新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2015/04/06

The Beijing Hour

Evening Edition

It's Spencer Musick with you on this Monday April 6th, 2015.

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

Coming up on our program this evening...

All of the remaining Chinese natinonals who wished to be evacuated 2 have left Yemen...

Kenya launching airstrikes against Al-Shebab targets in Somalia...

Authorities stressing road safety as the Qingming festival wraps up here in China...

In Business: New data suggesting the world's hottest stock market is right here in China...

In Sports: Cristianio Ronaldo playing a huge role in Real's 9-1 Thrashing of Grenada in La Liga...

In Entertainment: Fast and Furious 7 raking in the cash in global box office figures...

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

Weather

The National observatory 3 has forecast that a cold front sweeping 4 across China will cause strong winds and plunging 5 temperatures in most regions of the country.

Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 2, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 14.

Shanghai will see slight rain tonight with a low of 8, more rain is in the forecast tomorrow with a high of 10.

Chongqing will also be rainy tonight, 11 degrees the lowest, tomorrow, showers, high of 15.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,

Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 36.

Kabul, sunny, 19.

Over in Australia

Sydney, will see some clouds tomorrow with a high of 24,

Canberra, thundershowers, 15,

Brisbane, thundershowers , 32,

Finally Perth will have showers with a high of 26 degrees Celsius 6.

Top News

All Chinese Evacuated from Yemen

A Chinese warship 7 carrying 38 Chinese nationals and 45 Sri Lankans has left Yemen's western port of al-Hodayda on Monday for Djibouti.

It was the last group of Chinese nationals who sought to be evacuated from Yemen.

The Chinese embassy and consulate 8 general in Yemen are closed after all diplomatic staff left the country on Sunday.

According to the Chinese ambassador, at the request of Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, France, Romania and Spain, the Chinese government has helped to evacuate 1 their citizens from Yemen.

Saudi-led coalition 9 forces on March 26 launched air strikes in Yemen against the Shiite Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The military operations have left at least 130 people killed and more than 500 others wounded nationwide.

Earlier the International Committee of the Red Cross has been granted approval from the Saudi-led military coalition to deliver aid to Yemen.

A spokesman for the coalition says arrangements had been made for at least one Red Cross aid delivery, but that last minute considerations caused the ICRC to pull out of the deal.

"A trip was arranged for them in the morning, at 9am. No one came. We were told after fixing the date that there is a request to change the plane. They seem to have chosen a plane from a company that cannot go to Yemen. They have asked to postpone 11 the journey until a later time."

The aid agency has been negotiating for nearly a week to deliver life-saving supplies and equipment to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has conducted more than a week of air strikes against Iran-backed Shi'ite Houthi rebels.

The coalition says it has set up a special coordinating 12 body for aid deliveries and asked NGOs and governments to work with it to ensure humanitarian 13 aid can be brought into Yemen.

Kenya airstrike Al-Shabab in Somalia

It's being reported that Kenyan fighter jets have bombed positions of the al-Shabab militant 14 group in Somalia in reponse to last week's Garissa University College attack.

A Kenyan military source says the warplanes targeted two camps in the Gedo region, used by al-Shabab to cross into Kenya.

This is seen as Kenya's response to an al-Shabab attack in Kenya last week, which killed 148 people.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed 15 to respond to the attack "in the severest way possible."

China Vows 16 Cooperation with Lancang-Mekong River Nations

The Chinese government says its will work to enhance cooperation with the five countries along the Lancang-Mekong River for the implementation 17 of the "One Belt and One Road" initiative.

China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have also vowed to build a community of shared destiny between them.

This promise came during the first Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting held in Beijing today.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, says the community strategy will offer a very important platform for China and the five countries in the construction of the China-proposed initiative.

"It's best advantage is that it can help countries in the Indo-China Peninsula develop fast, which will also be good for ASEAN's development. Actually the area is included in the 'One Belt and One Road', and this mechanism 18 is one part of the combination of 'One Belt and One Road' and local development strategies."

The meeting also decided 19 that the first foreign ministers' meeting between China and the five countries will be held in Beijing this year.

The Lancang-Mekong river passes through China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, covering a population of more than 320 million people.

In 2013, the trade volume between the six countries exceeded 150 billion U.S. dollars.

