新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/03/11

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

Paul James with you on this Tuesday, March 11, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The Chinese government is pleading with Malaysian authorities to beef up their search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight... signs of which have still not been detected.
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is set to deliver another speech today ahead of a controversial referendum vote in the Crimea later this week.
The Chinese courts have become the latest entity to deliver their work reports to lawmakers taking part in the annual "two sessions" here in Beijing.
In Business... lending here in China has come in down significantly on a monthly basis through February.
In sports.... Li Na appears in fine form at Indian Wells in California.
In entertainment.... "ScarJoe" set to play an alien seductress in her next film.
But first... let’s get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today, a high of 12 degree Celsius in the daytime. It will see slight rain in the night, with a low of 3 degrees.
In Shanghai, it will be sunny in the daytime, the highest of 15 degree Celsius, and 6 degrees in the night with slight rain.
Chongqing will be overcast, with a high of 18 degree Celsius in the daytime, and a low of 12 degrees in the night.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, moderate rain, 13.
Kabul, overcast, with a high of 9.
And in North America
New York, cloudy, with a high of 10 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 16.
Houston, moderate rain, 26.
Honolulu, overcast, 27.
Toronto, cloudy, 4.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 25.
And Rio de Janeiro will see thunderstorm with highs of 32 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China urges Malaysia to step up search for missing plane
 
Anchor
Chinese authorities are calling on their Malaysian counterparts to step up the search for the Malaysia Airlines plane which disappeared over three days ago.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Despite an international effort to find the missing Boeing 777, Malaysian authorities have admitted they are still no closer to locating the plane.
None of the debris and oil slicks spotted in the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia have so far proven to be linked to the missing aircraft.
Azharuddin Abdul Rahman is the Director General of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation.
"The air search was conducted daily from 7am to 7pm and the search by the ships continue throughout the night and unfortunately ladies and gentlemen we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft."
Meanwhile, Vietnamese officials say their search teams will move the focus of their search toward the eastern part of the air route of the missing plane.
Vietnamese authorities have also allowed vessels from China, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States to enter Vietnam's territorial waters to help with the search.
154 of the 227 passengers aboard the plane are Chinese.
China's Foreign Ministry is calling on Malaysian authorities to reinforce the search and broader investigation.
Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang.
"President Xi says the Chinese government is paying close attention to the disappearance and is sparing no effort to search for the missing plane. The Chinese government will never give up on any chance to save lives. Premier Li Keqiang has also spoken with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on the phone, and has expressed China's deep concern about the situation. He has also asked the Malaysian authorities to reinforce their search and rescue work and broader investigation, as well as helping the relatives of those missing cope with the situation."
A working group sent by the Chinese government has already arrived at Kuala Lumpur, helping with the search, as well as helping the family members through the ordeal.
The first group of Chinese family members has since arrived in Kuala Lumpur.
However, many of the families are choosing to stay here in Beijing, given that the search for the plane is still on-going.
Chinese authorities have so far sent out nine warships and four helicopters to help search for the plane.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also confirmed no Chinese passports were stolen in this case, saying an earlier report that a Chinese passport was stolen and used by someone to board the plane was caused by an incorrect passport number provided by Malaysia Airlines.
Malaysian authorities are looking into two passengers who boarded the plane with stolen passports.
Surveillance footage shows the two men who were traveling with the Italian and Austrian passports are of non-Asian appearance.
Authorities in Malaysia now suggesting the men might be part of an international passport theft ring, and may not have any connection to the plane's disappearance.
However, authorities also say they're not ruling out anything at this point.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Chinese plane makes emergency landing over false alarm
 
A flight from Shanghai to Beijing was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Jinan on Monday after a fire alarm went off.
The fire alarm on the Airbus A-320 turned out to be a false alarm.
Authorities with Juneyao Airlines dispatched another plane to Jinan to pick up the passengers at allow them to finish their trip here to Beijing.
It's unclear at this point what may have triggered the alarm.
 
