新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2016/02/08（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Evening Edition

Spencer Musick with you on this Monday, February 8th 2016.

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year Day.

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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The death toll of an earthquake that hit southern Taiwan on Saturday rises to 40...

The UN Security Council strongly condemning North Korea's latest satellite launch...

Chinese people across the world celebrate the Lunar New Year....

And the Denver Broncos overcome the odds to take out the Carolina Panthers at Superbowl 50.

In the second half of our progam, we will bring you a special edition of People in the Know.

Top News

Taiwan quake death toll rises to 40

The death toll of an earthquake that hit southern Taiwan on Saturday rises to 37, including at least 10 children.

A woman was pulled out alive from a toppled high-rise building in Tainan on Monday. She was found shielded under the body of her husband.

A rescuer said they have detected signs of life on the evening of the day of the quake.

"We started digging through the area of what was the seventh floor on the evening after the earthquake struck. We detected signs of life at that time."

A man was also rescued on Monday morning. He was conscious and talking to rescuers when lowered from the wreck via a crane, but rescuers said he may have to receive amputations due to his injuries.

Over 110 people are believed to be still buried under the rubble of the collapsed Wei Guan building.

Of the 40 confirmed deaths, 35 were found in the 16-story building, which is among at least eight buildings that have collapsed.

Rescuers said they have identified several other signs of life inside the building and are searching through the rubble for more survivors.

Monday marks the first day of the Year of the Monkey according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

But residents in Taiwan canceled most celebrations due to the devastating earthquake.

Li Guiyi, a military surgeon participating in the search and rescue operations, said that the experience is more rewarding for him than celebrating the Lunar New Year's holiday.

"Although the spring festival is a holiday that makes people get together with their families and is very happy, when everyone sees pictures of (the earthquake), they feel very weak, so I think that as a member of the army, soldiers should wholeheartedly come together and work hard to accomplish this goal, which is to make sure we keep the number of dead at the lowest and retrieve all of the victims."

The 6.7-magnitude quake hit Taiwan's Kaohsiung city around 04:00 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday at a depth of 15 kilometers, just two days ahead of the lunar New Year. Local monitoring authorities put the scale of the quake at 6.4-magnitude.

Chinese Mainland Offers Help Following the Earthquake in Taiwan

Mainland officials are offering assistance in the search and rescue efforts in Tainan.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission and the China Earthquake Administration have rescue teams on stand-by should a request be made.

The mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office and its counterpart in Taiwan have been in contact.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee， is promising any assistance which might be needed.

Beichuan and Lushan counties in Sichuan, areas which themselves are still trying to recover from devastating earthquakes, are donating 1-million yuan in assistance.

UN Security Council Condemns North Korea Satellite Launch

Anchor

The UN Security Council is strongly condemning North Korea's latest satellite launch, with the Council holding an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi with the latest.

Reporter

Sunday's emergency meeting has been held at the request of South Korea, Japan and the United States.

All three consider North Korea's satellite launch as a covert way to test its ability to launch a ballistic missile.

Venezuela's UN Ambassador, Rafael Ramirez, head of the Security Council this month, issued a statement following a one-and-half-hour close-door meeting.

"The members of the Security Council underscored that this launch, as well as any other DPRK launch that uses ballistic missile technology, even if characterized as a satellite launch or space launch vehicle, contributes to the DPRK's development of nuclear weapon delivery systems and is a serious violation of Security Council resolutions."

North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006.

Since then, it's conducted three more tests, including the one early last month.

It's also conducted a number of ballistic missile launches.

UN sanctions ban North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and launching ballistic missiles.

Rafael Ramirez says the 15-nation Security Council says "significant measures" are going to be spelled out in a new Security Council resolution.

"The members of the Security Council also recalled they had previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another DPRK launch. In line with this commitment and the gravity of this most recent violation, the members of the Security Council will adopt, expeditiously, a new Security Council resolution with such measures in response to this serious violation."

Ramirez has suggested a new resolution could be adopted later on this week.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also issued a statement, strongly condemning the launch.

He's calling on North Korea to "halt its provocative actions."

For CRI, I'm Su Yi at UN headquarters in New York.

DPRK Patrol Boat Returns after Warning Shots From S.Korean Military

The South Korean military says it had to fire warning shots on Monday as a North Korean patrol boat violated an inter-Korean sea boundary.

South Korea claimed the North Korean boat violated the Northern Limit Line, which South Korea views as the de-facto inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea.

The NLL was drawn up by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of Korean War. However, Pyongyang has not accepted the conception of NLL and insisted that the sea border should be re-drawn further south.

The North Korean patrol boat has since returned back to the north after South Korea's Navy fired five warning shots into the water.

The border violation came a day after Pyongyang announced a successful launch of an observation satellite into orbit, in breach of UN Security Council resolutions that ban the DPRK from testing any ballistic missile technology.

