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

Coming up on the program this evening...

A first-ever red-alert for smog is now in effect here in Beijing, with forecasters warning it will linger for a couple more days.

New stats show a significant rise in organ donations so far this year in China.

New questions are being raised about whether the government in Venezuela is going to give up its hold on power following its electoral defeat.

In business... new stats show China's foreign exchange reserves have dropped again through November.

In sports... Super Dan pulls out of Dubai, citing injury.

In entertainment.... the Martian continues to dominate the box office in China.

All of that is coming up in the next hour, but first, a reminder, there are several ways you can reach us at the Beijing Hour.

You can follow our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour.

On WeChat: search "beijinghour"Email us directly at [email protected].

Visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top NewsChina reinforces quick response measures for smogAnchor:

Beijing is in the midst of a smog "red alert," with forecasters warning the polluted air is going to linger throughout the city until at least Thursday.

The "red alert" has triggered a number of automatic measures, including vehicle restrictions and a further cutback of industrial production around the capital.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more.

Reporter:

Municipal authorities in Beijing announced plans to upgrade from orange to red on Monday night, marking the first-ever time a red-alert has been issued for Beijing since the 4-tiered color-coded system for smog was instituted 3-years ago.

The red-alert comes after the capital region was given just few days rest from the smog, after having to cope with orange-alert conditions just 4-days before.

By sounding the red-alert, a series of automatic measures kick-in, including the odd-even license plate restrictions to keep half the vehicles in Beijing off the roads.

Li Lifeng with the Beijing Public Transport Commission says more public transit has been added to help keep the city moving the next few days.

"Staring this Tuesday, we have added 840-vehicles on the key lines. This has increased public transport capacity by 15-thousand vehicles per day."As part of the red-alert, which officially began at 7am this Tuesday, its being recommended schools advise their students to stay home.

Xian Lianping, head of Beijing's municipal education commission, says the request is voluntary.

"Parents who don't have time to be with their children during the day can still send their kids to school. But we recommend students take part in indoor activities and study at home. Most students have chosen to stay at home and study online with their teachers. Because this is the first red alert in Beijing, and we are hoping to learn from this experience to do more to improve the system so that we will be more prepared if this happens again."At the same time, industrial facilities have also been ordered to close or severely curtail their output.

Outdoor construction projects in the city have also been shut down under the red-alert.

The red-alert in Beijing comes on the heels of the Ministry of Environmental Protection announcing the creation of an emission permit system this past week.

Under the program, any new industrial facilities being built and operated will have to adhere to the limits they've qualified for when it comes to air, water and solid waste output.

Bi Jun with School for the Environment at Nanjing University says the permit system is more targeted than the previous approval process.

"Through the new system, we have a much better idea of how much pollution is being discharged into the environment, and better ensure that emissions are meeting the standards we set for individual operations. If we can get all companies under the permit certification process, it will go a long way toward ensuring our environment is better-protected."In addition to the steps being taken in Beijing during this 'red-alert,' neighboring Hebei and Henan are taking similar steps to keep the air in their provinces clean.

Factories in those provinces are being required to reduce dust, sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide emissions by at least 15-percent.

On top of this, fleets of sprinkler vehicles are also on the streets in Hebei and Henan to try to knock down the pollution still being pumped out.

This current bout of smog in the greater-Beijing region is the 2nd so far this month, and is expected to linger until Thursday.

Coal-fired electricity generation, as well as vehicle exhaust, are said to be the main factors driving up pollution levels across the region.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

Anchor:

For more on the smog's impact on Beijing, CRI's Michael Butterworth and Liu Kun spoke earlier current affairs commentator Gregory Tsang.

Tu Youyou talks about experiences of successAnchor:

The first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize for Medicine has made a stop at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and discussing her experiences in helping fight one of the world's biggest killers.

CRI's Chen Xuefei reports from Stockholm.

Ann:

Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize for her discovery of the drug Artemisinin. The drug has proved a highly effective treatment for malaria, saving millions of lives around the world. During her Nobel lecture she was happy to share the secrets of her success.

"Set a clear goal and insist on your beliefs as a precondition for success."Tu Youyou also said that when she received such an important task to find a drug to cure malaria in 1969, she felt enormous trust and great responsibility. She was determined to fulfill the task with all her might.

