Welcome to the Beijing Hour; we are coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on the programme this evening:

The Japanese government says it’s doing all it can as the deadline ticks toward the assassination of a pair of Japanese nationals at the hands of the Islamic State.

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been impeached and kicked out of politics for 5-years.

Ten Chinese nationals are missing after an at-Sea mishap off South Korea's Jeju Island.

In business.... Premier Li Keqiang urging the ECB to think of the repercussions when launching its new bond-buyback program.

In sports... China's Peng Shuai into the last-16 at the Australian Open.

In entertainment.... Michael Jackson's mother hoping for another bite at the apple in their last failed lawsuit connected to his death.

But first, a check on what's happening weather wise...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be clear tonight, with a low of minus 3. It will be overcast tomorrow, with a high of 3 degrees.　

Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 4, tomorrow will be cloudy, with a high of 14.

Chongqing will have slight rain tonight, 11 degrees the lowest, tomorrow will continue to have slight rain with a high of 14.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad will have some clouds tomorrow with a high of 22.

Kabul, partly cloudy, 4.

Over in Australia

Sydney, sunny, highs of 31.

Canberra, showers, 31.

Brisbane, showers, 30.

Finally, Perth will have clouds with a high of 31.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Mother of hostage Kenji Goto makes last minute plea

 

A new video has surfaced connected to the kidnapping and potential murder of a pair of Japanese nationals by the Islamic State.

A group affiliated with the militants has released a video on Friday, with a message saying the countdown is underway to kill the two men.

The video then shows a series of videos of other Islamic State victims being beheaded.

The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday, giving the Japanese government 72-hours to pay 200-million US dollars in ransom to spare the men's lives.

That would make the deadline sometime this Friday.

Japanese authorities say they've been doing all they can to try to have the men freed.

The mother of Kenji Goto, one of the men being held, has also put out an impassioned plea.

"Time is running out. Please, Japanese government, save my son's life. I would like to tell everyone in the Islam State that Kenji is not an enemy of the Islamic State."

Japanese officials have been meeting with friendly governments in the region in an attempt to try to secure the release of the two men.

One of the men, a 47-year-old defense contractor from Japan, was originally taken by the Islamic State while in Syria.

The other, a 43-year-old freelance journalist, then went to Syria to try to secure the contractor's release, but was instead captured, too.

 

 

US, Iraq prepares major offensive against IS

 

The United States and Iraq are reportedly working on plans to retake Iraq's second-largest city Mosul from the Islamic State.

Reports are suggesting a group of Kurdish fighters and other US-trained forces should be ready to launch the offensive by the spring or summer.

US air strikes have recently focused on Mosul.

Kurdish peshmerga forces have also launched successful offensives against Islamic State-held roads near Mosul, which is the largest city in northern Iraq.

The Islamic State has been using Mosul as a base to launch offensives into southern Iraq, getting as close as the outskirts of Baghdad last Summer before being pushed back.

 

 

Saudi King Abdullah dies at 90s

 

The Chinese government is adding its voice to those sending out condolences following the death of Saudi Arabia's King.

King Abdullah passed away in hospital after being admitted last week with a lung infection.

He was in his 90's.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying.

"China expresses sympathy on the death of King Abdullah and offers its sincere condolences to Saudi Arabia's government and the people. King Abdullah was an outstanding leader in Saudi Arabia who committed to promoting the country's development and protecting the peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf. He has enjoyed high prestige in Saudi Arabia and abroad."

Abdullah became the first Saudi King to visit China in 2006.

He also made large personal donations to the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Abdullah is being succeeded by his half-brother Salman.

 

 

Former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra impeached over rice policy

 

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been impeached for corruption.

Thailand's military-backed government has found her guilty of illegally funneling cash to her rural power base through a failed rice subsidy scheme that paid farmers well above market rates for their rice.

Thai authorities estimate the failed program cost the taxpayers around 15-billion US dollars.

She has been banned from Thai politics for 5-years.

