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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Regional and International issues have been at the forefront of a meeting among the foreign minsters of China, Russia and India.

Alibaba chief Jack Ma sits down with young people in Hong Kong.

US President Barack Obama puts forward his budget initiative.

In business, Gazprom gets a triple-A rating from Dagong... despite the apparent downsides…

In Sports, Tom Brady says "no" to retirement, a day after his Super Bowl victory.

In entertainment, we'll tell you about Spring Festival plans being put together in Cambodia.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be sunny with a high of 8, tonight sunny with a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will be overcast in the day with a high of 8, overnight lows dipping to 4 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing , also overcast, with a high of 11 and a low of 7.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 11.

Kabul sunny with a high of 8.

Over to North America.

New York will have sleet with a high of minus 2 degree Celsius.

Washington cloudy with a high of 4 degrees.

Honolulu will have shower, 28.

Toronto will have snow with a high of minus 6.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires, cloudy, 31.

And Rio de Janeiro will be rainy with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Chinese, Russian, Indian FMs meet in Beijing

 

The foreign ministers of China, Russia and India have met in Beijing for a trilateral session.

The three have been discussing both international and regional issues.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"The first one is sound bilateral relationship and strategic partnership. The second is similar diplomatic concepts, meaning the countries taking a common or similar stance regarding major international and regional affairs. And the third is common interests based on the prosperity of their countries and nations."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says part of the discussion has included thoughts on reform of the UN.

"A more democratic and impartial global political and economic pattern is emerging. Now none of the countries in the world can solve major global problems on their own. Thus based on the International Law, we call for a global structure which is steadier, safer and fairer, with the United Nations leading the coordinating role."

For his part, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj says terrorism was also discussed.

"The ministers reiterated that there can be no ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic, or any other justification for acts of terrorism. We underlined the need to bring to justice perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts. We called for a re-conclusion of negotiations on the comprehensive convention on international terrorism."

The three have also agreed to how they plan to mark the 70th anniversary of the end the fight against Fascism in World War II.

 

 

China Opposes Obama, Dalai Lama Meeting

 

The Chinese government is expressing its official opposition to reports US President Barack Obama is planning to meet with the Dalai Lama at a "prayer breakfast" on Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.

"China opposes the government of any country interfering with China's internal affairs, and using the Tibetan issue as an excuse. China opposes any country leader meeting the Dalai Lama in any manner. China hopes that the U.S. side will, in regards to the Tibetan issue, scrupulously abide by its commitment, look at the big picture of relationship between the two countries, and solve the relevant issue appropriately."

The White House has not confirmed whether a meeting between the two will take place.

Obama has already met the Dalai Lama three times since taking office.

Each occasion has created a diplomatic incident between China and the United States.

 

 

Two cult members executed in east China

 

Two cult members who beat a woman to death last year at a McDonald's last year in Shandong have been executed.

Zhang Fan and Zhang Lidong, members of the Almighty God cult were put to death Monday in the city of Yantai.

The pair were part of a group which beat a woman to death after she refused to give her cellphone number to them.

The cult, known in Chinese as Quannengshen, began in the 1990's in Henan.

 

 

Jack Ma meets young people on entrepreneurship in HK

 

Anchor:

Alibaba executive Jack Ma has announced the establishment of a one-billion-Hong Kong-dollar fund to support entrepreneurs.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.

Report:

Under the theme of "Transforming Dreams into Successful Business", Alibaba chairman Jack Ma shares his ideas on entrepreneurship with more than 6 thousand young people in Hong Kong, focusing on how to capitalize on the opportunities brought by technological development in the modern world.

He says failures are more important than successful experiences for those who want to start a business.

"You should focus more on others' failures rather than their successful stories. During the first three to five years after Alibaba was founded, whenever I read a failure case, I would share it with all my colleagues to learn from it, and avoid the same mistakes."

The Alibaba Hong Kong Young Entrepreneurs Foundation is expected to be launched later this year, which would provide access to capital and technical assistance to young entrepreneurs to get their business started and sell their products nationwide through the company's Taobao and Tmall shopping sites.

Profits generated would be returned to the foundation to sustain the program.

Jack Ma says the funds will not change Hong Kong, but the future is in the hands of the young people.