China to Work towards Comprehensive Solution to Middle East Affairs

Anchor:

China's special envoy 20 for Middle East affairs is actively 21 promoting the Chinese government's 'Belt and Road' initiative, suggesting it may help ease tensions in the region.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

Reporter:

China's special envoy on Middle East affairs, Gong Xiaosheng, says any future solution for the Middle East is going to have to include a reconstruction 22 plan.

"Any future solution to the Middle East should include not only peace agreements, but also humanitarian aid, post-war reconstruction, economic recovery and development. Only a comprehensive solution including political, economic, cultural aspects and others can really push forward the peace process and make breakthrough."

He's suggesting the 'Silk Road Economic Belt' and '21st Century Maritime 23 Silk Road' can help create a lasting 24 peace.

"The 'One Belt and One Road' initiative may become an important aspect of the peace process. We hope to contribute to peace in the Middle East through 'One Belt and One Road', and bring some hope and peace to the people in this region, especial to those living in conflict zones."

The comments have been made as part of meeting among Gong Xiaosheng and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki and chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Gong says the Chinese side is hoping to help push-forward Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

"The current situation in the Middle East is very difficult. The Palestinian and the Israeli sides have large differences in their positions and do not trust each other. It is difficult to restart negotiations 25. We hope that through our efforts, both sides can increase trust to each other and insist on solving problems through political way."

Among the topics discussed was the Palestinian acceptance as a member of the International Criminal Court.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

"We hope China will help us solve our problems peacefully and avoid more violence. We always respect the international law and hope to solve the problems under the framework of international law. Joining international institutions including the International Criminal Court shows sufficiently 27 that Palestinian people hope to avoid violence, solve the problems and realize the two-state solution through international law."

The International Criminal Court officially accepted Palestine as an ICC member this past week.

For CRI, I'm Qizhi.

Palestinian Authority rejects Israel tax transfer

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is threatening to turn to the International Criminal Court over Israel's refusal to fully 26 release hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues unfrozen by the Israeli side.

The comment comes after Israel agreed to release the funds after deducting 28 debts due for electricity, water and medical services.

Abbas confirms the money has been transfered, but with one-third being deducted 29.

"We will not take the money until what is due to us is given entirely 30. We are giving Israel the money back, and they can either return the full amount owed to us, or we can go to court."

Israel froze the monthly transfer of funds it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in early January as a punitive 31 measure after the Palestinians moved to join the ICC.

Palestine's membership began on April 1st.

Greece to Repay 460mln Euro Loans to IMF

Greece's finance minister has told the International Monetary 32 Fund chief that his country will repay the 460-million-euro loan from the organization that is due this week.

Yanis Varoufakis has met with IMF officials in Washington during the weekend.

"We are intent upon reforming Greece deeply, this is our promise to the Greek people, so having an opportunity to discuss the reform program here at the IMF with the Managing Director is an excellent step towards that direction."

He also stressed that the Greek government plans to improve the efficacy of negotiations with its creditors 33.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde says she welcomes the confirmation 34.

She says efforts in Athens and talks with teams in Brussels over the terms of Greece's bailout will resume promptly 35.

Greece is fast running out of cash, but its EU and IMF lenders have frozen bailout aid until the government reaches an agreement on a package of reforms.

Last week, the country presented a new package of reforms in hopes of receiving some international funding.

But the proposal has not yet received approval from Greece's EU and IMF lenders.

The delay of about 7.2 billion euro pledged to Greece has forced the government to dip into reserves to meet its obligations.

Death row appeal fails- Australian 'Bali Nine' drug smugglers face execution

An Indonesian court has rejected a bid by two Australian drug smugglers -- members of the so-called "Bali Nine" -- to challenge their planned executions.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are awaiting death by firing squad 36 on Indonesia's so-called "execution island" for their role in a failed 2005 heroin 37 smuggling 38 plot.

A panel of three judges in the state administrative 39 court in Jakarta confirmed an earlier ruling that it lacked the jurisdiction 40 to hear challenges against President Joko Widodo's refusal to grant clemency 41.

Lawyers for the pair earlier argued that Widodo had failed to individually consider their cases.

Authorities stresses road safety at the end of qingming holiday

With an expected cold front and heavy rain set to sweep some parts of central and southern China, transportation authorities are warning of slippery roads at the end of the three-day Qingming festival holiday.

The festival is a day when many people pay tribute to their ancestors.

This often involves short-distant travel.

On Monday, many areas in China witnessed a peak in passenger traffic.

