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

Coming up on the programme this evening:

At least 21 people have died in a plane crash in Taiwan. There were 58 people aboard the TransAsia flight, including 31 from the Chinese mainland...

Authorities in Jordan have executed two prisoners following word that a captive Jordanian pilot has been killed by Islamic State militants...

China's 40 day Spring Festival travel period is officially underway and transportation systems are expected to be under pressure...

In business...activity in China's services sector declined in January...

In sports...a star Chinese hurdler may be out of the running at a major event to be held in Beijing this summer...

In entertainment...a Chinese actress, director, and screenwriter honoured in Hong Kong...

But first, a check on the weather...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be clear tonight, with a low of minus 3. It will be sunny tomorrow, with a high of 8 degrees.　

Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 1. Tomorrow will be cloudy, with a high of 7.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 7 degrees. Tomorrow, cloudy with a high of 12.

Elsewhere in Asia

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Kabul, cloudy, 13.

In Australia

Sydney, showers, a high of 23.

Canberra, cloudy, 23.

Brisbane, cloudy, 31.

Finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 28.

 

 

Top News

 

 

21 dead as plane crashes into Keelung river in Taiwan

 

Twenty-one people have died after a Taiwan TransAsia Airways plane clipped a bridge and crashed into the Keelung river near Taipei.

Fifteen others have been rescued from the crash as of 4:00pm Beijing Time. Over 20 people remain missing.

The two black boxes of the ATR-72 plane have been recovered.

A spokesperson for the local authorities:

"The injured have been sent to 8 different hospitals. TransAsia Airways has also set up an emergency center to deal with the aftermath. We've also opened a hotline to answer any inquiries from the families.

Flight ATR-72, which was headed for Kinmen island from Taipei, had 58 people on board including 31 passengers from the Chinese mainland.

It crash landed in the Keelung River after clipping an elevated motorway with its wing just before 11 a.m., ten minutes after taking off from Taipei Songshan Airport.

In July last year 48 people died when a TransAsia Airways plane crashed during stormy weather in the Penghu archipelago in Taiwan.

 

 

Traffic Pressure still High during Travel Rush

 

China's transportation system is expected to be under pressure during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period, which is now underway.

Railway authorities will arrange nearly a thousand more passenger trains to handle the nearly 300 million trips expected to be taken by train.

But Li Jianfeng with China Railway Corporation says that extra trains may still not be enough to meet demand.

"The demand could be as high as seventy million one-way trips during the rush days. But our railway capacity is around seven million. The gap between demand and supply is still prominent."

Chinese authorities have adopted a number of contingency measures, including putting in place extra flights and long-distance buses to cope with the mounting travel demands

A total of 2.8 billion trips are estimated to be made during the whole period of the nationwide travel rush.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, is two weeks away.

 

 

Jordan executes convicted terrorists in response to IS killing of Pilot

 

Jordan has executed two convicts, including a female jihadist, in retaliation to the killing of a Jordanian air force pilot by Islamic State militants.

Failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and al-Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli - both Iraqi nationals - were executed by hanging early Wednesday morning, and the executions were then announced on local media.

"At dawn this morning, the criminal Sajida al-Rishawi and the criminal Ziyad Karboli were executed after being convicted of terrorist acts. The pair belonged to terrorist organisations, as mentioned in a statement issued by the interior ministry of the Kingdom of Jordan."

The executions came hours after IS posted a video showing pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

He was seized after his plane crashed during an anti-IS bombing mission over Syria in December.

Jordan had earlier agreed to a prisoner swap to secure the release of the pilot.

But Jordanian media reports claim that the Pilot may have been killed a month earlier.

The Islamic State also executed two Japanese hostages recently.

For more on this, CRI's John Artman spoke to Professor Richard Weitz, Director & Senior Fellow, of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC

 

 

Seven killed as New York train hits vehicle

 

Seven people have been killed in New York after a crowded commuter train struck a car near suburban White Plains during Tuesday evening's rush hour, sparking an explosion.

Twelve others have been injured.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has confirmed the vehicle's driver was killed, along with six people on the train.

