BEIJING: Cedric Simmons made a winning free-throw in Dongguan Marco Polo’s 102-101 win over Shanxi Zhongyu on Sunday, spoiling Stephon Marbury’s debut in the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).Simmons drew a foul from the two-time NBA All-Star guard and made one of the two free-throws with 5.3 seconds to go, before Maurice Taylor’s three-pointer attempt fell short on the buzzer.

Marbury had 15 points, 7-out-of-11 in the field and 0-out-of-6 on three-pointers, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds in 28 minutes.

 

It was Dongguan’s Tre Kelley the star of the game as the former Miami Heat’s guard had the game-high 34 points and a go-ahead basket when the Marco Polo were down 100-99 in the final minute.

Hou Bing’s free-throw, assisted by Marbury, tied the game on 101 to all with 10.8 seconds left.

Guangdong Hongyuan avoid a surprise and a repeat of history as they turned a 14-point deficit into a 99-84 away win over the Fujian SBS.

The defending champions lost 104-91 and scored only one point in the four quarter on December 8, 2008 at Jinjiang, Fujian Province.

They trailed 57-43 after the break but used a 32-13 third-quarter run to turn the table around when six players scored in double-digit numbers.

In other matches, Tianjin Ronggang beat Jilin Northeast Tigers 102-96, Liaoning Panpan beat Shaanxi Kylin 105-82, Shanghai Sharks beat Zhejiang Chouzhou 100-90, Qingdao Double Stars beat Shandong Gold 96-90, Zhejiang Guangsha beat Bayi Fubang 98-83, Jiangsu Dragons beat Beijing Ducks 102-96.

BOSTON: Kobe Bryant made amends for a poor shooting game by sinking a spectacular game-winning jumper as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Boston Celtics 90-89 on Sunday.Bryant drilled a difficult 15-footer with 7.3 seconds left despite the close attendance of Ray Allen, who then went on to miss a three-point attempt as time expired to ensure the Lakers (37-11) took a satisfying win over their long-time rivals.

“I was thinking about last year when I had a chance to win a game in regulation but missed it. I wanted to make up for that,” Bryant told reporters after L.A. beat Boston for the third time in a row since losing to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.

 

“The fans are very knowledgeable here and it’s always a great place to get a win.”

Bryant finished with 19 points and six assists despite 8-for-20 shooting and Andrew Bynum added 19 and 11 boards as Los Angeles captured its fourth straight win.

In a marquee matchup between the last two NBA champions, the Celtics recovered from an early deficit and looked poised to prevail when they led by 11 with less than nine minutes remaining.

DRY SPELL

However, the home team suffered a dry spell that allowed the Lakers to inch closer and the visitors pulled within one on Ron Artest’s drive with 45 seconds remaining.

Artest then drew an offensive foul on Paul Pierce to set up his team’s final possession.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 21 points and 12 assists for a struggling Boston (29-16), who have suffered six defeats in eight games.

Injuries and an aging roster have been of concern for the Celtics, who have compiled a mediocre 13-8 home record this season.

The Lakers took the life out of the TD Garden in the first where Bynum had 12 points for the hot-shooting visitors, who took a 30-19 advantage, before Rondo sparked a Boston comeback.

The newly named All-Star point guard scored nine in the second and the Celtics seized the momentum with a 30-10 turnaround to grab a 49-40 advantage with 3:01 left before the half.

“We came back with some energy from our bench who gave us a lift and we stuck with it and kept fighting,” Rondo said.

“No matter what are offense does we have to come down and play defense.”

LONDON: Wayne Rooney scored his 100th Premier League goal Sunday as Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 to subdue a title rival while maintaining the pressure on leader Chelsea.While Rooney claimed the goals milestone, the blistering pace of Nani was the key ingredient to securing United’s third straight win and its first in the league at the Emirates Stadium.

That was my best game. I played well, scoring and getting an assist,” Nani said. “I can feel the confidence of my teammates, the fans and the manager.”

 

The opener came after 33 minutes when Nani stormed down the right and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia palmed in his cross when trying to swat it away. Nani was the provider again four minutes later, squaring for Rooney to score.

Any hopes of an Arsenal comeback were ended by Park Ji-sung ripping through the defense before slotting home seven minutes into the second half, although Thomas Vermaelen scored a late consolation goal.

United finishes the weekend still a point behind Chelsea, which has a game in hand, but four ahead of Arsenal. First plays third next weekend in a match that could end Arsenal’s title bid.