 
Ukraine update
 
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is planning to make another official statement later on today in Russia.
Yanukovych was last seen at a news conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don late last month.
During his last appearance, Yanukovych suggested he remains the legitimate president of Ukraine.
The scheduled statement comes days ahead of a referendum in the Crimea about whether the autonomous republic should join Russia.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon is cautioning against "hasty action" and "provocative rhetoric", saying he is becoming "increasingly alarmed" by the developments in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have also held another discussion over the situation in Ukraine.
The two say their priority is to de-escalate the tensions and to get Russia to engage in a contact group.
 
 
Anti-terrorism and anti-corruption are priorities
 
Anchor
The work reports of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate have been released to the top legislature.
Both documents are suggesting anti-terrorism and anti-corruption are high priorities for this year.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter
Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, notes anti-terrorism and anti-corruption are top priorities on the 2014 agenda.
"We will promote the construction of a safe and legal China actively, punish all violent terrorists and criminals who endangers national security, including those who are involved in the recent Kunming attacks. We will punish them severely and in accordance with the law, to safeguard state security and social stability, and enhance the public's sense of safety. We will also fight against corruption and crack down on 'tigers' and 'flies' together."
The Chief Justice also warns against some judges' bureaucracy and misconduct.
According to Zhou's report, a total of 381 judges and court staff were caught misusing their power and violating disciplines and laws last year.
Zhou pledges to strengthen anti-graft effort in the year of 2014.
"We will intensify efforts to crack down on corruption and bribery. The number of criminal cases regarding corrupt officials, including cases of bribery and dereliction of duty, reached 29 thousand last year, with more than 31 thousand people convicted. This stat includes the Bo Xilai's case for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power."
Last year, the most prominent case was the trial of Bo Xilai, former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and a former member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau.
The whole trial was broadcast via Weibo and received much public attention.
Zhou notes such live broadcast of important cases is part of the effort to promote the transparency of the judicial system.
In the meantime, the work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate also emphasizes anti-corruption and anti-terrorism measures.
Cao Jianming, Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
"We will team up with international partners to fight graft and intensify efforts to crack down on official suspected of dereliction of duty and to retrieve stolen public funds, as well as to intensify efforts to investigate, punish and prevent work-related crimes with zero tolerance for corruption."
The top procurator also vows there will be increasing scrutiny for Party officials, as the fight against graft picks up momentum here in China.
For CRI, I'am Xie Zhao.
 
 
Should Naked Official Be Removed from Position?
 
Anchor
The fight against corruption is one of the main issues people here in China want to see authorities deal with at the ongoing "two sessions".
Political advisors are now proposing that all so-called "naked officials" should be removed from their posts.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter
The central government decided earlier this year that naked officials, those whose spouse and children have emigrated overseas, will not be considered for promotion.
The decision was made after media reports suggest that more than half of these "naked officials" are involved in embezzlement cases.
Liu Xiaozhuang is a political advisor at this year's top-level meeting.
He says naked officials are a high risk group for corruption, as many of them are becoming "naked" to transfer assets and escape investigation.
"I think naked officials should not be promoted, and they should no longer keep their posts as well. In recent years, many criminal cases have involved naked officials. They take graft and then flee. What they do is cheat the public."
In order to avoid more corruption, Liu suggests that stricter monitoring are needed.
"First, all naked officials should be removed from posts, because even though they have no way to get promoted, they still can accumulate wealth. Second, all the family assets of naked officials should be publicized. Additionally, China should also complete the anti-corruption mechanism and close all the naked official's foreign banking accounts."
However not all of the political advisors to the ongoing meeting think to simply sack those "naked officials" are an useful way in fighting against corruption.
Professor Wang Jianmin, from the School of Management at Beijing Normal University, says thorough investigation is needed to determine if an official is "corrupt" or not.
"In my opinion, we need to deal with the 'naked official issue' in specific situations. What on earth could be defined as a "naked official"? For example, what if the wife of an official is abroad accompanying their child in study? It's sometimes hard to define. I don't think it's proper to simply demote every official who is claimed to be "naked." We need to examine it case by case."
Professor Wang also agrees with stricter disciplinary inspection to officials.
However he also suggests that "naked officials" are better to bring their spouse or children home.
According to Wang's study, there are nearly 1.2 million Chinese officials have their spouse and children emigrated overseas.
For CRI, this is He Fei.
 
