It's Paul James with you on this Thursday, April 2, 2015.

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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese environmental authorities have released new city-specific analysis of major air pollution sources in China.

The Chinese government taking issue with word Japan is preparing to blame China for tensions in the East China Sea.

Marathon talks to complete an interim Iranian nuclear deal are reportedly set to continue some 24-hours past the original deadline.

In business... the next step in China's major train merger set to take place tomorrow.

In Sports... Ding Junhui into the next round of the China Open Snooker tournament.

In Entertainment... American singer Jason Mraz wraps up his Asian tour with a stop in Shanghai.

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

Weather

Beijing will have slight rain today with a high of 13 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop to 4.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 30.

Overnight it will have moderate rain with a low of 13.

In Chongqing, also cloudy with a high of 30 and a low of 19.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,

Islamabad will be clear with a high of 40.

Kabul will be overcast with a high of 17.

Over to North America,

New York will be clear with a high of 17 degrees.

Washington, also clear with a high of 22 degrees.

Honolulu, partly cloudy, 29.

Toronto, Canada, will have showers with a high of 18 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 32.

And Rio de Janeiro will have showers with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

Top News

Pollutions Sources Identified among Major Cities

Anchor

China's environmental protection authorities have laid out the results of their preliminary findings of the leading pollution sources among this country's major cities.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

Reporter

According to the latest research, vehicles, coal-burning, airborne dust and industrial production account for 85 to 90-percent of the major airborne pollution sources in most Chinese cities.

Vehicles are the biggest polluters in Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Coal-burning emits the most particulates in Shijiazhuang and Nanjing.

Tianjin is mostly troubled by airborne dust, while in Ningbo, it is industrial production.

In Shanghai so-called "mobile sources", including ships, are said to be responsible for most of the pollution.

The research program was initiated and led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection two years ago.

Hai Yin is an official with the Ministry's Environment Monitoring Department.

"We selected nine cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, Yangtze River Delta and Zhujiang River Delta, as they tend to have a lot in common. Firstly, they have a good technology backgrounds for conducting this kind of researches. Secondly, historically speaking, pollution in these cities is relatively heavier than other cities. And thirdly, the cities themselves have conducted their own research into pollutants such as PM10, which laid a good foundation our additional research."

The new analysis is meant to try to provide local officials with information as to how to better manage air pollution.

As an example, the results for Shanghai suggest municipal officials should focus not only on vehicles, but also the city's shipping industry, both domestically and internationally.

Luo Hailin is with Shanghai's environmental protection bureau.

"There are a lot of opportunities for Shanghai to tackle 'mobile sources.' Authorities should be better controlling so-called yellow-labeled vehicles. As for the ships, it hasn't been our priority in the past. But now it seems they have a considerable impact on the environment. Moreover, another issue is the trucks. Generally speaking, the number of vehicles in Shanghai is less than that of Beijing. However, our calculations show the pollution levels from this category are almost the same in the two cities. The main reason is Shanghai is home to more trucks."

Yellow-labeled vehicles refer to those whose exhaust emissions are below national standards.

Beijing's municipal authorities already laid out an updated emergency plan for heavy pollution days this week.

If heavy smog lingers for more than three days, a top-level emergency plan will go into effect to reduce emissions, including limiting the use of private vehicles.

Apart from the nine cities in the latest analysis, another batch of 26 cities will have their main sources of pollution disclosed later this year.

The findings are said to be just the first step towards a broader pollution management plan for China.

The next step will see researchers take a 'bigger picture' look at atmospheric pollution on a regional level.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

China Criticizes Japan's Draft Policy Report

The Chinese government is dismissing reports the Japanese government is set to level a new set of accusations against China.

Reports out of Japan suggest that government's latest foreign policy report is going to blame China for "unilaterally" changed the status quo in the East China Sea.

The latest accusation is said to be part of a draft of the Japanese government's annual "blue book" report on foreign policy.

The Chinese government has since responded, saying Japan has been attempting to "stir things up."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"China has always tried to promote the China-Japan strategic relationship on the basis of mutual benefit in a spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future, based on the four political documents signed between China and Japan."

