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

Coming up on our program this morning...

A new peace agreement has been reached to hopefully bring the fighting in eastern Ukraine to an end this weekend.

The UN Security Council has adopted a new resolution targeting those who would help fund the Islamic State.

New reports are suggesting fake gold coins have been flooding the Chinese market ahead of Spring Festival.

In business... unqualified online reports of a telecom merger sending China Unicom shares soaring.

In Sports... the final piece of the CBA playoff puzzle has been put in-place.

In entertainment.... the embattled son of Jackie Chan set to be sprung from jail today.

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

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 10, tonight clear with a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai is cloudy to sunny with a high of 12 and a low of 6 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing, overcast to rainy with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 34.

Kabul, cloudy with a high of 17.

Over to North America.

New York, sunny with a high of minus 5 degree Celsius.

Washington, sunny with a high of minus 2 degrees Celsius.

Honolulu will see shower, with a high of 27.

Toronto, windy to showy with a high of minus 11.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires will have shower, 35.

And Rio de Janeiro, cloudy, with a high of 38 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Ukraine peace deal brokered after four-way marathon talks

 

Anchor:

Leaders from Ukraine, Russia, German and France have reached a ceasefire agreement meant to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The details from CRI's Qizhi.

Reporter:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the announcement after marathon talks in the Belarussian capital, Minsk.

"First, we agreed on the end of firing from midnight on the 15th of February. Second, the position that I consider to be extremely important, is the removal of heavy weapons from the line of confrontation for the Ukrainian forces, and from the line, from today's confrontation line for the Ukrainian forces, and from the line named on September 19 last year in the Minsk agreements for the rebels of Donbass."

Under the agreement, Kiev will exchange prisoners with the rebels.

Ukranian authorities have also agreed to bring in constitutional reforms to give more autonomy to rebel-held regions by the end of this year.

If this is accomplished, Ukrainian authorities will be allowed to control the country's border with Russia.

Rebel forces have been maintaining control of areas along the Russian border since the fighting broke out last year.

This has led to allegations the Russian side has been inserting heavy weapons and troops into the fight.

Moscow has consistently denied this.

Despite the new concensus reached in Minsk, there are still divisions.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"Despite firm insistence from Russia we didn't agree any status of autonomy for eastern Ukraine. We'll do this through constitutional reforms of decentralization that will concern the whole country. We didn't agree on federalization as well."

Another sticking point not dealt with in the agreement is the status of the transportation hub of Debaltseve, where intense fighting continues.

The latest round of talks in Minsk was brokered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

Calling the peace deal hopeful, both are pleading with the rival parties to implement the accord.

Despite the deal being reached, officials with the European Union have still decided to add 19 new names to its sanction list starting from Monday.

And at the same time, the United States, while welcoming the new agreement, is still not ruling out fresh sanctions on Russia.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.

"We maintain the ability and the resources in place should the situation on the ground warrant it."

The Chinese government has issued its response to the new accord, saying a political resolution is "the only way out" of the conflict in Ukraine.

For CRI, this is Qizhi.

 

 

IMF agrees 17.5 bln in extended fund facility with Ukraine

 

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to loan Ukraine 17.5-billion US dollars to help support economic reforms in the country.

As part of the deal, Kiev is going to have to implement a series of structural reforms in its energy, financial, banking and administrative sectors.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk says they're hopeful the aid will allow the Ukranian economy to grow next year.

"Ukraine - during the next four years - will hold those reforms that are needed for the economic and financial stabilization of the country. I want to stress that this program of reforms is not for the IMF. This is the program of reforms for Ukraine."

At the same time, the World Bank has also announced its going to earmark as much as 2-billion U.S. dollars in loans to Ukraine this year.

Kiev has been trying to secure around 40-billion US dollars in financial aid from the international community for the next 4-years.

The lingering civil war in the country's east, the annexation of Crimea and the country's dispute over Russian natural gas transfers has seen the Ukrainian economy collapse over the past 2-years.

 

 

Security Council approves resolution targeting sources of financing for ISIS

 

Anchor

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a new resolution targeting sources of financing for extremist groups, including the Islamic State.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

Reporter

The new resolution bans all trade in antiquities from Syria.

A similar measure was adopted for Iraq 10-years ago.