"What appears to have happened is a car was stopped on the tracks. It was hit by the train and the resulting fire and explosion of hitting the car consumed the vehicle, and then the first car of the train itself. At this time we believe the driver of the car has perished as well as six people in the train itself. This is a truly ugly and brutal sight. The track, the third rail of the track, came up from the explosion and went right through the car, so it is truly a devastatingly ugly situation to see."

The packed commuter train had left Grand Central Station in New York City and was heading to south-east New York State.

The crossing gates at the rail crossing had come down on top of the vehicle, which had stopped on the tracks.

It is not yet clear why the vehicle stalled on the tracks.

The MTA said parts of the train line would remain closed on Wednesday morning.

Shuttle buses will be arranged to fill the gap but authorities warned of crowds and delays for thousands of commuters.

 

 

"Obama", "Putin" banned as Internet account handles: China Internet regulator

 

Chinese internet regulators have banned Netizens from using online handles like "Obama" and "Putin".

That's just one of the edicts included in a 10-clause regulation that's been published today by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Along with banning accounts are people pose as celebrities or institutions. Accounts that feature malicious content have also been prohibited.

Malicious content includes the promotion of cults and the dissemination of pornography or extremism. Content that insults or defames others is also included under the new regulation.

The regulation also states that Internet Service Providers will be held accountable for illegal content, adding that ISPs must improve services and supervision, and handle public tipoffs in a timely manner.

The rules take effect starting next month.

 

 

Chinese Doctors Call for Healthy Lifestyle to Combat Cancer

 

Anchor:

Chinese doctors are suggesting that people adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of cancer.

Today is World Cancer Day. China has been experiencing a rising number of often life-threatening cancer cases.

Our reporter Yin Xiuqi takes a closer look.

Reporter:

Figures from the World Health Organization show there were over 3 million cancer cases in China in 2012, comprising some 20 percent of the world's total.

Some 2.2 million cancer patients died that year, making up 25 percent of the global cancer death toll.

It's estimated that the world's largest population will have 4 million cancer cases in the next five years with 3 million people being killed by the disease.

Shen Lin, vice director of the Beijing Research Center for the Prevention of Cancer, notes that the cancer situation in China is connected with the country's changing dietary habits.

"In the past due to the lower living standards, there was high morbidity of esophageal, gastric and liver cancer with a low morbidity of colorectal cancer. Now with the transformation of our lifestyle, there has been a rapid rise of colorectal cancer cases and other types of cancers that are common in developed nations."

Chinese nutrition experts note that Chinese people have dramatically increased their consumption of meat and have decreased consumption of grain-based foods over the last three decades.

Ji Jiafu, Chief of the Beijing Cancer Hospital, says that besides the changing dietary patterns, people's overall unhealthy lifestyles play an important part in driving up China's cancer morbidity.

"Smoking, excessive drinking, obesity as well as unhealthy dietary structure and lack of physical exercises, all these are important factors leading to chronic and metabolic diseases, including tumors and cancer."

Figures from the World Health Organization show over half of all men in China are smokers; and more than four in five adolescents do not engage in sufficient physical activity.

Severe pollution of air and water in some parts of the country has also been blamed for the rising number of cancer cases.

Many doctors agree that a balanced diet, regular physical exercise, and a healthy living environment are crucial in the fight against cancer.

For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.

 

 

China's manned sub Jiaolong floats in ocean for whole night due to crane failure

 

Jiaolong, the Chinese-made deep-sea submersible, spent an entire night floating in the Indian Ocean. The crane used to lift the sub onto its support shift broke down.

The problem was repaired early Wednesday morning and the sub was lifted out of the water, after about 12 hours of bobbing in the ocean.

The sub and its crew had just finished a 10-hour underwater mission. The crew remained onboard the sub after the crane failure.

One of the pilots said he was 'very hungry' after getting back to the support ship, but otherwise the crew was in good health and good spirits.

 

 

Israel Continues to Withhold Palestine's Tax Funds, Putting its Economy in Crisis

 

Israel has decided to continue to halt transfers of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinians.

The punitive move is retaliation for Palestine's decision to join in the International Criminal Court.

Nearly 130 million US dollars of tax refunds were withheld in January.

More than 160-thousand public workers in Palestine have had difficulty receiving their salaries.

45-year-old Abed Nasser al-Fari is an official in Palestine's Health Ministry.

"I don't have enough money to pay for water, electricity and gas. It's winter and my family needs to use heaters. But in order to save money, we have to stay in one room and use one electric heater."