Yingluck's supporters contend the charges have been manufactured to keep both her and her brother, ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, out of power.

Thai prosecutors have also announced Yingluck is going to face criminal charges connected to the subsidy scheme.

Surasak Threerattrakul is the Director General of Thailand's Attorney General's office.

"The Attorney General has examined the witnesses and evidence forwarded by the working groups, as well as the evidence in the National Anti-Corruption Commission's case documents, and found that the case was complete enough to prosecute the accused at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for the Holders of Political Positions. Therefore, (he) has ordered to indict and prosecute Yingluck Shinawatra on the charges she was accused of."

She could face up to 10-years in prison if convicted.

A Constitutional Court in Thailand forced her to step down in May after finding her guilty of abusing her power.

Days later, Thai military took control of the government in a coup.

?

For more on this CRI's Poornima Weerasekara spoke to Prof. Gong Haochun, who is currently in Thailand. She is an Assosiate Professor of Anthropology at the Minzu university in Beijing.

 

 

US-Cuba talks end 'positively'

 

Two days of historic talks between the United States and Cuba have concluded, with both sides agreeing to meet again.

The discussions this time have focused mostly on restoring diplomatic ties.

No date has been established yet as to when that may happen.

Cuban delegation chief Josefina Vidal says the biggest issue for his side is getting the economic blockade lifted.

"I trust in a better future for our countries, I believe in that. We are neighboring countries, as I said this morning, we have profound differences, but we have seen how countries in the world with profound differences can co-exist peacefully, in a civilized way, finding a way to common problems."

While headway is being reported between the US and Cuba, sharp divisions still remain on key issues such as human rights and immigration.

This round of talks this week are the highest-level between the two sides since the two sides failed in a previous attempt to re-establish ties in the 1970's.

US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro shocked the political world by announcing in December they planned to normalize relations between the two countries.

The United States cut off diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1962 during the height of the Cold War.

 

 

Argentina Nisman death 'not suicide'

 

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez says she is now convinced the death of top Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman was not suicide.

The 51-year old Nisman was found shot dead in his apartment on Sunday.

Initial findings had suggested suicide.

However, as the gun used in his death wasn't his own, and the fact he was about to testify in a case connected to the President, suspicions have been raised.

In a published letter, Cristina Fernandez now says that she too doubts Nisman took his own life.

Her people are suggesting his death may be the result of someone trying to tarnish her reputation by casting a shadow on the President.

Nisman had been investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires prior to his death.

Days prior to his death, the late prosecutor accused both Fernandez and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman of a plot to cover up Iran's alleged role in the incident.

His death came just hours before he was to testify to those allegations to a congressional committee.

 

 

10 Chinese missing in fishing boat collision off S. Korea

 

Ten Chinese fishermen are missing after a Chinese fishing boat collided with an unidentified cargo ship off South Korea's Jeju island.

The Yonhap news agency says the incident occured on Thursday night after the cargo ship crashed into the flank of the fishing boat.

Three crew members of the fishing boat have managed to survive.

The cargo ship reportedly fled the scene after the crash took place.

 

 

China-South Korea Relationship Upgraded in both Cultural and Economic Area

 

South Korea has launched its "Tourism Year of China" in Seoul.

The promotion is part of a two-way tourism exchange both sides are taking part in this year and next.

The number of two-way visitors hit over 10-million last year, surpassing a goal the two sides had originally set to hit next year.

Kim Jong is the South Korea's deputy Tourism Minister.

"China and South Korea have been the biggest tourist resource countries and the largest touring destination countries for each other. As the 2016 goal has been fulfilled ahead of schedule, we plan to make full use of the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, raising the number of two-way visitors to 20 million people."

At the same time, trade between China and South Korea has also been on the agenda today.

Chinese vice-Premier Wang Yang has touched on the issue at a China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation forum.

