Evening Edition

It's Shane Bigham with you on this Thursday, April 23rd, 2015.

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

Coming up on our program this evening...

The Chinese president calls a nuclear deal between Iran and the World Powers that's fair and balanced...

African leaders call on their counterparts in Asia to support the African bid for representation on the UN Security Council...

Interpol's office in China releases a wanted list to help the government track down economic fugitives who have fled the country...

In Business: activity in China's manufacturing sector reaches a one-year low...

In Sports: the defending NBA champions even their first-round series against the Clippers...

In Entertainment: the closing ceremony of the 5th Beijing International Film Festival...

Top

Xi calls for fair, balanced, all-win Iranian nuclear deal

The Chinese President is calling for a fair and balanced deal on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Xi Jinping made the remarks in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in Jakarta on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa leaders' meeting.

Negotiators from Iran and six world powers, including China, are now working to finalize a comprehensive nuclear deal before the end of June after a framework agreement was reached earlier this month.

Africa calls on Asia to support Security Council bid

The President of Sierra Leone has called on Asian countries to support Africa's bid to be represented in the UN Security Council.

Ernest Bai Koroma made the call at the Asia Africa Summit in Jakarta.

"That Africa, with 54 members, does not have permanent representations in the Security Council, where over 70 per cent of issues discussed relate to Africa, is a grave injustice that must be redressed. And we seek Asia's support to redress this wrong."

The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council include China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States. They represent the five great powers considered the victors of World War II.

Most nations in Africa were not independent at the time of the UN's establishment in 1945.

China Urges Japan to Honor Commitment as Ministers Visited War Shrine

Chinese officials have again urged Japan's government to honor the country's commitment to recognize its national history. The call follows visits to the Yasakuni Shrine by three Japanese cabinet ministers.

The shrine honours Japan's wartime dead, including convicted war criminals responsible for atrocities in China and elsewhere in Asia.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says only when Japan reflects on its past aggression and rejects militarism can China-Japan ties realize sound and stable development.

"The visit to the shrine, which honors Class-A convicted Japanese war criminals during World War II, embodies their wrong attitude towards history. China is firmly against it."

Yesterday Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Jakarta.

Xi Jinping said that the history issue is a major matter of principle concerning the political basis of the China-Japan relationship.

The president voiced hope that the Japanese side will seriously treat the concerns of its Asian neighbors and send out positive signals on the history issue.

At yesterday's meeting, Shinzo Abe stated that he and his cabinet have made promises on several occasions to honor the words of former Japanese governments on the history issue.

However, a few hours later, Japan's National Public Safety Commission chief, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister, and the minister in charge of promoting women's empowerment visited Yasukuni shrine.

China releases wanted list for worldwide fugitive hunt

Anchor:

Interpol's bureau in China has released a new list of 100 people wanted worldwide.

The new wanted-list is part of the government's current hunt for economic fugitives.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

Reporter:

The 100 people on the list are mostly accused of crimes involving corruption.

The latest move is part of the "Sky Net" campaign to repatriate corruption suspects.

Fu Kui is with the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"There are several reasons for us to do this. One is to show our determination in hunting down these corrupt officials. We will apprehend them no matter wherever they flee to. The other reason is to create a deterrent to try to dissuade others from becoming potential fugitives."

The list itself contains the suspects' personal information and the crimes they have allegedly committed.

Interpol and China's top anti-graft body have put the list together.

It's available for anyone to look at.

Duan Daqi with Interpol's China Bureau says the creation of the list will help strengthen global law enforcement cooperation.

"With the release of the list, we feel we've started creating a global surveillance network. Each country will be able to take different actions according to their laws. Some countries will be able to take measures including arrests, extradition and repatriation based on the list. Others will monitor the whereabouts of the suspected fugitives and report them. The monitoring will also apply to areas such as visas, green cards and bank accounts."

Huang Feng, head of the Center for International Criminal Law with Beijing Normal University says follow-up work also needs to be done once a fugitive suspect is identified.

"Once a suspect is in custody, Chinese judicial authorities will have to work through the extradition or repatriation process of the countries involved. Supporting evidence and legal papers will be needed. Otherwise, the suspects may be set free."

The Chinese government has been actively trying to gain international support for its fight against corruption.

A "priority" list of fugitives suspected of corruption has reportedly been provided to the United States and Britain.

Negotiations for new extradition treaties with a number of countries is also underway.