“It’s that time of year when we really need to kick on,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “We need Chelsea to drop points. Arsenal are not out of it, I hope Arsenal go to Stamford Bridge and batter them.”

 

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger didn’t share Ferguson’s optimism.

“We need something special now to stay in the race. It’s a massive blow today,” Wenger said. “It’s difficult to accept, but easy to explain because we were poor defensively and offensively. That’s why we were well beaten. We gave them too much room and we were naive.”

The Frenchman’s comments contrasted with his pre-match declaration that Arsenal is a “different animal” to the one that meekly capitulated to United in last season’s Champions League semifinal here.

For a team without a trophy since 2005, this was a wasted chance after spending the two months since being trounced 3-0 by Chelsea, slashing the 11-point gap from the top.

Vermaelen did make a series of crucial clearances to thwart United, having been passed fit after fears he broke his leg in Wednesday’s draw at Aston Villa.

But Nani tormented the Gunners, demonstrating he can fill part of the large void left by fellow Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit.

For the first goal, he skipped past two Arsenal defenders before cutting past Cesc Fabregas and raising the ball toward the far post, where Park was lurking, only to see Almunia tip it into his own net.

“I put the ball into the goal so it should be my goal,” Nani said. “I did everything to make it happen. I was very confident and the dribble worked very well.”

Arsenal tried to provide an immediate response, but after Fabregas’ shot was blocked, United launched an electric counterattack, started and ended by Rooney.

The England forward picked up the ball inside his own half and galloped forward before feeding Nani, who returned the ball for Rooney to claim his 22nd goal of the season.

“Rooney was unbelievable. He was the key player and they couldn’t handle him,” Ferguson said. “He’s down to earth and won’t change because that’s who he is. That’s refreshing in this day and age of celebrity-type footballers with lots of money, but he never changes when some people do change with success.”

United, chasing a fourth straight title, dominated play in midfield and the third goal came as Michael Carrick and Park combined on the break at the start of the second half.

Carrick chipped the ball forward the onrushing Park, who faced little resistance before beating Almunia to essentially put the game beyond reach.

“Counterattack has always been a part of our game, particularly away from home,” Ferguson said. “Arsenal play a lot of good football and get to the edge of the box regularly, so if you can get the ball, you’ve got a chance against them.”

Arsenal pulled one back in the 80th when Samir Nasri’s cross was headed back by William Gallas and Vermaelen’s diving scissors kick took a deflection off United defender Jonny Evans.

“We must prepare to come back stronger. It’s our job not to feel sorry for ourselves,” Wenger said. “Chelsea is a good opportunity to show we are united and strong.”

There will be no new faces in Arsenal’s squad by Sunday, with Wenger ruling out any business before the transfer window closes Monday.

China plans to close thousands of offices established by regional governments in Beijing following longstanding allegations of corruption, the influential Outlook Weekly reported in its latest issue.

The report said that various offices representing administrative departments of regional governments, management committees of economic development zones or governments at county levels will be closed within six months.

It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 such offices, including 5,000 established by county-level governments.

Zhu Lijia, director of public administration studies teaching and research section of the National School of Administration, said that many offices have become mere “reception centers” instead of offering other functions.

“A modest calculation will put the total expenditure of those offices at more than 10 billion yuan,” the report said, citing an anonymous expert.

However, some offices, such as those set by provincial governments, autonomous regions and municipalities, will be kept to continue their work to promote regional economic growth and contributing to stability in Beijing.

It was also reported that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, a powerful anti-corruption watchdog, began a major investigation of the offices in 2006. Other senior officials also warned against the corruption in these offices and urged authorities to strengthen regulations.

The problems with the Beijing offices targeted for closing, in addition to the large number, are the lack of clearly defined responsibilities and an underdeveloped supervision mechanism, according to the report.

TEHRAN, Iran: A passenger train derailed in northeastern Iran Saturday, killing 8 and injuring 12 others, state television reported.

The broadcast said four of those injured were in critical condition.

The deadly incident occured after two coaches of a speeding train derailed at Azadvar station in Joqatai, 700 kilometers east of the capital Tehran, state television reported Saturday.

The television said the train derailed at 10:20 a.m. local time (GMT 06:50). The train was heading to Tehran from the northeastern city of Mashhad.

It is the deadliest accident since February 2004 when runaway train cars carrying fuel and industrial chemicals derailed, setting off explosions that destroyed five villages in northeastern Iran killing more than 200 people.