IS Militants Execute More Than 300 in Iraq's Mosul

Militants from the extremist group calling itself the Islamic State have reportedly executed more than 300 people over the past few days in the IS-held city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

Kurdish security sources say all those executed were ex-police, ex-army members and civilian activists, who have been accused by the IS group of collaborating with the Iraqi security forces.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, is the capital of Nineveh province.

The city has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces fled, abandoning their weapons and posts.

Myanmar's Union Parliament Sets March 17 for Presidential Run

Myanmar's union parliament has announced March 17 as the date for three groups of its representatives to nominate their respective candidates for a presidential run.

The three candidates are to be nominated respectively from the elected house of representatives, the elected house of nationalities and the group from military-nominated representatives.

The candidate who wins the most number of votes will be the president, while the remaining two will be vice presidents.

The newly-elected union parliament started its first session in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday morning.

China's Space Programs in the Year 2016

Chinese space authorities have detailed this year's launch manifest, with more than 20 missions scheduled.

The manifest contains one more than the 19 missions launched this past year, which included the launch of a dark matter probe in mid-December.

This year has already marked a milestone for the Chinese space program, which launched a Belarusian telecom satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, marking the first time China has launched a satellite for a European country.

For more on China's space program, CRI's Zhou Jingnan spoke earlier with Professor Yang Yuguang with the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation.

Back anchor

Professor Yang Yuguang with the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation, speaking with CRI's Zhou Jingnan.

Chinese celebrate Lunar New Year's Eve

Chinese across the world gathered with family on Sunday night to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Many chose to usher in the year of the monkey in the traditional way - by eating dumplings and setting off a barrage of fireworks.

As the Spring Festival is the most important holiday for the Chinese people, most of them celebrate it with their family members at home.

Zhao Li, a Beijing resident, chose to have a reunion dinner at restaurant with her family.

"The Chinese New Year is a traditional Chinese festival, it's extremely important to us Chinese people, after working so hard for a year you come home and get together with your family to celebrate a happy, peaceful and healthy year, then everyone in the family's happy."

But not every one is as lucky as Zhao Li, who lives and works in the same city as her family. Many have to struggle to find their way home through massive crowds.

The Lunar New Year is marked by the largest annual human migration on Earth known as Chunyun. It is expected that 2.91 billion trips will be made during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush.

Firecrackers are believed to scare off evil spirits and entice the God of wealth to people's doorsteps once New Year's Day arrives.

However, the setting off of firecracks pushed PM2.5 particle pollutants to dangerously high levels in Beijing.

The PM2.5 level peaked at 585 microgram per cubic meter just after midnight at 01:00 am on Monday, the highest on this day in recent four years.

The pollutants have since been diffused by gusty winds on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Hongbao, Chinese Red Envelop goes digital

Anchor

One of the great traditions of Spring Festival here in China is the handing out of little red envelopes. They're called Hongbao, and have lucky money inside, as a way of wishing good fortune in the year ahead.

But like everything these days, the Hongbao is entering the digital era, with Chinese people scrambling to see who can snatch as much money as they can with their mobile phones.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter

"Did you get a hongbao?" seems to be the question on everyone's lips these days. The tradition is as strong as ever.

But its origins are steeped in history. Long ago it was seen as a means of protecting children from evil spirits. That evolved into more general best wishes and a blessing on the young. Today it's regarded as a way of bestowing good fortune for the year ahead.

And as with all things, it seems - hongbao has gone digital, becoming a huge internet phenomenon.

The war is on to grab digital cash using your cellphone.

"I got 1.8 yuan, it's fun."

"I didn't get any, I am too slow."

Electronic or e-hongbao was launched by social networking services such as WeChat and Sina Weibo, and Internet companies like Alibaba and Baidu.

On WeChat for example, users can receive a hongbao sent by friends or companies. The money that arrives with the electronic hongbao is then deposited in your WeChat wallet.

The e-Hongbao can be sent to one person, or can be received by several people at the same time.

Let's face it, everyone wants to get money for free, but are these virtual monetary gifts overshadowing the true meaning of the holiday?

Family reunion, fireworks and dumplings: Chinese New Year is bursting with traditions. But when it comes to e-Hongbao, 45 year old social worker Guo Jing says it's just not the same.

"When I was young, the elder gave money to the younger generation wrapped in red paper, to wish them luck in the New Year. The amount of money is all about blessings, using round numbers like 50 and 100, not like the e-Hongbao on Wechat platform nowadays, where you can just pick up a few yuan."

But what impact will this new technological trend have on the true meaning of the holiday? Some older people complain that their young relatives are so obsessed with digital hongbao that what they do all day is check their mobile phones, when they are supposed to be spending quality time with their family.

Regardless of these criticisms, the e-Hongbao is still seen as a big business opportunity during the holiday season.

Online giants Tencent's Wechat, Baidu and Alibaba are all competing to see who can make their virtual Hongbao the most popular in the country.

WeChat says there were more than 1 billion transactions of electronic hongbao on Chinese New Year's Eve, last year.

And Alibaba says more than 100 million people were lured to a hongbao-grabbing promotion on the company's mobile online payment App.