For CRI, I'm Wang Mengzhen.

Expert on China's "negative list" for FTZs

A Chinese expert in commerce is suggesting that a shorter "negative list" is not necessarily better for China's free trade zones.

Gu Xueming, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, made the comment after China's State Council released a foreign investment negative list for its four pilot free trade zones.

"Firstly, you can't say which one is better: a positive list or a negative list. A country will only choose a suitable approach for managing investment according to its level of development, management capacity and legal environment. Secondly, you may ask, would it be better if the negative list was shorter? The answer is no. Every country should identify areas off-limits to foreign investment on the basis of its level of development and system."

China's new negative list precludes foreign investment in projects in 49 industries such as aviation manufacturing and nuclear power.

Meanwhile, China eased or removed restrictions on foreign investment in 18 sectors in the country's four pilot free trade zones.

The new list reduces the number of special administrative regulations on foreign investment to 122 from the previous 190.

The "negative list" approach is a major international practice to manage foreign investment.

The government identifies sectors where the entry of foreign investors is prohibited or restricted, while giving all market entities equal access to areas off the list.

China's Reactors to Go Overseas

Anchor:

China's third-generation nuclear reactor has been in the spotlight at an ongoing nuclear power exhibition in Beijing.

CRI's Tu Yun has more.

Reporter:

The chairman of the China Nuclear Energy Association says "the year of 2015 marks an important year for China to resume its nuclear power program after Japan's nuclear crisis."

Earlier this month, the pilot Fuqing nuclear power project in Fujian province, using Hualong One technology, got the green light from the State Council.

Hualong One is a third-generation nuclear reactor jointly developed by the China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation.

Its core ACP1000 technology passed the Generic Reactor Safety Review by the International Atomic Energy Agency in December, a milestone that put China on a level playing field with Western countries in bids for international projects.

Xian Chunyu with the China General Nuclear Power Group, co-designer of Hualong One, expresses his confidence in the reactor's safety.

"Hualong One was designed in line with the highest safety standards for nuclear reactors in the world. It can meet all requirements and rules issued by the state nuclear safety watchdog. During the development process, we used some of the most advanced technologies and gave priorities to both the reliability and preventive measures to accidents. We also tried to draw lessons from the disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to design a comprehensive set of precautionary and relief measures."

The approval of the Fuqing project was granted during an executive meeting on April 15, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.

A statement released after the meeting says the project will improve the competitiveness of the country's equipment manufacturing on the global stage.

According to Xing Ji, co-designer of Hualong One, from China National Nuclear Corporation, the product has drawn wide attention from abroad.

He believes Hualong One will have a bright prospect in the global market.

"In overseas markets, our project in Pakistan that uses the Hualong One technology is proceeding well. Our project in Argentina is also going smoothly. In February, witnessed by leaders of China and Argentina, an agreement on cooperation in building a large pressurized water reactor was signed, marking our success in exporting our third-generation nuclear reactor to Latin America. Also, the Hualong reactor has raised interest among enterprises from the countries like Britain, Saudi Arabia and South Africa and negotiations have been underway."

Earlier, Chinese enterprises were given formal go-ahead by the British government to take part in local nuclear power projects.

The CNNC has decided to invest in two local plants. The company has confirmed that the Hualong One design will be used in the one where it has a controlling interest.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.

China's First Indoor PM2.5 Research Report Released

Anchor:

China's first indoor PM2.5 research report has been released in Beijing.

It indicates an average indoor air quality reading of "light pollution" in the city.

Though the indoor air is cleaner than outdoors, researchers suggest people should pay more attention to indoor air quality, since they usually spend 20 hours per day at home or in offices.

That means about 80 percent of the PM 2.5 particulate that people inhale comes from indoor settings.

XYee has more.

Reporter:

Qinghua University released the indoor PM2.5 research report, the first of its kind in China.

Researchers and more than 400 volunteers collected 110,000 hours of data from 7,700 indoor locations across Beijing over a period of two and half months.

Zhang Lin is an associate professor from the Department of Electronic Engineering of Qinghua University.

"We used mobile internet and big data technologies and equipped every volunteer with our self-developed Pimi airbox, which, with the assistance of volunteers and cloud-based big data, is capable of monitoring the indoor PM2.5 level almost as a professional instrument does."

The survey has found one third of all the days that were surveyed were polluted.

The research results show an average indoor PM 2.5 level of 82 micrograms per cubic meter, slightly above the standard of good air quality, which is 75 micrograms per cubic meter.