In making the statement, the Chinese side also warns that it will protect its claims over the Diaoyu Islands.

The forthcoming Japanese 'blue book' is also said to contain language suggesting Japan has been continuing along its path as a pacifist nation for 70-years based on its "deep remorse" over the war.

Israel, Portugal Apply to Join AIIB

It's been revealed Israel and Portugal have also submitted applications to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as founding members.

The two countries officially submitted their written applications before the deadline.

Around 3-dozen countries have applied to be founding members of the bank, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Australia.

The AIIB is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.

Nanjing, First City to Lower Taxi Franchise Fees

Anchor

Municipal authorities in the city of Nanjing have become the first in the country to adjust the monthly franchise fees for taxi drivers.

The move is the first in what is expected to be a nation-wide movement to try to lighten the economic burden on cab drivers.

CRI's Yu Yang has the details.

Reporter

Nanjing's municipal government, in setting the bar for other cities in China, has cut monthly franchise fees for taxi drivers by up to 9-percent.

Under the changes, taxi drivers who run a single shift in Nanjing will see their monthly fees cut by 600-yuan down to 61-hundred.

Drivers who pull double-shifts will have their rates cut by 200-yuan a month down to 68-hundred.

"To some extent, we are satisfied with the policy changes. After all, the franchise fees are being decreased by hundreds of yuan. For us, it's better than before. We can save thousands each year. So life will be easier for us."

Taxi drivers who operate high-end or new energy vehicles still have to pay a larger fee.

However, a single-shift driver in one of these vehicles will also see their monthly fees cut by 700-yuan to 77-hundred a month.

Double-shifters in high-end cabs have seen their monthly fees cut by 800-yuan to 86-hundred.

But while costs are coming down across the board, not all the cab drivers in Nanjing are happy with the changes.

"It's not a big cut. An increase in the base fare will be much better for us than decreasing the charges by only two hundred yuan."

The Nanjing municipal government cut the fuel surcharge from 2 yuan down to 1 yuan last year, meaning the average driver in Nanjing lost around 200-yuan per month.

Taxi drivers across China have long-complained they have to hand over nearly half of their fares to the fleet companies they rent their vehicles from.

Most drivers in China are considered independent contractors, meaning they don't have a base salary or other benefits.

To protest what they say are shrinking incomes, high charges and competition from ride-hailing apps, taxi drivers in a half-dozen cities across China went on strike earlier this year.

Authorities have been taking steps to protect the rights of cab drivers.

The central authorities introduced new rules this year which prohibit privately-owned vehicles from using ride-hailing apps to offer rides.

Only licensed taxis are allowed to used the apps.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

Chinese Drug MIL-77 Used to Cure British Ebola Patient

Anchor

A British Ebola patient has been discharged from hospital after being declared Ebola-free after being treated with a drug produced by Chinese scientists.

CRI's London Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.

Reporter

25-year old volunteer nurse Anna Cross is the first person in the world to be successfully treated with the experimental drug MIL-77, produced in China.

Doctor Mike Jacobs is with London's Royal Free Hospital.

"It's impossible to say on the basis of treating one patient whether this experimental treatment was beneficial or not, but what I can tell you is that the treatment went very well, it caused no side effects that we were able to elicit and we were very happy with its use."

Jacobs says the drug, produced in China, is closely related to another Ebola drug, Z-Mapp.

Z-Mapp was first used to successfully treat another British healthcare work, as well as two American medical workers who also came down with Ebola in West Africa.

While physicians and scientists are excited about the prospect of MIL-77, its development has been slow.

The process of making MIL-77 the antibodies to generate the anti-Ebola drug is slow.

As such, officials with London's Royal Free Hospital are warning there is a limited supply of the Chinese-made drug.

Anna Cross is the third successfully-treated British Ebola patient.

She was transferred back to the UK from Sierra Leone where she worked as an army reserve nurse two weeks ago.

While British nationals who have contracted Ebola have had an excellent survival record, the virus has claimed more than 10-thousand lives across West Africa over the last year.

For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in London

Iran nuclear talks delayed further

Talks connected to Iran's nuclear program are expected to continue into this Thursday in Switzerland, two days after the original deadline.