"1 billion HK dollars is not much, if all the businessmen could do a little part, we could provide more opportunities to the young generation. When they make progress, Hong Kong will also develop. If you believe in the future, believe in the youth, if you want to grasp the future, invest in the youth."

The foundation will also select 200 local university students each year to become interns at the company and other group businesses.

The event is organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation, a think tank set up by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. Ma is one of its advisers.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

 

 

Jack Ma vows to address sale of fake goods

 

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma is vowing to address the sale of counterfeit goods on Taobao in a "transparent" way.

The comments come in response to the dispute between Taobao and China's commerce regulator, which has been quoted saying Alibaba isn't doing enough to fight counterfeiting.

"We are looking forward to how we can communicate to the rest of the world. We don't want we would be misunderstood by the world, that we are not transparent, we don't want misunderstood by the world that Taobao is a platform of selling fake products."

Jack Ma has already met with the director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

He says both have agreed to combat the sale of fake goods online.

"The problem we have last week already has the first stage of resolvement. But this thing, I think it's going to be very transparent, this thing is going to be pretty meaningful for e-commerce group development in China. And it's not supported by certain government officials, it is how we can do things in a good way, in good legal procedures, and so far, we are pretty happy and we are moving things ahead."

The dispute between Alibaba and the Chinese government has seen more than 30-billion US dollars wiped off the company's market cap.

Industry observers are suggesting the dispute may be the launching point of a more targeted anti-counterfeit campaign by both the government and the industry.

 

 

Heavy fightings in key eastern Ukrainian town intensified

 

Heavy fighting between government troops and rebel forces is taking place around a strategic railway hub in eastern Ukraine.

Thousands have fled the town of Debaltseve, taking refuge in government shelters.

The town has been without power, water and heating for more than 10 days.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Andriy Lysenko.

"The evacuation of civilians from the front line areas is ongoing. Ukrainian volunteers have removed people who were suffering from the shelling of terrorists to the town of Slovyansk yesterday. Two-hundred-and-forty-three people, including 27 children and 44 disabled people were evacuated from Debaltseve yesterday."

Five Ukranian government soldiers have been killed in the battle.

The rebels claim some 15 civilians were killed by shelling over the weekend.

Fighting has been intensified since a breakdown in talks this past weekend.

Igor Plotnitsky is with the self-claimed republic of Luhansk.

"The derailment of the Minsk agreement lies with Kiev, with Mr.Poroshenko. He does not want it, he is not interested. Most likely, all Minsk agreements are just cover under which Mr.Poroshenko hides his insecurity, misunderstanding or even something bigger."

Botht the Ukranian government and the rebels are said to be mobilzing more troops.

 

 

No final decisions on lethal aid to Ukraine: State Department

 

The US State Department says its considering shipments of lethal military assistance to Ukraine.

However, no final decision has been made.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.

"Naturally, we take into account events on the ground and events that are ongoing. So I'm not going to go into details of internal policy discussions, but we do continue to assess how to best support Ukraine."

It's widely expected any decision on the shipment of offensive weapons to Ukraine will be made next week during a meeting between US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel is on-record saying her side will not be sending weapons to Kiev.

"From my side, I can say that Germany will not support Ukraine with weapons. It is my firm belief that this conflict cannot be solved militarily. That is why we rely, if necessary, on sanctions - which we did, by the way, together in Europe. And on the other hand, we try to solve or at least mitigate this conflict by using all possible diplomatic means and negotiations."

The US side has so far limited its supplies to non-lethal aid, such as gas masks and radar technology to the Ukranian government.

However, some administration officials have been pressing Obama to expand that assistance.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to travel to Kiev on Thursday.

 

 

Obama Sends Congress Record $4 Trillion Budget for 2016

 

Anchor:

US President Barack Obama has delivered his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, which starts in October.

His 4-trillion dollar spending plan includes possible cuts for the middle-class, while at the same time, tax increases for the so-called one-percent.

CRI Washington correspondent Xiao Hong has more.

Reporter:

President Obama says he's basing his budget on the belief the US economy has recovered from the financial crisis.

He says because his government has made steady deficit reductions over the last six years, it's time to stop austerity and begin investment.

"I want to work with Congress to replace mindless austerity with smart investments that strengthen America. And we can do so in a way that is fiscally responsible."