Zhang Lin says when the outdoor air is clean, opening windows will help maintain a good indoor air quality, and it will be otherwise when the outdoor air is polluted.

"When the outdoor air quality is poor, especially when it's severely polluted, the indoor air is always better than the outdoor air, which shows the protective effect of buildings."

The results also show office buildings have a better air quality than residential buildings, with the 17th floor and above enjoying cleaner air than lower floors.

And the indoor air quality of buildings 500 meters or farther away from main streets is better than those within 500 meters.

China's major cities have all set up monitoring systems for fine particulate pollution. The results are now disclosed on a regular basis.

However, urban residents rarely know the indoor air quality because monitoring equipment is either too big or expensive to access.

Zhang Lin and his team hope to enhance people's awareness about indoor air issues and further their research in the field.

He said in the future, cloud computing technology will be applied to handy electronic appliances at lower costs, so it won't be hard for ordinary families to know the air quality around them.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

China Expanding Job Opportunity Challenges Disabled Employment Deficit

Anchor:

Two leading brands in China are taking the lead in employing people with physical disabilities, training them and providing them with an opportunity to fully integrate into society.

Chi Huiguang has more.

Reporter:

When diners give their thumb up to Wang Xin, the young waitress just replies with a lovely smile.

It is the way to say "Thank you" and to reply "You are welcome" in a hot pot restaurant manned by 12 waitstaff with hearing impairment, including Wang, and several with visual impairment.

Entering the restaurant of "Xinhuoguo", literally "hot pot with love", a franchised store under the Liuyishou Group, at west Beijing's Taiwan Street, diners will notice how to communicate with the quiet waitstaff. Li Peng is the manager.

"There is a beeper on your desk. If you have any request, click it. Our staff will come to you as soon as possible. Wish you have a nice dinner."

Wang is 22 years old and has worked at the unusual restaurant for 3 years. She's got a senior position in the team.

"There are promotion opportunities for the disabled staff. Some has been raised to team leaders, gaining rich experience along the way. Wherever they go to apply for jobs, the experiences and abilities will be very helpful."

Employment is crucial for China's massive handicapped population to adapt to normal life.

Statistics show that over 20 million Chinese have hearing disabilities, but only a limited portion of jobs are available to them in the context of severe competition in the job market.

According to Guo Xinzhi, Deputy to the National People's Congress, and director general of Disabled Persons Federation of Shanxi province, there are over 87 million disabled people around the country, the state will provide more employment services and vocational training for the disabled.

"After the People with Disabilities Act took effect, we adopt many methods to strengthen training and create jobs. For example, we offer free massage training for those with visual impairment, and set up massage shops for them to get employed. For those people with hearing impairment, we provide trainings of dancing, tailoring or information technology."

Dabao is a national famous brand of skin care which is familiar to most of Chinese for its advertising slogan: "If you want fair skin, use Dabao everyday."

But it is less known that there are more than 300 workers with hearing impairment working in Dabao.

Sun Jing is a 37 years old pretty mom with hearing impairment who has worked in the factory for more than 10 years. She has got a welfare-oriented public house.

Zhang Jing, another 47 years old beautiful worker with hearing impairment, uses sign language to explain that the disabled workers share the same opportunities of working and promotion.

Zhang Qiuping is their team leader who is able to use sign language. She translates their words to communicate that they are happy to work here:

"Because the work is stable. We do the same job and enjoy the same welfare and salary standard with the ordinary people. We never feel unfairly treated."

Wang Xunbiao, the Public Relationship director of Johnson and Johnson, the parent company of Dabao, shares his understanding on getting along with the disabled colleagues and impaired persons:

"On one hand, do not discriminate them. On the other hand, do not let them feel that they are much different from others. They are just a group of people by our side. Just let them know that they are part of us."

According to Ministry of Civil Affairs, there are 18 thousand social welfare enterprises throughout China providing jobs for the disabled people. There are more than 4 million disabled people having jobs in urban area, and 17 million working in rural areas last year.

Not only in working, are the disabled connected to ordinary people, but also in creating job opportunities to offer help.

Yuan Yonghai is one of them with a disabled leg. He set up a job-providing network for the disabled people named "Hubang" literally "help each other". Disabled people can get paid as long as they finish the tasks they choose in the website. Yuan says:

"I established a boundary less platform on the internet, so that the disabled people can work at home. I think we disabled people should use our wisdoms to make money."

