The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Shane Bigham with you on this Monday, April 28th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
One of the eight European military observers detained in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian activists has been freed...
South Korea's prime minister has tendered his resignation over the government's response to the sinking of a passenger ferry...
and the two leading candidates for president in Afghanistan are preparing for a runoff election...
In Business...industrial profits appear to be healthy despite the slowing pace of growth in the Chinese economy...
In sports...the title race in the English Premier League has heated up again...
In entertainment...checking out the Indian version of the Oscars...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 25 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 11.
Shanghai will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 20.
Overnight, it will see slight rain with a low of 15.
In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 23.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 16.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 26.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 20.
Over to North America.
New York will be overcast today with a high of 16 degrees.
Washington will have moderate rain with a high of 17 degrees.
Honolulu, slight rain, 27.
Toronto, Canada, will see slight rain with a high of 11 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be overcast with a high of 24.
And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.
Top News
One European military observer freed in Slovyansk
A European military observer detained by pro-Russian activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has been freed.
The officer is one of eight observers to be detained and has apparently been released on medical grounds.
The other seven are still detained.
The self-declared mayor of Slovyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, has said the captured European military observers are hostages "of the situation in Ukraine."
"We perfectly well understand that these gentlemen officers have ended up the victims of a misunderstanding."
Previously Ponomarev accused the group of spying for NATO, saying they could be released in exchange for jailed pro-Russia activists.
The observers are part of a 12-member military verification team deployed by the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Russia, an OSCE member, has pledged to take all possible steps to secure the observers' release.
Meanwhile, pro-Russian activists in Slovyansk also captured three Ukrainian security service officers.
Across eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian activists continue to occupy government buildings in a dozen cities.
The U.S. has accused Russia of encouraging destabilizing activities in the region.
The Americans are expected to levy new sanctions against Russia starting from today.
The European Union is also planning more sanctions.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said sanctions were hurting the Russian economy, but the damage was not critical.
South Korea's prime minister offers to resign over ferry sinking
South Korea's President has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won over the sunken ferry accident.
He is to leave office once the disaster is under control.
The prime minister resigned on Sunday over criticism of the government's response to the Sewol ferry disaster.
So far 187 people have been confirmed dead, while over 110 passengers are still listed as missing.
The resignation comes amid rising indignation over claims by the victims' relatives that the government didn't do enough to rescue their loved ones.
Chung Hong-won issued an extraordinary statement on the national tragedy.
"Through this accident, I have bitterly felt that there have been so many varieties of irregularities that have continued in every corner of our society and practices that have gone wrong. I hope these deep-rooted evils get corrected this time and this kind of accident never happens again. I ask for the forgiveness and understanding of the South Korean citizens and the victims of the Sewol and their families for leaving without fulfilling my responsibilities."
Meanwhile, all 15 surviving crew members responsible for sailing the ferry are in custody and face charges ranging from criminal negligence to abandoning passengers.
The searching for those presumed as being trapped in the ship has made slow progress during the weekend.
Divers were unable to enter the cabin due to bad weather.
South Korean coast guard spokesman Ko Myung-suk.
"A preliminary high seas watch was issued 4 a.m. yesterday and we're expecting worse weather conditions today. The search operation is expected to face more difficulties today."
Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy recovery vessel is on its way to the disaster site to support the divers.
The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers, sank on a routine trip to the southern holiday island of Jeju over a week ago.
Investigations are focused on human error and mechanical failure.
The four Chinese people onboard the ship have been confirmed dead.
Serbia new PM pledges public sector reform
Serbia's new prime minister has pledged to implement reforms in the public sector.
Aleksandar Vucic took office on Sunday after a parliamentary vote.
"The first and most important goal of this government is to transform Serbia's economy into a modern one, adjusted to new globalised markets of the 21st century. And that is the only way to ensure a better standard of living in the long term, and not just for a year or two."
He says the government plans to revise its budget by June, looking to cap a deficit that currently runs at around 7 percent of GDP.
The plan is to cut that percentage to between 3 and 4 percent by 2017.
The budget revision is a key to securing a new loans from the International Monetary Fund, a move that would cut Serbia's borrowing costs.
To curb the deficit, the new government is set to cut public-sector salaries by 10 percent and stop subsiding 153 loss-making state-run firms.
The country's public sector now employs nearly 800,000 people.
Previous governments have avoided any attempt to downsize the sector, fearing job losses could cause social unrest.