The budget proposal includes 500-billion dollars worth of new spending on repairing and upgrading existing infrastructure, on top of building a number of new projects.

Proposals involved also include tax breaks for low- and middle-income-families worth nearly 300-billion dollars.

And to keep the books balanced, he's calling for a tax hike for high-income Americans and corporations, including a one-time 14-percent tax on overseas earnings.

As expected, the Republicans have met the proposal with distain.

Republican House speaker John Boehner is describing the budget proposal as "more taxes, more spending," suggesting it's a product of Washington gridlock which is "failing middle-class families."

Political wrangling aside, there is a pressing matter.

The Department of Homeland Security is only going to remain funded until February 27th in the 2015 budget plan due to an outcry of Congressional Republicans over what they call the overreach of the President on his non-Congressionally-approved plans for immigration reform.

Congressional Democrats have suggested separating the funding for Homeland Security from the debate over immigration.

However, the suggestion has so-far met with deaf ears.

This has prompted a warning from Obama.

"But don't jeopardize our national security over this disagreement."

A House bill to fund the Homeland Security Department is on its way to the Senate.

However, it includes amendments that are targeted at defunding the President's executive orders connected to his immigration reforms.

Obama has warned he's likely to use his veto if the Republicans try to quash his immigration initiatives.

For CRI, this is Xiaohong reporting from Washington.

 

 

Egyptian court sentences 183 Brotherhood supporters to death

 

An Egyptian court has sentenced 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death for their involvement in the death of 16 police officers amid the violence surrounding the unrest which led to the ouster of former President Muhammad Morsi in August of 2013.

They are among 188 who received preliminary death sentences late last year.

The Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been convicted of being behind the ransacking of a police station in a village near Cairo.

Sixteen police officers, including a local police chief, were killed.

The violence came after security forces killed hundreds of people when they cleared protest camps set up in the capital by supporters of Morsi.

Egyptian political commentator Abdallah El-Sennawy says the courts are issuing a warning.

"It is very important to put into consideration that what happened in the village of Kerdassah needed a court ruling as a deterrent, as what happened there was unacceptable to the whole world, the storming of its police station and the killing of all the police officers and soldiers and mutilating some of the bodies."

Thousands of Muslim brotherhood supporters have been arrested since the ouster of Morsi.

The Muslim Brotherhood has since been labelled a terrorist organization.

 

 

Chinese couples weigh first child's opinion over 2nd

 

Anchor:

A new survey is suggesting the opinions of a couple's first child is becoming one of the factors behind why certain parents in China are choosing not to have a second.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

Reporter:

A survey by the China Youth Daily shows over 80-percent of those asked are mostly concerned about the high cost of a 2nd child.

"Even though we are eligible to have a second baby, we can't afford it. It is too expensive to send a second child to a good primary school and buy school district housing."

But at the same time, half of those asked say it's important to understand their first child's thoughts on the matter.

"Since the first child used to be the only child in the family, we're worried they'll feel the second child will steal the limelight from them."

While finances still remain the top concern, anxieties the first child feels are starting to become a growing concern for parents.

Last month, a pregnant mother in Wuhan chose to have an abortion, claiming her 13-year-old daughter was the one who objected, saying she threatened her with death if she had the child.

Mr. Zhao had to plead with his child when he and his wife were considering having another child.

"We did not expect our son would act like this. He asked us to write a commitment letter, saying the birth of our second baby would not affect his own life."

Su Jichao is a primary school teacher in Hebei's capital, Shijiazhuang.

She says she's seen some of her students over-react when their parents decide to have another child.

"These kids can become very bad. They tend to pick fights with their classmates. We think they're doing this in a way to act-out and get attention from their parents and us, their teachers."

The Chinese government eased its restrictions on its decades-long family planning policy a year ago, allowing couples who are the product of the one-child policy to have a 2nd child themselves.

However, statistics suggest only around 6-percent of those who are eligible in Beijing have chosen to do so.

The rate is even smaller in Shanghai.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

Anchor:

First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.

Reporter:

U.S. stocks have surged after volatile trading despite soft economic data on Monday, with the three benchmark indices closing almost at their session highs.

U.S. crude rebounded 2.8 percent at about 49 U.S. dollars a barrel while Brent settled up 3.3 percent at about 54 U.S. dollars a barrel.