The negotiations have been going for close to the last 7-days, with diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany scrambling to reach a framework accord with the Iranian government.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is among those taking part in the marathon talks.

"I want to stress that we are working to accomodate everyone's concerns during the process. But we feel its also important to speak with one-voice through the UN Security Council."

The comments come amid suggestions tensions may be flaring up within the talks.

The United States is warning it's still prepared to walk away from the negotiations.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

"If we are in a situation where we sense that the talks have stalled then yes, the United States and the international community is prepared to walk away because we've been very clear about what kinds of commitments we expect and we've been clear about those kinds of commitments for in excess of a year."

The negotiators are said to be working on a joint statement, outlining general political commitments.

It's said the negotiations also involve drafting documents which will lay out more details of the steps they will have to take to reach a June 30th deadline for a final deal.

Palestine Officially Joins ICC, reax

Anchor

A wait-and-see approach is being taken by both the Israeli and Palestinian sides now that Palestine has been officially accepted as a member of the International Criminal Court.

CRI's Qian Shanming explains.

Reporter

The Palestinian Authority officially became a member of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat is describing it as a day of historical significance to the Palestinian People.

"We are trying to make sure that the crimes committed against our people in Gaza last summer, which led to the killing and wounding of 12,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, displacement of 500,000 Palestinians - we want to ensure that these crimes are not recommitted. We want to make sure that there is non-reoccurrence of such crimes against our people"

The Palestinian membership in the ICC takes effect at a time when the chances of resuming negotiations on Palestinian statehood are seen as slim, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent election victory and tough campaign rhetoric.

International justice activists are hailing the occasion as an opportunity to bring accountability to years of conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki contends this brings them a step closer to ending a long era of impunity and injustice.

"In the face of the great injustice our people are enduring, and the repeated crimes committed against it, Palestine has decided to seek justice, not vengeance."

Joining the court is also part of a broader effort by the Palestinians to put international pressure on Israel.

Israel is not a member of the ICC.

However, its military and civilian leaders could now face charges if they are found to have committed crimes on Palestinian territory.

Palestine Liberation Organization official Ashraf Khatib says a Palestinian committee is already preparing to prosecute Israel at the ICC.

"The plan is to take (to the ICC) Israel's crimes against the State of Palestine, against the Palestinians, war crimes and violations of international law that includes the aggression on Gaza, and also the ongoing settlement activities in the occupied State of Palestine."

However, Dr. Jonathan Rynhold, an Israeli legal expert, is warning any Palestinian actions at the ICC may potentially backfire.

"Palestinians will get nothing from this in that they couldn't already get in direct negotiations with Israel. For them, it's a dead-end. They may be able to hurt Israel, but they will not be able to force Israel to give up anything in term of security or its vital interests that it would not be prepared in any way to deal in any case."

Israeli government officials have yet to comment.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

Minister declares victory over IS in Tikrit

The Iraqi government has declared a "magnificent victory" over the Islamic State in the city of Tikrit.

The new pronouncement comes as Iraqi troops still fight to clear the last remaining holdouts from the city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has appeared on Iraqi state television raising an Iraqi flag in Tikrit.

Khalid al-Obeidi is Iraq's Defence Minister.

"We have the pleasure, with all our pride, to announce to you from Iraq the good news of a magnificent victory for our military forces in the Salahuddin operation, and the associated forces from the Popular Mobilization and the brave tribesmen."

The month-long operation to recapture Tikrit has been the biggest launched yet by the government against the extremist group.

The Iraqi military considers Tikrit a key stage before it tries to retake Iraq's second largest city, Mosul.

S. Korea indicts US envoy attacker for attempted murder

A South Korean man has been formally charged with attempted murder for slashing the US ambassador in Seoul with a knife last month.

55-year-old Kim Ki-jong is accused of attacking ambassador Mark Lippert with a fruit knife during a forum on Korean reunification early last month.

Lippert suffered deep gashes to his face and wrist, requiring him to be in hospital for 5-days.

Lee Sang-ho is a South Korean prosecutor.

"Prosecutors charged the defendant, who tried to kill the U.S. ambassador to South Korea while protesting against U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, with attempted murder, the assault of a foreign envoy, and obstruction of duty."