In addition, the United States warned that it could cut off aid to Palestinians if they don't back out of their bid to join the ICC.

Analysts called on the international community to provide necessary aid to Palestine to alleviate the current economic crisis in the country.

 

 

Protesters March to US Embassy in Philippines

 

Some 200 people have marched to the US embassy in Manila in protest of an anti-terror operation conducted last month.

44 Philippine police commandos were killed in the country's biggest single-day combat.

Tally organizer Renato Reyes Bayan blames the US government for the deaths.

"It was a US instigated anti-terror operation gone wrong and we believe that the president, his top officials should be held accountable for what happened."

Police officers carrying batons and shields prevented the protesters from reaching the US embassy.

The commandos' deaths have caused public outrage.

At least two lawmakers have withdrawn support for a pending law to implement an agreement granting minority Muslims autonomy in exchange for peace in the southern Philippines.

 

 

EU may Adapt Policies following Greece's Election Result

 

The European Union might adapt some of its policies following the recent election result in Greece.

Jean-Claude Juncker is the European Commission President.

"It may be that we'll have to adapt a certain number of our policies. But we won't change all of them, just because the election result pleases some, but doesn't please others."

The left-wing Syriza party won Greece's general elections on a pledge to axe more than half its debt to eurozone lenders.

Greece has to strike a comprehensive deal with its creditors by the end of June or it will be unable to repay some eight billion US dollars worth of bonds due to be paid back in July and August.

Historically, creditor countries have often written off debt owed by poorer nations.

However, by the fact that it is part of a currency union - richer countries like Germany do not want to set a precedent for other states that might get into financial trouble.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Chinese stocks closed lower on Wednesday, led by weak financial shares and oil producers.

Oil giant PetroChina cut nearly 2 and a half percent.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China fell 2 percent.

At closing bell,

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped nearly 1 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index fell three quarters of a percent.

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

Elsewhere in Asia,

The Japanese Nikkei gained 2 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI climbed three fifth of a percent.

Singapore's Straits Times index added about half a percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX 200 traded higher by one and a fifth percent.

 

 

29 Chinese Companies Launched IPOs Worldwide Last Month

 

Over the last month, 29 Chinese firms have launched initial public offerings on exchanges worldwide, raising 2.2-billion US dollars.

Beijing-based research center Zero2IPO says the number of new listings fell 17 percent from a month earlier, but the total proceeds plummeted more than 80 percent.

Among the 29 companies, 22 went public on China's mainland exchanges, and raised 2-billion US dollars in total.

Among the seven other listings, six Chinese companies chose the Hong Kong exchange and one chose the London Alternative Investment Market.

Chinese mainland markets are expecting to see around 400 IPOs this year.

 

 

China central bank to cut the reserve requirement ratio

 

China's central bank is to cut the reserve requirement ratio by half a percentage point starting from tomorrow.

The Chinese government is reinforcing support to the financial sector, small and micro enterprises, farmers and agriculture, and major water conservancy projects.

China central bank says the country will continue to implement prudent monetary policy and allow moderate increases of capital loans.

 

 

China's Service PMI Down to a Six-month Low

 

New stats from HSBC show economic activity in China's service sector cooled down in January.

China's services purchasing managers' index posted 52 last month, a drop of 1.6 points from December to a six-month low.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

The service sector's performance is in line with China's manufacturing activity, as the manufacturing PMI dropped below the 50-point mark for the first time since October 2012.

Observers say despite slower growth, service providers are optimistic about this year's outlook, as China is expected to take more easing measures to support growth in the coming months.

 

 

CIRC Promotes Insurance Experiment on Food Safety

 

Anchor:

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission has introduced a nationwide guideline for its food liability insurance-trial program.

Under the plan, food enterprises will be able to purchase insurance to cover potential losses if they become embroiled in a problem with food safety or others issues.

Insured food companies can also receive special loans or benefit through preferential policies.

A nationwide credit ranking system will be established for food producers and distributors, and will be managed through different credit grades and food catalogs.

For more on the food liability insurance issue, CRI's Zhao Yan spoke earlier with Einar Tangen, former chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council.