 
China Calls for Israel and Palestine to Continue Efforts for Peace
 
Anchor
China's special Middle East Envoy has issued a new call for the Israeli and Palestinian sides to push for peace, suggesting the negotiations are now at a critical stage.
The call follows meetings with both sides the past couple of days.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter
China's Middle East Special Envoy Wu Sike emphasizes in Jerusalem that both Israel and Palestine should make efforts to eliminate obstacles at the critical stage of peace talks. He takes the Israeli settlement issue as an example.
"The settlement issue concerns the Palestinians as well as the international society. Israel should consider the concerns. China has also expressed to Israel our concern about this issue, and this is a very important aspect in our efforts to push the two sides towards each other."
The Palestinians and Israelis resumed peace talks in last July. The two sides have been tasked with reaching an agreement within nine months.
Wu talked on Sunday with Palestinian officials and met on Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Tzipi Livni, Israeli Justice Minister and the top negotiator in talks with the Palestinians.
Lieberman says Israel is willing for peace.
"We tried in the last eight months to do everything to achieve some strategic breakthrough in our relations with Palestinians. I think at least Israel has proved that we are ready to move forward. We are ready to deliberate reasonable stands and proposals. The problem is the readiness of the Palestinian side to do similar steps."
As the deadline of the peace talks approaches, Wu says both sides need more determination to make progress.
"China encourages both sides to show flexibility during the negotiations and make joint efforts to overcome difficulties. Both sides need to make some compromises to reach an agreement and solve the problem by 'two-state solution'. We hope finally an independent Palestinian state can be established and coexist peacefully with Israel."
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
 
 
Tsunami victims still missing three years after disaster
 
Anchor
Japan is preparing to mark the third anniversary today of 2011's devastating earthquake and tsunami off the country's northeast coast which claimed close to 16-thousand lives.
Currently, there are over 26-hundred people still officially listed as missing.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter
Yasuo Takamatsu, a 57-year-old bus driver, is learning how to dive in order to search the seabed for any sign of his missing wife.
His wife, Yuko, was at her office at a local bank when the earthquake struck in 2011.
Of the 13 people who managed to escape onto the roof of the two-storey building that day, only one survived.
Of the remaining 12, only four bodies have been found.
Takamatsu says he received one last message from his wife before she disappeared.
"She wrote, 'I want to go home.' Because I know that, that she feels that way, I wanted to look for her."
During the days following the earthquake, Takamatsu looked for Yuko at evacuation centres, hoping she'd still be alive.
He then searched the coastline for clues.
But it wasn't until two months after the quake that he began visiting mortuaries.
Though police and the coast guard continue regular searches for the missing, finding them remains a daunting task, given the vast coastline.
Takamatsu asked the Japanese coast guard to search for his wife last autumn, but three searches have yielded no clues to her whereabouts.
He then started to learn diving so he can look for his missing wife himself.
He eventually received his diving license in December, but is still struggling to keep his balance underwater.
It will take many more dives before Takamatsu will be experienced enough to take part in underwater searches for his wife, but he says it is a start.
"Of course, I hope her body would show up. I suppose it would be her remains by now. I hope I could find something, even a small piece."
His dive instructor Masayoshi Takahashi, along with a group of volunteer divers, have been searching underwater at least twice a month, looking for remains and personal belongings.
"Last month, we found driving licenses, and two identity cards, so we're still finding things. I think there is still a chance we could find something more. We've also found bones."
A magnitude 9.0-earthquake struck off Japan's northeast coast in the mid-afternoon on Friday, March 11th, 2011, sending walls of water upwards of 40-meters high in certian cases, leaving close to 16-thousand dead, and tens of thousands of others homeless.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the closing numbers in North America and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
U.S. markets recovered from earlier losses but still closed in negative territory on Monday, as broader selling on the global stock markets dampened sentiment on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones shed nearly 0.2 percent.
Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq loss less than 0.1-percent.
Meanwhile, stocks in Europe posted a broad decline on Monday after China reported a large trade deficit through February, which is mainly due to the seasonal distortion brought on by the Spring Festival holiday, but marking the first deficit since last April.
London's FTSE 100 closed down 0.35 percent.
Germany's DAX plunged 0.9-percent.
France's CAC 40 edged up 0.1-percent.
 