If found guilty of attempted murder, Kim could face life in prison or even the death penalty, which is rarely used in South Korea.

Kim is a known Korean nationalist.

He's the same man who hurled a rock at the then-Japanese ambassador to Seoul back in 2010 during the flaring of tensions between South Korea and Japan over the Dokdo Islands.

He was given a two-year suspended sentence for that attack, which missed the ambassador, but hit one of his assistants.

Biz Reports

Stocks

First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

U.S. stocks extended losses on Wednesday, as investors assessed weaker-than-expected economic indicators and sluggish vehicle sales figures.

US Private sector employment increased by around 190-thousand jobs from February to March, lower than expectations.

March manufacturing in the US also dipped to its lowest level since May 2013.

At the same time, a number of automakers unveiled figures on Wednesday. Among them, Ford's overall sales are said to be down around 3-percent.

At close,

The Dow Jones fell some 0.4 percent.

The S&P 500 was down 0.4 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite also lost 0.4 percent.

Meanwhile in Europe, European stock market rebounded on Wednesday, with fresh economic reports showing growth in the eurozone remains steady for the time being.

Euro-area manufacturing expanded faster than initially estimated last month.

Markit's PMI hitting a 10-month high in March.

At the close on Wednesday,

The UK's FTSE 100 was up by 0.5 percent.

While Germany's DAX rose 0.3 percent.

Finally France's CAC 40 advanced 0.6 percent.

Trainmakers CSR and CNR's merger deal rolls ahead

The merger between China's two largest train producers, CSR and CNR, is edging closer to completion.

It's been announced the merger will go under review by the China Securities Regulatory Commission tomorrow.

Shares of the two companies were once-again suspended this week from trading in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

This is common when two listed companies merge.

Meanwhile, it's being reported the current chair's and presidents of CSR and CNR will sit on the board of directors of the merged company, which is going to be called the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.

However, the precise roles of the four executives has not been revealed.

Most industry observers expect the merger to be completed by June.

China Expands Investment Scope of 1.2 trillion yuan Social Security Fund

Anchor

The State Council, China's cabinet, has announced plans to expand the investment scope of its 200-billion U.S. dollar social security fund.

As part of the plan, the plan is to expand the portfolio to allow the purchase of more local government debt and shares in state-owned companies.

Investment limits for corporate and local government debt purchases are being increased from 10 to 20 percent.

The investment limit into trusts will be increased to 10 percent from 5 percent.

For more on the overall health of China's socially security fund, we're now joined live by CRI's Financial Commentator Cao Can.

Talking points:

Q1: What factors have motivated the State Council to expand investment scope of the social security fund? What's the significance of the move?

Q2: Will the expanded scope increase risks for social security fund investments?

Q3: How much more will need to be done to keep social security viable in the future, given the aging population?

Back anchor:

Cao Can, CRI Financial Commentator.

Xunlei to divest video streaming platform for 1.3 billion yuan

Chinese download provider Xunlei has announced it's agreed to sell its online video streaming platform to Beijing Nesound International Media.

The sale is said to be worth some 1.3 billion yuan, or around 210-million US dollars.

The platform, which is known as Xunlei Kankan, is very popular in China.

The company hasn't said when the deal might be finished, or what changes may be included for users in the change-over.

Microsoft to offer public cloud service to 100 Chinese start-ups

Microsoft has announced it plans to offer 100 million yuan worth of free cloud-computing services and software tools to 100 Chinese startups.

The promotion is seen as bid to bolster its cloud-computing business in China.

The new initiative will be launched in the next 6-months.

Start-ups involved will have access to Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing service, software and development tools.

The move is an attempt to try to wrestle market-share from Amazon and Alibaba, who also offer cloud-computing services in China.

Philips' deal with Go Scale Capital helps to streamline its business

Philips is selling a majority stake in its LED and car lighting arm to Chinese-US group GO Scale Capital for 2.8-billion US dollars.

Go Scale Capital will acquire some 80-percent of Phillips' LED and automotive lighting business.

The move is part of Philips' split into two parts, separating its healthcare-lifestyle arm from its 120-year old lighting section.