The UN resolution also threatens sanctions on anyone buying oil from the Islamic State or the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Both groups have control of numerous oil fields in northern Iraq and eastern Syria, and have been selling oil on the black market to help fund their campaigns.

The resolution, adopted by all 15 members on the Security Council, calls on countries to stop making ransom payments to kidnappers.

The United Nations estimates the Islamic State is raising around 100-thosuand dollars a day through ransom payments.

The Russian-drafted resolution is legally binding.

It gives the Security Council the authority to enforce its mandate through economic sanctions.

However, it doesn't allow for the use of military force.

China's UN representative is Liu Jieyi.

"China welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2199 by the Security Council. The resolution is of great importance for the coordination of the international anti-terrorist campaign and certain countries' efforts to fight against terrorism."

Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, says the resolution should be particularly effective in blocking the Islamic State's cash flow from the oil industry.

"We believe this is the type of case which clearly shows the need for the collective efforts to resolve the issues we are facing. Having adopted the resolution 2199, we took yet another very important step in suppressing the funding of terrorists – first and foremost from the illegal trafficking of oil."

The United Nations estimates the Islamic State has been generating between 800-thousand to 1.6 million US dollars a day through the sale of oil on the black market.

However, observers have been suggesting oil is no longer the main source of revenue for the group, given the depressed prices on the global market, as well as airstrikes which have wiped out a number of the oil installations the Islamic State controls.

Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar al-Ja'afari, says his side is very happy to see the resolution be adopted.

"So we are very pleased to see the Council has moved finally in the right direction towards establishing a wider framework to combat terrorism and to guarantee full commitment from all member states to achieve this very important goal."

The lingering civil war in Syria became the breeding-ground for the Islamic State insurgency, as many of the foreign fighters who flocked to fight against the Syrian government later got together to form a united front.

This culminated with a massive offensive last summer which say the group take control of large swaths of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

Its fighters nearly made it to Baghdad before being stopped.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

 

 

IS claims holding Israeli spy

 

The Islamic State claims it is holding an Israeli Arab who had been posing as a foreign fighter to spy for Mossad, Israel's spy agency.

19-year old Muhammad Musallam can be seen confessing in an interview posted on-line by the militant group.

He's been recorded saying he joined the Islamic State in Syria so he could report to the Israelis about the group's weapons caches, bases and Palestinian recruits.

Both the Israeli government and Musallam's family deny the claim.

Musallam reportedly became involved with the Islamic State in October.

 

 

Yemen Is 'Disintegrating': UN Chief

 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning Yemen is disintegrating into chaos.

The comments come amid word al-Qaeda-linked fighters have taken control of a large army base in southern Yemen.

"Yemen is collapsing before our eyes. We cannot stand by and watch. The country is facing multiple challenges. We must do everything possible to help Yemen step back from the brink and get the political process back on track."

Al-Qaeda and other Sunni militants have been stepping up their attacks since rival, Iranian-backed, Shiite Houthi fighters seized the capital, Sana'a, in September and started expanding across the country.

The Houthi insurgency has forced Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government to resign.

The United States, along with Britain and France, have closed their embassies in Yemen, citing security concerns.

China is not following suit.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"The Chinese embassy in Yemen currently has no plan to close or withdraw. The Chinese diplomats are still staying on their posts and providing any possible and necessary assistance to Chinese organizations and people in Yemen."

Al-Qaeda has maintained a significant presence in Yemen for well over a decade.

The group and its supporters control a number of areas in the southern part of the country.

 

 

Egyptian court orders release of Al Jazeera journalists

 

An Egyptian court has ordered a pair of al-Jazeera journalists be released on bail as they await their re-trial on terrorism-related charges.

Justice Hassan Farid is with the Cairo Criminal Court.

"The court orders the release of defendant Mohamed Mahmoud Fadel Fahmy if the defendant pays 25,000 Egyptian pounds, or he will remain in custody pending retrial. The court has also ordered the release of all remaining defendants."

Canadian journalist Fahmy has already given up his Egyptian citizenship.

This should allow him to be qualified to be deported back to Canada where his family lives.

However, a third Al-Jazeera employee, Baher Mohammed, has no foreign passport.

The decision by the court in Cairo comes less than two weeks after their Australian colleague, Peter Greste, was released from prison and deported.