Afghan presidential candidates to face runoff
Afghan presidential candidate and former Finance Minister Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai says he is ready to participate in runoff elections, if need be.
Having reaped just a little over 31 percent of votes in the preliminary election, Ahmadzai blamed the election commission for weaknesses during the first round of polls.
He is second only to former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who garnered 44.9 percent of the vote.
To secure an outright victory, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the valid ballots.
The chairman of the Independent Election Commission, Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani, says the results are waiting to be finalized.
"According to our findings it seems that these elections will go to the second round. This is a preliminary result and with the investigations by the Elections Complaint Commission there might be changes in the numbers."
The preliminary results will be finalized on May 14 after investigations into fraud complaints.
A runoff should be held within 15 days of the final results being announced.
The candidates are vying to replace President Hamid Karzai, the only president Afghans have known since the 2001 US-led invasion to topple the Taliban's hard line Islamic regime.
OPCW urges Syria meet chemical weapons handover deadline
The leader of the UN mission in charge of destroying Syria's chemical weapons has called on the Syrian government to meet a deadline to destroy all of its toxic chemicals.
Sigrid Kaag of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says 92.5 percent of Syria's chemical materials have been removed from the country.
"We are talking basically of the remaining seven and a half, eight percent of chemicals weapons material that currently still in country in one particular site. Six and a half, roughly, needs to be removed, a small percentage is to be destroyed regardless in country that can be done."
The remaining stockpiles of declared chemical weapons are in a dozen lorry containers, in a location near Damascus that the government says is unreachable due to fighting.
Kaag says the UN is also looking into recent reports of chlorine gas attacks in the country.
Syria has not declared chlorine under its disclosures to the OPCW.
The country is expected to hand over its entire arsenal by the end of this week.
All its chemical weapons are scheduled to be destroyed by the end of June.
The plan comes from a Russia-US deal to eliminate Syria's arsenal after hundreds died in a sarin attack last year.
A U.N-led inquiry has found that chemical weapons were likely used in five attacks last year, although it did not apportion blame.
Israel marks holocaust remembrance day
Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday with an official ceremony in Jerusalem, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and a number of holocaust survivors.
The official service commemorates the six million jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
According to a study of anti-Semitism published last year by Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary Jewry, while violent anti-Semitic attacks have declined in the past year, overall anti-Semitic sentiment is on the rise.
It reported that a third of the respondents, Jews living in European countries, are contemplating emigration as a result.
Israel halts legalization of Palestinian outposts in the West Bank
Israel has announced a halt the legalization of 19 illegal Palestinian outposts in the West Bank.
This comes after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas requested Palestinian membership in the United Nations earlier this month.
The Israeli government had earlier been committed to authorize the legalization of those outposts in accordance with last July's resolution upon the resumption of peace talks.
Israel has announced a suspension of the peace talks after its unity bid with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hamas of "attempting to create an additional holocaust by destroying the state of Israel. "
"Well, I think the difficulty is to reconcile that statement that President Abbas is making a few days after he embraces a Hamas that denies the Holocaust and calls for perpetrating another Holocaust against the six million Jews of the state of Israel. So President Abbas has to decide whether he wants a pact with Hamas or peace with Israel; he cannot speak out of both sides of his mouth."
The suspension comes at a time when talks between Israel and Palestinian authorities have been close to collapse and have achieved no results after nine months.
The Abbas-Hamas deal envisions an interim government in a month and a general election by winter.
Egypt fears spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Egypt's Health Minister has declared emergency measures to contain the potential spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome after the first Egyptian case was discovered.
The 27-year-old patient had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, which has been hardest-hit by the disease, has 313 cases.
Egypt's Health Minister Adel Adawi:
"It was proven yesterday that the case is positive and that the patient is suffering from the coronavirus. Consequently, I have invited the committee to an emergency meeting to put in place all preventive and curative measures that are specific to fighting the possibility of an outbreak."
The virus, which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, has spread from the Gulf to Europe and has already caused over 90 deaths.
Adawi says the government will take extra measures to identify those infected and raise awareness among travelers.
The authorities fear the virus may spread as many Egyptians will be making religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia during the coming months.
Danish Queen visits Nanjing Massacre memorial
Anchor:
The Queen of Denmark has visited the memorial to the victims of the Nanjing massacre.
Margrethe II wraps up her state visit here in China today.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Danish Queen Margrethe II on Sunday paid respect to thousands of Chinese victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.