In east China's Jiangxi Province, the city of Ganzhou saw a long line of vehicles extending for several kilometers on an inter-provincial expressway.

"The traffic is very congested. We drove here yesterday and are now returning home. The roads are crowded with vehicles all the way."　

"I have been waiting here for half an hour or so."

One accident happened in a tunnel on an expressway, making traffic even worse.

Zeng Kun is a local traffic police officer.

"The traffic flow has reached more than 60 vehicles per minute now. As some small cars did not keep a safe distance, a car rear-ended another in the tunnel, which has caused a temporary traffic jam."

Road safety has been highlighted during the holiday, with two major road accidents killing 42 over a dozen people.

A total of 21 people were killed after a medium-sized bus plunged 43 into a river on Saturday night in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

And another similar accident in Zhejiang Province on Sunday left 3 dead and more than a dozen injured.

Online Tomb Sweeping Services Bring Change to Traditions

Anchor:

This year, websites are emerging that will allow people to perform the ritual of tomb sweeping online. This has brought some changes during the Qingming Festival.

CRI's Huang Shan has more.

Reporter:

Rather than heading back home and visiting the burial place, the online tomb sweeping services enable people to go through such rituals via the online world.

On the website, tiantang6.com, you can create a virtual tombstone for a loved one or ancestor with a few clicks. You can choose the sceneries of his or her final resting place, whether it's next to a lake or high up in the mountains. People can even place flowers and teddy bears next to the tombstone.

Websites like this are becoming extremely popular in the age of technology, especially during the Qingming or Tomb-sweeping Festival.

Two years ago, Hangzhou's Nanshan Cemetery 44 established a tomb-sweeping website similar to tiantang6.com. According the website monitor Ms. Zhang, the service is welcomed by those who couldn't make it home for the holiday.

"Whether it's because they're busy or, for whatever reason, can't come back to commemorate 45 their loved ones at the cemetery, they can do it through our website."

Despite the numerous commemoration websites popping up online can help people to remember those who passed away, many still expected to go back home and visit the tombs of their relatives and ancestors in person.

"Online tomb-sweeping is for young people. Old folks like me don't understand it."

"In today's age, the Internet is empty, meaningless."

Guan Xin is the deputy director of the Beijing Folk and Custom Museum. He says these websites can never replace traditional practices.

"Although online tomb-sweeping has become extremely popular, it can't replace the traditions of going home and visiting your ancestors. It's actually a supplement. Because of today's fast-paced lifestyle, most people live away from their hometown. Some people even live in a different country. For them, maybe going online is more convenient. But they would also take the time to visit their ancestral tombs in person when they have a chance to go back. Online tomb-sweeping is a supplementary 46 device rather than a replacement 47."

According to statistics released by local authorities, the total number of people who sweep tombs in Beijing broke one million during the Qingming Festival, a sharp increase from last year's 420 thousand.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

British Prince Harry 48 Arrives Australia for Military Training

Britain's Prince Harry has arrived in Canberra to begin a four week military stint 49 with the Australian Defense 50 Force.

This is to be the final mission of the British royal's decade-long military career.

The 30-year-old veteran of two tours in Afghanistan will take part in military training include regional bush patrols, aviation activities, flight simulation and joint 52 fire exercises.

During the training, the Prince is expected to live and work with Australian Army in regiments 53 in Darwin, Sydney and Perth.

Local authorities in Canberra also announced that the prince will attend centenary commemorations for the World War I Gallipoli campaign in Turkey on Anzac Day.

Australian and New Zealand forces under British command suffered heavy casualties in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.

Biz Reports

Anchor:

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

Joining me on the desk is Yu Yang.

Reporter:

Chinese stock markets were closed on Monday for the Qingming festival.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.2 percent, while South Korea's Kospi rose 0.1 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times index closed flat.

Australia's stock market is also closed for a public holiday.

The world's hottest stock market is in China

New data suggests that the world's hottest stock market is right here in China.

Markets in China are bullish tear this year and show no signs of slowing.

By the end of trading last week, the Shenzhen Component 54 Index had surged a whopping 45% since January-- easily making it the world's hottest market in 2015. The benchmark Shanghai Composite jumped 19% in the same time period.

Shenzhen, in particular, has been helped by its mix of listed companies. The index is full of young tech, media and telecom firms. In Shanghai, large state-owned firms are the main attraction.

Experts say China's equities 55 boom has also been fueled by renewed interest from retail 56 investors 57.

