hundred million U.S. dollars in Manhattan.

The tower is located in the Plaza District on Fifth Avenue.

Anbang's deal is for 22 floors above the retail space of the 26-story building. The retail is separately owned and used by Dolce & Gabbana and Armani.

Anbang has made a number of high-profile purchases in the past several months, including a nearly 2 billion dollar deal on the Waldorf Astoria.

 

 

Mobile online games rack up rapid gains

 

A study by the China Internet Network Information Center shows that China had nearly 250 million mobile online game players as of the end of last year, surging a third of a percent.

It also shows Asia was the top market for mobile games, driven by rapid growth in China, Japan and South Korea.

Asian games market consultancy Niko Partners says that the Chinese mobile games market experienced "explosive growth" last year with expansion of 93 percent and total revenue of 3 billion U.S. dollars.

The consultancy forecast that China is very likely to overtake the United States in revenue in 2015.

 

 

 

 

Headline News

 

IS militant known as Jihadi John identified

 

The Islamic State Militant known as "Jihadi John" is reported to have been identified.

The man, believed to be the individual seen in numerous videos produced by IS showing the beheadings of hostages, has been named as Mohammed Emwazi.

Emwazi is a UK citizen whose last known place of residence was in London.

Emwazi first appeared last August in a video which showed the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

Scotland Yard has apparently known of the man's identity for some time, but chose not to disclose it for operational reasons.

 

 

China Top Court Issues Notice on Legal Reform

 

China's Supreme People's Court has issued a new statement with detailed measures aimed at improving the country's legal system.

The court said it will prohibit criminal defendants from wearing prison-issued vests and jumpsuits to trials, effectively removing the presumption of guilt.

It will also establish a performance evaluation system for judges, better the mechanism for protecting lawyers' rights and establish media galleries in courts for certain trials.

The court also promised to boost transparency, saying it would make more information available, and reduce local protectionism by changing the jurisdiction of courts.

 

 

Large Japan Delegation to Visit China for Better Ties

 

A senior official from Japan's ruling party is expected to lead a large delegation to visit China for better bilateral ties in May this year.

The 3000-member delegation will be headed by Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Council.

The delegation, consisting of tourism and local government officials, is more than double the size of Nikai's delegation that went to South Korea earlier this year for mending ties.

According to the Japanese lawmaker, the delegation will visit China for three days starting on May 22 and use private exchanges to improve Japan-China ties strained over territorial and historical issues.

Japanese media are reporting that Toshihiro Nikai is expected to meet members of China's top leadership during the trip.

 

 

Senior Chinese, U.S. Officials Meet for Xi's Visit in September

 

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has met U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice in New York.

The two sides have agreed to work closely and fully prepare for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States in September.

The two sides have also exchanged views on issues such as celebrations of the UN's 70th anniversary, climate change, and counterterrorism.

 

 

At least 15 IS militants killed in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in western Iraq

 

A security source in western Iraq's Anbar province says 15 IS militants have been killed in recent airstrikes.

Six senior members of the Islamic State group are said to be among the dead.

Reports indicate that coalition warplanes, acting on intelligence reports, struck positions where the militants were gathering, in a town northwest of Baghdad.

Another 30 people were wounded in the US-led strikes.

 

 

FBI arrests three foreigners that 'tried to join IS'

 

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested three foreign nationals living in Brooklyn who agents say sought to join the Islamic State.

The FBI says two of the men had threatened to kill police officers and FBI agents in the U.S. if they were unable to travel to Syria.

Two of the suspects, 24 and 30 years old, are from Uzbekistan while the third is a 19 year old from Kazakhstan.

They were charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

CHINA DAILY

"Beijing plans electronic collection of parking fees"

Beijing traffic authority says it plans to introduce electronic payment for roadside parking to regulate the market and collect all the fees it is owed.

The capital has more than 40,000 parking spaces, which should have generated more than 300 million yuan, or some 48 million U.S. dollars, last year for the government.

However, less than half of the fees collected by companies has been turned in as government revenue in a number of major cities including Beijing.

Some companies use high labor costs as an excuse to reject government collection.

In many cases, drivers prefer to pay less after bargaining with collectors, which makes it hard for the authority to know the true amount of fees.

The Beijing People's Congress has initiated research on models of electronic payment, which would eliminate illegal bargaining and use modern technology through terminals or smartphones.

 

XINHUA

"China to improve toilets at tourist sites"

Chinese tourism authorities say the country will build 13,000 new toilets and renovate another 9,000 this year at tourist sites to upgrade the notorious facilities.

The campaign is part of China's three-year "toilet revolution" aimed at building a total of 33,000 restrooms and renovating 24,000 by 2017.