In response, the energy sector soared 3 percent, leading the gains of the S&P 500's 10 sectors.

Shares of Exxon Mobil were up two and a half percent after it reported a smaller-than-expected profit drop.

Solar power companies were among the strongest of the day after China said it aims to install 15 gigawatts of solar power capacity this year, 43 percent more than it added last year.

At close,

The Dow Jones edged up about one percent.

The S&P 500 added one and a third of a percent.

The Nasdaq increased close to one percent.

Meanwhile,

Europe's main stock markets closed higher on Monday as Greece's new anti-austerity government sought support for a renegotiation of the country's 240 billion euro bailout in the face of German opposition.

At the closing bell,

Both the UK's FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 gained around half of a percent.

And finally Germany's DAX climbed one and a quarter of a percent.

 

 

Chinese Rating Agency Gives Russia's Gazprom AAA

 

Chinese credit rating agency Dagong has given an AAA rating to Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, despite falling oil prices.

The high-end rating also comes despite the massive downswing in the Russian ruble and the tensions between Europe and Russia.

Dagong's AAA rating is a rare backing to Gazprom, given that other rating agencies are maintaining a "negative" outlook for Russia's debt.

Dagong chair Guan Jianzhong.

"The sharp decline of oil prices will definitely have some impact on Gazprom's revenues, but the company can still rely on its long-term deals with bigger clients including China and the European Union. So the influence from oil prices will be very limited."

Dagong says its rating is based on agreements between Gazprom and the Chinese government this past year, which will provide natural gas through both a western and eastern line.

 

 

Sunac China Regrets to Buy 49.3 percent Stake in Troubled Developer Kaisa

 

Anchor:

The CEO of Chinese developer Kaisa Group has resigned.

His resignation comes despite the company having sold certain assets this weekend to ease its short-term cash crunch.l

Kaisa has found itself over leveraged amid the current downturn in the Chinese property market.

The company has been trying to sell off some of its properties in an effort to raise cash.

However, courts in both Shenzhen and Shanghai have blocked sales of its holdings in a bid to protect its creditors.

For more on Kaisa's situation, we're joined on the line by Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures.

…

Back Anchor:

Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures.

 

 

CHALCO Could be the Biggest Loser in A-shares

 

CHALCO, China Aluminum Corporation, is reporting losses of 16-billion yuan, or some 2.6 billion US dollars, this past year.

The downturn is the largest so-far on the Shanghai A-share market through 2014.

China's only aluminum producer says it lost 5-billion yuan in its first three quarters, and more than 10-billion in the fourth quarter.

The company is blaming its losses on the long-term management of its assets, pension costs and an overall decrease of aluminum prices.

Aluminum prices, like most commodities, have been on the downturn over the past year.

 

 

Chinese Airlines Scrap Domestic Fuel Surcharges

 

A pair of local Chinese airlines have announced plans to cut their fuel surcharges.

Xiamen Airlines and Lucky Airlines are going to remove the surcharge on Thursday.

Most Chinese airlines have been cutting their fuel surcharges amid the current downturn in fuel prices.

Aviation fuel prices per tonne have dipped below the threshold companies can reasonably charge passengers.

Retail fuel prices here in China have gone down 13 times since global oil prices began to slide this past summer.

 

 

ICBC Acquires 60% of Standard Bank

 

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has acquired a 60-percent stake in London-based Standard Bank.

Standard Bank is the international commodities and foreign exchange arm of Standard Bank Group, which is the largest African banking group by assets.

In making the deal, ICBC contends merging the two companies' global networks and resources, they can become a global market platform.

ICBC already had a 20-percent in SBG .

The Chinese state-run giant also holds an 80-percent in Standard Bank Argentina.

 

 

Panasonic Eyes Closing JV due to TV Pricing Rivalry

 

Panasonic has announced its stopped producing televisions in China.

At the same time, its shutting down its joint venture in Shandong, claiming its suffering from fierce price competition.

Panasonic says it will continue to sell TVs in China through secondary agreements.

Certain assembly work for Panasonic display screens is going to be transferred to the company's Guangdong-based subsidiary.

The move follows Panasonic's move to shut down its plasma TV factory in Shanghai in 2013.