An average of 170 thousand new stock trading accounts are opened per business day in China so far this year, more than 10 times the average for last year.

Merger 58 between China's top nuclear power giants underway(3'40")

The merger of China Power Investment and the State Nuclear Power Technology has begun.

Two SOEs are coming together to form a new company, to be dubbed 59 "State Power Investment."

The company focus on overseas contracts.

Details of the executive management structure have yet to be revealed.

It's being reported that the President of State Nuclear Power, Wang Binghua, is likely to chair the new company.

For more on the merger between the two nuclear power giants, the Beijing Hour's Paul James spoke 10 earlier with Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

China simplifies process for issuing asset-backed securities

China's central bank is introducing a registration 60 system for companies that issue asset-backed securities (ABS) to simplify the process and increase transparency in the sector 61.

In an online statement, the central bank said that under the new rules ABS sellers need only register with the central bank before issuing their products.

This eliminates the need for regulatory review and approval in all such cases.

Firms selling ABS are also encouraged to provide financial information to the public about the assets underlying 62 their securities.

The new registration rules are expected to provide firms with more channels to raise funds and deepen reform the country's financial market.

Chinese banks feel the pinch of economic slowdown

New stats show China's major banks' profit margins 63 grew at a very weak rate last year, slipping to a 24-year low.

Profit growth for China's five biggest banks all slowed to single digits 64 last year.

Combined net profits of the five banks reached 927 billion yuan, or some 150 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, close to 60 percent of those made by the entire industry.

Meanwhile, bad loans were on the rise, with non-performing loans (NPL) at the five banks all exceeding one percent, which will remain a challenge for the industry in 2015.

The Non-performing loan ratio of China's entire banking 65 industry rose to 1.6 percent as economic growth slowed and some local governments and companies grappled with debt problems.

Insiders say an average NPL ratio of between two and three percent should be an industry trend as the Chinese economy enters a 'new normal' phase of slower but sustainable growth.

China should set up housing bank to aid property market: official

An official with the Ministry 66 of Housing and Urban/Rural Construction is calling for the establishment of a national housing bank.

Zhang Qiguang, the head of the Housing Provident 67 Fund Supervision 68 Department of the housing ministry has said that it is high time to establish a policy-based financial institution to supervise housing.

Such an institution would gradually take over the current housing provident fund mechanism.

The proposed bank aims to offer low-interest-rate housing loans to help middle and low income families afford houses.

This could help to optimize 69 the use of China's housing provident fund and stimulate 70 the sluggish 71 housing market in the long-term.

The property sector is still one of the key driving forces in Chinese economic growth.

Analysts 72 say sudden market contraction 73 may trigger problems related to overcapacity, debt defaults and so-called "shadow banking."

Last Monday, the Chinese central bank and two government bodies announced new minimum down payments for first and second home purchases.

These use the housing provident fund to offer urban residents lower rates than those of commercial banks, and aim to encourage housing purchases.

Yuan deposits in S.Korea decline for five months

Chinese yuan-denominated deposits in South Korea have fallen for five months in a row due to higher costs incurred 74 when swapping 75 the South Korean won into the yuan.

Bank of Korea data showed Monday that Yuan deposits among South Korean residents stood at nearly 19 billion U.S. dollars as of the end of March, down 20 million U.S. dollars from a month earlier.

Yuan deposits began to surge from the end of 2013 amid wider differences in deposit rates between banks of South Korea and China.

These had reached a record high of nearly 22 billion U.S. dollars in October 2014.

Since then, deposits denominated in the Chinese yuan have fallen to an eight-month low due to higher costs for swapping the South Korean currency into the dollar, which in turn is exchanged for the yuan in most transactions.

Samsung Wins Apple Chip Orders for Next iPhone

Samsung Electronics is set to manufacture the main chip in Apple's next iPhone model.

Bloomberg reports that Samsung plans to make Apple's next generation A9 processor chips at its Giheung plant in South Korea.

Winning this order from Apple could help the world's second-largest chipmaker rebound 76 against Taiwan Semiconductor 77 Manufacturing Co.

Apple picked TSMC to produce A8 processors for its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices.

Those agreements happened at a time when relationship between Apple and Samsung had soured due to legal disputes dating back to 2011.

China car giant SAIC records 12.8% profit rise in 2014

China's largest automaker, SAIC Motor, says its net profits rose 12.8 percent last year on strong passenger car sales but added that gains were stunted 79 by slower growth.