"The China-South Korea FTA is a very comprehensive one, covering areas more than any other FTA China has already established. It is also a high-level FTA, as both countries have shown great determination and sincerity during the negotiation process. China has promised to start the talks based on the pre-establishment of National Treatment and the use of negative lists, and has also agreed to establish separate areas covering financial services and telecommunications. This is also a first for China."

The China-South Korea FTA talks have been going for more than a decade.

When completed, tariffs are going to be eliminated on more than 90-percent of all products moved between the two countries.

 

 

Spring Fesitval Travels Likely to Hit Another Record

 

Chinese authorities have begun preparations for the forthcoming Spring Festival travel season.

This year's travel rush is set to peak on February 4th and is expected to last until mid-March.

Authorities estimate there are going to be 3.7-billion trips made, which is expected to be another record.

Lian Weiliang is the deputy chief of National Development and Reform Commission.

"During the Spring Festival rush, tens of millions of people will travel across China each day. So, there will be a large volume of passenger and traffic flows, as well as the frequent use of vehicles. On top of this, there have been severe weather conditions in parts of China this winter season, so major traffic accidents are more likely to happen. Since around 100 million people will be added in this year's travel peak, we are going to face more challenges in safety protection."

In response, the Ministry of Transportation has already issued a traffic alert ahead of this year's travel rush.

China Railway Corporation says they expect passenger flows to increase by 10-percent this year.

Authorities anticipate a larger number of people are also going to travel abroad this year.

 

 

Only 1/ 6 Chinese white collar have received their year-end bonus

 

A new survey from Chinese recruitment website Zhaopin.com suggests only one-in-six white-collar workers in China have received a year-end bonus in 2014.

The same survey has also found that a majority of the white collars who did get a bonus weren't happy with what they got.

"I am a salesperson. Last year, I have got at most 1000 yuan for year-end bonus since our business did not run well."

"I am not very satisfied. I only got a little over 10 thousand yuan, which is equal to two-month's salary. "

Zhu Hong yan, a career consultant with Zhaopin.com, says they believe there are two main reasons behind employee dissatisfaction.

"It depends on the transparency of the year-end bonus system in different companies, and whether the company can give you a sufficient bonus that can meet your working performance. On the other hand, white-collars have a quite high expectation on how much of a bonus they should get after working over a year, and they always compare their bonus with others."

Although the year-end bonus is not legally required for employers in China, it is a highly-recommended way to reward employees at the end of a working year.

 

 

Euthanasia for Dying Boy Rejected in Anhui

 

Anchor:

The debate over whether euthanasia should be legalized in China has become heated after a couple in Anhui had their appeal to end the life of their one-year old son rejected.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

---

Reporter:

Xiong Zhengqing's son suffered severe brain damage after getting stuck on a conveyer belt last month. The boy is now on life support, unable to breath on his own.

Jin Danqun of Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital is in charge of the boy's treatment.

"He suffered hypoxia, without a heartbeat and breath for eight minutes. Generally speaking, over four minutes of hypoxia will lead to irreversible brain damage. According to his condition, his recovery is highly unlikely."

To end their son's suffering, Xiong Zhengqing and his wife applied for euthanasia. But the hospital rejected the request, saying it would amount to illegal conduct.

The parents later turned to the local civil affairs bureau to plead their case, but nothing changed.

"It will be rejected everywhere in the country. It's illegal. Though he is ill, as long as he is alive, there should be respect for his life."

The bureau is helping the financially strained family to apply for subsidies from the public health insurance program.

Euthanasia is banned here in China.

But the call for its legislation, especially for minors, has risen in recent years after the media unveiled a series of rejected applications for euthanasia of children with severe birth defects or late-stage cancer.

Supporters say the practice can meet humanitarian principles.

But opponents express concern that legalization of the practice could lead to murder.

Currently, only the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland allow euthanasia for minors.

For CRI, I am Luo Wen.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Anchor:

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

Joining me on the desk is Poornima Weerasekara.

Reporter:

Chinese markets closed mixed today with the larger Shanghai bourse posting a fourth straight day gains following Monday's dive.