The Internet originated on American soil. In 1969, the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Defense Department established the world’s first testing packet-switched network (PSN) to connect four universities on US soil. The world saw a remarkable expansion of the scale and number of Internet users from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. In September 1989, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was founded with a grant from the US Department of Commence to administer the Internet terminal server. Over the past 40 years, the US has been dominating the world Internet as the core technique holder with an inherent advantage of being the cradle of the Internet.

There are 13 terminal servers in the world to keep the Internet running, with a master server and nine of the 12 secondary servers stationed in the US. In terms of technique, the network of a country will disappear from the world Internet if its domain name registry is blocked or deleted from the terminal server. This kind of conduct is not legally binding with the law of any country except ICANN. In April 2004, Libya was unseen on the Internet for three days after the collapse of the domain name registry of the country “LY” caused by a domain administration dispute.

Concerns about the US monopoly of the domain name server (DNS) system grew among other nations as much as their reliance on the Internet for issues ranging from politics and the economy to defense and the general society. Years ago, there was a proposal that the Internet be administered by the United Nations or under international cooperation. The European Union insisted that the World Wide Web is an international resource that should be jointly managed by all nations. Some developing countries pointed out that at the early stage of Internet development, developed countries seized large amounts of domain names, leaving a limited few for them, and demanded a share with the US over Internet administration. American officials opposed the suggestion.

The US Defense Strategy Review in March 2005 stated that Internet space should have the same priority as continental, marine, aerial and outer space jurisdictions for the US to maintain a decisive superiority. A statement from Washington on June 30, 2005, made it clear that the US government would maintain its control over the DNS indefinitely; stating that a transfer of its management to UN or international cooperative models would impede the free flow of information, lead to easy manipulation of the Internet and make global supervision more difficult.

In an attempt to thwart the World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunis in November 2005, then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote to then European Union president and British foreign minister that her government in Washington backed Internet administration and coordination by ICANN (an alleged NGO which is actually a quasi-government organization with the US Department of Commerce). Rice said management by private corporations would guarantee the safety and stability of the Internet, while the alternative choice of an inter-government mechanism would be an obstacle to Internet development. At the same time, the US Congress passed a bill by a vote of 423 to zero urging a manifesto by the White House that American control over Internet is inviolable. US Rep. John Taylor Doolittle, a Republican from California, said the United States invented the Internet and described it as a gift to the world based on American taxpayers’ money. He said he opposed any move to transfer the country’s control to the UN.

The control of the Internet plays a strategic role for US. Using the internet, the US can intercept information via the net, export US values and opinions, support a “Color Revolution”, feed the opposition powers and rebels against anti-US governments, interfere with other countries’ internal affairs and make proactive attacks on enemy’s communication and directing networks. James-Adams, a famous military forecaster, wrote in his book, The Next World War, these words: “The computer is the weapon for the future war and there is no virtual front line, as the traditional battle and the byte will take the bullet’s role to grab control of the air.”

Stage

Don Quixote returns

The National Theater Company of China (NTCC) will present Don Quixote, adapted from the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes’ (1547-1616) novel. The play is directed by Meng Jinghui, the most influential director in experimental modern drama. The ideal spirit of Don Quixote is highlighted in the drama version, which suits the style of Meng’s previous works, including Rhinoceros in Love and Two Dogs’ View of Life. Multi-media techniques are employed to heighten the dramatic flavor.

7:30 pm, Jan 8-10, 12-16. 80-480 yuan. National Center for the Performing Arts, west of Tian’anmen Square. 6655-0000

国家大剧院, 天安门广场西

Playing a woman

Popular male dan (a young woman in Peking Opera) performer Li Yuguang will lead the New Year’s vocal concert of Chinese classical songs. Li, 31, from Northeast China’s Jilin province, is acclaimed for his grace, sweet voice and dazzling dance movements. As a leading performer of the China Opera and Dance Drama Company, he has led the overseas shows of the company many times and even held a solo performance at the Sydney Opera House in 2009.

Exhibitions

Contemporary art

The inaugural exhibition, The Same, features new works by six contemporary artists. They include video works, photographs, installations, performance art and easel work. The creations by Ma Yunfei, Wang Peng and Li Yongbin are in the realistic style, while Zheng Zaidong uses traditional Chinese painting to approach contemporary themes. Zhang Yajie paints ordinary daily objects and Li Tianyuan visits his childhood and hometown.