Employment is fundamental to livelihoods and an effective way and important basis for improving disabled people's lives, social status and helping them participate in social and economic undertakings.

According to China's National Human Rights Action Plan, the country will stabilize and expand employment for the disabled and make sure that an additional 800 thousand disabled people are employed by the end of this year.

For CRI, I'm Chi Huiguang

French Prime Minister Comments on the attack happened in Paris

The French prime minister said on Wednesday the attack on a church in the southern suburbs of Paris was another example of "terrorists wanting to divide and destroy" the country.

Manuel Valls made the comments while visiting two churches that were potential targets of the extremist.

"Targeting a church is targeting a symbol of France; the essence of France was targeted, without any doubt like synagogues, mosques, cemeteries, like Charlie Hebdo. Those are symbols of the freedom, the diversity of our country which was targeted. Terrorists wanted, once again wanted, to attack in order to divide and destroy us."

According to French officials, the extremist with an arsenal of loaded guns was only prevented from opening fire on churchgoers because he accidentally shot himself in the leg.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said the suspect - an Algerian who had lived in France for several years – has been arrested.

Court to issue verdict on Egypt's first elected leader

An Egyptian court is expected to issue a verdict in a case involving the country's first elected leader soon.

63 year old Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in 2013 following mass protests against him.

His case is part of a crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now banned and listed as a terrorist organisation by the Egyption government.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, formerly Egpyt's Defense Minister, says stability is needed to revive the shattered economy.

"Holding early presidential elections and appointing the head of the constitutional court is necessary during the transitional period."

Morsi faces charges of inciting violence relating to the deaths of about a dozen people in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012 after he enraged his opponents with a decree expanding his powers.

Hubble Telescope Hits 25

Anchor:

Hubble Space telescope is celebrating its 25th birthday, marking a milestone in the history of a telescope that defied its early critics to become a crucial tool in space exploration.

CRI's Niu Honglin takes us through Hubble's history.

Reporter

The Hubble telescope was launched in April 24th 1990.

Since its launch, its been providing astronomers and non-space experts with breathtaking images of the cosmos.

Unlike land-based telescopes that are at the mercy of Earth's atmospheric conditions, the Hubble enjoys relatively unhindered views from its perch more than 560 kilometers above the earth.

That vantage point has allowed the telescope to provide a stunning picture gallery of distant galaxies, planets and cosmic explosions.

Hubble's images have been instrumental in helping improve the human understanding of how our universe formed and continues to evolve.

Dr. Kenneth Carpenter, project scientist with Hubble, says the telescope is NASA's biggest success story.

"The telescope has exceeded all of our expectations, scientifically, the way it has impacted the culture, the way the people have adopted it as its own telescope. It has been a huge success story, probably NASA's biggest success story over the years, at least outside of the manned space program,"

However, the 1.5 billion US dollar piece of equipment was viewed at one point as a dramatic failure.

"NASA's pride and joy, the biggest telescope in space in years doesn't focus. The pictures aren't any better than they are on the ground."

Shortly after Hubble was put into orbit, scientists discovered the primary camera was out of focus.

An investigation after-the-fact determined that the mirror used in the Hubble telescope was improperly crafted, forcing NASA to send up the space-equivalent of a monocle to correct the 3-year old satellite's vision.

The correction worked, extended Hubble's abilities to peer into the universe and deliver images far deeper than researchers could have ever imagined.

One of Hubble's most famous images is the Hubble Deep Field that was made when the telescope focused on a seemingly black and empty sliver of space.

The images it returned shows the space is actually bursting with young galaxies and bright objects.

NASA astronomers have dubbed it a baby picture of space, suggesting it shows what the origins of the universe and the galaxies were like some 11-billion years ago.

Hubble also made a significant scientific breakthrough when it provided evidence for "dark energy".

This is an unknown form of energy that some scientists theorize is a major factor as to why and how the universe is expanding.

Doctor Kenneth Carpenter says Hubble's observations helped contribute to research on the expansion of the universe which was later honored with the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

"Gravity always wants to bring things together. Dark energy always wants to push them apart and apparently things got further and further apart as the universe expanded, dark energy actually became stronger than gravity at those kind of distances. Now, the galaxies instead of going apart from each other more and more slowly are actually starting to speed up."

In addition, Carpenter says Hubble's highly-sensitive cameras have led to innovative breakthroughs in everyday technology.