 
China's new yuan loans down in February
 
New analysis shows lending through February has come in at 645-billion yuan, down from a four-year high in January.
The People's Bank of China says the latest figure is less than half of January's new lending, but is 24.5-billion yuan higher than the previous February.
It's being suggested the fluctuation of the credit figures have been mainly caused by seasonal and holiday factors.
Meanwhile, the M2, a broad measure of the money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, has increased 13 percent year on year to 113-trillion yuan as of the end of February.
The narrow measure of the money supply, the M1, which covers cash in circulation plus demand deposits, has expanded 7 percent year-on-year to 32-trillion yuan as of the end of last month.
It’s being suggested the expansion of the M1 is mainly due to capital flowing back to the banks.
The surge of the M2 has come on the back of new funds being released after the Spring Festival holiday.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang outlined in his government work report last week that the M2 is expected to grow by about 13 percent this year.
 
 
China auto sales down from record high
 
Auto sales here in China have fallen through February from January's record highs, with sales of locally-produced Chinese brands dropping sharply.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says February sales amounted to 1.6 million units, down 26 percent from January.
Just under 504-thousand Chinese-brand passenger vehicles were sold last month, diving by 29 percent month on month.
But on a year-on-year basis, China's auto industry has still maintained strong growth, with sales up 18 percent.
Industry observers are warning that China's auto industry still faces a lot of challenges, including strained resources, issues connected to the environment, traffic congestion and weak innovation.
China has been the world's largest auto market and producer for five consecutive years, with sales and production both exceeding 20 million units for the first time last year.
 
 
China's Q1 economy to rise about 7.5 pct: SIC
 
The State Information Center, a Chinese government think tank, is predicting China's economy is expected to grow by about 7.5 percent through the first quarter.
The SIC also expects the consumer price index will grow about 2.4-percent year on year in the first quarter.
The broader producer price index is expected to fall 1.5 percent.
The government has set this year's growth target at 7.5 percent, which is the same level as last year, but lower than the real growth of 7.7 percent.
The target for CPI growth this year is 3.5 percent, which is also the same as last year, but much higher than the real CPI growth of 2.6 percent recorded through 2013.
 
 
Tencent to buy 15 percent stake in JD.com
 
Anchor
Chinese Internet firm Tencent is planning to buy a 15 percent stake in JD.com, a major online direct sales company in China.
The 215-million US dollar deal comes ahead of JD's 1.5-billion dollar initial public offering in New York.
After the purchase, Tencent will continue to buy 5-percent of JD's outstanding shares on a post-IPO basis.
In return, the move will see JD taking over Tencent's business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer operations.
In addition, Tencent is going to offer JD prime access to its WeChat and QQ applications to help it develop its e-commerce programs.
The move by Tencent is being viewed as direct competition against Alibaba.
For more on this, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke with Gao Shang, analyst with Guangtong Futures.
(call-in with Gao Shang)
That was Gao Shang, analyst with Guangtong Futures, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
New round of EU-U.S. trade talks kick off in Brussels
 
The European Union and the United States have launched a new round of negotiations designed to try to remove trade barriers in a wide range of areas.
The talks in Brussels are meant to try to help pave the way for a future trade and investment deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP.
Over the next five days, negotiators are set to discuss different aspects of the agreement, including trade in services, public procurement, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, agriculture, customs and trade facilitation.
Talks on a future EU-U.S. trade deal started in last July and are set to continue through this year.
A previous round of negotiations in December in Washington is said to have made progress on the three core parts of the TTIP, including market access, regulatory aspects and broad-based rules.
Analysts have suggested the signing of a new EU-U.S. trade agreement would cut business costs and generate enough growth and jobs to boost the EU economy by up to 120 billion euros.
 