10 am-5:30 pm, until Jan 7 except Monday. 01100001 Beijing art gallery, C3, Red No1, Caochangdi, Chaoyang district.

5127-3204

01100001, 北京市朝阳区草场地红一号C3

Money matters

He Jia, a Naxi ethnic from Yunnan province, does not stick to his cultural roots in his artistic pursuits. Instead, he has turned to pop art, a genre popular in the 1950s in the United States.

In his visually stimulating but ambiguous oil paintings and installations, the 34-year-old toys with various commercial icons and logos, cultural symbols and images, to express his perception of the impact of the market economy and consumerism on Chinese society.

10 am-6 pm, until Jan 10. Art Seasons Gallery, 798 Art Zone, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district. 5978-9850

北京朝阳区酒仙桥路2号

Events

Health and beauty expo

At the expo featuring exhibitions and live demonstrations by professionals in the beauty and spa industry, you will learn about the latest beauty products, pick up beauty tips and win vouchers that may be used some of the town’s best health and beauty venues.

This is one of a kind. You cannot afford to miss it.

10 am, Jan 9. 150 yuan. Hilton Beijing, 1 Dongfanglu, East Third Ring Beilu, Chaoyang district. 137-1863-6575.

朝阳区东三环北路东方路1号

Live music

Experimental gig

An improvised jazz gig, entitled Sub Jam, featuring multi-instrument player Li Daiguo, guqin player Wu Na, Yan Jun, Jun Yuan, Justin Sebastian and Olaf Hochherz will be staged at Two Kolegas this Friday.

On Saturday there will be a similar, smaller performance at Tree Cape Cafe

On Friday, Jiangjinjiu Bar will host a live performance featuring the Buyi band.

Critically acclaimed by the mainstream media as the most outstanding popular rock band, Buyi has been around for 15 years with albums such as, That Long, Endless Wine, a new EP That Place of Buyi Band and many more unofficially released records which are widely enjoyed.

9:30 pm, Jan 8. 30 yuan. Jiangjingjiu Bar, 2 Zhongku Hutong, Dongcheng district (near the North gate of Drum Tower). 8405-0124

东城区钟库胡同2号(鼓楼北门)

Coming together

In 2009, three Chinese-based bands – Queen Sea Big Shark, Hedgehog and Casino Demon — went on a 22-day music tour around the US, presenting items under the theme of “Sing For China”.

On Jan 8 these three bands will come together to put on their first show at Yugong Yishan since their tour of the US, to present a maximum rock party.

At the show, Zijian and Atom, members of Hedgehog, will turn into a brand new group, B-side Lovers, replacing Hedgehog for the night. Queen Sea Big Shark and Casino Demon, who are preparing their new album, will play a few tracks from it, springing a delightful surprise on their fans.

9 pm, Jan 8. 60 yuan. Yugong Yishan. East Courtyard, site of Duanqirui Government, Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng district, 6404-2711

东城区张自忠路3-2号段祺瑞执政府旧址西院

Album release

The band Yufeimen will perform at Star Live, to mark the launch of their new album, 10 Garden, covering a full range of music genres. The program will feature a live DJ, tracks, guitars and vocals.

8:30 pm, Jan 8. 80-100 yuan. Star Live Concert Hall, third floor of Tango, 79 Heping Xijie, Dongcheng district. 6425-5677.

东城区和平里西街79号3层

Out & About

Hiking to a spring pool

After a three-hour hike in winter, nothing could be better than relaxing in a hot spring pool.

The walk starts in a valley and trails along the hills, in the countryside of Changping, passing streams, orchards, trees, small villages, and frozen reservoirs. The trek over, relax at a small, secluded, Japanese-themed hot spring hotel.

After enjoying a gourmet lunch with drinks, head back to Beijing.

Meet at Lido Starbucks (north-east gate of Lido Holiday Inn, 6 Jiangtailu, Chaoyang district) for bus transportation. Visit www.beijinghikers.com for reservation and more information.

8:30 am, Jan 13 . 550 yuan. Beijing Hikers, Room1907, Building 107, Jiangfu Jiayuan, Xiaochengezhuang, Jiangtai Donglu, Chaoyang district. 5137-4906

Actor Anil Kapoor arrives to attend a premiere of the Fox network series “24″ in New York January 14, 2010.