The scientist said her advantage in fulfilling the task was that she had studied both western and Chinese medicine. This cross discipline provided solid foundations for research into new drugs for malaria.

"Ancient Chinese medical books and documents gave me great enlightenment. I looked through many ancient medical books and that inspired me to use low temperatures to collect artemisinin."Tu Youyou also said that in the 1970s, conditions for medical research were very poor, but even so she and her team still worked diligently with very primitive tools. They even resorted to trying the new drugs on themselves.

The last secret for her success, she said, was team spirit and selfless cooperation.

The discovery of Artemisinin mobilized many medical researchers across China including those from Shandong, Yunnan, Shanghai, Guangzhou and military research institutes.

However, Tu Youyou said malaria remained a big challenge for public health because about 120 million people still live areas highly vulnerable to the disease.

"Chinese medicine is a treasure chest, people should try to dig it up, and further improve it. Judging from my own experiences, I feel deeply that both Chinese and western medicines have their own advantages. If the two can be combined, it will be mutually complementary, there will be great potential and prospects for future development."She said with two thousand years of history of Chinese medicine, she believed the utilization of natural resources for medicare can benefit mankind.

For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.

China Sees Rise in Organ DonationAnchor:

New analysis is suggesting there's been a sharp increase in the number of organ donations across China this year.

This comes after authorities banned the harvesting of death row inmates' organs at the start of this year.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

Official data shows close to 54-hundred people in China donated more than 14-thousand body parts through the first ten months of this year.

Both figures are the highest ever recorded in China.

Speaking to a forum on organ donation this week in Hunan's capital, Changsha, Gao Xinpu with the government's National Organ Donation and Transplant Committee says a change in attitude is the main reason.

"Over the past five years, public awareness of organ donation in China has grown significantly. The rate of organ donations per every million people here in China has risen from 0.03 in 2010 to 1.24 last year."The first national regulations on organ donations in China were adopted in 2007, banning the trade in organs.

In 2010, a voluntary organ donation system was launched in a number of different regions, then implemented nationwide last year.

And in a surprise move to start out the year, authorities ended the practice of harvesting organs from condemned prisoners, which observers suggested had compromised China's human rights credentials and left it open to criticism from the rest of the world.

Gao Xinpu says establishing a sound organ distribution system has been a priority in the Donation Committee's work.

"The most important thing is how to make the distribution of donated organs fair. Since 2011, we have been trying to set up a system which fits in-line with international criteria and medical ethics when it comes to creating a priority list."China currently has the largest number of organ donations in Asia.

But given this country's status as the world's most populous nation, Gao Xinpu says need is still well-outstripping demand.

"The donor to receiver ratio is still low, at around 1 to 30. Of the roughly 300 thousand people in China who need a transplant every year, only around 10-thousand get the organ they need."Another issue is the number of qualified transplant doctors in China.

There are currently around 170 hospitals across the country which is able to do organ transplants.

However, there are no more than 200 doctors able to conduct the operations.

It's being estimated the number of available hospitals for transplants will have to rise to 300, and the number of transplant surgeons to 400, before capacity demands will be met in China.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

Dispute over return of stolen Buddha statue unsolvedLegal experts are starting to weigh-in on what's going to be required for a group of villagers to reclaim a Buddha statue currently in the possession of a Dutch collector.

The villagers from rural Fujian claim the statue currently held by the Dutch collector was stolen from their village a number of years ago.

Negotiations have been underway to get the statue back.

However, they've since stalled, with the collector demanding 20-million US dollars in compensation for giving it back.

Huo Zhengxin with the China University of Political Science and Law, says one key to determining compensation is whether the collector's story holds up.

"If he was an innocent purchaser, which means he fulfilled the obligations to investigate the source of the antique, according to Dutch laws, he can now legally possess the statue after obtaining it for three years. If so, the reasonable compensation will include three parts: first, the 40,000 Dutch guilders he paid when buying it; second, the cost to research and preserve it in past years; third, the expenditure to transport it back to China and related insurance expense."Huo Zhengxin says if the Dutch collector is lying, and knew about the alleged history of the Buddha, things will be different.