 

 

$2.4 trillion investment on infrastructure construction in 2015

 

14 provinces in China plan to invest some 2.4 trillion USD on infrastructure construction to stimulate economic growth this year.

According to the plans published by provincial governments, investment will be focused on sectors including traffic, energy, forestry, information and environmental protection.

people's welfare tops the list.

In addition, many provinces made plans to invest in emerging industries like Internet, culture and tourism.

The huge investment will not only come from the governments' pocket this year, but also from equity financing and through Public-Private-Partnership projects.

 

 

China's export of railway equipment surges

 

Official data shows China saw a surge in the export of railway equipment as industry leaders actively explored overseas markets.

China Customs data shows the country exported more than 4 billion U.S. dollars worth of railway equipment last year, surging 23 percent year on year.

So far, China has exported its railway technology to more than 30 countries and regions, including ASEAN countries, Argentina, Australia and the United states.

The overseas march was mainly led by state-owned firms, with their exports accounting for around 70 percent of the total value.

Although a latecomer to the field, Chinese railway equipment companies have thrived due to cost advantages and shorter delivery times.

 

 

Australia restrict property investment by foreigners

 

The Australian government is to set a restriction on real estate purchases by foreigners.

Premier Tony Abbott says the move is to stabilize prices in the booming housing market, and to keep younger Australians from being priced out of the domestic market.

According to Abbott, restraints on sales have long been published, but never enacted.

The government believes that rising housing prices in recent years can be blamed mainly on illegal purchasing by "unqualified" foreign investors.

Statistics from the National Australia Bank show that foreign investors purchased nearly one third of the residential land in Australia last year.

Most of the foreign investors are from the United States, Canada, Singapore, and China.

 

 

Officials vow to plug tax loopholes

 

Tax authorities in China pledged to plug existing loopholes on the nation's current taxation system.

Zhang Zhiyong, deputy director of the State Administration of Taxation, said they will upgrade the current system in line with international standards for the purpose of fighting tax avoidance.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

21 dead as plane crashes into Keelung river in Taiwan

 

Twenty-one people have died after a Taiwan TransAsia Airways plane clipped a bridge and crashed into the Keelung river near Taipei.

Fifteen others have been rescued from the crash as of 4:00pm Beijing Time. Over 20 people remain missing.

The two black boxes of the ATR-72 plane have been recovered.

Flight ATR-72, which was headed for Kinmen island from Taipei, had 58 people on board including 31 passengers from the Chinese mainland.

In July last year 48 people died when a TransAsia Airways plane crashed during stormy weather in the Penghu archipelago in Taiwan.

 

 

China central bank to cut the reserve requirement ratio

 

China's central bank is to cut the reserve requirement ratio by half a percentage point starting from tomorrow.

The Chinese government is reinforcing support to the financial sector, small and micro enterprises, farmers and agriculture, and major water conservancy projects.

China central bank says the country will continue to implement prudent monetary policy and allow moderate increases of capital loans.

 

 

China's manned sub Jiaolong floats in ocean for whole night due to crane failure

 

Jiaolong, the Chinese-made deep-sea submersible, spent an entire night floating in the Indian Ocean. The crane used to lift the sub onto its support shift broke down.

The problem was repaired early Wednesday morning and the sub was lifted out of the water, after about 12 hours of bobbing in the ocean.

The sub and its crew had just finished a 10-hour underwater mission. The crew remained onboard the sub after the crane failure.

One of the pilots said he was 'very hungry' after getting back to the support ship, but otherwise the crew was in good health and good spirits.

 

 

Jordan executes two jailed jihadists after pilot's death

 

Jordan has executed two convicts, including a female jihadist, following the killing of one of its air force pilots by Islamic State militants.

The woman, failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, and al-Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli- were both Iraqi nationals.

This came hours after IS posted a video appearing to show pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

He was captured after crashing during an anti-IS mission over Syria in December.

Jordan had attempted to secure Kasasbeh's release in a swap involving Rishawi.

Rishawi had been jailed for her role in a 2005 attack that killed 60 in Amman.

 

 

Train strikes vehicle on tracks in NYC, killing several

 

Seven people have been killed and at least 12 other injured in an accident involving a train outside New York City.

Local authorities say the crash happened at a rail crossing about 30 kilometers north of New York City.