The head of China National Tourism Administration released the target at a national kick-off meeting, adding that insufficient and unhygienic toilets have damaged China's national image and left tourists unhappy.

The official urged local tourism authorities to consider the special needs of the elderly, women, children and disabled when building and renovating toilets.

Over 3.7 billion trips were made to China's tourist sites last year, and some 128 million were from overseas visitors.

 

MEDICINE HAT NEWS (CANADA)

"Bullying fought Canada-wide through Pink Shirt Day"

Waves of pink are washing over the country as schools and beyond participated in the nationally recognized campaign "Pink Shirt Day" to fight bullying.

Numerous anti-bullying activities lined up at schools for what's turned into an annual event every Feb. 25, and many schools in Medicine Hat and across Canada also participating.

Organizers say they hopes the campaign empowers students and shows they have the ability to help each other.

Pink Shirt Day started in Nova Scotia seven years ago when two high school students responded to a fellow classmate being bullied for wearing a pink shirt themselves and distributing pink shirts to other students to wear.

Other participants include Medicine Hat Police Service, which has also encouraged locals to don pink for the day.

 

AAP

"Kids TV blood pressure data 'worrying'"

A study has found watching TV for more than two hours a day increases the risk of raised blood pressure in children.

Children aged two to 10 who spent this much time in front of a TV or computer screen were 30 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure than those who did not.

Scientists found lack of physical activity increased the risk even more, by 50 per cent.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, are based on data from over five-thousand children from eight European countries collected over two years.

The lead researcher from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil says the study shows the number of new high blood pressure cases and the connection between physical activity and different sedentary behaviours with the risk of high blood pressure in European children.

 

 

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.

Back Anchor:

That is CRI's Xu Fei reporting

 

 

Sports

 

 

Football: Lippi resigns as coach of Guangzhou Evergrande

 

Starting off with some breaking news from the Chinese football super league:

Marcello Lippi on Thursday resigned as the coach and the technical director of Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande.

Lippi, who led Evergrande to four straight titles of the Chinese top-flight league and the AFC Champions League peak in 2013, recently showed his willingness to step down due to alleged health and family reasons.

The club formally agreed today.

Fabio Cannavaro, 41, former world player of the year and a World Cup winner, will take the rein of Evergrande.

 

 

Football: Monaco beat Arsenal in Champions League

 

In champion's league football action:

Monaco caused an upset by beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday (25th February).

Geoffrey Kondogbia's deflected strike in the 38th minute wrong-footing goalkeeper David Ospina to give the French side the lead.

Their advantage was doubled in the 53rd minute by former Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Fulham striker Dmitar Berbatov.

Although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's curling strike in stoppage time briefly gave Arsenal hope going into the second leg on March 17, but Monaco still had time to restore their two-goal cushion through Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco after a rapid break.

 

 

Football: Melbourne Victory confirms move of Leijer to Chongqing

 

In off pitch Chinese football news:

Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory has confirmed that defender Adrian Leijer will join Chinese Super League team Chongqing Lifan on Thursday.

Leijer, 28, signed for Melbourne Victory in its inaugural season in 2005 and has won one league championship with the club. He is expected to sign for Chongqing imminently, pending a medical examination.

It has been reported that the transfer fee is in the region of 157,000 U.S. dollars.

 

 

Taiwan pitcher Wang Chien Ming trains with Atlanta Braves

 

Taiwan pitcher Wang Chien-Ming, is at the Atlanta Braves spring training camp in Kissimmee, Florida hoping to make the 25 man team roster after signing a minor league contract with the club in November, 2014.

After four years with the New York Yankees, Wang spent two the Nationals and one with the Blue Jays.

In June 2008, while pitching for NY, Wang injured his foot while running the bases in an inter-league game against the Pirates.

The injury marked the beginning of a slow slide out of the MLB spotlight.

But Wang says he's fully fit and determined to make the most of his latest opportunity:

"At the moment I am trying to make the 25-man roster. I am doing my best to give a good impression to the coaches in the spring training."

He also says that he has recovered from the injury that marked his decline on the MLB stage:

"Everything is back to normal for me now. I've got my confidence back. I pitched over 170 innings last season. And I am totally injury free now."

Last year he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox triple A affiliates, amassing a 13-8 record.

That was good enough to open some eyes around the league and the Braves offered him a minor league contract in November, 2014.

 

 

CBA: Beijing Ducks beat out Guangdong, 114-108.

 

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.

 

 

NBA: Derrik Rose to undergo surgery for the second straight season.