"If he was a malicious buyer, or in other words, he did not fulfill the obligations to investigate the source of the antique, or he knew or he should have known that the statue was a stolen piece, the compensation will be much smaller- the Chinese side does not need to pay the amount of money that he paid when purchasing it."Lawyers representing the village in its quest to win the custody of the Buddha statue have said that they will submit an appeal to a Dutch court.

The Dutch buyer says he purchased the statue from a Hong Kong dealer in 1996.

If he maintains his hold on the statue into next year, the villager who claims the statue is theirs will lose much of their legal avenues to appeal, as 20-years is a benchmark for property ownership in most disputes of this nature.

China, Ethiopia adopt visa-free agreementNew visa rules connected to high-level travelers between China and Ethiopia are now in effect.

Under the new regulations, anyone holding a service or diplomatic passport from either side won't have to apply for a visa.

They will be able to travel to either country for up to 30 days without needing a visa.

Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, La Yifan, says it will make bilateral relations much easier.

"And, I firmly believe that with the effectiveness, starting from today, of this important agreement, we're going to further promote Sino-African, Sino-Ethiopian cooperation against the background of the just concluded successful summit of FOCAC."Chinese investors are involved in various development projects in Ethiopia, including roads, railways, wind power generation, and telecom expansion projects.

The visa exemptions for diplomats or consular officials are expected to make it easier for them to help deal with issues involving Chinese companies in Ethiopia.

Zhenjiang shares experience of low-carbon developmentOfficials with the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu have been promoting their work toward low-carbon development the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Zhenjiang has been tapped as one of China's pilot low-carbon cities.

As part of its goal, the prefecture-level city of just over 3-million people expects its carbon emissions to peak at 2020, 10 years earlier than the national target of 2030.

To achieve that goal, Zhenjiang, located just east of Jiangsu's capital, Nanjing, has become the first in China to establish a carbon emissions accounting and management program.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is the UN's special envoy for Climate Change action in cities, is among those who viewed the demonstration put on by officials from Zhenjiang.

"The public, through their mayors and through television in every country around the world, China included, tell their leaders, 'we want something different, we want something better'. And the Chinese government is responding to that. You can see that every day."As part of the session, a low-carbon joint action plan has been signed between the governments of Zhenjiang and the US state of California.

Venezuela President Maduro concedes election defeatNew questions are being raised in Venezuela about whether the ruling Socialists are going to give up their power.

Its being reported the state-run media in Venezuela is refusing to air reports about the opposition victory in the country's legislative elections.

At the same time, the National Electoral Council has reportedly been slow in announcing the results of elections in 22 seats which are still said to be undecided.

At issue is the scope in which the opposition has won.

Electoral officials have confirmed the opposition has won 99 of the 167 seats in the National Assembly, which is an easy majority.

However, if the opposition can control two-thirds of the legislature, it can enact sweeping changes, including the potential ouster of current President.

Three-fifth's control can allow it to enact changes in certain areas where the previous administration still controls, such as government departments.

The victory by the opposition in Venezuela does end 17-years of Socialist rule in the country's legislature, which began under the late former President Hugo Chavez.

For more on this, CRI's Mike Butterworth earlier spoke with Jiang Shixue, Vice President of the Chinese Association of Latin American Studies.

Syrian Rebels to Leave HomsUnder a new deal reached between the government and rebels, some 2-thousand armed rebels are pulling out of a district in the northern Syrian city of Homs.

As part of the accord, the rebel fighters will withdraw from the last insurgent-held area of the city, which is a major battleground area on Syria's main north-south highway.

Homs governor Talal al-Barazi says the first group of fighters, including 300 men, will leave within the first week after the deal comes into force.

"The first group will be moved to another place. This group did not agree on the agreement. They will move to the north. Of course they will move to the front lines of the armed groups."Homs was the city which sparked the uprising in Syria against the government of Bashar al-Assad nearly 5-years ago.

Japan launches new counter-terrorism unitJapan's government has established a new counter-terrorism unit in Tokyo to bolster security for the forthcoming G7 summit next year.

The unit will be directly under the command of the prime minister's office.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the creation of the new stand-alone counter-terrorism unit makes sense.