If you've ever taken a selfie, you can thank Hubble for its clarity.

"Technology improvements were driven by the need to create very robust, very cheap, very small electronics for spacecraft like Hubble and that has kind of trickled down and improved our everyday lives,"

Since 1990, Hubble has made more than one million observations.

Its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is expected to be launched in 2018.

That telescope is expected to peer even further into space, building on Hubble's success to unlock the secrets of the universe.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Vigil held in Malta for hundreds dead in the Mediterranean Sea

A candlelight vigil has been held on a beach in Malta for hundreds of migrants who lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya last Saturday.

Giovanni Barbaro Sant, a Malta resident, says he came to pay respect for victims of the tragedy who had struggled for a better life.

"We came over here, as a sign of solidarity, as a sign of respect towards the people who have lost their lives at sea. They're fleeing their homes, they're trying to find somewhere where they can be free, somewhere where they can live."

According to the UN refugee agency, at least 800 migrants died when their boat capsized, the highest known loss of migrants' lives in a single incident in the Mediterranean.

Aid agencies have warned 2015 is set to be the deadliest year on record for migrants making the perilous crossing.

According to The International Organisation for Migration, the toll for the year could top 30,000 - nearly 10 times the 2014 total of 3,279, which was itself a record.

Weather

Beijing is cloudy tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow sunny with a high of 27.

Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 14, tomorrow, overcast, high of 24.

Chongqing has light rain with a low of 17 tonight, overcast tomorrow with a high of 21.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 45.

Kabul, sunny, 29.

Over in Australia

Sydney, partly cloudy, high of 25,

Brisbane, partly cloudy, 29,

Finally Perth will be partly cloudy with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.

Headline news

Xi calls for fair, balanced, all-win Iranian nuclear deal

The Chinese President is calling for a fair and balanced deal on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Xi Jinping made the remarks in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in Jakarta on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa leaders' meeting.

Negotiators from Iran and six world powers, including China, are now working to finalize a comprehensive nuclear deal before the end of June after a framework agreement was reached earlier this month.

China urges Japan to honor commitment as three ministers visited shrine

China is urging Japan to honor its commitment to recognize its troubled history after three Japanese cabinet ministers visited the notorious Yasukuni Shrine.

The visit came just one day after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Jakarta.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says China firmly opposes the visit to the shrine, which honors convicted World War II war criminals.

China turns to clean coal for environmental sustainability: report

The China Energy Fund Committee is suggesting that China could lead the world in clean coal utilization, given the country's heavy dependence on coal and the strong will to cut emissions.

The Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization made the prediction in a recent report on the country's energy use.

The report says now that the Chinese government has pledged to contribute significantly in the global climate effort, clean coal utilization will take a lion's share in the country's energy mix in the years to come.

Coal accounted for more than 65 percent of China's primary energy consumption in 2013 but the country plans to reduce the ratio to 62 percent by 2020.

Australian, Turkish PMs announce intelligence sharing to combat IS

Australia and Turkey are vowing to work together to stop the flow of Australian citizens from crossing the Turkish-Syrian border to fight for the Islamic State group.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his visiting Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu made the announcement in a statement in Canberra following talks in which they agreed to enhance cooperation to counter terrorism.

The deal followed Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's announcement on Monday to share intelligence with Iran regarding Islamic State.

The porous Turkish-Syrian border is frequently used as a transit point by foreign fighters travelling to join the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Islamic State group has recently been trying to recruit in Australia with an online video in which a former Melbourne man called on his followers to attack Australia.

DPRK leader likely to visit Russia in May for war victory ceremony: Russian diplomat

Russia's ambassador to South Korea says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to visit Russia early next month to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Alexandro Timonin says Kim "will probably go" to Moscow on May 9 when Russia holds festivities to mark the Soviet Union's World War II victory, including a massive parade in Red Square.

Biz Reports

Stocks

Anchor:

Turning now to business news with a look at the numbers from the Asian markets on this Thursday evening.

Joining me on the desk is CRI's Luo Wen.

Reporter:

Chinese stocks ended mixed following the weak April manufacturing data from HSBC.

We will have more on that in just a minute.

Shares related to iron and steel, nonferrous metals, nuclear power, online gaming, and mobile payments led the gains.

The nonferrous metals sector was up across the board after the Ministry of Finance announced that the export tariffs of several bulk commodities would be adjusted.