The Shanghai-based firm said their net profit last year stood at some 28 billion yuan or some 4.6 billion U.S. dollars.

According the China Association of Automobile 80 Manufacturers overall auto 78 sales in China last year rose nearly 7 percent to 23.5 million vehicles.

That is a slowdown compared to the 2013 sales growth of nearly 14 percent.

The sluggishness 81 is likely due to purchase restrictions 82 in first-tire cities and the lack of regulation designed to stop hostile competition and better protect consumer rights.

Headline News

All Chinese Evacuated from Yemen

A Chinese warship carrying 38 Chinese nationals and 45 Sri Lankans has left Yemen's western port of al-Hodayda on Monday for Djibouti.

It was the last group of Chinese nationals who sought to be evacuated from Yemen.

The Chinese embassy and consulate general in Yemen are closed after all diplomatic staff left the country on Sunday.

Saudi-led coalition forces on March 26 launched air strikes in Yemen against the Shiite Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The military operations have left at least 130 people killed and more than 500 others wounded nationwide.

Kenya airstrike Al-Shabab in Somalia

It's being reported that Kenyan fighter jets have bombed positions of the al-Shabab militant group in Somalia in reponse to last week's Garissa University College attack.

A Kenyan military source says the warplanes targeted two camps in the Gedo region, used by al-Shabab to cross into Kenya.

This is seen as Kenya's response to an al-Shabab attack in Kenya last week, which killed 148 people.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to respond to the attack "in the severest way possible."

China Vows Cooperation with Lancang-Mekong River Nations

The Chinese government says its will work to enhance cooperation with the five countries along the Lancang-Mekong River for the implementation of the "One Belt and One Road" initiative.

China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have also vowed to build a community of shared destiny between them.

This promise came during the first Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting held in Beijing today.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, says the community strategy will offer a very important platform for China and the five countries in the construction of the China-proposed initiative.

The meeting also decided that the first foreign ministers' meeting between China and the five countries will be held in Beijing this year.

S. Korea slams distorted Japanese textbooks over disputed islets

South Korea has responded to new Japanese textbooks laying territorial 83 claim to the disputed Dokdo islands, called Takeshima in Japan.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry says it's another "provocation 84" by Japan, which distorted historical facts in its textbook for junior high school students.

South Korea's unification ministry has also issued a statement in protest against the Japanese textbooks.

Japan's Education Ministry has approved 18 textbooks on history, civics and geography that will be used as teaching materials from next year for middle schools.

13 of the textbooks stated that South Korea "has illegally occupied" the Dokdo islands.

17 people detained in Malaysia over terror plans

Seventeen suspected militants 85 have been detained by Malaysian police for planning terror activities in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian police say two of the suspects have recently returned from Syria.

Other details about the suspects are not available at this time.

However it is not uncommon 86 for radical 87 Islamists from other parts of the world to travel to the Middle East to fight with Islamic State.

Such individuals are often thought to return to their native countries for purposes of carrying out terrorist activities.

Newspaper Picks

Shanghai Daily

"Scrapping 88 entrance fees in fight for tourists"

The Lushan Conference Hall, where Mao Zedong convened 89 a historic meeting in 1959, exemplifies one of the late communist leader's theories: whoever wins the people wins the war.

The site at Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province, has reversed the tide in its battle for visitors. Last year, it received 400 tourists a day, but after it scrapped 90 entrance fees in March, the number jumped to 3,000.

The influx 91 of tourists even prompted management to build a shelter for the long queues.

As the three-day holiday surrounding China's Qingming Festival, the tomb sweeping day — which fell yesterday — brings a minor 92 travel surge, Chinese scenic 93 spots like the Lushan Conference Hall are making tough changes to appeal to tourists.

The historic building axed its entrance fee to address the problem of dwindling 94 visitors as tourists complained they had to pay an extra 50 yuan (US$8) to tour the conference hall in addition to an 180-yuan entrance ticket for the mountain .

BBC

"Tardigrades return from the dead"

Humans will die if they go into outer space without protection but scientists say a group of animals called tardigrades can survive in such extreme environment.

Tardigrades, also known as waterbears, are water-dwelling creatures first discovered by a German pastor 95 in 1773.

In 2007, thousands of tardigrades were attached to a satellite and blasted into space. After the satellite had returned to Earth, scientists examined them and found that many of them had survived. Some of the females had even laid eggs in space, and the newly-hatched young were healthy.