"The current situation surrounding terrorism is intensifying further. Collecting and centralizing information on terrorism is becoming more of an urgent task. Under the command of the prime minister's office, the unit bears an important mission to secure the lives of Japanese nationals abroad and people of Japan."The forthcoming G7 summit in Japan will take place in April.

Pistorius granted bail in PretoriaOscar Pistorius, the so-called "Blade Runner," has been granted bail by a court in Pretoria.

Pistorius had to ask for bail after the South African Appeals Court overthrew his previous manslaughter conviction, and instead, convicted him of murdering his ex-girlfriend.

This means Pistorius will have to go before the courts for sentencing on April 18th for the new conviction, which could land him in prison for at least 15-years.

Pistorius was originally sentenced to 5-years under house arrest for his manslaughter conviction, and had served 10-months of it.

Pearl Harbor Attack Remembered in USA memorial service has been held at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC to honor those killed in the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor 74-years ago.

US Navy Rear Admiral John Fuller is among some 300 US veterans and others who took part in the event in Washington.

"Today, at this ceremony we demonstrate that the lives lost on December 7th and in World War Two were not lost in vain. We show our deep appreciation, we know, we remember that those who sacrificed so much in World War Two brought the world to greater freedom, more democracy and a pathway to reconciliation and peace."Among those in attendance in Washington were two survivors of Pearl Harbor.

Around 24-hundred US sailors, Marines and soldiers were killed when Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on the United States naval facility in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941.

The base on the island of Oahu was home to the United States' Pacific Fleet.

Its destruction threw back the US navy's ability to defend the US west coast at the time, but also prompted the US to enter World War II and mobilize large-scale military production to back the allies, including China.

Memorial events have also been held at Pearl Harbor itself to commemorate its bombing 74-years ago.

WeatherAs smog is still lingering in Beijing, the capital expects sleets tonight with a low of 1 degree Celsius; tomorrow a high of 3.

Shanghai, overcast overnight with a low of 10; rainy tomorrow with a high of 14.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 10; still overcast tomorrow with a high of 16.

Lhasa is cloudy tonight with a low of minus 4; sunny tomorrow with a high of 11.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, rainy tomorrow, with a high of 20.

Kabul expects sleet, 3.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy, a high of 28.

Brisbane, cloudy, 30.

Perth, sunny, 26.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will see some clouds with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsBeijing Issues First Red Alert for Air PollutionEmergency measures are now in effect in the Chinese capital after the municipal government issued its highest level of warning for heavy air pollution.

A red alert means that cars with odd and even number plates are being banned from driving on alternate days.

Educational authorities have urged all schools to suspend classes during the alert period.

Industrial production has been curtailed further.

The red alert will last for 3 days, with a cold front on Thursday expected to help clear the air.

Four die, 14 injured in northeast China hotel fireAt least 4 people are dead and 14 others hurt following a hotel fire this morning in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

Local authorities in the suburbs of Harbin say the fire broke out at around 9:30 this Tuesday morning in a 200-square-meter hotel in Yanshou County.

It took firefighters around 2-hours to put the fire out.

Three of the 14 injured are said to be in critical condition, suggesting the death toll may rise.

The owner of the hotel is being held by police.

Flight passenger fired by Chinese universitySouthwestern University of Finance and Economics has fired a guest professor following his misbehavior in a United Airlines flight.

On Sunday, Lu Yong was forcibly removed from a New York-bound flight at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Lu Yong reportedly insisted on a seat upgrade, then took a seat assigned to another passenger.

The captain later notified airport police after the guest lecturer refused to go back to his seat or leave the aircraft.

Chengdu-based Southwestern University says it values the virtue and ethical conduct of its teachers, and will not tolerate unlawful behavior.

Lu Yong is also an associate professor Pennsylvania State University in the United States.

Chinese tourists in Australia outspend Brits, Americans and Canadians combinedA new report suggests the spending by Chinese tourists in Australia has reached 5.6-billion US dollars in the 12 months period to September.

That represents an over 40-percent increase from the same period a year ago.

The report in 'The Australian' newspaper also shows Chinese visitors have spent more than the British, Americans and Canadians combined during the period.

The depreciation of the Australian dollar is said to be one of the main reasons behind the rise in Chinese tourists and Chinese spending.