The SUV's driver and five people aboard the train were killed. The railroad crossing gates had come down on top of the SUV, which was stopped on the tracks.

The driver got out to look at the rear of the vehicle, then she got back in and drove forward and was struck.

Around 400 passengers exited from the rear of the train after the crash.

Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

CHINA.ORG.CN

"China airline wants passengers to stand for flight"

China's first budget carrier, Spring Airlines, is considering seeking permission to have passengers stand during a flight in exchange for a lower price.

While similar schemes have been studied by Ireland's Ryanair and others, Spring's plan originated with the carrier's chairman, Wang Zhenghua, back in 2008, when the annual Chinese New Year holiday travel rush made it hard for passengers to obtain rail and air tickets.

Still, aviation officials around the world have been reluctant to approve such an idea due to safety issues.

A Spring Airlines spokesman has said they need many other conditions to make it work, such as working together with airplane manufacturers, getting the approval from the authorities and having the consumers accept the idea.

But if they approve it, Spring Airlines will offer the service, he said.

Spring Airlines previously made news by offering extremely cheap promotional air tickets priced as low as 9 yuan, roughly 1.4 US dollars.

 

CHINA DAILY

"Beijing to keep leaders' names out of place names"

A set of new rules for the naming of Beijing's places bans the use of leaders' names and requires "hutong", small lanes in North China, to be retained in the names of time-honored streets to "respect history, and keep the names easy to remember".

The draft has been made public to solicit opinion.

The rules also ban the use of names of modern people and leaders as well as foreigners and foreign places in the names of Beijing's places.

Unlike cities such as Washington D.C. in the US, or Ho Chi Ming City of Vietnam, there are few places in China named after great leaders due to a long-standing taboo in China's history which bans the use of an emperor's name in place names.

The tradition continued when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

 

BBC

"MPs say yes to three-person babies"

The UK is now set to become the first country to introduce laws to allow the creation of babies from three people.

In a free vote in the Commons, 382 MPs were in favour and 128 against the technique that stops genetic diseases being passed from mother to child.

During the debate, ministers said the technique was "light at the end of a dark tunnel" for families.

A further vote is required in the House of Lords. It everything goes ahead then the first such baby could be born next year.

Proponents said the backing was "good news for progressive medicine" but critics say they will continue to fight against the technique that they say raises too many ethical and safety concerns.

 

ASIA ONE (SIGAPORE)

"More fare cheats got free cab rides in 2014"

More cases of taxi drivers being left high and dry, after passengers ran off without paying, have been reported during last year.

There were 121 cases referred by cab companies to the Public Transport Council and the Land Transport Authority - a 50 percent jump from 80 cases in 2013.

The numbers, however, may represent just a fraction of the problem, as cab companies will try to recover the unpaid fares for their drivers first. Only after being unable to do so will they refer the cases to the authorities.

SMRT, the island's fourth-biggest operator with 3,600 taxis, had 180 reported cases of fare evasion from its drivers last year, about twice that in 2012.

Of the 339 reports handled by PTC and LTA in the past four years, about 30 percent or 98 cases were unresolved because of insufficient details about the passenger, or because the taxi driver decided not to pursue the matter.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

South Korean Artist Sings a Song of Life in Beijing

 

Anchor:

A reknowned South Korean painter, whose art has been given as a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping, is now staging an exhibition in Beijing.

CRI's Xu Fei has more.

Reporter:

Kim Byung Jong, one of South Korea's most prominent painters, is a professor at Seoul National University.

For years, he has kept himself active in promoting the art-culture ties between China and South Korea. As a professor he has been training his students how to appreciate Chinese brushwork.

In 2014, his paintings were given to the Chinese president as a gift on behalf of all Korean artists during Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea.

Today, as the painter is in China for his exhibition, he reckons there are opportunities for exchanges, Alex Gao Peng, head of the Beijing-based Today Art Museum, explains why he decides to curate the event.

"When I first saw Professor Kim's work, I found a mixture of both oriental and occidental elements in his brushwork. In my mind, he is a contemporary artist who has not only had a deep insight into oriental philosophy but is good at western painting skills."

Kim Byung Jong's paintings are divided into three series. The first series is called fool and Landscape. It received a lot of praise in the field of fine arts in Europe, placing Kim on a list of top painters.