Greste was freed under a new law allowing Egypt's president to deport foreign defendants or convicts.

The journalists were tried and convicted of aiding terrorists in the fall-out of the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar, has been accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which was Morsi's power-base in Egypt.

 

 

China refutes British think tank's report regarding military spending

 

The Chinese government is rebuffing suggestions its military spending is outstripping its neighbors.

The suggestion has been made in a new report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which is a London-based think-tank.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"China's defense spending last year accounted for less than 1.5 percent of China's overall GDP, which is lower than not only most industrialized countries, but also the global average of 2.6-percent. China's defense spending per-capita is even lower, only one-22nd of the United States and one-fifth of Japan's."

The Chinese side is also rejecting suggestions in the report that its military spending is opaque, noting the annual defense budget goes under review by the National People's Congress on an annual basis.

 

 

EU Envoy: EU-China FTA: Long Way to Go

 

The European Union's lead representative to China is warning there's still a lot to do before the two sides can finish up a Free Trade Agreement.

Hans Schweisgut is the EU Ambassador to China.

"This was identified as a longer tern perspective, and therefore our position at the time was and still is we should now focus our energy on making progress on ambitious investment agreement, which will not only cover environmental protection, but also market access issues and work towards an early conclusion. And on that basis, I think we would then look forward the next step."

A new round of bilateral investment treaty talks between China and the EU is set to be held next month in Beijing.

Schweisgut says one of the things Europe is interested in looking at is the Chinese government's plan to make high-speed rail one of its key exports.

"I think what we are seeing at the moment is a number of very interesting infrastructure projects, especially rail links. And I think what we see and what we know is that obviously the bulk of trade is still going by sea. Rail transportation can make a very interesting addition to that, growing more important over time. We should sit down and define the different projects more concretely. This is what I refer to when I said in the framework of connectivity platform."

The European Union is China's largest trading partner.

 

 

S. Korea to Tighten Regulations on Plastic Surgery

 

South Korean authorities are tightening the rules surrounding plastic surgeries.

The move is in response to a growing number of medical incidents.

A 50-year-old Chinese woman has been declared brain dead after undergoing a face-lift operation this past month.

Oh Gyeong-im is the director of the Gangnam Medical Tour Center.

"The government is creating protocols and stricter regulations regarding plastic surgery to ensure people's safety. Patients need to double-check that the clinic they're going to is a certified and reputable establishment."

The cosmetic surgery in South Korea is an 80-million US dollar a year industry.

Close to three-quarters of foreigners who go 'under the knife' in South Korea for plastic surgery are from China.

The number of Chinese nationals undergoing cosmetic enhancements in South Korea has increased 20-fold over the past 5-years.

 

 

Gold Fake Gold Coins Flood Chinese Market

 

Anchor:

Reports are suggesting fake gold and silver commemorative coins have been flooding the Chinese market ahead of the "Year of Goat."

CRI's Yu Yang has the details.

Reporter:

"Year of Goat" gold coins were officially issued at the end of last year by the People's Bank of China.

However, the official coins sold out very quickly.

But given the obvious popularity of them, a number of groups have been issuing plated coins, but have been marketing them as 'the real thing.'

Zhang Hanqiao is the executive manager of China Gold Coin, one of two commemorative coin issuers approved by China's central bank.

"Last year we received many complaints. Most of them are from the seniors. In some cases, families have been brought to ruin by purchasing fake coins. The fake coin manufacturers and retailers use misleading ads on TV, websites and magazines which specifically target seniors."

Zhang Hanqiao recommends anyone who wants to purchase a commemorative coin first research its authenticity.

"The People's Bank of China has information published on its website about the times, size and types of commemorative coins its put out. This is the first thing you should confirm. Second, people looking for legitimate gold coins should go to PBOC branch offices or companies qualified to sell coins to buy the authentic products"

Gold and silver commemorative coins tend to maintain their value.

The smaller the size of the issue, the more valuable they tend to become.

Li Yang is with Beijing Caibai, China's largest gold and jewelry retailer.

He says investors need to be smart in what they purchase.

"In terms of investment, I suggest people buy gold bars, which are more profitable. But if you're looking for a collector's piece, decorative items such as gold jewelry are better."