At close, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.5 percent on release of a Chinese Academy of Sciences report forecasting the country's economy is going to expand 7.2 percent this year.

The CAS report anticipates a 7.1 percent GDP growth in the first half of the year and 7.3 percent in the second half.

That forecast is better than the IMF's estimate of 6.8 percent.

Insurance stocks led the gains with shares of Pacific Insurance jumping 8 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng surged 1.3 percent, following the European Central Bank's move to pump over 1 trillion euros into the euro zone by the end of 2016.

Other Asian markets also responded positively to the ECB move.

The Japanese Nikkei jumped 1.1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI added 0.8 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times index moved up 1.2 percent.

And lastly, Australia's ASX 200 increased 1 and a half percent.

 

 

Li Says China Respects Euro Zone Quantitative Easing

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says the Chinese government respects the quantitative easing measures being rolled out by the European Central Bank.

But at the same time, Li Keqiang also says he hopes the financial leaders in the eurozone have a watchful eye on the spillover effect of the massive cash injection on other economies.

"It is a decision made by Europe. They have the sovereignty and the decision-making power over their own fiscal and monetary policies. But we hope when they are making decisions, they look into the potential spillover effect of their moves. We feel we should coordinate macro-economic policies among countries for the recovery of the global economy."

Li Keqiang has made the comments to Hong Kong based Phoenix TV during his time at Davos, Switzerland.

The European Central Bank has decided to start a large scale bond buying program, pumping over one trillion euros into the system in the next 2-years to address the eurozone's continued threat of deflation.

 

 

Factory Activity Busier than Dec. Still Contracting

 

Factory activity appears to be picking up slightly this month.

But the HSBC's preliminary purchasing managers' index reading is, again, below the expansion-contraction line of 50.

The 49.8 reading for January is slightly better than December's 49.6.

The output sub-index has come in at 50.1, indicating factories are selling a little bit more than the previous months.

Factory procurement costs are still coming down because of the declining prices of raw materials.

 

 

China Establishes Ecommerce Union

 

China's quality watchdog has established an e-commerce union.

The union, representing many of China's e-commerce firms, is designed to share product quality information and identify blacklisted businesses.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine says the union will be in-charge of supervision over the e-commerce market.

The creation of the union is a response to widespread complaints that numerous online shops are peddling counterfeit goods.

Chinese e-commerce sector has exploded in recent years, with online retail sales averaging annual growth of around 50 percent a year.

 

 

Goubuli to manage Australian coffee house brands

 

Tianjin restaurant brand Goubuli is teaming up with a pair of Australian coffee brands to appeal to China's younger consumers.

Goubuli, known here in China as a steamed buns producer, is paying 30 million yuan, or nearly 5 million US dollars, to become the only distributor of 'Gloria Jean's Coffees' and 'It's a Grind' in China.

'Gloria Jean's Coffees' has over a thousand locations in over 40 countries, and is the largest coffee retailer in Australia.

Around 200 new Goubuli coffee and restaurants are to be opened through the new partnership across China in the next 5-years.

For more on the move, the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

 

 

Ping An Insurance Buys Tower Palace in London

 

China's second largest insurer, Ping'An Life, has snapped up a second landmark building in London.

Ping An has purchased the 'Tower Palace' from Gaw Capital Partners for nearly 500-million US dollars.

The purchase is over 100-million more than Ping'An paid for the 'Lloyds Building' back in 2013.

'Tower Place' is located in the financial section of London.

Its main tenant is Marsh and McLennan.

 

 

Li Ka-shing in Talks to Buy Britain's O2

 

Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing is in talks to buy Britain's second-largest mobile provider 'O2' for more than 15-billion US dollars from Spain's Telefonica.

His company, Hutchison Whampoa, already owns the 'Three' mobile network in the UK.

If the '02' acquisition deal goes through, it will make Li Ka-shing the owner of the biggest mobile group in Britain.