The Queen arrived at the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Sunday morning.
She looked at photographs depicting Bernhard Arp Sindberg, a Dane who helped save up to 20 thousand Chinese lives during 1937-38.
Sindberg came to China at the age of 26 and found a job at a Danish firm.
Along with a German colleague, Karl Gunther, he established a make-shift camp for Chinese civilians inside the cement plant, ran a small field-hospital for the wounded, and tried to provide food and other supplies to the refugees.
Queen Margrethe II said the commemoration of Sindberg is about looking back at the past as well as looking to the future.
She also visited the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research College during the weekend.
The college is the only overseas research institution in which Denmark has invested.
The queen has also attended the launching ceremony of the Danish toy maker Lego's first Asian factory in Zhejiang Province, and visited the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
Queen Margrethe II's visit marks the Danish Queen's second China trip since 1979.
She has sat down with Chines officials including President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The two have also witnessed the signing of 10 new agreements, covering sectors such as energy conservation and maritime technology.
For CRI, I am Jordan Lee.
An Danish man's family and life in Beijing
Anchor
Denmark and China enjoy close ties at the poltical level, but the two nations are also quite close when it comes to exchanges between regular people.
CRI's Li Dong spoke to a Danish citizen who has settled in China.
Reporter
Tomas Bratt is an analyst at Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company. He met his Chinese wife in Denmark. He was offered the opportunity to work in Beijing three years ago. After serious consideration, the couple decided to move here.
"I think after looking at different possibilities we saw that Beijing has a lot of different international schools, very high standard. We saw the infrastructure was there we could wish for. Beijing was a choice because Novo Nordisk has office here in Beijing. Beijing is also a good city for someone coming to China, because people are a little bit more used to international people from different countries. And there's a lot of things to experience in Beijing."
Bratt's daughter is nine years old and attending an international school in Beijing. She studies Chinese for one hour every day. Her mother tongue is Danish but she is now quite proficient in Chinese.
Bratt says he and his family do not travel much when in Europe but here in China, they have tried to visit as many places as possible. They've been to Xi An, Kunming, Sanya, Guangzhou, Guilin and are planning to visit more places. He says he enjoys the safe and friendly environment in China.
"I think also people are very friendly here. I feel actually when I go in the streets I feel much safer than I do, especially when I was in the United States. But also the larger city Copenhagen, I would be more in my guard. In China I feel, it seems to be very safe. I like to go out and see people. Unfortunately, I don't speak very good Chinese so I can't really interact with the person on the streets so much. But still it's fun to go out and experience people, what they do. Chinese I think, live their life outside. So if you go out you meet a lot of people, you see a lot of people everywhere."
Bratt gets a bit excited when discussing Chinese food. In contrast to Denmark, he believes that China offers abundant choices for dining out.
"We go out to eat a lot, because we are in China, in Denmark it's not so common to go out to eat. We usually make food at home. But here in China you have much more possibilities. I think the Chinese food is one of the best experiences here in China, because you have so many different kitchens almost one from every province, and we really enjoy the differences in food from different regions. We also try to eat spicy food, even if it can be tough for the stomach sometimes but it's a really fun experience."
Bratt notes however, that Beijing's air pollution now presents a major concern. He hopes Beijing could solve that problem in the near future.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Biz Reports
Anchor
Let's get a preview of what's set to take place in the business world this week.
Here's CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter
The Federal Open Market Committee is scheduled to start its two-day meeting on Tuesday.
US policymakers are expected to announce another 10 billion dollar reduction to its monthly bond-buying programme, reducing it to 45 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, investors are hoping for more assurances that the central bank will keep interest rates near record lows for longer.
By Wednesday, investors will know how fast the U.S. grew in the first three months of 2014.
Thursday, the Institute for Supply Management index on national factory activity will be out and Friday, monthly jobs figures will be released.
It will be a three-day week for many Europeans and Chinese, with the May Day public holiday in much of continental Europe on Thursday extended into a long weekend.
Policymakers and investors will learn on Wednesday whether euro zone inflation bounced in April from March's 0.5 percent, its lowest level since November 2009.
Outside the euro zone, Britain will issue its estimate of first quarter growth on Tuesday.
The Bank of Japan will meet on Wednesday and deliver its twice-yearly economic outlook.
In China, more comprehensive purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) for manufacturing and services are arriving on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
Meanwhile, Investors will also closely watch the latest corporate earnings.