Stocks in the banking, air transportation and water conservation sectors were among the biggest losers.

Analysts expect more bullish performances in the future, as expectations for further loosening measures will drive investors to pile into the stock market.

At close,

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index touched 4,400 points in the morning trading session, its highest level since March 7, 2008.

The index finished 0.4 percent higher.

The Shenzhen Component Index gave up an early surge to end slightly lower.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index moved down 0.4 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japanese stocks ended higher as sentiment was lifted by optimism on upcoming earnings report.

The benchmark Nikkei hit a fresh 15-year high, up 0.3 percent.

South Korea's Kospi climbed 1.4 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.2 percent.

Finally, the Australia ASX 200 added a fraction of a percent.

China April Manufacturing Activity Drops to 1-year Low: HSBC

A reading by HSBC shows China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for April fell to a one- year low of 49.2.

Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

The April reading records a decline from the 50.1 in March.

Annabel Fiddes, an economist at Markit, says the weak PMI data signals that operating conditions in China's manufacturing sector deteriorated slightly for the second month running in April.

She also says production increased only marginally, while total new business declined for the second successive month.

She estimates that demand from overseas improved in April, with new export work rising for the first time in three months.

The official PMI data for April will be released early next month.

China to Open Bank Card Clearing Market to Foreign Firms from June

Anchor:

The Chinese government has announced plans to allow foreign players into the bank card sector.

The State Council has announced that it will open up the market for clearing domestic bank card transactions as of June 1st.

Foreign firms will be able to set up their own clearing companies in China and apply to the central bank for licenses for bank card clearing operations.

Currently, only China UnionPay can provide clearing services for bank card transactions in the country.

Transactions through bank and credit cards last year in China hit some 6.8-trillion U.S. dollars.

The move is part of a promise made in 2012 after the United States filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization, accusing China of discriminating against foreign bank card and credit card firms.

For more on the move, the Beijing Hour's Paul James earlier spoke with CRI's financial commentator, Cao Can.

…

Back anchor:

That was CRI's financial commentator Cao Can speaking with the Beijing Hour's Paul James.

China SOE Profits Continue to Drop in Q1

Official data shows profits at China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) continued to drop in the first quarter of the year.

SOEs' combined profits fell 8 percent year on year to just below five hundred billion yuan or about 81 billion U.S. dollars.

Total business revenues shrank 6 percent year on year to over 10 trillion yuan.

Operating costs retreated 5.1 percent to 10 trillion yuan.

The drop compares to 3.3-percent growth during the same period last year.

Electronics, property, electricity and chemical sectors have reported strong profits in the first quarter.

oil, construction materials and machinery have seen notable drops in profits.

Steel, non-ferrous metals, coal and petrochemical sectors have reported losses.

The figures, which exclude financial firms, have been collected from SOEs in 36 provincial-level regions and those administered by the central government.

China Imposes Anti-trust Fine on Mercedes-Benz

Authorities in China's Jiangsu Province have imposed a 350 million yuan or 56 million U.S. dollars fine on German car maker Mercedes-Benz for violating anti-monopoly laws and price fixing.

Meanwhile three Mercedes-Benz dealers have been separately fined nearly 8 million yuan.

Investigators have found that the automaker either colluded with its dealers to control prices or directly notified them about quoted prices in order to achieve market dominance between January 2013 and July 2014.

The National Development and Reform Commission ruled the company has violated the Chinese Anti-Monopoly Law by excluding or restraining market competition and thus damaging the rights and interests of consumers.

In response, Mercedes-Benz says the company respects the anti-trust order and will take the punishment.

It has also implemented "an in-company rectification plan", which has been approved by investigation authorities, to make sure each of its sales procedures follow Chinese laws and regulations.

China's regulators last year fined Chrysler, Audi and 12 Japanese companies after anti-trust investigations.

Sports

San Antonio Spurs Beat The Los Angeles Clippers 111-107

In NBA playoff action,

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs tied the Western Conference playoff series at 1-1 on Wednesday with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers 111-107 in overtime at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Tim Duncan scored 28 points for the Spurs.

The 39-year-old was satisfied with the result and said he was very lucky during the game.

"I just kind of saw where shots were going to be and tried to get those positions and luckily got a bunch attempts from those areas. I was able to make some and guys continued to come to me. I had an awful fourth quarter there but luckily able to redeem myself in the overtime."

Blake Griffin had his first career playoff triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Clippers.