Hutchison Whampoa says the exclusive negotiations with Telefonica will take several weeks.

The 86-year old has already spent over a billion dollars this week to buy the UK's Eversholt Rail Group.

At the same time, Li Ka-shing's supermarket chain, 'Watsons', has acquired Dutch pharmacy chain 'Dirx'.

'Dirx' is the largest pharmacy operation in the Netherlands, with over 50 outlets across the country.

 

 

Toyota Agrees to Pay 2.2 billion Compensation to Its China Dealers

 

Toyota and its Chinese joint ventures have reportedly agreed to pay some 2 billion-yuan in compensation to its Chinese dealers.

That's equivalent to about 360-million U.S. dollars.

The compensation for Toyota's Chinese dealers is for the high inventories they've been carrying to meet Toyota's high sales targets.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

Mother of hostage Kenji Goto makes last minute plea

 

A new video has surfaced connected to the kidnapping and potential murder of a pair of Japanese nationals by the Islamic State.

A group affiliated with the militants has released a video on Friday, with a message saying the countdown is underway to kill the two men.

The video then shows a series of videos of other Islamic State victims being beheaded.

The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday, giving the Japanese government 72-hours to pay 200-million US dollars in ransom to spare the men's lives.

That would make the deadline sometime this Friday.

Japanese authorities say they've been doing all they can to try to have the men freed.

 

 

US, Iraq prepares major offensive against IS

 

The United States and Iraq are reportedly working on plans to retake Iraq's second-largest city Mosul from the Islamic State.

Reports are suggesting a group of Kurdish fighters and other US-trained forces should be ready to launch the offensive by the spring or summer.

US air strikes have recently focused on Mosul.

Kurdish peshmerga forces have also launched successful offensives against Islamic State-held roads near Mosul, which is the largest city in northern Iraq.

 

 

Yingluck impeached on corruption

 

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been impeached for corruption.

The Thai government has found her guilty of illegally funneling cash to her rural power base through a failed rice subsidy scheme.

Thai authorities estimate the failed program cost the taxpayers around 15-billion US dollars.

She faces a 5-year ban from politics.

Thai prosecutors are also referring her to the legal system on corruption charges.

She could face up to 10-years in prison if convicted.

 

 

2 killed, 15 injured in bomb blast in India

 

At least two people have been killed and more than 15 others injured in a bomb blast in northeastern India.

The blast hit a local courthouse.

A police officer is among the dead.

Investigations are underway to determine if there is a terrorism angle to the blast or if it has any links to the cases being heard in the court.

India is already under high-alert ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's three-day visit to India, which begins this weekend.

 

 

1 dead, 1 injured in East China blast

 

Authorities are working to determine the cause of a residental building explosion in the city of Weihai in Shandong which left one person dead.

Another person remains in hospital in serious condition after the massive blast ripped through the building on Thursday morning.

The explosion was strong enough to knock down the 2nd and 3rd storys of the building.

It also blew out windows in neighboring buildings.

Initial indications are it was a natural gas explosion.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

CHINA DAILY

"Scholarships increased for international students in China"

International students receiving scholarships from the Chinese government will see an increase in their financial support.

According to a notice released by the Ministries of Finance and Education, undergraduates will receive up to 66,200 yuan, or 10,700 US dollars, master's students 79-thousand yuan and doctoral students 99-thousand yuan each year.

The new standard, which applies to students who enrolled in September, took into consideration factors including rising prices and the costs for Chinese higher education institutes, the ministries said.

The new standard divides Chinese scholarships into three types, according to majors and levels of study.

Undergraduate students majoring in philosophy, economics, law, liberal arts and management, for example, will get a package of 59,200 yuan for an academic year, which covers their tuition, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses.

--

SHANGHAI DAILY

"Shanghai cracks down on illegal parking"

Shanghai's traffic law enforcement team this week shut down 45 illegal parking operations throughout the city.

Shanghai Transport Commission team says they were unlicensed and some had potential safety hazards.