While gold sales here in China did slump through this past year with the downturn of the economy, China did surpass India in 2013 as the world's largest consumer of gold products.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

 

 

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. markets ended higher on Thursday, with a rally in technology stocks leading the Nasdaq to a 15-year high.

In investors have also been encouraged by the ceasefire agreement to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Cisco Systems has led the technology sector higher after reporting better-than-expected earnings.

Shares of the network equipment maker climbed 9.4 percent in its biggest one-day jump since May 2013.

TripAdvisor shares soared 22.5 percent a day after its revenues topped forecasts.

Fellow online travel company Expedia shares jumped 14.5 percent following it's agreement to buy Orbitz Worldwide for 1.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Tesla shares dropped 4.7 percent after it missed fourth-quarter sales targets and analysts' profit expectations.

American Express shares plunged 6.4 percent after it was announced Costco Wholesale will stop accepting its cards in the United States in April.

At close,

The Dow Jones leapt around three fifths of a percent.

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq finished up around one percent.

Over in Europe,

Markets there also rose on Thursday, boosted by the Ukraine peace agreement, Swedish economic stimulus measures and continued hope of a Greek debt deal.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 ticked up a fraction of a percent.

Germany's DAX added about one and a half of a percent.

And finally France's CAC 40 gained one percent.

 

 

Authority Dismisses China Telecoms Merger Rumors

 

Chinese authorities are dismissing online suggestions that an imminent merger between two of the country's leading telecom operators is in the works.

The reports claim China Unicom is going to merge with rival China Telecom.

Similar online reports are also suggesting China Mobile is poised to absorb the Shaanxi Broadcast and TV Network.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as all the companies involved, have denied the reports.

The reports sent Shanghai-listed China Unicom up over 8-percent in Thursday trading.

It's unclear at this point if securities regulators will become involved in any forthcoming investigation.

 

 

Corporate News of the Week

 

Anchor:

Let's check out some of the main events taking place on the corporate front in China this week.

Joining me on the line now is Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

 

 

Shanghai FTZ Relaxes Overseas Financing

 

Authorities in Shanghai are allowing banks and securities brokers in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone to secure overseas financing.

This means banks and securities firms operating in the FTZ can now borrow overseas without prior consent from the authorities.

These same companies are also no longer going to be limited to borrowing in the Chinese currency.

Under the new rules, banks and securities firms in the FTZ are also going to be able to borrow twice what the companies have as holdings.

It's expected this is going to greatly-reduce borrowing costs.

 

 

China Plans Quality Growth, Anti-graft Drive in 2015

 

Leading Chinese policy makers say they've reached a consensus on how to improve economic quality this year and adapt to the slower rate of growth.

The statement follows a politburo meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While no specifics have been unveiled, the Chinese leadership says its going to push forward reforms in investment, fund-raising, pricing, taxes and finance.

The Chinese leadership is also fine-tune and use targeted regulatory measures more frequently.

At the same time, Chinese policy makers are vowing not to let-up in their drive to end corruption.

 

 

MOC Denies U.S. Allegation, Says China Abides by WTO Rules

 

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is planning to create so-called 'model zones' where importers of Chinese goods can be assured Chinese exporters are meeting WTO rules.

The announcement is in response to allegations by the US government that Chinese firms are being unfairly subsidized in 'demonstration bases.'

The office of the US trade representative is accusing the Chinese government of offering unfairly-subsidized services to seven different small-scale industries.

The Chinese side has denied the allegation, saying it will deal with the claims through WTO procedures.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

UN welcomes Ukraine ceasefire deal

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon is welcoming a ceasefire agreement designed to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The UN chief also says they're going to continue to keep an eye on the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine, while at the same time, continue to deliver humanitarian support to the areas.

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have announced a new peace deal following marathon talks in Belarus.

It includes a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and the rebels, which is to begin on Sunday.

It will be followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front lines and constitutional reforms to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

 

 

Security Council approves resolution targeting sources of financing for ISIS

 

The UN Security Council has adopted a new resolution targeting sources of financing for extremist groups, including the Islamic State.

The new resolution bans all trade in antiquities from Syria.

It also threatens sanctions on anyone buying oil from the Islamic State or the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

The resolution, adopted by all 15 members on the Security Council, also calls on countries to stop making ransom payments to kidnappers.

 

 

U.S. Senate confirms Ashton Carter as Pentagon chief

 

The US Senate has confirmed Ashton Carter as the country's new Defense Secretary.