China reports accelerating industrial profits growth amid economic transformation
Anchor
Newly released official statistics show China's industrial sector maintained its strong growth momentum in the first quarter.
The National Bureau of Statistics says profits for major industrial companies rose by 10.1 percent year-on-year, overcoming market concerns of an overall economic slowdown.
Our reporter Yin Xiuqi has the details.
Reporter
Statistics show profits for leading industrial companies reached 1.3 trillion yuan or about 210 billion US dollars from January to March.
The reading was based on profit reports of companies with annual business revenues of more than 20 million yuan.
In a sign of changing economic dynamics, profits for private firms rose the fastest at 14.2 percent.
By comparison, state-owned and state-holding companies only recorded a 2.9 percent growth year-on-year.
Notably, the majority of industrial profits in the first quarter were made in just a few sectors, such as automobiles, energy, electrical machinery and telecom equipment.
Producers of coal, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, oil and natural gas reported steep profit declines due to falling prices resulting from sluggish demand.
The profits report came on the heels of the publication of the country's sharply declining current account surplus earlier this week.
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange said the surplus on the current account—which covers trade as well as one-time fund transfers—was 7.2 billion US dollars in the first quarter.
That amount marks the smallest quarterly surplus in three years and well below the 44 billion US dollars recorded in the final quarter of last year.
China's economy expanded by 7.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, one percentage point below the official target.
Many economists believe this mild, temporary downturn is a necessary result of the country's economic transformation, which aims to cut industrial overcapacity and secure economic upgrading.
For CRI, I am Yin Xiuqi.
Chinese liquor giant Wuliangye reports 28-pct profit drop
Net profits of Chinese liquor giant Wuliangye have dropped 28 percent to 2.6 billion yuan, or 428 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter this year.
This is the liquor giant's first Jan.-March decline in net profits since 2003.
Business revenues of the market leader in the first quarter are down 23 percent year on year.
Earlier this month, the company reported a 20-percent decrease in net profits for 2013, the first yearly drop since 2005.
The ongoing nationwide campaign to curb extravagance has also dealt a blow to high-end liquor brands such as Wuliangye.
Live call-in with Mike Bastin on China replacing coal with shale gas
Anchor
China Shenhua Energy, the country's largest coal producer, has posted a decline in first-quarter net profit compared with a year earlier, citing falling coal prices.
Net profit went down 9.9 percent to 10.4 billion yuan, or 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months.
The coal producer painted a gloomy picture for the coal-making industry in the second quarter of this year, due to weaker demand, and the government's war on smog.
On the other hand, China has set a national output goal of 6.5 billion cubic meters shale gas by 2015 and as much as 100 billion cubic meters by 2020.
China is the largest holder of natural gas reserves confined in shale rock formations.
China Petroleum & Chemical, Asia's largest refiner, has prioritised shale gas development this year.
Now for more on this, we are joined on the line by Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
1. Does this mean China is at the end of coal era? Is shale gas likely to replace coal as the main source of energy?
2. What challenges are there in shale production? (the high cost of exploring shale gas and potential damage to the environment)
3. Is the goal of 100 billion cubic meters shale gas by 2020 realistic?
4. Energy wise, what other alternative options are there for China?
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
Yue Yuen counts cost of China shoe strike, says most workers returned
Most of the shoe factory workers who staged a strike over the past two weeks have returned to work after the company agreed to some of their core demands.
Hong-Kong-listed Yue Yuen Industrial holdings says that more than 80 percent of the workers at its Dongguan factory returned to work.
Three workers at the vast complex in southern China estimated that more than half, maybe as many as 70 percent, of the 40,000-strong workforce had gone back to work.
Yue Yuen is a manufacturer of footwear for Nike, Adidas and other international leisure brands.
The strike has prompted German sportswear firm Adidas to shift some orders to suppliers elsewhere in China.
Yue Yuen estimated the direct cost of the strike at around 27 million US dollars.
Headline News
One European military observer freed in Slovyansk
A European military observer detained by pro-Russian activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has been freed.
The officer, together with other seven who are still under detention, are deployed by the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Russia, an OSCE member, has pledged to take all possible steps to secure the observers' release.
Across eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian activists continue to occupy government buildings in a dozen cities.
The U.S. has accused Russia of encouraging destabilizing activities in the region and is expected to levy new sanctions against Russia starting from today.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said sanctions were hurting the Russian economy, but the damage was not critical.