 

 

Headline News

 

China, Russia, India support UN to mark 70th anniversary of victory in WWII

 

The Chinese, Russian and Indian governments have issued a new call for reform of the United Nations.

The three-sides are also suggesting reforms need to be made of the international financial system.

No specifics have been issued.

This follows a meeting among the foreign ministers of the three countries.

 

 

Two cult members executed in east China

 

Two cult members who beat a woman to death last year at a McDonald's last year in Shandong have been executed.

Zhang Fan and Zhang Lidong, members of the Almighty God cult were put to death Monday in the city of Yantai.

The pair were part of a group which beat a woman to death after she refused to give her cellphone number to them.

The cult, known in Chinese as Quannengshen, began in the 1990's in Henan.

 

 

China opposes Obama, Dalai Lama meeting

 

The Chinese government has expressed firm opposition to any meeting between any country's leader and the Dalai Lama.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei made the comments in response to a possible meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama at a "prayer breakfast" in Washington later this week.

Hong Lei says China strongly opposes any country interfering in China's internal affairs in the name of issues regarding Tibet.

 

 

Spain to pass new anti-terrorism laws in tackling homegrown Islamist militants

 

The Spanish government is moving to pass legislation to try to tackle Islamist militants in the country.

A new anti-terrorism law has been agreed to by both the government and the main opposition.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says the measures are meant to combat individuals travelling to fight with Islamist groups.

The legislation includes rules surrounding postings on social media, financing of criminal acts and travelling to war zones.

 

 

35 African migrants feared drowned off Yemen coast

 

35 people are missing after a boat capsizing off the Yemeni coast.

Yemeni officials say the small vessel, carrying some 50 people, capsized in bad weather.

Thirteen managed to survive.

The search for the missing is still underway.

It's believed the boat was carrying asylum seekers.

The United Nations estimates around 62-thousand asylum seekers arrived on Yemen's shores through 2013.

 

 

Former IMF Chief Arrives in Court to Face Sex Charges

 

The trial of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on pimping charges has begun.

The 65-year old Strauss-Kahn is accused of helping set up a prostitution ring at a luxury hotel in the city of Lille.

Strauss-Kahn has already admitted to attending parties with the women involved.

However, he insists he did not know they were prostitutes.

If convicted, Strauss-Kahn could face up to 10-years in prison.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

BEIJING MORNING POST

Headline

Crowd control system to be rolled out nationwide

Summary

A new crowd analytics system has been put out across China to try to stampedes.

This comes in the wake of the New Year's Eve stampede in Shanghai.

The new system will provides real-time data on crowd densities and distribution flows.

It will also identify crowd patterns that pose potential dangers.

If a risk is detected, the system can issue a 10 minute alert to help authorities make emergency response decisions.

The new system is going to be set up at railway stations and certain religious sites which draw large numbers of people.

BEIJING TIMES

Headline

Most Chinese cities below air quality standard

Summary

New stats show only eight of the 74 large Chinese cities which have air quality monitoring met the national standards for clear air last year.

The metropolitan areas of Beijing and Tianjin were the most seriously polluted.

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Claim of information leak

Summary

Several Chinese airlines are rejecting allegations they're responsible for a leak of passenger information.

WooYun.org, a Chinese Internet security platform, claims hackers have been able to access user names, ID numbers, mobile numbers, and airline information from a number of Chinese airlines.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

Private club crackdown

Summary

Municipal authorities in Beijing say they've shut down 37 high-end restaurants and private clubs as part of the austerity drive this past year.

Some have since been revamped, while others have been opened to the public.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Extra services for Spring Festival

Summary

Authorities in Shanghai say extra airport buses, subways and Maglev services are going to be made available for the Spring Festival holiday.

Transport authorities in the city say they expect to deal with around 10 million passengers this holiday.

BEIJING NEWS

Headline

Digital profiles

Summary

The Education Ministry has announced student profiles in primary and middle schools have gone digital.

The move should allow school transfers to be completed online, saving money and time for parents.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Women-only carriages advised in Beijing subway (3.22)

 

Anchor:

Women-only subway cars are being considered by the authorities in Beijing.

CRI's Sam Duckett with some of the challenges the authorities may face.

Report:

Chinese Political advisors have proposed setting up women-only carriages on the Beijing subway during rush hour.