The 60-year old Carter takes over for Chuck Hagel, who resigned last year after a long-running defense policy battle with the White House.

Carter will be Obama's fourth defense secretary in 6-years.

He has a significant background in the Pentagon, having served as Deputy Defense Secretary from 2011 to 2013.

Before that, he was the Defense Department's head of procurement.

He's credited with restructuring the troubled F-35 fighter jet program.

Ashton Carter takes over at a time when the US is dealing with a large number of national security challenges around the world, including the Islamic State.

 

 

Pakistan, China vow to further strengthen ties

 

The Chinese and Pakistani governments have been meeting to coordinate talking-points ahead of an impending visit to Pakistan by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been meeting with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain in Islamabad.

A date for Xi Jinping's trip to Pakistan has yet to be set.

It's widely expected Chinese infrastructure investment in the country will be high on the agenda as part of Xi Jinping's trip.

 

 

Car crashes into US Consulate in Shanghai

 

A car has crashed into the outer fence of the US Consulate in Shanghai, injuring a Chinese armed police guard.

Shanghai police say the driver may have suffered a mental breakdown.

Authorities say the man from Fujian was speaking incoherently after the crash, claiming he feared for his life and needed to provoke an incident to draw people's attention.

Police do not believe the act is in anyway related to terrorism.

They've also ruled out drugs or alcohol.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

BEIJING NEWS

Headline

Pledge to foreigners

Summary

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says measures are being taken to streamline access to China for foreign talent.

He says this will include the lowering of the threshold for foreigners to come to the country, as well as a streamlining of the procedures for them to invest and start businesses here.

The premier is also promising an easier path to permanent residency in China.

BEIJING TIMES

Headline

Beijing drinks 'southern water'

Summary

About five million people living in Beijing are now drinking water from a tributary of the Yangtze River.

Beijing has received more than 50 million cubic meters of water from the south since the South-North water diversion project opened in December.

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Smartphone hub opens

Summary

A smartphone production base for Chinese firm ZTE has officially opened in Xi'an.

The base is the largest in western China.

ZTE expects the facility is going to pump-out 15 million smartphones a year to start with.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

Northern Smog

Summary

Forecasters are warning northern China is going to be blanketed by smog for the next two days.

The National Meteorological Center is forecasting medium to severe smog in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Hebei and Shandong.

A lack of wind is being cited as the main reason.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Food producers urged to video

Summary

Shanghai's food safety watchdog is suggesting companies involved in the processing of baby formula, meat or dairy products install surveillance cameras in their factories.

The suggestion comes in the wake of last year's scandal in Shanghai which saw a meat-processing company repack meat products it later sold to a number of fast-food outlets.

BEIJING MORNING POST

Headline

Guizhou-Israel links

Summary

An Israel-Guizhou agriculture seminar has been held in the provincial capital, Guiyang.

As part of the session, the Israeli government and the Guizhou Agriculture Commission have announced plans to create a 66 hectares agricultural demonstration zone.

Guizhou, like Israel, has numerous arid areas and problems with water conservation.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

French photographer Witnesses three decades in China

 

Anchor:

French photographer Yann Layma has spent the past three decades recording China's changes through the lens of his camera.

CRI's Xu Fei caught up with him to discuss his experiences in China the past 30-years.

Reporter:

Layma began his photography career in China in 1985 when he was 22 years old. Thirty years passed and among all the changes that have taken place, Layma says it is the people that have changed the most.

"Now Chinese people are very open to foreigners, very open to new world. Chinese people are right to be proud of globalization, to be part of global culture. I think it's a very nice thing. I think the evolving of China is a very nice thing and very important to global balance."

Chinese readers can easily find their collective memories in Layma's latest photo album, China in Yesterday, hitting bookshelves in the country.

Apart from the city life, Layma constantly recorded the life of minority groups. He went to the villages of the Dong people in the southwest four times during the course of one year.

Layma says he tried his best to record life in a faithful and universal manner.

His friend, art manager Na Risong echoes this view, saying when it comes to photography, Layma's nationality is almost irrelevant.

"It does not mean he sees China differently from Chinese people. Seriously, I cannot see anything like that. He is just so good at it. That is it."