It's not just the harsh environs of outer space that tardigrades can survive in. The little critters seem adept 96 at living in some of the harshest regions of Earth.

They have been discovered 5546m up a mountain in the Himalayas, in Japanese hot springs, at the bottom of the ocean and in Antarctica. They can withstand huge amounts of radiation, being heated to 150 °C, and being frozen almost to absolute zero.

The Strait Times

"Mobile vans to provide healthcare and community services"

Service providers in Singapore are now jumping on the mobile bandwagon, targeting people who might otherwise have no access to healthcare or community services.

Thanks to these mobile services, people can visit the dentist, get tested for HIV and get a mammogram or eye check without travelling too far.

The People's Association is the latest to go mobile. It has launched roving carts and a bus to take its activities closer to residents.

Earlier this month, it launched 11 CC Go Carts - foldable carts packed with materials that let residents try community club activities such as 3D drawing, clay art and balloon sculpting 97.

PA aims to visit about 10 hawker centres, as well as coffee shops, playgrounds and neighbourhood shopping areas, reaching out to about 10,000 residents this year.

AP

"DNA 98 testing for dog poop on the rise"

Frustrated 99 with dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pets, an increasing number of apartments in Seattle are opting 100 to use DNA testing to identify the culprits.

The Seattle Times reports that a company called BioPet Vet 51 Lab is providing its PooPrints testing kits 101 to 26 apartment and condo complexes and homeowners associations in the region.

The property manager at Potala Village Apartments in Everett says the messes are all over, elevators, carpeted hallways and up on the roof.

Since February 2014, tenants 102 have been paying a 'one-time fee of 30 USD for DNA testing'.

BioPet says in the past five years, the DNA test has been used in nearly 1,000 places around the US, and it's especially popular in Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and other large cities.

Special Reports

Child abuse case ignites calls for better protection of minors 103

Anchor:

Police in the city of Nanjing have arrested a woman on charges of severely 104 abusing her adopted child.

This follows the release of photos on the internet said to show evidence of the abuse.

CRI's Qian Shanming has the details.

Reporter:

The photos first appeared on Weibo on Friday.

In them, a young boy can be seen with numerous bruises 105 on his back, legs, arms, feet and stomach.

The photos have created wide-spread outrage 106 on the internet in China.

Chen Lan is head of an NGO for abused children in Shanghai.

"This kind of massive soft tissue bruising 107 can cause organ failure. When we saw the pictures, we got in contact with authorities and reported the case to the police. We also reached out to the individual who posted the pictures on Weibo to call the police as soon as possible."

Police in Nanjing say they've determined 108 the brusing is the result of a whipping said to have been delivered by the child's foster-mother a few days before the picture's appeared.

Authorities say the assault was the result of the child simply failing to complete his homework.

The child has since been taken back his to hometown by his genetic 109 parents.

Tong Lihua is the head of the Beijing Youth Legal Assistance Research Center.

"In dealing 110 with family abuse cases, the first thing the police should do is take the child out of danger. Otherwise, like many cases in the past, because of a lack of knowledge by both the police and the parents, the child will likely end up in a worse situation if police don't remove them. This will be a very bad result."

But questions are also being raised about why authorities decided to return the child to his birth-parents.

Zhang Chun is a psychology 111 expert with the Jiangsu Women's Federation 112.

"We need to better understand why his genetic parents gave away their child to the current family. We also need to know whether the child is in any danger in returning to his birth parents, both physically 113 and psychologically."

Research has suggested that of the 700 child abuse cases highlighted in the media between 2008 to 2013 in China, around three-quarters were committed by the child's parents.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

Sports

NBA recap

In NBA action:

The San Antonio Spurs broke the Golden State Warriors 115' 12-game winning streak 116 by beating them 107-92.

It's the seventh straight victory for the Spurs.

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and got 7 steals to help his team win against the league-leading Warriors.

Leonard matched his previous scoring record and set a new career-high for steals.

Despite the defeat the Warriors remain on top of the Western Conference with 63 victories, while the Spurs now stand at 6th place.

In other action,

Also out west, the second-placed Houston Rockets downed Oklahoma City 115-112.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took out the Chicago Bulls 99-94. They are now second and third place respectively in the Eastern Conference.

The Indiana Pacers rolled past the Miami Heat 112-89.

The New York Knicks beat the lowly Philadelphia 76ers 101-91.