 
Spanish economy to grow by 1.2 percent in 2014: CEOE
 
New analysis by Spain's Confederation of Business Organizations is suggesting the Spanish economy will grow by 1.2 percent this year.
The new analysis would represent at 0.3-percent increase from its previous forecast.
The same study also suggests Spain's economy will experience 1.8-percent GDP expansion in 2015.
The Confederation attributes the new forecast to a better recovery of Spain's domestic demand in the third and four quarters of last year, particularly because of the rises in private consumption.
The study also suggests Spain's labor market will start recovering this year, with over 110-thousand new jobs to be added.
Unemployment in Spain currently hovers well over 25-percent.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Search expands for missing Malaysian jetliner
 
The search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight is being expanded.
The Chinese ministry of Transport is adding a number of new vessels to the search grid.
The US military is also sending an additional ship and a number of extra aircraft into the region to help locate the missing plane.
This comes as authorities in Vietnam expand their search for the missing plane to the east of the original search are, which is located to the south of Vietnam where the plane last had contact.
The Boeing 777 with 239-people onboard disappeared early Saturday morning about an hour into its flight here to Beijing from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Among those missing, 154 of them are Chinese nationals.
 
 
Chinese plane makes emergency landing over false alarm
 
A flight from Shanghai to Beijing was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Jinan on Monday after a fire alarm went off.
The fire alarm on the Airbus A-320 turned out to be a false alarm.
Authorities with Juneyao Airlines dispatched another plane to Jinan to pick up the passengers at allow them to finish their trip here to Beijing.
It's unclear at this point what may have triggered the alarm.
 
 
China expels Philippine vessels from Ren'ai Reef
 
Officials have confirmed the Chinese Coast Guard has driven away two Philippine ships from the Ren'ai Reef off the Nansha Islands.
The Chinese foreign ministry says the Philippine ships were loaded with construction materials.
They were spotted near the Nansha Islands on Sunday.
The two ships turned around after receiving a warning from the coast guard.
The Chinese foreign ministry says the Philippine side was attempting to begin a construction project on the islands, adding the move infringes on China's sovereignty and violates the spirit of the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea.
 
 
Ukraine update
 
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is planning to make another official statement later on today in Russia.
Yanukovych was last seen at a news conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don late last month.
During his last appearance, Yanukovych suggested he remains the legitimate president of Ukraine.
The scheduled statement comes days ahead of a referendum in the Crimea about whether the autonomous republic should join Russia.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon is cautioning against "hasty action" and "provocative rhetoric", saying he is becoming "increasingly alarmed" by the developments in Ukraine.
 