95 parking areas which did have licenses were given rectification notices.

All those were told to bring their facilities up to standard within four weeks or face fines of up to 2-thousand yuan.

At least half the parking fees raised were reportedly not reaching the government in a number of cities that included Shanghai and Beijing.

In Shanghai, city and district governments can also put the operation of parking areas out to tender. The winning bidders hire their own staff and pay part of their profit to the authority according to contract.

However, it is said the money handed in didn't match the real income and the district government had limited manpower and ability to supervise the operation.

--

THE BANGKOK POST (Thailand)

Princess goes back to Thai word basics

The Princess of Thailand has advised the Education Ministry to promote the traditional method of Thai spelling at schools to improve children's Thai language literacy.

The princess raised the matter during her visit to Chiang Mai on Tuesday to preside over the opening of a seminar on ways to improve the welfare of children in remote areas.

According to an education authority, the princess said developing teachers' skills is also important. She suggested the ministry give teachers a chance to broaden their horizons by going abroad to learn new ways of teaching.

Addressing the seminar, the princess said she was glad to see that projects to improve the welfare of children in rural areas have made progress.

She said she was happy many locals are in good health and make a decent living to support their families.

--

AFP

Do you want fries with that? Too bad, says KFC Japan

KFC in Japan has stopped selling fries, as industrial disputes that have crimped potato exports from the US took another bite out of the country's fast food market.

The chain became the latest casualty of the chip shortage that has already forced McDonald's Japan to ration its servings.

Chip troubles for "The Colonel" came after McDonald's in Japan said last month it had airlifted in more than 1-thousand tonnes of potatoes and had put in place emergency shipment via an unusual sea route.

The airlift eased the shortage that had forced the chain to limit customers to small servings of fries.

That came after the operator of the restaurant chain also said it planned to airlift in around 200 tons of french fries to avoid running short.

Dockworkers in the US are reportedly on a go-slow and have not been providing full crews for months in a bid to gain bargaining leverage in labour negotiations with employers.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

US Miss Universe- Miss USA on hosting this year, Miss France on terrorism in her country

 

Anchor:

The annual Miss Universe pageant is set to take place this coming Sunday.

This year, many of the contestants say they're trying to bring something different to the competition.

CRI's Liu Xiangwei has more.

Reporter:

Miss USA, Nia Sanchez, is hoping she'll win the Miss Universe crown so she can take her self-defense message to a larger audience.

"I am doing women's empowerment and women's self-defense classes, kind of a combination class. I feel it's like really important to know who you are and be confident in yourself and then also learn a little self-defense, because that's my specialty. So I can't wait to hopefully be able to take that on an international level and do that across the world."

But for some contestants, being separated from home is proving very difficult.

Here's Miss France, Camille Cerf.

"I'm feeling really sad about what's happening in my country. I feel disconnected from the acts of terrorism that occurred early this month. I'm only getting information from news reports."

In Miami, the contest is drawing lots of attention from Spanish-language media, who made up most of the media throng interviewing contestants on Wednesday -- beauty pageants are big business in Latin American countries.

Miss Bolivia Claudia Tavel says.

"Latin women, Latin people, are very emphatic. They have it in their blood, right? So, it could be true that maybe between the Latin women there may be more competition. And we hope that this year, like brothers, we'll support each other and that Miss Universe will be a good-hearted woman, and be a Latina."

Other contestants are having fun simply meeting others.

Josefin Donat, Miss Germany is a nurse. She says the friendliness surprises her.

"I am a little bit afraid that they are not nice and they are maybe a little conflict or something like that. But no, they are really, really nice. Really. And they are so amazing woman here."

Tegan Martin, Miss Australia, agreed, citing the way she has bonded with her roommate for the pageant, Miss USA.

"We've been doing everything together. You know, we wake up, we do exercises in our bedroom, like floor exercises. We do question and answer practice together. We share clothes, we share shoes, we share make-up. I feel like I've known her my whole life."