Game 3 is at San Antonio on Friday.

In other action,

Atlanta beat Brooklyn 96-91.

Memphis beat Portland 97-82.

The Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks Fired after Seven Seasons

In other NBA news,

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Wednesday Scott Brooks has stepped down as head coach of the team.

The 50-year-old Brooks went 338-207 over seven seasons with the Thunder and was named the league's 2009-10 coach of the year.

He had guided the Thunder to five playoff appearances, including three of the past four Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals in 2012.

But the Thunder missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season this year, the first time since the 2008-09 season.

The team was plagued with injuries, with reigning MVP Kevin Durant playing in only 27 games.

NBA coaching sources say Billy Donovan and Kevin Ollie may be prime candidates to succeed Brooks.

Marin Cilic Knocked out of the Barcelona Open

In tennis,

US Open champion Marin Cilic has been knocked out of the Barcelona Open. He was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by world number 53 Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic.

Cilic, the fourth seed, is disappointed.

"There were not too many winners on the court so that, you know, caused the game to be played more and more, it was going much more in his favour - in Victor's favour. And yeah, overall I was not too happy with the game I played today."

Cilic's start to the year has been hampered by injury.

He has won just two matches in three tournaments since his return at Indian Wells last month.

This is the first time that Estrella Burgos has defeated a player ranked in the world's top 10.

The 35-year-old will next meet 14th seed Martin Klizan of Slovakia for a place in the quarter-finals.

Another shock was Spain's Marcel Granollers taking out French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

The world number 60 will next face the ninth seed Tommy Robredo from Spain.

The Anaheim Ducks Beat Winnipeg 5-2

In National Hockey League Playoffs,

The Anaheim Ducks beat Winnipeg 5-2 on Wednesday to sweep Jets 4-0 in their Western Conference first-round series.

With the victory, the Ducks become the first team to advance to the second round.

They will next face the winner of the Vancouver and Calgary series.

In other action,

The Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0.

The New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1.

The St. Louis Blues earned a blowout win over the Minnesota Wild 6-1.

O'Sullivan Advances at World Championship

In snooker,

Ronnie O'Sullivan strolled into the last 16 of the World Championship with a 10-3 win over fellow Englishman Craig Steadman at the Crucible Theatre.

One of the highlights of the match was O'Sullivan playing without his shoes for a period of time before being forced to borrow a pair from the tournament director Mike Ganley.

The five-time world champion will next face Matthew Stevens for a place in the last eight in a repeat of their 2012 semi-final meeting.

In other action,

Joe Perry beat China's Zhang Anda 10-4.

Matthew Stevens beat Mark Williams 10-2.

Stuart Bingham beat Robbie Williams 10-7.

And it's Judd Trump over Stuart Carrington 7-2.

Suzann Pettersen Withdraws from Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic

In golf,

Eighth-ranked Suzann Pettersen has withdrawn from the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic on Wednesday before the start of the third round with a shoulder injury.

Kelly Shon will replace her in the field.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko, who turns 18 on Friday, will try to defend her title this week in a field that features 18 of the top 20 players in the world.

She has earned three more victories since her Swinging Skirts title with its 2 million dollar purse.

Anderson Silva Confirms He Will Try to Compete in Rio

Former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva will compete for a spot on the Brazilian Taekwondo team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The announcement follows a meeting between Silva and Brazilian taekwondo officials on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old says he is looking forward to next year's Olympics and will be well prepared.

"So (I made) my decision because I like this sport. I have a great story in Taekwondo. I think I have a great chance to go to the Olympic Games. So, I will train hard because this is my life."

Silva is considered one of the most prominent figures in Mixed Martial Arts history and a superstar athlete in his home country.

However, he tested positive for two steroids in January and is now trying to overturn a temporary suspension imposed by UFC.

The Brazilian says the decision by the commission will not hinder his participation in the Olympics.

The competitions to decide who will fight in next year's Olympics on behalf of Brazil will begin early in 2016.

Beijing Ducks Moves Its Home to Mastercard Center

In off-court CBA news,

Three-time champions the Beijing Ducks announced on Thursday the team's home court will move from Shougang Basketball Center to Mastercard Center.

The Mastercard Center is regarded as a blessing for the Beijing Ducks as the capital team has played all its playoff home games there since 2012 and clinched three CBA titles there in the past four years.

After the move, another 10,000-plus fans can enjoy basketball live.