The Utah Jazz upset the Sacramento Kings 101-95.

Finally it was an easy victory for the Los Angeles Clippers as they took the Lakers to town, 106-78.

Ronaldo scores five as rampant 117 Real thrash Granada 9-1

In football action:

Real Madrid went rampant and thrashed Granada 9-1 in the Spanish La Liga.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored five of the nine goals, including an eight-minute hat-trick that he completed in the first half.

It was his first time to have scored five in one single game.

Ronaldo was hailed as "a phenomenon" by team mate Karim Benzema, who scored twice for Real.

Real Madrid is now second place in the La Liga standings, trailing leaders Barcelona by four points.

Barcelona maintained their lead by winning 1-0 against Celta Vigo, thanks to Jeremy Mathieu who scored the only goal of the game.

Selby Wins First Snooker China Open Title

Turning over to Snooker:

Snooker world No. 1 Mark Selby took out Gary Wilson 10-2 to win his first China Open title in Beijing.

Selby started his third China Open final by taking three straight frames. He won five more after Wilson managed to pull one back with a 91-point break.

Selby went on to seal the victory with a 83-82 frame to record the largest winning gap in a final in China Open history.

He attributed the victory to the pressure he put on Wilson during the game.

"In the first session I think he had a few chances, Gary. Whether it was the occasion, probably a little bit of nerves, was the reason why he missed a few balls which normally he would have probably parted, which he did yesterday against Ding. I just seemed to capitalise it and punish him and put more and more pressure on him and I think that's the reason why he missed some of the balls as he did."

Selby made it into the finals of the China Open twice before in 2011 and 2013, but was defeated by Judd Trump 118 and Neil Robertson both times.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 119 wins 5th leg of Volvo Ocean Race

In sailing action:

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skippered by Ian Walker, have recorded their second stage of victory in the Volvo Ocean Race by winning the fifth leg.

They completed the journey in just a little under 19 days.

The win takes Walker and his crew seven points ahead of China's Dongfeng Race Team after their vessel 120 was forced to pull out of the leg because of a fractured mast.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing set a best in competition mark for the most nautical 121 miles sailed in 24 hours with 551nm covered in the lead-up to Cape 122 Horn.

Skipper Walker couldn't contain his excitement.

"Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful welcome and it's been a spectacular leg. the 24 hour record, the rounding of Cape Horn was incredible, in fact leaving New Zealand was incredible... and then we had the big storm we had to get through and then finally the big battle for first place, so time has gone really fast, it was quite cold, quite windy, seems like we never stopped the whole leg and yeah, the reward is here. Here to see my family.""

The fifth leg of the race took the crews on a 6,776 nautical mile journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic, rounding Cape Horn in the process and heading up the South American coast to Brazil.

Nelson Piquet Jr wins Formula E grand prix for Chinese team

Nelson Piquet Jr raced to a win at the Formula E Long Beach ePrix over the weekend, 35 years after his father won a Formula One race on the same track.

It took place on the iconic street circuit in Long Beach, California.

Piquet Jr qualified 123 his China Racing team number 99 car in second place and overtook pole starter Daniel Abt at the first corner. He kept the lead until the finish line.

It was the first win for the China Racing team, and also his own first for the season that saw six winners in as many races.

Piquet Jr grabbed 25 points and is now second with 74 points in the drivers' championship, trailing Lucas di Grassi by one point.

Jean-Eric Vergne and Lucas di Grassi took two other spots on the podium.

The next Formula E grand prix takes place on May 9 in Monaco.

The FIA Formula E Championship is the world's first fully-electric racing series to promote environmental protection.

Alexander Kristoff wins Tour of Flanders

In cycling,

Norway's Alexander Kristoff of the Katusha team outdid the Netherlands' Niki Terpstra to win the Tour of Flanders in Belgium.

Terpstra launched an attack 26 kilometers from the finish that only Kristoff was able to follow. The pair held on to the two-man breakaway until Kristoff jumped ahead on home stretch to win the sprint 124.

The leaders clocked a time of six hours, 27 minutes at the end of 264 grueling kilometers on cobbled roads.

Greg van Avermaert arrived 7 seconds adrift to complete the podium.

Jiangsu Shuntian wins game, player proposes to girlfriend

And finally an interesting story from the Chinese Super League,

Jiangsu Shuntian lost one of their players to injury during a game with Shijiazhuan Yongchang but was compensated 126 with a victory and a successful marriage proposal.