Headline News

China kicks off "Fox Hunt 2015"

Chinese authorities have launched the latest version of the "Fox Hunt" campaign to track down corrupt officials who are at-large overseas.

The Ministry of Public Security says its part of the larger campaign, codenamed "Sky Net," focusing on nabbing corrupt officials or suspects who have fled to industrialized countries.

At the same time, Chinese authorities are hoping to work with other countries to step-up the extradition of corrupt officials who have fled overseas.

Officials in-charge of the "Sky Net" program say they're going to focus on both pursuit and persuasion in getting economic fugitives back to China.

Authorities nabbed 680 suspects in last year's "Fox Hunt" campaign.

Israel, Portugal Apply to Join AIIB

It's been revealed Israel and Portugal have also submitted applications to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as founding members.

The two countries officially submitted their written applications before the deadline.

Around 3-dozen countries have applied to be founding members of the bank, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Australia.

The AIIB is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.

13 Missing after Boat Sinks in Taiwan Strait

13 people are missing and feared dead after a boat went down off Taiwan.

The mainland-based cargo vessel went down early Monday morning.

However, word of the sinking has just been made public.

Wreckage was reportedly found on Monday night, but there is still no sign of the 13 crew.

It's unclear what caused the ship to go down.

Thai martial law lifted

Thailand's military government has announced it is lifting the martial law, 10 months after it was first imposed.

Martial Law in Thailand was instituted in May, shortly before the army seized power after ousting the government of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra following months of political unrest.

Current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says martial law will be replaced by a new security order under an article in the new constitution.

Under the new measures, soldiers will be able to apprehend people without an arrest warrant if an incident occurs.

The new measure has drawn considerable criticism, with many fearing that it will give the military more power than it had before.

The Thai military government has promised to restore democracy and hold elections later this year.

UN Official: Boko Haram Using Children as Human Bombs

The UN's human rights chief says Boko Haram militants in Nigerial are using children as human bombs.

At the same time, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein says the group continues to target women and girls for abuse, including sexual slavery.

He also says both children and adults have been abducted by the group on a massive scale.

Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced some 1.5 million people during its six-year campaign to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

A combined offensive by Nigeria and its neighbors has succeeded in driving the group from most of the positions Boko Haram controlled earlier this year.

Newspaper Picks

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Fishing ban

Summary

A three-month fishing ban on the Pearl River and a section of the Yangtze River has taken effect.

The annual fishing ban is meant to protect fishery resources and maintain an ecological balance.

Local governments are allowed to make allowances to certian fishermen affected by the ban.

Large-scale activities will be organized to release fish fry into the two rivers during the moratorium in order to boost aquatic resources.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

More barrier-free cabs

Summary

Beijing's transport authorities are planning to add 800 more barrier-free cabs to the taxi fleet this year to better serve the city's disabled.

In a barrier-free taxi, the assisted seat can be rotated so that a disabled person can get in and out of the car with ease.

It also offers more space in the back, and provides easier access for wheelchairs.

BEIJING NEWS

Headline

Chongqing medical plan

Summary

New medical service price guidelines in Chongqing have been put on-hold amid protests by patients, who say the changes are going to add to their costs.

The local pricing bureau admits the new guidelines were based on inadequate investigation, suggesting they don't take enough patients' needs into consideration.

SHENZHEN DAILY

Headline

Doctor numbers to double

Summary

Chinese health authorities are planning to double the number GP's across the country by 2020.

The plans also include improving medical technology.

Officials say the move should help a health-care system plagued by long queues and poor rural services.

BEIJING TIMES

Headline

Girls rescued from prostitution ring

Summary

Eleven underage girls, one just 13-years old, have been rescued from a prostitution ring in Shanghai.

Police say all of the children were tricked into traveling to the city from Sichuan and Chongqing.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Local licence limits

Summary

Shanghai police have announced plans to restrict vehicles that don't have Shanghai plates from the city's congested areas for longer hours during both the morning and evening rush hours, starting April 15.

Cars with non-local plates will be barred from expressways from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 7pm.

Weekends and public holidays are exempt.

Special Reports

Raising the Bar came to HK for the first time