 
Israeli soldiers shoot dead Palestinian for hurling stones
 
Israeli soldiers have shot dead another Palestinian on Monday, the 2nd killing in the course of the day.
The second victim was shot by Israeli forces for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.
Earlier in the day on Monday, a Jordanian judge, who was originally a Palestinian, was shot and killed at a border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DIALY
Headline
Expert calls for construction of quakeproof homes
Summary
An engineering expert is calling on the government to build quakeproof homes in areas prone to earthquakes.
Xu Qiang, a CPPCC National Committee member, says the government should replace adobe houses with quakeproof homes.
He says ignoring preventative measures can lead to a large number of casualties during a natural disaster.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Preparations begin for mass production of H7N9 vaccine
Summary
Chinese authorities are reportedly preparing H7N9 vaccines for mass production in case of a wide-scale outbreak of human-to-human transmissions.
The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center has announced its developed a genetically engineered vaccine for the H7N9 bird flu virus and have now entered the clinical trial application phase.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
20 workers fired in IBM strike
Summary
A strike by workers at a manufacturing subsidiary of IBM in Guangdong is into its 2nd week, with 20 of the protesters fired yesterday.
Workers at the IBM Systems Technology Company in Shenzhen have been protesting since March 3rd against a compensation package they claim is unsatisfactory and imposed without negotiations.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
New steps to protect trial fairness
Summary
The head of China's Supreme Court says each court across the country should establish a system to avoid and correct wrongful judgments.
Zhou Qiang says all courts are also being required to increase communication with legal associations, respect attorneys and attach importance to their ideas.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
South China Sea hub 'urgent'
Summary
A senior engineer from China's largest ship and ocean engineering research institute says he wants to see a major transport hub built in the South China Sea, which he says lacks sufficient infrastructure and is hindering economic development in the region.
The engineer has also singled out the importance of establishing an airport in the South China Sea in light of this weekend's disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Terror hoax arrests
Summary
Six people have been detained by police in the city of Dongguan in Guangdong for spreading a rumor that terrorists carried out an attack in one of the city's commercial districts.
A man surnamed Xian claimed that terrorists from Xinjiang had killed members of the public at Diwang Plaza.
Police later discovered that the photos were actually taken by onlookers during a dispute at a local restaurant.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Hunan woman sails across Pacific
Summary
A woman from Hunan's capital Changsha has sailed more than 20-thousand kilometers in 300 days with her husband to realize their dream of traveling the world.
The couple started their journey from western Mexico to mark their wedding anniversary.
The couple then traveled across the Pacific, visiting 38 islands in seven countries and regions.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
New dashboard technologies shine at Geneva Motor Show
 
Anchor
Automakers at the Geneva Motor Show are incorporating the latest dashboard technologies into their vehicles to create high-performance and smart phone compatible models.
CRI's Wang Wei has more.
Reporter
Integrated phone and vehicle technology is a big theme at this year's car show with Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari all getting in on the act.
A new system by Apple – called CarPlay - allows drivers to access some cell phone applications through their car while on the road.
Anna Buettner, manager at IHS Automotive, says with this system installed in your vehicle, drivers can view phone apps on the in-vehicle screen.
"For sure it's going to be your Apple Maps, for navigation, phone functions, music functions. When it comes to social networking apps, they're going to limit it.
They're gonna not allow you to have full access to Facebook like you have it on your phone. They're gonna probably reduce it to two-liners that type of thing."
Car show attendee, Susanne Aichberger, says she's ready to embrace this new technology.
"Because it's much easier if you can connect everything and I can hear my own music, but I think it depends on how it is handled. So if it's easy to be handled, then yes, of course."
Ferrari says they have begun taking orders for CarPlay in the FF model, which will be delivered during the summer months. Volvo plans to feature the iPhone system in its redesigned Volvo XC90 sports utility vehicle. Mercedes-Benz expects both its S-Class large sedan and C-Class midsize sedan to be compatible with the system.
Automakers are also endeavoring to produce cars that will give drivers the utmost smooth and seamless driving experience.
Infiniti unveiled a new high-performance concept vehicle - the Q50 Eau Rouge. The car's tire angle and steering inputs are controlled electronically, transmitting the driver's intentions straight to the wheels faster than standard mechanical steering.
Infiniti Vice President, Fintan Knight says the Q50 is a technological revolution that is inspired by Formula One and tested by its drivers.
"This is the world's first digital steering and for many of the new generations of premium buyers what they're looking for is something that goes beyond the conservative and the traditional, and to have a digital steering that has been tuned by a world, four-time world champion Formula One race driver is something very exciting."
In the meantime, Rolls Royce introduced their new 2015 Ghost Series II vehicle which features satellite aided transmission technology.
Debuted at Geneva in 2013, this technology works with its gearbox to handle GPS data so that gears can be selected based on what's detected on the road ahead.
Jim Holder, Editor of Autocar magazine, thinks the technology creates a more seamless drive. He says many other car manufacturers are presenting assisted driving features and that they're perhaps more reliable than human drivers.
"I think we're seeing from all car manufactures now that they're getting closer and closer to autonomous driving and actually these systems tend to be much more reliable than the human at the wheel."
Thousands of visitors have come to see the newest offerings by the world's carmakers since the show started earlier this month.
The motor show will runs until March 16.
For CRI, this is Wang Wei
 