Nothing has yet been decided and the transport authorities say there is no specific plan.

Two members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) put the proposal forth at the annual session of the political advisory body.

Former Traffic Commentator Xiao Hang offered his views.

"I actually think that female only carriages in Beijing are a good idea. We do need to consider when the right time to implement this. If you look at the countries that are already using this service, not only are their economies quite advanced but there generally their communities are quite sophisticated. In Beijing, we have people from different parts of China and each part has different cultural standards. It may take a while for a lot of people to comprehend this system, and therefore a suitable amount of time will be needed to implement it."

China has had a string of sexual harassment cases in recent years. Many of these occurring in tier 1 cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The most outlandish case was in 2013.

During June 2013 the Shanghai police apprehended 19 suspects of sexual harassment, including the city's most childish sexual harasser, a man caught on video unhooking a female passenger's bra on Metro Line 6.

Wang Zhuo is a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative.

"We should focus on safety on the subway system. Safety needs to be focused on physically weaker individuals and there should be a special focus on women."

Should China decide to utilize such a plan they would be not be the first country to implement such a system. Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and several other countries already use such a service.

The woman only carriage service in Japan originally started in the year 2000 with a trial only basis and the service was already operating on multiple lines from 2002. Only women, children, the elderly and the disabled are allowed to use the service. There is also a 10 yen fine on male passengers who enter the carriage, however it is no longer strongly enforced.

Xiao Hang shared his views of the system in Japan.

"I got to experience the management of the female only carriages during my trip to Japan. The rules of the carriages were not strongly enforced by security, but the local people generally seemed to respect the system."

There would be a string of problems that Beijing would have to contend with should such a plan be implemented. There was a staggering 3.4 billion trips on Beijing's subway in 2014 and the annual amount of subway users in the country's capital increases on an annual basis. The subway staff in Beijing would have a lot of pressure on their shoulders facilitating such a scheme.

The idea of female carriages will be observed by spectators and the general public over the next couple of months. From the female commuters I have spoken with, it seems like this move would be warmly welcomed. In regards to whether it will actually happen, only time will tell.

BACK ANCHOR:

That is CRI's Sam Duckett reporting.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Sebastian Vettel Maintains Momentum in Day-2 of pre-season testing at Jerez

 

In Formula One,

Four-time world champ Sebastian Vettel has been keeping his momentum in day two of pre-season testing in Spain.

Vettel, who moved to Ferrari from Red Bull at the end of last year, finished 89 laps before rain cut his practice short at the circuit in Jerez.

Despite the weather, Vettel was almost a second faster than the rest of the pack.

Last year's champ, Lewis Hamilton, wasn't so lucky.

Trouble with his vehicle kept his test runs to a minimum on Monday.

"It's the first days of testing so none of the corners feel good the first time you drive the car, it never does. The car's at the worst it will be this year and the balance wasn't perfect because we weren't working on the setup. So of course it could be better but there's lots of positives, we got good mileage particularly yesterday and we should do tomorrow."

A total of 8-teams are taking part in the practice testing in Spain.

The new season will officially kick off on March 15th in Melbourne, Australia.

 

 

Schalke's Klaas Jan Huntelaar suspended for six games

 

The German Football Association has suspended Schalke's Klaas Jan Huntelaar for six games for violent conduct.

The Dutch national drew a red card on a hard foul while in a league match on Saturday.

Schalke says its going to appeal.

If it fails, Huntelaar will be out of matches against Bayern Munich, Monchengladbach, Frankfurt, Bremen, Dortmund and Hoffenheim.

Schalke-04 currently sits 4th on the Bundesliga table.

Bayern Munich are 15-points clear of them at the top.

 

 

Bayern look ahead to Schalke visit

 

Bayern Munich is at home to Schalke later on this Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola's squad come into the match off a 4-1 drubbing by Wolfsburg this past week.

The loss cut an end to the Bundesliga leader's 17-game unbeaten start to the season.

Schalke doesn't have the best of records against Bayern.

The club's last win against Bayern was in 2011.

 

 

Cuadrado in, Schuerrle out at Chelsea

 

In football off-court news,

Premier League leaders Chelsea have signed Colubian national Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina on a 4.5-year deal.