Sources say an agreement has been reached for the move while more detailed information still needs to be worked out.

Entertainment

Stars hit the red carpet at the closing ceremony of Beijing Film Fest

Anchor:

Stars and filmmakers walk the red carpet again as the Beijing International Film Festival comes to a close tonight.

This year's festival has attracted 930 movies from across the globe. Over 100 Chinese films and more than 800 foreign features will compete for the Tiantan Award.

The closing ceremony is being held at Yanqi Lake in Beijing.

For more on this event we are joined live by CRI'S Chloe Lyme who is now at the ceremony.

…

Back anchor:

Beijing Hour's reporter Chloe Lyme.

Jim Parsons talks online with his Chinese fans

American actor and Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons, one of the stars from "The Big Bang Theory," had an online interview with his fans from China on Thursday morning.

He shared his experience in voicing the animated film "Home", an alien comedy, as he chatted with his fans through his Weibo account.

Parsons said he would certainly try to come to China to meet his fans when answering a question on whether he would come to China if the box office for his movie hits 500 million yuan.

The new Dreamworks animated film is an adaptation of Adam Rex's children's book The True Meaning of Smekday. And it will hit theatres on the Chinese mainland on Friday.

Apart from Parsons the film also stars Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.

EL James husband writes fifty shades of Grey sequel

British author E.L. James has enrolled her husband Niall Leonard to write the script for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel.

Leonard himself is a screenwriter. He's written for some British TV shows and also contributed to the first Fifty Shades film.

The first film has rocked the global box office, earning nearly 570 million US dollars.

The sequel is expected to release in 2016.

Eastwood talks legacy, box-office success of 'American Sniper' At CinemaCon

84-year-old Oscar-winning director and producer Clint Eastwood was honored in Las Vegas Wednesday at "The Legend of Cinema Luncheon: A Salute to Clint Eastwood."

His drama, "American Sniper," was the top-grossing film at the U.S. box office for 2014.

With a global gross of more than $500 million, "Sniper" is Eastwood's biggest hit.

Eastwood says he didn't have a clue the film would get that kind of reception.

Because, really, you put a film out, you don't -- halfway through every film I've ever made, I've thought, 'Nobody's ever going to want to see this.' Because you just get accustomed to -- not being pessimistic, but just wonder, 'How did I get here? Why am I doing this?' And just, sometimes, it turns out you hit a certain chord with an audience and then you're off and running."

Eastwood has been in show business for more than 60 years.

In addition to directing and producing, he has enjoyed huge success as an actor, and also is a Golden Globe and Grammy-nominated composer of film-scores.

Other best-known Eastwood films include "Unforgiven," and "Million Dollar Baby".

Sam Waterston, Glenn Close attend premiere for Tim Blake Nelson indie film

Tim Blake Nelson has premiered his film "Anesthesia" in New York City, at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Nelson wrote, directed, and starred in the film.

He says it's quite appropriate to release his film in this city.

"Perfect. I couldn't imagine a better place and everybody always says that but I actually can say it credibly because it's a New York story with New York actors and a New York crew and we're putting it in front of a New York audience."

Nelson spoke at the premiere of the movie Wednesday night, where stars Sam Waterston and Glenn Close walked the red carpet.

Waterston - who starred in the iconic New York TV series "Law and Order" said he loved filming "Anesthesia" in The Big Apple:

"Shooting in New York is a wonderful thing for me. I love this city. I came here, ah, let's see - about a half-a-century ago so it's been my hometown even when I haven't actually lived in it for all those years. I love this place."

The story centers around Waterston's character, a Columbia University professor who is brutally mugged at the opening of the film.

The whole story takes place over a two-day period.

The Tribeca Film Festival runs through April 26th.

Weather

Beijing is cloudy tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow sunny with a high of 27.

Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 14, tomorrow, overcast, high of 24.

Chongqing has light rain with a low of 17 tonight, overcast tomorrow with a high of 21.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 45.

Kabul, sunny, 29.

Over in Australia

Sydney, partly cloudy, high of 25,

Brisbane, partly cloudy, 29,

Finally Perth will be partly cloudy with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

The Chinese president calls a nuclear deal between Iran and the World Powers that's fair and balanced...

African leaders call on their counterparts in Asia to support the African bid for representation on the UN Security Council...

Interpol's office in China releases a wanted list to help the government track down economic fugtives who have fled the country...

In Business: activity in China's manufacturing sector reaches a one-year low...