South Korea's prime minister offers to resign over ferry sinking :updated
South Korea's President has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won over the sunken ferry accident.
The PM will leave office once the disaster is deemed to be "under control."
Chung resigned Sunday over criticism of the government response to the sinking of the Sewol.
187 people have now been confirmed dead, with another 110 still listed as missing.
The search in and around the sunken vessel made little progress over the weekend because of weather conditions.
The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers, sank on a routine trip to the southern holiday island of Jeju over a week ago.
Investigations are focused on human error and mechanical failure.
Serbia new PM pledges public sector reform
Serbia's new prime minister has pledged to implement reforms in the public sector.
Aleksandar Vucic took office on Sunday after a parliamentary vote.
He says the government plans to revise its budget by June, looking to cap a deficit that currently runs at around 7 percent of GDP.
The plan is to cut that percentage to between 3 and 4 percent by 2017.
The budget revision is a key to securing a new loans from the International Monetary Fund, a move that would cut Serbia's borrowing costs.
10 killed in Baghdad car bomb attack
At least 10 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in a suicide attack in the Iraqi capital.
Police say a car bomb was detonated in a popular market in eastern Baghdad.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack just yet.
It happened just three days ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections, the first in the country since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011.
Israel marks holocaust remembrance day
Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday with an official ceremony in Jerusalem, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and a number of holocaust survivors.
The official service commemorates the six million jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
According to a study of anti-Semitism published last year by Tel Aviv University's Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary Jewry, while violent anti-Semitic attacks have declined in the past year, overall anti-Semitic sentiment is on the rise.
It reported that a third of the respondents, Jews living in European countries, are contemplating emigration as a result.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
China to finish analysis of air pollutant around Beijing
Summary
An official of China's environment authority says an analysis of the sources of air pollution in Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang will be finished by the end of June.
The environmental authorities are working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering to conduct the research.
Earlier this month, the analysis of the sources of air pollution in Beijing has already been finished and published.
The results revealed that about 64 percent to 72 percent of the air pollutants in Beijing are locally generated.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Shanghai to boost ranks of general practitioners
Summary
Shanghai's mayor says that the city will have one general practitioner for every 2,000 to 3,000 residents as the government works to improve the quality of local healthcare, especially for seniors.
General practitioners treat common and chronic illnesses. The mayor says bolstering their number in the city will give seniors access to good healthcare close to where they live.
SHANGHAI DALY
Headline
Online fury at report of dogs buried alive
Summary
Internet users are furious over scores of stray dogs being buried alive in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Thousands of posts are calling the act "inhumane" and "shameful".
A charity group made the allegations on Weibo last week.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Night market regulation to be released
Summary
Beijing municipality is going to release new rules on the night market in summer.
District governments are to decide where the markets should be located and when the markets should be opened.
The regulation has banned barbecue in open space and those food should be cooked in a kitchen but could be served outside.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Four jump to their deaths in a gambling raid
Summary
Police in Longgang district in Shenzhen raided an underground gambling site.
Five people tried to escaped by jumping out of window. Four people were dead at scene and one was injured.
The police have detained three organizers and more than 30 participants.
WEST CHINA CITY DAILY
Headline
Sichun to build eight express ways
Summary
Southwest China's Sichuan province is going to build eight expressways this year, with a total investment of more than 110 billion yuan.
The province will also begin to build the Chengdu-Ya'an railway, which is part of the Sichuan-Tibet railway line.
Beijing Times
Headline
City hospitals to buy public liability insurance
Summary
Beijing is going to buy public liability insurance for city hospitals.
Public liability insurance is designed to offer specific protection against third party insurance claims.
The measure is to guarantee a stable operation in city hospitals in case of accidents.
Special Reports
Wartime documents of Japanese soldiers record Japan's atrocities in China
Anchor
Documents revealing the crimes of Japanese soldiers during their invasion of China during the World War Two have recently been made public.
CRI's Ding Lulu has the details.
reporter
The documents have been released by Jilin Provincial Archives.
Zhang Yujie is the director of the administrative office under the archives.
He says that these documents were discarded by the Japanese army during its hasty retreat from Changchun, the capital of Jilin, after Japan's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.
Among them are some letters written by Japanese soldiers
Zhang explains these letters expose the crimes conducted by Japanese soldiers during their aggression against China.