 
Sports
 
 
Beijing Ducks host Guangdong in fourth round of semifinal playoff series tonight
 
Tonight's a big night in the CBA playoffs as the Beijing Ducks will welcome the Guangdong Dongguan to the Mastercard center for the fourth round of their semifinal playoffs.
This could be the determining game if the Ducks pull out another win. Beijing's up 2-1 in the best of five series after an overtime victory against Dongguan in Guangdong last week.
That game was won largely thanks to Stephon Marbury's tremendous night. The 37-year-old put up 43 points to secure the overtime victory.
Tip off for tonight's game is 7:30.
Over in the NBA,
Denver vs. Charlotte
Washington vs. Miami
Philadelphia vs. New York
Toronto vs. Brooklyn
And later tipping off at 8am, Orlando takes on Milwaukee. At 9, it's Atlanta and Utah. Then at 10:30 it's Phoenix and the LA Clippers.
 
 
Beijing Guoan hosts FC Seoul tonight in Asian Champions League clash
 
In football,
Beijing Guoan will host K-league powerhouse FC Seoul tonight in their Asian Champion League Group F clash.
In round one, Guoan settled for a draw with Sanfrecce Hroshima while FC Seoul defeated Central Cost Mariners 2-0 at home.
Guoan midfielder Shao Jiayi said the matchup will be a challenge.
"I think Seoul FC is a very strong team. And the success of K-League and J-League are not relied on the foreign players but rather the players from their own country. So I think there will be no substantial changes even one or two foreign players have left Seoul FC in this season. We will do our best preparation to play against Seoul FC tomorrow."
Guoan is looking at some potential roster problems. Midfielder Darko Matic will not be able to play after getting a red card in the game against Sanfrecce. And striker Joffre Guerron will miss the game after being injured in the last super league match.
Also Guoan's newly introduced midfielder Ha Dae-sung will be back to face his old team.
Meanwhile,
Arsenal will face European champions Bayern Munich tonight in the second leg of their Champions League clash.
Arsene Wenger's side will be looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit after their first Champions League round of 16 tie in London.
Bayern is at the moment a team that is, of course, full of confidence because they are doing well, but we have a great opportunity to do it and I am absolutely confident that, mentally, we will be ready to play at our best."
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid gets ready to take on AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash.
AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf spoke ahead of the game.
"Every game has its own story and we know that in Champions League we have seen many, many different stories, so tomorrow will be another story to write. We just know that we have to respect the opponent but we are ready for a strong battle and just honor our shirt and the club".
Atletico has a one goal advantage over Milan after their meeting two weeks ago, and is looking to snag a place in the final eight for the first time since 1997.
 
Li Na advances to fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells
 
In tennis, at the BNP Paribas Open in California.
Top seed Li Na is through to the fourth round after defeating Karolina Pliskova in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Second-seed Agnieszka Radwanska eased through to the next round after completely thrashing Annika Beck of Germany, 6-0, 6-0.
Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak advanced to the fourth round with a three set win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1, 6-7, 6-0.
Canada's 19-year old Eugenie Bouchard beat ninth-seed Sara Errani 6-3, 6-3.
Jelena Jankovic, Simona Halep, and Caroline Wozniacki also saw wins in round 3.
On the men’s side,
Fifth seed Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round past Jiri Vesely.
Roger Federer is also through after dispatching Dmitry Tursunov in straight sets.
Earlier, fourth seed Tomas Berdych tumbled out of the competition after being upset by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Bautista Agut will next face Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen, who advanced after Florian Mayer withdrew mid-match.
 