Miss Universe 2015 will be crowned on Sunday, January 25.

BACK ANCHOR:

CRI's Liu Xiangwei reporting.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Asian Cup: Iraq beat Iran 4-3.

 

In Asian cup action:

Iraq has beated Iran 4-3.

And Japan are taking on the United Arab Emirates. The game is in extra time, and is currently tied at 1-1.

 

 

Conca set to return to China after Fluminense accepts proposal- reports

 

Fluminense's Dario Conca will go back to the Chinese Super League after the Brazilian club accepted the proposal from Chinese club Shanghai SIPG, Brazilian media reported on Thursday.

The Argentine midfielder will receive 56 million Real, about 21 million USD, for a two-year contract with Shanghai SIPG, which just signed former England team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Conca, who came back to Fluminense last year from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, is said to be unhappy at Fluminense due to a delay in the payment of image-rights after investment group Unimed parted ways with the club in the end of 2014. The image-rights revenue takes up the majority of Conca's salary at Fluminense.

Although the final contract hasn't been signed between the two sides, Brazilian media believed that there is no hurdle in Conca's transfer after Fluminense accepted the proposal. Unimed, who also owns the economic rights of Conca, has already authorized the transfer.

Conca is well known in China after a successful two-and-a-half years spell with Guangzhou Evergrande that ended in December 2013.

 

 

Peng Shuai onto round 4 of Aussie Open

 

Peng Shuai equaled her best result in Australian Open Friday after the Chinese player breezed into the last 16, beating Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6, 6-3.

Peng lost her opening service before she broke back in the second set.

The 29-year-old Chinese saved five set points in the 10th game and leveled at 5-5 on the second break point.

In the tie-breaker, Peng came from 1-4 down to win the set on her second set point.

Peng dominated the second set when she broke Shvedova's serve in the seventh game. She managed to grab the third match point in the ninth game and won the second set in 58 minutes.

Peng equaled her best performance in 11 appearances in Melbourne Park when she entered the fourth round in 2011.

Peng offered these thoughts on the slow start to her match.

"I was very nervous at the beginning, which can be seen in my serving. When the match came to 3-all, she got her service, turning the score to 4-3. She gave a ball with an external angle followed by a forehand hit in the second score. I went over to have a look and am now feeling quite upset that I did not challenge since that ball might have been out of bounds."

Next, she will meet the winner between five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova and Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan.

 

 

Tennis: Federer Out, Murray through in Aussie Open

 

Roger Federer was shocked in Australia as he went out in the third round to Italian Andreas Seppi.

He was beaten 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (5) - the first time the 17-time Grand Slam champion had lost to Seppi in 10 previous meetings.

Federer has won the Australian title four times, and had reached the semi-finals or better at Melbourne Park every year since winning the championship for the first time in 2004 - but made a series of errors as the Italian won match point in style.

No such problems for Andy Murray.

He eased through against Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a 4th round clash with No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov.

 

 

NBA: Rose adds 22 as San Antonio fall to Chicago

 

In NBA action:

Derrik Rose scored 22 points and the struggling Chicago Bulls beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-81 on Thursday night.

The Bulls came away with a much-needed win after dropping six of eight and handed the defending champions their most lopsided loss of the season.

And over in Milwaukee:

Gordon Hayward scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz held on for a 101-99 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday night as the Bucks missed their last five shots in the closing minute.

In Portland:

With just 1.9 seconds left and trailing the Trail Blazers 89-87, Evan Turner launched a shot from about 23 feet out. It fell, giving the Boston Celtics the 90-89 victory on Thursday night.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Celtics, who had four starters in double figures paced by Avery Bradley with 18 points. Jared Sullinger added 17 points and nine rebounds.

And in Los Angeles:

Blake Griffin scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half, when the Clippers led by 33, and Los Angeles went on to its largest victory ever over Brooklyn, 123-84.