Blast at Moscow bus stop injured 3It is being reported 3 people were hurt in an explosion at a bus stop in downtown Moscow.

Moscow police says an unidentified explosive device went off at a bus stop is located just 15-hundred meters Moscow's iconic Red Square.

It's being reported the explosion took place sometime on Monday evening, but is only now being reported.

Local media reports say the victims, all women, suffered injuries to their legs.

Two were hospitalized, while the other refused treatment.

So far there's no indication the explosion may be related to terrorism.

Biz ReportsAsian StocksAnchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers here in China.

Mainland markets tumbled on Tuesday due to losses from energy firms as global oil prices plunged to a nearly seven-year low overnight in New York.

The petroleum sub-index dived more than 3 percent.

Shares of PetroChina, the largest component of the key Shanghai index, lost 2 percent.

Shares of Sinopec shed 2.2 percent on the day.

Meanwhile, the coal sub-index lost nearly 2.6 percent.

Other major losers were firms in sectors such as aviation manufacturing, medical, wine, power generation equipment and steel.

Financial heavyweights, which led the losses in the previous trading day, remained weak as well.

At the close, the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 1.9 percent.

The smaller Shenzhen Component index declined 2.2 percent.

The small-cap ChiNext Index lost 1.7 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng moved down 1.3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares ended trading Tuesday lower as concerns over plunging oil prices in the global market overshadowed the buoyant sentiment brought on by revised GDP figures through the fall.

The Nikkei 225 dipped one percent.

South Korea's KOSPI closed 0.8 percent lower.

Finally, both Singapore's Straits Times index and Australia's ASX/200 inched down 0.9 percent.

China's Forex Reserves Fall in NovemberAnchor:

New stats show China's foreign exchange reserves have fallen to their lowest level in more than 2-years.

China's forex regulator is reporting foreign exchange holdings have dropped by just over 87-billion U.S. dollars in November, putting the overall reserves at around 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars.

Last month's decline follows a 11.4-billion dollar month-on-month rise in October.

Fuelled by exports, forex reserves in China had been growing for more than a decade before a slowdown in exports began taking shape in the 3rd quarter of last year.

Despite the downturn, China still holds the largest amount of foreign exchange reserves in the world.

For more China's forex situation, CRI's Bob Jones spoke earlier with Gao Shang, senior analyst with Guantong Futures.

China foreign trade decline contracts in NovemberOfficial data shows China's foreign trade through November dropped 4.5 percent year on year to about 2.1 trillion yuan, or around 337 billion U.S. dollars.

It is the 9th-consecutive monthly decline.

However, the level of decline last month is significantly less than the 9-percent year on year plunge registered in October.

This is said to be because of increased electrical exports.

Wang Jun with China Center for International Economic Exchanges says sluggish demand worldwide is also to blame.

"From the global perspective, major economies like Europe and Japan are still struggling, while the emerging economies are also facing downward pressure. This means demand in the global markets is shrinking. Also, trade protectionism is still affecting world trade. The third factor is low commodity prices, including crude, iron ore and non-ferrous metals."China's trade surplus expanded by 2 percent to about 343 billion yuan.

Foreign trade among private firms has dropped 1.8 percent annually through the first 11 months, accounting for around 37-percent of China's total trade volume during the period.

In contrast, state-owned enterprises witnessed a sharp decline in foreign trade of around 13-percent year on year to some 3.6 trillion yuan.

China Minmetals takes over China Metallurgical Group Corp.

China's state-owned asset watchdog has announced that China Minmetals Corporation, one of the country's leading mining groups, is being allowed to take over China Metallurgical Group.

The State Council says China Metallurgical Group will now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Minmetals.

S. Korea wins approval to sell yuan-denominated sovereign bonds in ChinaSouth Korea's Finance Ministry says it’s won an approval from the People's Bank of China to sell Yuan-denominated sovereign bonds in China's inter-bank bond market.

The ceiling for the South Korean bond sales has been set at 3-billion yuan.

A road show for potential investors will be taking place from Wednesday to Friday in Beijing and Shanghai.

As part of the road show, South Korean authorities will explain to the PBoC and other investors about where it wants to direct its bond sale money in the South Korean economy.