 

Over in the NBA:

The Chicago Bulls announced yesterday that star point guard Derrick Rose will undergo surgery for the second straight season to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, casting more doubt on whether he will ever be the same.

Head Coach Tom Thibodeau:

"You know he's been through, you know, a lot, he's had to endure a lot and he's gotten past a lot. And, so, it's disappointing news and we're hopeful that everything will work out fine. "

If the 2011 NBA MVP misses the remainder of the year, it would be his third season-ending knee surgery.

 

 

Tennis: Nishikori through, Dimitrov out of Mexico open

 

In Tennis action:

Top seed Kei Nishikori of Japan faced Lu Yen-Hsun of Chinese Taipei for a place in the final eight.

Nishikori closed out a clinical 6-1, 6-3 win to move into the quarter finals of the tournament.

And earlier in the day:

Third seed and defending Champion Grigor Dimitrov fell to American Ryan Harrison.

Harrison broke him three further times as he stormed through the third set to close out an emphatic 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 victory.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Regulator remove scenes from another television show showing too much cleveage

 

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has removed scenes showing actresses' cleavage from a TV series once again.

Revealing scenes from TV series The Investiture of the Gods which airs on Shenzhen television, were replaced with close up shots of actresses' heads again.

The Investiture of the Gods is based on the life of Su Daji, the favourite concubine of the King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty in ancient China.

Chinese actress Li Xiaoyi plays the protagonist role in the series. Despite cuts made by the media regulator, screenshots of her risqué dress are still circulating online.

In contrast to The Empress of China, where only the edited version is available on the internet and on TV, the original version of The Investiture of the Gods can still be found online while the edited version plays on TV.

 

 

Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy help people in need during Spring Festival

 

While most celebrities spent their Spring Festival at home, Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy took the opportunity to help people in need.

Huang has been appointed the ambassador of a charity organization that helps the elderly and so the celebrity couple decided to visit several elderly people in Shandong who were spending the holiday period alone.

Shandong born Huang started his philanthropic work after helping rebuild a school in Sichuan after the 2008 earthquake. He has expressed his determination to use his fame and fortune for more charity work.

In a previous interview he said that he hoped his actions will remind other celebrities and people in the public eye that they also have a responsibility to give back to society.

 

 

Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith win at the BRIT awards

 

The BRIT awards in London have seen Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran leading the trophy wins.

The pair each won a pair of prizes at Britain's leading music awards.

Ed Sheeran won awards for best British male solo artist and British album of the year for X. While Sam Smith won trophies for British breakthrough act and global success.

"This shows I'm stepping in the right direction. So thanks to all my fans who bought my music"

Taylor Swift opened the awards show with a sleek performance of her single Blank Space. However, it was Madonna's performance that was the most talked about as the queen of pop who entered wearing a long cape carried by dancers tumbled off the stage to her latest song Living for Love which ironically includes a lyric about stumbling.

"Happy" hit-maker Pharrell Williams was named best international male act, and Foo Fighters won the trophy for international group. Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" took the prize for best British single.

Winners in most categories are decided by a ballot of music-industry members, with some chosen by public vote, including a best British video award selected by online ballot during the ceremony. It was won by One Direction - just like last year.

 

 

Robin Thicke testifies in trial over Blurred Lines song

 

Singer Robin Thicke has testified in a trial to determine whether his 2013 hit Blurred Lines improperly copied elements of Marvin Gaye's music.

Thicke reportedly played the keyboard on the witness stand to demonstrate that chord changes in many popular songs were similar.

The trial began on Tuesday in federal court in downtown Los Angeles. The song's producer and co-performer Pharell was also in court, as was Gaye's ex-wife and his daughter Nona Gaye.

The trial came after a federal judge reviewed conflicting analyses by experts hired by Thicke and Pharell and by Gaye's children to evaluate Blurred Lines and Gaye's song Got to Give it Up.

The judge determined that there is a genuine dispute about whether several musical elements including signature phrases, hooks, bass lines, keyboard chords and vocal melodies are similar.

The court fight has lasted more than a year.

 

 

Kevin Spacey to be honored with special prize at this year's Olivier awards

 

US actor and theatre director Kevin Spacey is to be honoured with a special prize at this year's Olivier awards.

Spacey is currently artistic director at London's Old Vic theatre and is famous for his TV roles in American Beauty and House of Cards.

He is being honoured for his outstanding contribution to the London Old Vic theatre where he became artistic director in 2004.

Spacey has been widely credited with reviving the theatre's fortunes.

He has appeared in several productions during his time at the theatre including Richard II and Richard III.

The Olivier awards were established in 1976 and named after Lawrence Olivier, one of the UK's most prestigious stage honours.