NEW YORK  – Jerry Seinfeld’s new marriage comedy, crime series “Law & Order” and new family drama “Parenthood” will replace “The Jay Leno Show,” at 10 p.m., bringing an end to a failed experiment, NBC said on Thursday.

NBC said the new 10 p.m. line-up would start after the network’s 2010 Winter Olympics broadcasts from Feb 12-28.

It did not clarify what was happening in its attempt to reshuffle its Monday-Friday late night line-up with Leno and Conan O’Brien’s “The Tonight Show.”

The fourth-rated U.S. television network has been scrambling to reinvent its Monday-Friday prime time schedule since announcing on Sunday that it would end “The Jay Leno Show” at 10 p.m. on February 11.

“The Jay Leno Show” was cheaper to produce than traditional scripted drama, but the experiment captured low ratings and NBC affiliate stations complained it drew fewer people to local news at 11 p.m. and, as a result, hurt their ad revenues.

NBC said that starting March 1, it will air long-running crime drama “Law & Order” on Mondays, beginning with a two-hour episode, and sister show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 p.m.

At the same time on Tuesdays, NBC will air “Parenthood,” a highly anticipated multi-generational drama, and the Thursday slot will be filled by “The Marriage Ref,” a new one-hour comedy-game panel-reality show from Seinfeld — one of America’s favorite comedians.

Finally, Fridays will see long-running news magazine “Dateline NBC” take the 10 p.m. slot.

General Electric Co’s NBC said earlier this week it has ordered pilots of six new dramas and two new comedies for the 2010-2011 season in a bid to rebuild its depleted stock of scripted series that appeal to advertisers.

NBC has said it wants to move Jay Leno to 11:35 p.m. and push “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” to 12:05 a.m.

The move has angered both Leno and O’Brien, who took over “The Tonight Show” in June 2009. In a bitterly worded statement on Tuesday, O’Brien said he would not host “The Tonight Show” at the later hour but did not say he would leave the network.

Snowmen in carrot crisis

The heavy snow has sent the price of vegetables soaring in Beijing, which is bad news for salads, stir fries – and snowmen, as it’s feared that carrots – the traditional hooter – may be considered too expensive to be used for nasal purposes.

Fruit has yet to record the price high, and Frosty pundits predict cheaper bananas will become the nose of second-choice. If so it is expected snowmen will be advised to moisturize in the strong sunlight that comes with the snow, in case their new banana nose should peel.

Woman goes into space

A car park especially for women is to be built at a shopping mall in North China.

The spaces are to be a metre wider than normal and there will be “women-friendly” colours. Other adjust for the ladies’ transport ideas include pink traffic lights which will mean “you can go, if you’ve finished applying your lipstick”. Double pink lines, which will be places only women can park, outside hair salons. And also pink number plates.

These all indicate the person driving the car is actually much, much safer, because statistics show that women cause only 3.5% of traffic casualties.

Chili in Hohhot

Three men were hospitalized after a red-pepper eating competition in a restaurant. Whoever ate the fewest numbers of peppers had to pay the bill. The bet took place in the capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region Hohhot, which coincidentally was the word used by the men to describe their own Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

Splitting up is fun to do

A Chongqing woman has thrown a party after breaking up with her possessive boyfriend.

“He wouldn’t let me speak to any other man, even my colleagues,” said the woman. “He called me A Hundred Times a Day.” The report didn’t reveal her actual name.

Her celebration could inspire other “Break Up” parties. Invites will say “minus one”.

Quirky news in brief

A woman has been rescued after being tied up in a hotel bedroom in Guangdong. She wrote her plea to be saved on a one-yuan note and threw it out the window. It was a kuai for help.

Still in Guangdong, a mouse caused chaos at a bank when it opened the safe by pressing the button. Security there has been dubbed “a Mickey Mouse operation”.

A six-year-old girl has been master of ceremonies at more than 20 weddings in Liaoning province. There is speculation about what will happen though should a couple named anything other than Janet and John wish to write their own vows. Will the junior emcee’s reading be up to it?

Panda Love

Ten giant pandas are heading to the Shanghai Expo, where they will go on year-long display.

At their Sichuan base, before getting on a chartered plane, they show they enjoy being on the Swing Swing which could also be one of their names.

Giant pandas are known for being sexually inactive, but after signs of intimacy there are hopes at least two pandas are preparing for the Mile High Club.

It’s predicted the pandas will be a popular exhibit –drawing crowds of onlookers. Here, they’ve just seen a mirror.