Shuntian's Ren Hang proposed to his long-term girlfriend right at their home stadium after the 2-1 victory for his side.

Ren reappeared on an old-fashioned bicycle and popped the question, witnessed by his teammates and more than 30,000 spectators.

Ren's girlfriend, surnamed Su, immediately said "yes".

Coach Gao Hongbo said he had no idea of Ren's intentions but sent his best wishes.

Entertainment

Fast and Furious takes $384 globally

Fast and Furious 7 has raced to a $143 million debut 127 at the North American box office bringing the film's worldwide takings to $384 million.

(bjh/soundbites 0406 Furious)

The North American takings of $190 million broke numerous records including the biggest launch domestically since The Hunger Games: Catching 128 Fire which was released last year.

Globally, it's the fourth highest opening of all time behind the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Avengers.

The film sees Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto and crew against Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw out for revenge after the death of his brother. Dwayne Johnson also reprises his role as Hobbs.

Film insiders are predicting that Furious 7 which is yet to be released in China, Russia and Japan could become Universal Pictures' first billion dollar film. Only 19 movies have ever grossed $1 billion or more including Stephen Spielberg's Jurassic Park.

Fast and Furious 7 will be released in China on April 12.

Special Force: Wolf Warrior 114 takes 130m yuan in first three days

3D war epic 129 "Special Force: Wolf Warrior" has taken 130 million yuan in the first three days since its release on April 2.

Chinese martial 130 arts star Wu Jing plays the lead role in the film. His character is a Chinese Special Forces soldier who is expelled from the army and then joins a mysterious group of insurgents 131 known as the Wolf Warriors.

Wolf Warrior has proven critics wrong after some said that war themed films are doomed 132 to fail at the Chinese box office. It has even managed to overtake international releases such as "Kingsman: The Secret Service"

One Direction open up about departure of Zayn

One Direction has finally opened up about the departure of Zayn Malik in an interview over the weekend.

In the interview with British newspaper The Sun, they expressed their sadness about losing Malik but also said they are determined to carry on performing and recording 133 in his absence.

The group also said after a few performances as a four piece, they are feeling confident and one hundred percent committed to staying in the group.

Malik announced he was leaving the band late last month explaining on his Facebook page that he wanted to be a normal 22 year old and have some time to relax out of the spotlight 134. Leaving millions of fans disappointed, the star lost 50,000 followers 135 on his Twitter account following his departure.

The star has insisted that there was no rift 125 between the group and he was doing what felt right.

Daniel Craig has surgery to repair knee injury

Daniel Craig has had surgery to repair a knee injury sustained while filming scenes for the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre.

The production company said the actor had a minor procedure in New York during a break in production denying rumours 136 that Craig had missed several days of filming.

Filming on the 24th Bond film began at Pinewood Studios near London last December and has since moved to Rome and Mexico.

Spectre sees Bond led on a trail to uncover the truth behind shady crime syndicate Spectre while M fights for the secret service's political life.

It's Craig's fourth outing as the secret service agent and follows the success of 2012's Skyfall which made just over a billion dollars worldwide. Spectre's release is set for November this year.

David Lynch quits Twin Peaks return

Film director David Lynch has announced he will no longer direct the revival 137 of TV show Twin Peaks.

Lynch broke the news about his departure on his Twitter page saying that the show's third series will continue without him. He also told his followers that he felt he was not being offered enough money to produce the show the way it needed to be done.

Twin Peaks featured a quirky FBI agent who went to the town of Twin Peaks to investigate the mysterious murder of a high school girl named Laura Palmer.

Showtime Network which will air the comeback have released a statement saying they were saddened by the director's decision and said they hold out hope that they can bring the popular series back in all its glory.

The network announced they would produce a third season in October last year.

Joni Mitchell's condition improving

A statement on Joni Mitchell's website says the singer-songwriter's condition is improving each day after being taken to hospital last week.

The 71 year old was found unconscious at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

She was said to be resting comfortably however it is still unclear what she is being treated for.

In December the Canadian born singer told Billboard 138 magazine that she had a rare skin condition called Morgellons Disease which prevented her from performing.

That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour. A quick recap of your headlines:

All of the remaining Chinese natinonals who wished to be evacuated have left Yemen...

Kenya launching airstrikes against Al-Shebab targets in Somalia...

On behalf of all the Beijing Hour staffers, Spencer Musick in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together.