Cuadrado is joining Chelsea to replace Andre Schuerrle, who left the club earlier this week for a position in the German Bundesliga.

Chelsea reportely payed 35-million euros for Cuadrado.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho.

"I think he fits well in Fiorentina's squad, and Colombia's squad, not in Chelsea's squad."

The deal for Cuadrado was finalized shortly after Chelsea sold German winger Andre Schuerrle Wolfsburg.

Cuadrado has 37 international caps and was a prominent player in Colombia's 2014 World Cup campaign.

 

 

Mavericks will be without Rondo for at least 3 games

 

In NBA,

A total of 8 games are on the schedule this morning.

The Cavaliers are looking to push their winning streak to 11 this morning by getting a little payback on a visiting 76ers team that nearly ended a much lengthier run two days earlier.

In other action,

Charlotte is on the road to Washington.

Brooklyn is at home to LA Clippers

And it's Milwaukee taking on Toronto.

Atlanta is away against New Orleans.

Oklahoma City is hosting Orlando.

The last two games will be Minnesota taking on Dallas and Memphis against Phoenix.

Off court,

Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo is going to miss at least three games after suffering an orbital fracture to his left eye.

The Mavericks say Rondo won't be travelling with the team for their West Coast for games at Golden State and Sacramento later this week.

Rondo will remain in Dallas to undergo additional testing and evaluation.

In 21 games since being traded to Dallas from Boston, Rondo has averaged 9.2 points and 6.5 assists per game.

 

 

NFL: Tom Brady Says Not Ready for Retirement

 

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he is not ready for retirement.

The 38-year-old, who won yesterday's Super Bowl, says his career isn't over.

"Well, I love doing it, so I don't want it to end any time soon. A lot of decisions that I make in my life are about how to sustain it, and that takes a commitment in and of itself. 'You've got to put it in the bank,' as Coach always says. It's there when you need it."

Crowned the Super Bowl MVP for the third time, Brady threw for 4 touchdowns in the Patriots thrilling 28-24 victory over Seattle.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Super Bowl's ratings hit an all time high

 

Sunday's Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks delivered record-breaking television ratings for NBC.

The Patriots' heart-stopping 28-24 victory, scored a 49.7 overnight average rating, the highest in Super Bowl history.

The overnight ratings topped 50 in each half hour, peaking at 52.9.

And the game had a 72 share, meaning 72 percent of televisions on Sunday night in the US were tuned to NBC's broadcast of the game.

NBC said the ratings were up four percent from last year, when Seattle crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8.

The total number of viewers for the Super Bowl, which could be an American television record, will be announced later today.

 

 

China and Cambodia showcase 2015 Spring Festival event

 

Cambodia and China will be joining forces to showcase a 2015 Spring Festival event in Phnom Penh.

The state-owned National Television of Cambodia and China's Yunnan TV station will jointly stage the show on February 10th in Cambodia's capital.

According to TVK's director-general Kem Gunawadh, the show will help enhance friendly relations between Cambodia and China.

About 200 artists, singers and performers, including 149 from Yunnan province, will stage a variety of traditional arts at the event, which is expected to attract around 3,000 spectators.

The two-and-a-half hour festival will be broadcast live on TVK, which can be viewed in more than 100 countries.

Yunnan TV will film the show for the Chinese audience.

 

 

Tsui Hark and Stephen Chow reunite for "Journey to the West 2"

 

Tsui Hark and Stephen Chow, two of the most famous names in China's film industry, could be uniting for the sequel to Chow's "Journey to the West."

Hong Kong media has reported that the Newly emerging giant Alibaba Pictures Group is investing in various big film projects this year, including "Journey to the West 2."

According to the latest reports Alibaba Pictures got Chow and Tsui Hark to collaborate on the sequel to Chow's 2013 blockbuster "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons."

"Journey to the West 2" looks to be executively produced by Stephen Chow and directed by Tsui Hark.

Filming is rumored to start in August 2015, with a 2017 release date.

Chow, is currently busy working on his latest film "Mermaid."

 

 

Bobbi Kristina Brown fighting for her life

 

It has been confirmed that Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of late singer Whitney Housten, is currently fighting for her life.

The family's representative said in a statement that Brown is surrounded by immediate family and that the family was requesting privacy.

No more details were provided.