S. Korea to frontload 68 pct of 2016 budget in H1 to bolster economyIn a bid to keep its national economy stimulated amid unease about the status of the regional economy, South Korea's Finance Ministry has announced plans to front-load its national spending next year.

68-percent of the national budget is going to be spent through the first-half of the year, with just over 40-percent of the money being pumped into the economy through the first 3-months.

At issue is job creation.

While the official jobless numbers in South Korea remain steady at around 3-percent, the so-called sentiment jobless rate, which includes people who are only marginally employed or those poised to come out of school, remains above 10-percent.

At the same time, South Korean exports have been on an 11-month decline, leading to additional concerns about South Korea's export-driven economy.

China is a major destination for South Korean exports.

Match-making Sites Baihe and Jiayuan MergeChina's two leading match-making websites jiayuan.com and baihe.com have announced a merger.

Baihe's subsidiary, LoveWorld, will buy Jiayuan for just over 250-million US dollars.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

Jiayuan.com says after the acquisition, it plans to delist from the Nasdaq.

Jiayuan was approached for a buyout back in march because of its poor share performance on the Nasdaq.

Baihe is currently listed on China's New Third Board after pulling out of the US markets last year.

China's Luye Medical to acquire Australian hospital operatorChina-based Luye Medical Group has announced plans to acquire Healthe Care Australia.

Luye Medical is acquiring Australia's 3rd largest corporate private hospital operator for 688-million U.S. dollars.

The deal is expected to complete in the first quarter next year.

Luye Medical says it will use Health Care's expertise and experience to build high-end private hospitals in China.

Luye Medical has plans to open a medical services chain across China's top to 3rd tier cities in the next 20-years.

SportsSuper Dan withdraws from World Super Series Finals in DubaiIn badminton,A shock announcement ahead of the World Super Series Finals in Dubai set to get underway tomorrow.

Olympic and World Champion Lin Dan will not be taking part in the event, pulling out due to injury.

The 32-year-old, who was set to make his first-ever appearance at the BWF Finals for the first-time every, had just won the men's singles title at the Olympics test event held in Rio de Janeiro.

Details surrounding his injury are not clear.

His vacancy is good news for Lin Dan's teammate Tian Houwei.

Tian, who had qualified for Dubai after having finished in the top-8 at the end of the season, had been bumped from Dubai, as only 2 competitors from each country are allowed to compete in each event, meaning it was to be Lin Dan and World number-1 Chen Long representing China.

However, Lin Dan's departure means Tian Houwei will be able to compete.

Meanwhile, a women's doubles pair from Japan has also withdrawn from the finals.

They will be replaced by another Japanese duo.

UEFA final group stage matches tonightIn football action,The final round of the UEFA Champions League group stage is set to get underway tonight,Among the action, Manchester United takes on Wolfsburg, with direct advancement into the knockout stages at stake.

Man-U is only one point behind Wolfsburg in 2nd in the group, and need a win to ensure they move on.

Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger:

"No, there is no big pressure. We are here in Wolfsburg and we know the situation. Of course, we know that we need a good result here. And I think we need to think about our performance and how we can beat Wolfsburg. We did in Manchester. We played against them. We won 2-1. And we want to do it again."A loss by Manchester United, combined with a PSV victory over CSKA Moscow, would put Man-U down to 3rd, and into a Europe League playoff position.

---Other action of critical note,Chelsea is up against FC Porto tonight in a critical match.

A loss by Chelsea, which is tied with Porto at the top of their group at 10-points, could see Dynamo Kiev surpass the struggling Blues if the Ukrainian side can defeat winless Tel Aviv tonight.

--A battle for the 2nd slot in Group E also takes place tonight.

Barcelona, easily through at the top of the group, take on Leverkusen, which is locked on 5-points with Roma, which is taking on Borisov, which is just below them at 4 points.

NFL: NFC East race becomes much tighterWeek 13 of the National Football League has come to an end, with the Monday night game making things much more interesting heading toward the playoffs.

It was the Dallas Cowboys upsetting the Washington Redskins at home this afternoon, 19-16.

Dallas kicking a 54-yard field goal with just 9-seconds left in the game to secure the victory.