But it is hard to argue that this is the case for every photographer. Like many other art forms, photography is engraved with the values and experiences of its creator.

Layma says for him, being objective is paramount.

"It's better to be objective, but a lot of photographers say if you are too close it's not good if you are too far, it's not good. You have to find the right distance with your story."

Layma says amid the rise of the Internet, photography publications are becoming something of the past. But it is safe to say with his faithful and insightful records of China, his works will never lose their glow.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Basketball: Guangdong Through to Semi-Finals After Dumping Dongguan

 

Guangdong clinched the last semifinal spot after beating Dongguan 102-89 and finishing the best-of-five series 3-1 in the Chinese Basketball Association league playoffs on Thursday.

Former NBA player Yi Jianlian led Guangdong with a double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds; the foreign duo Will Bynum and Jeff Adrien combined for 37 points and 16 boards; and Dong Hanlin and Wang Shipeng finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Guangdong will meet defending champions Beijing, while Liaoning take on Qingdao in the semifinals, which begin on February 25.

 

 

Basketball: NBA Preview, Carmelo Anthony "Likely" Out With Knee Injury

 

Over in the National Basketball Association;

Just one game on schedule to get underway this morning as the league's All-Star weekend looms;

The top spot of the Central Division is up for grabs when the Chicago Bulls face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chicago is half a game up at 33-20 over Cleveland's 33-21 record. Outside of a surprise surge by third-place Milwaukee, it's looking like either the Cavs or the Bulls will take the central division for the fifth time in seven years.

In off-court news;

New York Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony is "likely" out for the rest of the season.

Melo told ESPN that trouble with his left knee has been getting worse, and after the All-Star game he will "likely shut it down."

The Knicks top scorer aggravated his knee injury on Monday, when New York lost to Miami, and sat out his team's loss on Wednesday to the Orlando Magic.

 

 

Cricket: World Cup Opening Ceremony Kicks off In New Zealand, Australia

 

The ICC World Cup opening ceremony took place in Christchurch, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia on Thursday.

Thousands of fans crammed leafy Hagley Park to see the launch of the first World Cup in New Zealand and Australia in 23 years.

The World Cup is the largest event Christchurch has hosted since an earthquake in February 2011 devastated the city's centre - only a few hundred yards from where Thursday's festivities took place, claiming the lives of 185 people.

Countries competing in the World Cup: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Scotland, Bangladesh, South Africa, Enlgand, Sri Lanka, India, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and co-hosts Australia and New Zealand.

England captain Brendon McCullum says, at this level of competition, the tournament is wide open:

"I think it is a really wide open World Cup. I think the nature of the wickets that we are going to see in both Australia and New Zealand are pure wickets and that brings in match winners and I think if you look around the top eight to ten Test nations every team possess match winners and some of those guys can turn a game within ten or fifteen overs. Therefore I think that leaves a World Cup wide open. It is there for someone, someone has got to win it and someone will take that opportunity and it will be nice if we are there towards the end of the tournament."

Competition begins on Saturday when New Zealand faces Sri Lanka, and Australia takes on archrivals England.

 

 

Tennis: Murray in Final 8 at Rotterdam, Eugenie Bouchard Out at Antwerp

 

Top-seed Andy Murray continued his fine start to the year as he made it to the last eight of the Rotterdam Open on Thursday.　　

The world number four beat Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 7-5, but had to work hard for his win after letting the Canadian back into the match.　　

Murray broke for a 3-2 lead in the second set, but lost his serve twice to allow the world number 57 a 5-3 lead.　　

But the Scot dug deep to come up with two breaks of his own before serving out the match.　　

He will meet Frenchman Gilles Simon in the quarter finals after the Frenchman beat compatriot Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-3.　　

Tomas Berdych also tasted victory, but needed three sets to get past Andreas Seppi.　　

Some fine tennis in crunch time saw the Czech progress 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.

In women's action down at the Diamond Games in Antwerp;

Top-seeded Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was ousted by Germany's Mona Barthel 6-4, 1-6, 2-6.

Second-seed Agnelique Kerber is out as well after losing 6-1, 6-1 to Italy's Franchesca (sp) Schiavone.

Czech Republic's Barbora Zalavova-Strycova, Lucie Safarova, and Karolina Pliskova are all through after straight-set victories.

As is sixth-seed Slovakian, Dominika Cibulkova.