The second series is called Song of Life that shows deep insight about life. The last series On the Road mainly depicts his experiences of travel around the world.

The exhibition at the Today Art Museum in Beijing is composed of 50 of his works from 1990 to 2014, which are all from his second series.

Alex Gao described that his works look simple, but there are mysterious brush line and stroke that may reflect the painter's oriental aesthetic ideals.

"South Korea has facilitated to transport Professor Kim's work to China for his solo exhibition in a hope that visitors may well understand our Eastern philosophy and culture. And on the basis of an accumulated knowledge about aesthetic rules and values of both eastern and western art, Asian people may go a step further as they appreciate the charm of all life entities as well as a natural environment they live in."

Kim Byung Jong's paintings have also been housed in the British Museum and Art Gallery of Ontario in the US, and now the residents of Beijing also get a chance to appreciate Kim's artwork.

His ongoing Beijing exhibition will run until March 9th.

BACK ANCHOR:

That is CRI's Xu Fei reporting.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Liu Xiang may not compete at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing

 

Chinese star hurdler Liu Xiang played down the expectation for him to compete at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing slated for Aug. 22-30 as the organizers launched 200-day countdown here on Tuesday.

The athlete says he "really wants to compete at the World Championships, especially on his home soil, but the chances for him to compete in Beijing are very limited."

Liu underwent surgery in London after he limped out of the men's 110m hurdles for the second consecutive Olympics with a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2012 and is yet to return to competition following more than two years of rehabilitation.

The 2015 IAAF World Championships will be held in Beijing's National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest".

 

 

Lance Armstrong involved in hit-and run accident in Colorado

 

According to authorities in Aspen, Colorado, former cyclist Lance Armstrong hit two parked cars with his SUV after a night of partying but agreed to let his girlfriend take the blame to avoid national attention.

Aspen police cited Armstrong with failing to report an accident and speeding weeks after the accident, but only after his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, admitted to lying for him.

Hansen initially told police she had been driving home from an Aspen Art Museum party when she lost control of Armstrong's GMC Yukon on the icy roads, hitting the cars.

She said she drove because "Lance had a little bit to drink," according to the reports.

A man who had been renting one of the damaged cars told a police detective that Hansen came running up to his house in high heels, apologising and promising to pay for the repairs.

"She said, 'I'm Anna, we're the Armstrongs, my husband's Lance, he was just driving maybe too fast around the corner or something,'" the man told police, according to the reports.

He called 911 to report a hit-and-run.

Hansen and Armstrong left the scene before police arrived.

 

 

Football: update from German Bundesliga

 

Buoyed by becoming the first team all season to beat Bayern, and after having done so in style with a 4-1 win on Friday night, Wolfsburg were looking to build on that result in Frankfurt.

They found the hosts in determined form - and fell behind to a 58th minute goal from Stefan Aigner.

Eintracht had good chances to increase their lead, but, as the game entered its closing stages, the Wolves roared into life.

It was not until the 88th minute, however, that they got their equaliser with Kevin de Bruyne adding to his two goals against Bayern to underline his goalscoring qualities.

It was nevertheless a chance wasted for Wolfsburg, who remain eight points adrift of the league leaders.

Borussia Monchengladbach were the big winners on Tuesday night, beating Freiburg 1-0 to edge closer to Wolfsburg in second position.

Like in Stuttgart on Saturday, Patrick Herrmann proved to be the match-winner with the only goal of the game, striking in the 23rd minute.

In other action:

Schalke missed an opportunity to inflict a second straight defeat on Bayern Munich as they managed only a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, despite playing most of the game with an extra man.

 

 

NBA: Warriors beat out Los Angeles Kings 121-96.

 

In NBA action:

Stephen Curry had 23 points and nine assists, and the Warriors rode a 23-0 spurt in the first half to beat the Kings 121-96, sweeping the season series for the second straight year.

Over in Portland,

Damian Lillard bagged 25 points as the Trail Blazers held off the Utah Jazz by the skin of their teeth, 103-102.

In New York,

Avery Bradley scored 26 points, Jared Sullinger added 22 and the Boston Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak with a 108-97 victory over the Knicks.

And over to Philadelphia, where 76ers are no longer the NBA's laughingstock.