 

 

Basketball: CBA action

 

IN CBA Action:

Tonight at 8 p.m., Beijing Time:

Tianjin will take on Zhejiang Guangsha;

Shandong will face Shanxi;

Fujian will battle the Sichuan Blue Whales;

Beijing will hit the court against league leaders Liaoning;

Guangdong Southern will face off against Dongguan;

Xinjiang takes on Jilin Northeast;

The Bayi Rockets will face the Jiangsu Dragons;

Zhejiang Chouzhou and Jiangsu Tong Xi will meet;

The Shanghai Sharks will take on Guangdong Foshan;

and Chongqing will play against Qingdao.

 

 

English Premier League: Man United Blanks QPR

 

In English premier league action:

Liverpool shut out Aston Villa 2-0.

It was Southampton over Newcastle 2-1.

And Manchester United blanked the Queens Park Rangers 2-0.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Lawyers for Michael Jackson's mother argue for new trial in case against concert promoter

 

Lawyers for Michael Jackson's mother have argued for a new trial in her case against concert promoter AEG Live.

Attorneys for Katherine Jackson appealed a jury's verdict finding that AEG live was not financially responsible for the singer's death in 2009. They contend that the trial court judge incorrectly dismissed negligence and employment claims before the trial.

The trial lasted over five months in 2013 with testimonies that focused on the relationship between Jackson, AEG and Dr Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving the singer a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

Katherine Jackson's lawyer argued that promoter AEG improperly inserted itself into Jackson's medical care in the months before his planned comeback concerts and executed undue influence over his personal doctor. AEG argued that they were shocked as anyone to learn that Dr Murray was giving Jackson propofol in a bedroom setting.

A decision on the appeal is expected in the next three months.

 

 

Chen He confirms divorce

 

Actor Chen He has confirmed that he and Xu Jing have divorced.

Chen announced that the two signed the divorce agreement almost six months ago.

He said the break up was peaceful and the reason for the divorce was that they were becoming more and more estranged due to the heavy burden and pressure of their work.

The pair knew each other in junior high school and married after 13 years of dating.

They married in a low key ceremony on the island of Phuket in Thailand in 2013.

Chen He has denied rumours of extra marital affairs.

 

 

Somewhere Only We Know to be released on Valentines Day

 

Chinese actress and director Xu Jinglei's upcoming film Somewhere Only We Know will be released on Valentine's Day.

The film tells the story of a girl named Jin Tian who goes to Prague after her fiancée breaks off their engagement. She meets a man name Peng Zeyang and their love story begins.

The film stars Wang Likun, Zhang Chao and Kris Wu who was formerly in South Korean boyband EXO. The script was written by Wang Shuo who last collaborated with Xu on the film Dreams May Come.

The film will be released in cinemas across China on February 14th.

 

 

Taylor Swift knocked off Billboard artist top spot

 

Taylor Swift has been dethroned from her top spot on the Billboard Artist 100 charts by Meghan Trainor.

After thirteen weeks on the top spot, Swift was knocked into second place by newcomer Meghan Trainor after just two weeks in the Billboard Artist 100 charts.

The singer's debut album arrived at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 charts after shifting 238,000 units in the week ending last Sunday.

Ed Sheeran followed Taylor Swift in third place.

The artist 100 is the first weekly ranking dedicated to measuring artist activity across Billboard's most influential charts including the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, Top Album Sales and the Social 50.

 

 

Simon Pegg to co-write next Star Trek movie

 

Actor and writer Simon Pegg has confirmed that he will co-write the next Star Trek movie.

Pegg is taking over from Roberto Orci, the original screenwriter who pulled out last month reportedly after disagreements over the script. He was also slated to direct the film.

He's been replaced in the director's chair by Justin Lin who is well known for the Fast and Furious movies.

Pegg has taken over scripting with the help of TV writer Doug Jung and he will also reprise his role as engineer Montgomery Scott in the franchise.

Film company Paramount still hope to meet the scheduled release date of July 2016.

Simon Pegg is best known for his previously scripted box office hits Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End.