With the win, Dallas moves to 4-8 in the woeful NFC East.

However, this still keeps Dallas in the hunt for the NFC playoff race, as all three other teams ahead of them, including Washington, have 5-7 records.

The winner of the Division automatically gets a playoff berth, while the rest of teams have to battle for a wildcard spot, which is decided within the Conference, realistically meaning only the winner of the NFC East will make the playoffs.

Basketball: 76ers turn in worst performance of yearIn the NBA,The Philadelphia 76ers should consider themselves lucky the Golden State Warriors are all the talk of the NBA this season.

If not, odds are things might well be different surrounding that team at this point.

Just a day after hiring Jerry Colangelo, the head of Team USA basketball, as Philly's new head of operations, the 76ers turned in one of their most embarrassing performances of the year in front of their new boss, going down to the San Antonio Spurs 119-68 this morning.

The 51-point margin is the 5th worst loss in the 76ers franchise history, and was done without San Antonio playing stars Tim Duncan, Mano Ginobli or Kawahi Leonard.

Philly moves to 1-21 on the season.

Meanwhile, the Warriors take their 22-0 record into Indiana tomorrow morning against the Pacers.

Tipoff for that game is 8am Beijing time.

--In other action from earlier today,It was Charlotte waxing Detroit 104-84.

--Dallas got by New York 104-97.

--Toronto got its last glimpse of Kobe Bryant in a basketball uniform, with the home-town Raptors downing the Lakers 102-93.

--Washington surprised Miami at home, 114-103.

--Boston beat New Orleans 111-93.

--The LA Clippers edged Minnesota 110-106.

--Phoenix upset Chicago at home, 103-101.

--And Milwaukee held off Portland 90-88.

---------------One game underway tonight in the CBA, with 3-11 Foshan at home to 4-10 Qingdao.

US, Canada, Sweden to play in int'l women's curling event in ChinaAn international women's curling tournament is set to take place next week in the city of Yichun in Heilongjiang.

The national teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Hungary and China will be competing in the event along with the Chinese national Youth team, as well as a local rink.

The Chinese national team is currently 6th in the world rankings.

Hockey: Vancouver snaps losing skid; Field Hockey player named youth Olympics ambassadorIn the National Hockey League,A short schedule this morning, with only 3-games played.

Among them, the Vancouver Canucks have snapped a 5-game losing skid, getting past the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 this afternoon at home.

Despite having lost 10 of their last 12 heading into the game, the Canucks move into a tie for 2nd in a weak Pacific Division, just 7-points back of Los Angeles.

--In other action,It was Nashville moving within one-point of 2nd place St. Louis in the Central with a 3-2 win in Boston.

--And it was Colorado getting past Minnesota 2-1 in overtime.

--In news from hockey of a different sort... field hockey,Argentinian legend Luciana Aymar has been named as an Ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018.

"I think to have an Olympic Games here is a big opportunity for the country and the city for all the people to see the athletes, the big athletes of the world for us it is a big opportunity because to make an Olympic is not easy and all the people will see the beauty of Buenos Aires."Aymar is known as the Maradona of field hockey in Argentina.

The next Youth Olympic Games will be held in Buenos Aires in October of 2018.

Hashim Amla comments on India's 3-0 series win over South AfricaIn Cricket,Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has gone an impressive 5-61, leading India to a comprehensive 337-run thrashing of South Africa in the fourth and final test in their 3-nil victory to win this year's Freedom Cup.

South African captain Hashim Amla says he doesn't think his club could have done much more.

"I don't think we would have changed much, maybe a few batters, a few of us would probably have selected a few different shots on occasions. But by and large you need to score runs when you bat, especially the first innings. But as I said earlier, credit to India, they batted very well and they outplayed us in this series, so they certainly deserved the series victory."------In other cricket news,It's been announced the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh will get underway on January 27th.

Bangladesh has been engulfed in political tensions stemming from the fallout of its war of independence from Pakistan.

Pakistan will be fielding a team at the event, which will culminate in the finals on February 14th.

EntertainmentChina Box Office: 'Martian' Leads From 'Star,' 'Point Break'

"The Martian" continues to dominate the Chinese box office for the second weekend straight.

The Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi drama took in 27-million US dollars in its second week, expanding its cumulative gross to just over 76-million US dollars after 12 days in Chinese theatres.

That puts it on course to overtake the latest James Bond film "Spectre," which is now off the charts after earning 84.4 million US dollars.

Chinese romance "Fall in Love Like A Star" sits 2nd on the box office list, earning nearly 15.5-million US dollars since its opening 4-days ago.

"Point Break," a remake of Katherine Bigelow's 1991 cult classic, has earned 12-million dollars since its release.

Its release in China comes 3-weeks ahead of its North American opening, a first for a Hollywood film.

Down the list, the Chinese romantic comedy "Our Times" sits in 4th, while new release "Impossible" stays on in 5th.

Kendrick Lamar leads Grammy nominationsKendrick Lamar has emerged as the front-runner for next year's Grammy Awards, with 11 nominations.

Among his nominations, Lamar is up for album of the year for "To Pimp A Butterfly."His competition comes from Taylor Swift, whose pop smash "1989" has been nominated a year after its release.

"1989" came out too late to be eligible for last year's awards, a fate which has befallen Adele's "25" this time around.

Swift, along with 'The Weeknd' sit 2nd for nominations with 7.

Ed Sheeran is up for two of the major prizes - Song of the Year and Record of the Year - for "Thinking Out Loud."Other nominees for song of the year include The Weeknd's breakthrough hit "Can't Feel My Face" and Mark Ronson work with Bruno Mars for "Uptown Funk."Sylvester Stallone not involved in 'Rambo: New Blood'

It's been confirmed Sylvester Stallone will not be a part of US television channel FOX's new series "Rambo: New Blood," despite earlier reports he was preparing to be part of the program.

Some reports even had Stallone reprising his role as 'John Rambo.'

Stallone, himself, along with his reps, have denied these reports, saying he had no plans to be part of the new "Rambo" series, on or off-camera.

Some reports had put him as an Executive Director.

Plans for a "Rambo: New Blood" series first came about in 2013.

The people behind the concept had originally confirmed they were in talks with Stallone on him having a role.

However, now that it's not going to happen, its unclear whether the series will go ahead.

The "Rambo" series is based on a US Special Forces soldier who returns to the United States after numerous tours in Vietnam, only to be thrust back into action in various roles during the multi-part film series.

The first in the "Rambo" film series came out in 1982, with the last hitting theatres to poor reviews in 2008.

Big Bang Dominate YouTube With 5 Of The Top 10 Most Viewed K-Pop Music Videos In 2015South Korean boy band 'Big Bang' is at the top of this year's rankings among the most watched K-pop videos on YouTube in 2015.

Big Bang's music video for "Loser," as well as "Bang Bang Bang" are in the top two spots on YouTube's official 2015 K-pop rankings.

Three other 'Big Bang' songs appeared in the top 10.

With over 85 million views, Big Bang is big winner as far as K-Pop YouTube video views are concerned this year.

--K-pop girl groups are also sprinkled in the top-10.

Fifth place on the K-Pop YouTube view charts has gone to Girls Generation's "Party".

The seventh spot is held by 4Minute's "Crazy," and 'Miss A's' "Only You" came in at 8th.

The list was rounded out by EXO's "Love Me Right" in the final spot, which has been seen over 35 million times.

Hidden portrait found under Mona LisaA French scientist claims he's been able to spot a hidden image underneath the famed "Mona Lisa."Pascal Cotte claims that by using reflective lighting techniques for the past 10-years, he's been unable to uncover a separate image underneath the surface of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting.

Pascal Cotte says his reconstruction of the data shows another image of a person sitting, looking off to the side.

The Louvre in Paris has declined to comment on his claims.

The scientist, who is the co-founder of Lumiere Technology in Paris, was given access to the painting in 2004 by the Louvre.

That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

A first-ever red-alert for smog is now in effect here in Beijing, with forecasters warning it will linger for a couple more days.

New stats show a significant rise in organ donations so far this year in China.

New questions are being raised about whether the government in Venezuela is going to give up its hold on power following its electoral defeat.

On behalf of all of all of us on the Beijing Hour news team, this is Paul James in Beijing. Join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together...