Hollis Thompson scored a career-high 23 points to lead improving Philadelphia to a 105-98 victory over the slumping Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and Robert Covington added 17 points for the 76ers, who won their third straight home game for the first time since March 2013.

And up in chilly Detroit:

D.J. Augustin had 25 points and 13 assists and the Pistons closed the first quarter on a 25-1 run, going on to beat the Miami Heat 108-91. Augustin has averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 assists in five games as Detroit's starting point guard since Brandon Jennings went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Sylvia Chang named as filmmaker in focus at HK International Film Festival

 

Award winning Taiwan actress, director and screenwriter Sylvia Chang has been named as the filmmaker in focus at the annual Hong Kong International Film Festival.

The festival will screen 13 of her films to celebrate her career. Among the screenings will be the world premiere of her latest directorial work, the murmur of the Hearts.

Chang will appear in person at a face to face seminar on April 5 at the Hong Kong cultural centre to talk about film, art and her life.

Chang was born in Taiwan and spent much of her childhood abroad. She made her screen debut in The Flying Tiger in 1973 and won the best supporting actress award at the Golden Horse Awards for her work in Li Hsing's Posterity and Perplexity.

She has starred in almost one hundred films in her four decade long career. She has also served as vice chair of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, president of the Taipei International Film Festival and chairwoman of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

 

 

Annual temple fair at Temple of Earth to be taken abroad to Thailand

 

The annual temple fair at the Temple of Earth in Beijing will be taken abroad for the first time to Bangkok, Thailand.

The event which will begin in Thailand's capital city on February 10th is part of a series of events to help ring in the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The temple fair is a social gathering in China which gradually evolved into a marketplace for people to exchange goods as well as stage cultural performances. At the fair, people worship the gods and pray for blessings.

The temple fair in Bangkok will consist of four sections, Chinese intangible culture heritage, Peking's time-honoured brands, folk customs and traditional culture performances.

Folk handicrafts like sugar painting, clay figurines and cultural performances like acrobatics and Beijing opera will also be at the event for the visitors.

The week-long activity, which lasts from Feb 10 to 16, is co-supported by Chinese Ministry of Culture, Thailand's Ministry of Culture, and Chinese Embassy in Thailand.

 

 

Wallace Huo denies rumours he had solicited prostitutes in Hengdian

 

Taiwan actor Wallace Huo has denied rumours that he had solicited prostitutes in Hengdian.

This comes after an extra working at the Hengdian World studios recently revealed to the media that more than 100 male actors have been using the services of young female actresses around the city. The source stated one of the actors is from Taiwan which led to people guessing that Wallace Huo could be one of the actors the source had hinted at.

Wallace released a statement through his agent accusing the media of defaming him and spreading malicious rumours and demanded all reports linking him to the issue to be deleted. He also demanded an apology from the media in three days otherwise they would face legal consequences.

The previous arrests of Chinese actor Huang Haibo and director Wang Quan'an last year for soliciting sex workers have shed new light on the issue.

 

 

Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney in the recording studio

 

Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney have been in the recording studio working on a special mystery project.

The singer posted pictures of her and McCartney joined by a big team of instrumentalists including Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

The singer joked on her Instagram account about the time when Paul McCartney phoned her up wanting to collaborate and she put the phone down on him thinking it was a prank call.

Both stars have been busy with other collaborations recently. Lady Gaga announced that she would be performing with Tony Bennett at the Grammy Awards after their duet album was nominated for an award.

Paul McCartney has been busy too with a collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna including the just released FourFiveSeconds video.

It's unclear how this collaboration will turn out but it's exciting to see the two megastars working together.

 

 

Six screenplays for short films featuring charcters from Twilight saga chosen

 

Six screenplays for short films featuring characters from the Twilight saga have been chosen as part of a project called "The Storytellers: New Voices of Twilight Saga"

Each script focuses on one character from the Twilight saga and take place before Bella arrived in the town for Forks in Washington.

The scripts were selected by Twilight author Stephanie Meyer, Lionsgate, Women in Film, Facebook and Volvo. The project will now select directors to turn each of the screenplays into a 5 to ten minute film to be released on Facebook. The writers had to be female and over 13 years of age.

One character that was the most popular among the contest winners was Alice Cullen played in the film franchise by Ashley Greene who featured in three of the selected scripts.