 
Irish cricket team prepares to open its campaign at the T20 World Cup
 
In cricket,
A budding Irish cricket team is in Bangladesh ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The Irish squad has been slowly building its reputation on the international cricket scene, thanks to big wins like their recent defeat of defending champions the West Indies in the West Indies.
Captain William Porterfield said being on the road actually makes his squad perform better.
"When we played some of our better cricket is when we have been away for a prolonged period of time, we were in the West Indies for three-four weeks, at the beginning of the year, we got home for a few days to refresh before we moved on to Dubai for a few days and onto here, so that has been generally when we played better cricket when we have been together for a while, so it's all building up to the 17th of March for us now, that's coming, only round the corner, so..the lads are just shaping up, and getting ready for the date really."
The Irish will kick of their world cup campaign with an opening match against Zimbabwe next week. They'll need to then beat the UAE and the Netherlands to make it into the main draw of the tournament.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Dan Croll new album 'Sweet Disarray' out now
 
First I have a brand new singer-songwriter for you, This is British singer-songwriter Dan Croll
(Dan Croll Music)
The 23-year-old is looking stirred up the music scene with an eclectic debut album, "Sweet Disarray."
The record doesn't follow a set pattern but instead he explores the different influences he's had, from indie and folky and even more classical tracks with lots of strings to songs with R'n B and African influences.
When song-writing Croll says he draws inspiration from experiences in life and love:
"From Nowhere' is about a previous relationship where I felt like I was chasing a girl with a bit of a wild lifestyle. I'm relatively chilled out, I'm not that rock 'n roll, and (it's about) just trying to keep up with her lifestyle and feeling like I was falling a bit behind really - music"
Croll's album "Sweet Disarray" - which was recorded in an abandoned school gym and produced by himself and friends - was released in the U.K. yesterday. (Monday, March 10)
 
 
Scarlett Johansson plays alien highlands seductress in new film 'Under the Skin'
 
(Under the Skin)
Fresh from her Oscar nominated role in "Her" Scarlett Johansson has hit the ground running once again, in a role some have already called iconic, in the new film "Under the Skin."
The film sees the 29-year-old as an alien seductress who preys upon hitchhikers in the Highlands of Scotland.
Over the course of her journey she begins to gain some sensitivity and human emotions.
The role required Johansson to be scantily clad during many parts of the film but far from indulging in it she says she was mostly focused on getting through it in the Scottish climate.
"No, no, I mean gosh, at the time I was just trying to survive the Highlands really, eat a lot of shepherd's pie and pray."
According to IMDb.com the men that she lured into a van were not actors. The director Jonathan Glazer set up hidden cameras and only afterwards were they informed that they were in a movie.
 
 
George Saunders claims inaugural Folio Prize for short story collection
 
George Saunders has won the inaugural Folio Prize for his short story collection "Tenth of December".
The American writer, collected the 40,000 GBP award (66.6 thousand USD) at a ceremony in London.
The new prize is open to all English language writers around the world, pre-empts the Man Booker Prize which this year goes global.
The chair of judges for the Folio prize called Saunders' stories "both artful and profound" as well as "Darkly Playful."
The eight-strong shortlist this year was dominated by American authors.
Others on the list include; Red Doc by Anne Carson, Schroder by Amity Gaige, Last Friends by Jane Gardam and Benediction by Kent Haruf.
Also The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner, A girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride and finally A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The Chinese government is pleading with Malaysian authorities to beef up their search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight... signs of which have still not been detected.
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is set to deliver another speech today ahead of a controversial referendum vote in the Crimea later this week.
The Chinese courts have become the latest entity to deliver their work reports to lawmakers taking part in the annual "two sessions" here in Beijing.
In Business... new analysis from a Chinese government think-tank suggesting first-quarter growth here in China will hit the government's annualized goal for this year.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.