"He said he cried before throwing a kid into a fire, but then he told himself the kid from the country he is invading would grow up if he left him alive, so he threw the kid into fire finally. He said it was hard to express how he felt after doing that. He said they killed 150 people that time."
The documents detail eight different atrocities conducted by Japanese troops in China.
Some of them show how Japanese invaders grabbed land from and other resources from Chinese peasants, and others show the cruel oppression used to coerce locals into serving the invaders.
They also record evidence about the Nanjing Massacre, human testing of chemical and biological weapons conducted by the notorious Unit 731, the use of Chinese women as sex slaves, and the maltreatment of U.S. and British prisoners of war.
Jiang Lifeng is a research fellow of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"Monthly reports of the invaders at that time, how they managed such reports, relevant data, and letters of these Japanese soldiers, all these recorded their crimes. And these documents are shocking to me."
The expert says that these files are a response to the denial of Japan's wartime atrocities, made by Japan's right-wing politicians.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
Sports
Liverpool's 2-0 loss to Chelsea leaves the title race open again
European football news,
First in the English Premier League, Manchester City has put the title race back in its own hands after a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
The win moved City within three points of leaders Liverpool, who were defeated 2-0 by Chelsea at Anfield in a match earlier.
City now has three games remaining, while Liverpool has only two.
Manuel Pelligrini's men also hold a superior goal differential over Liverpool.
For Chelsea, now one point clear of City in second-place, the remaining games are against relegation candidates Norwich City and Cardiff.
But Jose Mourinho is already full of pride after defeating Liverpool both at home and away and terminated the Reds 11-game winning streak.
"We won both matches against Liverpool, we won both matches against Manchester City. It doesn't matter which one is the champion. We won both matches against the champion."
Over in the Spanish La Liga, Lionel Messi scored the winner as Barcelona walked away with a 3-2 victory at Villarreal.
The win moved Barca into second, four points behind leaders Atletico and two points ahead of Real Madrid.
And over here in the Chinese Super League, Shandong Lunneng has moved back to the second place after they beat Henan Jianye 2-1 last night.
Beijing Guo'an handed newly-promoted Harbin Yiteng an eighth straight loss 1-0.
Players voice protest against Sterling's appalling racist comment
In basketball, the Los Angles Clippers are now in silent protest after team owner Donald Sterling allegedly made some blatant racist remarks.
In an audio recording now circulating online, a voice purported to be Sterling's is heard telling a woman, allegedly Sterling's girlfriend, not to broadcast her association with black people or bring black people to games.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had launched an investigation into the recording but many people are already reacting strongly.
Miami Heat forward LeBron James.
"There is no room for that in our game. We've found a way to make this the greatest game in the world and for comments like that, it taints our game and we can't have that. We can't have it from a player, we can't have it from an owner, we can't have it from a fan and so on and so on. "
US president Barack Obama, who is currently on a state visit to Malaysia, is also outraged by the comment.
"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk and that's what happened here."
The Clippers were thumped by Golden State 118-97 in Game Four of their playoff series.
The two sides are now even at 2 games apiece.
Frenchman Alexander Levy takes maiden European Tour title at China Open
In golf, Frenchman Alexander Levy has taken his maiden European Tour title at the China Open in Shenzhen.
Levy began the day with a three-shot lead and finished the day with a four-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood to win the title with a 19-under 269.
Fleetwood was second at 15 under.
The Englishman praised his 23-year-old opponent after the match.
"I think that he's just played too good. I got off to the absolutely perfect start and then I just didn't drive it well on the back nine. My strength all week has been my driving and I didn't hit it in play enough, I got away with it a couple of times. But it's been a fantastic week, it's come off. "
Spaniard Alvaro Quiros was third at 13 under while Italy's Francesco Molinari was another shot back in fourth.
Three players tied for fifth, including England's Ian Poulter, Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Denmark's Anders Hansen. All of them finished at 11-under.
Nishikori wins first ever clay court title at Barcelona
In tennis, Russian ace Maria Sharapova claimed a hat-trick of Stuttgart titles after coming from behind to defeat Serbia's Ana Invanovic in Germany.
It took Sharapova a bit of over two hours to get past Ivanovic in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The 27-year-old was pleased to win her first title of 2014, but admitted that she had had to fight her way back into the match.
"Yes it's such a special day for me. I've had such great success at this tournament but every year that you come back, you always have to start from the beginning, from the first match on. And I was close to losing that first match and I really felt my way through the tournament. It was a big comeback from me today."