 

 

Football: EPL Preview

 

Over in football:

English Premier League action coming up this weekend will see--

West Brom take on West Ham;

Stoke will battle the Blackburn Rovers;

Derby County will face Reading;

and Crystal Palace will meet Liverpool.

On Sunday;

Aston Villa battle Leicester;

Sunderland take on Bradford City;

and Arsenal will face Middlesbrough.

 

 

Golf: Michael Hoey Leads Day 1 of Thailand Classic

 

Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey shoots an opening round 64 to seize the first round lead at the European Tour's True Thailand Classic at the Black Mountain Golf Club on Thursday.

Michael Hoey shot an eight-under-par 64 on Thursday to set a course record and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Thailand Classic.

The former British Amateur champion from Northern Ireland had eight birdies at the Black Mountain Golf Club to lead three others by one shot.

David Lipsky of the United States, Hung Chien-yao of Taiwan and Carlos Pigem of Spain were tied for second at the European-Asian Tour event, after the trio signed for opening rounds of 65 in hot and humid conditions.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

 Jaycee Chan released from prison, Press-con expected

 

Jaycee Chan, son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, has been released from jail earlier today after serving a 6-month sentence on drug offenses.

He's reportedly preparing to hold a news conference later.

Reports have been circulating Jaycee Chan is going to have a role in producing his father's new album.

However, Jackie Chan has gone on-record saying he's planning to continue working on his movie career, suggesting an album from the elder Chan is not in the works for the time-being.

32-year-old Jaycee Chan, an actor and singer himself, was detained in August along with Taiwan movie star Kai Ko for drug offences.

He's been the most high-profile of a string of celebrities who have been caught up in drug use in Beijing over the past year.

 

 

Yin Xiangjie prosecuted for illegal drug possession

 

Chinese singer Yin Xiangjie has become the latest celebrity to stand before the courts in connection with drugs.

He has stood trial in Beijing on Thursday.

A verdict hasn't been delivered.

Police in Beijing arrested the 45-year-old in late December.

He was caught with 14 grams of crystal meth and over a gram of marijuana.

In China, possession of more than 10 grams of crystal meth carries a penalty of up to 3-years in jail.

Yin Xiangjie, a Beijing native, became famous after singing "Boat Tracker's Love," a duet with female singer Yu Wenhua, in the 1990s.

 

 

"Somewhere only we know" eyes on the Valentine's Day Box Office in China

 

Chinese actress and director Xu Jinglei's romantic film "Somewhere only we know" has hit the Chinese theatres.

Total box office revenues have hit 38-million yuan on its first day on-screen.

Released just ahead of Valentine's Day, the film has already seen several couples to propose in movie theatres around the country.

The film tells a story of a girl who goes to Prague after her boyfriend breaks-off their engagement.

Then a new man appears in her life, setting the scene for a new love story.

Former EXO member Kris Wu and mainland actress Wang Likun play the leading roles in the film.

More screenings of the film have already been ordered amid an expected rush this coming Valentine's weekend.

 

 

"Fifty Shades of Grey" about to hit the cinemas

 

The big-screen adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey" is about to hit select theatres today in different parts of the world.

The film is widely-expected to be the biggest Valentine's Day weekend release in Hollywood history.

Based on the steamy novel by author E.L. James, the film stars Dakota Johnson as a college girl who falls for a billionaire named Mr. Grey.

Grey is played by Irish actor Jamie Dornan.

The film carries an "R" rating.

It made its premier at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany.

Authorities in Kenya have already banned the film, saying its too sexually explicit.

 

 

Veteran Correspondent Bob Simon dies in New York car crash

 

Veteran CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon has been killed in a car crash in New York.

Investigators later say speed may have played a role in the crash, which took place in Manhattan.

The 73-year-old covered numerous high-profile stories during his five-decade career, including the wars in Vietnam and the former Yugoslavia.

At one point he was held by Iraqi forces for over a month during the first Gulf War.

Simon also won multiple awards, including 27 Emmys.

His last piece, a report about the Oscar-nominated civil rights drama "Selma" aired on "60 minutes" over the weekend.

Simon's death comes amid an eventful week in US broadcasting, including "Daily Show" host John Stewart's announcement he's quitting, on top of the 6-month suspension of NBC news anchor Brian Williams.