Meanwhile, Japan's number one Kei Nishikori sealed his fifth career title and first on clay with a 6-2, 6-2 final win over Colombian Santiago Giraldo at the Barcelona Open.
Nishikori returned to action at Barcelona after he suffered a groin injury at the Miami Masters.
The 24-year-old Japanese star said his first title on clay came as a bit of a surprise.
Nishikori also successfully defended his title at the US indoor Championship earlier this year.
Giraldo however, is still searching for a career title.
Entertainment
Indian Film Academy Awards staged in Florida
The Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony was held in Florida this year, making that the first time the event has ever been staged in the US.
Hollywood stars John Travolta and Kevin Spacey made an appearance at the glitzy ceremony, to pay homage to the best of Bollywood.
Indian film star Priyanka Chopra even got to perform a dance routine with Travolta.
"John was very - he was a little stressed about what would happen and how we would do it so I just him that Hindi movie dancing is just feeling the vibe really and we're just celebratory and you just really have to enjoy it and then he was ok and he was such a sport. He came on stage. He did a little bit of a jig with me and I wanted to do his most famous steps instead of making him do mine, which was really cool, so doing the whole 'Saturday Night Fever' thing and like the 'Grease,' it was like going back in time. It was super cool."
The big winner this year was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a biopic of Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh. The film swept the board at the awards, winning prizes for best picture, story, actor, supporting actress, and director.
Kellen Lutz stars in upcoming Tarzan film
(Tarzan)
The childhood favorite Tarzan is experiencing a comeback.
In addition to a 2016 film starring Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan, an animated movie featuring the vocal talents of Kellen Lutz is set to hit theaters this week.
The film is directed by Reinhard Klooss and tells the story about a young orphan who is raised in the jungle by gorillas. He eventually comes into contact with humans, including the beautiful Jane.
Actor Kellen Lutz shot to stardom after his work as a vampire in the Twilight series. Now he's back portraying Tarzan in an upcoming animation.
Because the film uses motion capture technology to capture Lutz's movements, he had to learn how to run on all fours, communicate, and interact like a primate.
To prepare , the star spent a lot of time at a wildlife sanctuary studying gorillas.
"They're finickity animals. Sometimes they do, like when we were at the zoo and I was learning octave and how to bark or cry, there's only five sounds that they make, so they kind of, if it's not exactly their sound, they won't be bothered."
(Reporter: "Can I get you to do a demo?")
"(Makes noise.)"
The film is set to hit UK theaters on May 2nd 2014.
"Heaven is for Real" tastes box office success
(Heaven)
The box office is seeing a trend of small budget faith-based movies going over well with audiences.
First there was "Son of God", then "God's Not Dead", and the latest hit is "Heaven is for Real", the film version of 2010 best selling book "Heaven".
The story follows the experience of a young boy who claimed he went to heaven and back following emergency surgery. He described events and people who he could not possibly have
Oscar nominated Greg Kinnear, who plays the boy's father, says the movie doing well because audiences are connecting with the story.
The movie is the little movie that could. It's not a big-budgeted film, and we were up against some pretty heavy hitters and people showed up. We opened last Wednesday, and just from the get-go it seemed like audiences were on board with the story. And it seems to have grown. The word of mouth on it's helped. And I think people are just intrigued with the storyline."
50-year old Kinnear has a very diverse acting resume, including his performance as Jack Nicholson's gay neighbor in "As Good as it Gets".
Chicago musician DJ Rashad dead from drug overdose
Chicago musician DJ Rashad has been found dead, supposedly dying from drug overdose according to police.
DJ Rashad was a pioneer of the city's footwork and juke music scenes and his latest album Double Cup ranked eighth in Rolling Stone's list of top dance albums of 2013.
The magazine called his music "one of the year's freshest-sounding dance LPs, ominous and decidedly futuristic".
DJ Rashad's sound had ties to early Detroit techno and strains of rich R&B and soul-jazz of the 70's.
Tributes have been pouring in from Twitter, including one from Chance The Rapper who wrote "that music lost a legend".
DJ Rashad's real name was Rashad Harden and was believed to be around 34 or 35 years old.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
One of the eight European military observers detained in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian activists has been freed...
South Korea's prime minister has tendered his resignation over the government's response to the sinking of a passenger ferry...
and the two leading candidates for president in Afghanistan are preparing for a runoff election...
In Business...industrial profits appear to be healthy despite the slowing pace of growth in the Chinese economy...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together. |