Financial columnist, Li Bo, says online transactions and payments are the way of the future, and more money grabbing gimmicks will pop up as competition between internet service providers heats up.

"Hongbao is a good marketing tool for all companies, meanwhile, users can benefit from it, while getting to know their product. I see hongbao as a new type of advertisement. I think there will be more funny ways of giving and receiving hongbao with innovation, and as personalities add their dimension to the money game."

Inevitably, as the e-hongbao craze sweeps across all social platforms, scams and traps are sneaking in.

Some people have even fallen victim to scammers and suffered losses.

So remember - at the end of the day, the Chinese New Year holiday is supposed to be a time to relax and enjoy being with your family.

Don't let the e-hongbao, or any social media for that matter, take over your life.

Even so, if you are in the mood to have some fun, maybe you should probably check your phone right now, in case a Hongbao opportunity is waiting for you.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

Royal Mint Releases Commemorative Coins In Celebration of Chinese Year of Monkey

The British Royal Mint has released a range of commemorative coins to mark the 2016 Chinese Year of the Monkey.

Produced specially for the UK, the coins form part of the Royal Mint's Chinese zodiac collection, also known as Shengxiao.

The coins were designed by British-Chinese artist Wuon-Gean Ho, who also designed similar collections for the 2015 Year of the Sheep, and the 2014 Year of the Horse.

The Royal Mint's Commemorative Coin Director Anne Jessopp explains the thinking behind Ho's design:

"And this year -- the year of the monkey, the designer Wuon-Gean Ho who is British-Chinese has actually looked at the rhesus monkey which is part of the old world monkey family which actually is a monkey that was found in Europe and in Asia and in Africa and they are very playful monkeys, and monkeys which are very like actual humans and therefore that's what she has chosen to do."

The 2016 Shengxiao collection sees the addition of a British kilo coin for the first time, which measures 10 centimetres in diameter.

The Royal Mint noted that only eight such coins would be minted, in reference to the number eight bringing good fortune in Chinese culture.

The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over one thousand years. It currently produces currency for over 60 countries across the world.

Geoduck in Canada Getting Popular amid Chinese New Year

Anchor

During the Chinese New Year, seafood importers on Canada's west coast have just seen their busiest ever time as clam, also known as geoduck, is getting more and more popular among Chinese people.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has the details.

Reporter:

At a seafood plant in Vancouver, packers are carefully getting the fresh geoduck ready to be exported live to China.

In recent years, more than 90 percent of clams harvested from British Columbia are flown straight to China, especially during Chinese holidays.

Geoduck is often nicknamed the elephant clam, with its long, probing siphon bulging out of its shell.

It is seen as a healthy option because of its high protein and low fat content.

Ed Sang, president of Pacific Rim Shellfish, says the shellfish has become a status symbol in China.

"There's like a status, if you can serve geoducks, lobsters and crabs at your wedding you're at the top right, top of the food chain, you're doing really well. If you only serve lobsters and crab maybe you're not quite there yet so geoduck is at the very top in terms of if you go to a restaurant, the prices for geoduck would be the highest between lobster, crab and the geoduck would be at the very top."

Sang adds that his company exports half a million pounds, or nearly a quarter million kilograms of geoduck each year.

At the same time, the appeal of the clam is also associated to cultural superstitions as chef Stephon Wong at a local restaurant in Greater Vancouver explains:

"Everyone eats raw fish for example because it has good omens and geoduck would actually be a perfect product for a New Year's dish like that."

In Canada, Chinese restaurants can pay up to 180 US dollars for geoduck per pound.

Latest stats also suggest that geoduck has created an industry chain in the country, with market value worth 35 million US dollars annually.

However, getting the clams to China usually requires an extremely fast turnaround as part of the product's appeal comes from its freshness.

Jamie Austin from the Underwater Harvesters Association says much of their efforts are spent in keeping the geoduck live and fresh.

"There's no freezing, there's no processing, so it's a daily consumption, there's, and you want to keep it as fresh as possible. We don't have the ability to freeze it because it devalues the product. The best way to serve geoduck is fresh, unfrozen."

Geoduck is native only to the western coast of Canada, Washington State as well as Alaska.

With over 3 million pounds of geoduck harvested in Western Canada every year, geoduck aquaculture has transformed the coastal economy in British Columbia.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

Broncos overtake Panthers at Superbowl 50

The Denver Broncos upset the odds to beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and win Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

Carolina were heavy favourites going into the game, having lost only once all season and with the NFL's Most Valuable Player Cam Newton at quarterback.

But Denver's victory was built on a solid defense that limited Carolina to a single touchdown. The Broncos' defensive efforts were led by linebacker Von Miller, who forced Newton into two fumbles that led directly to Broncos touchdowns.

After the game, Denver coach Gary Kubiak hailed his team's efforts.

"We were playing a different type of football team, a quarterback that moved. We had to do a lot of things very disciplined as far as our rush goes but we were just exceptional. Our effort chasing him down, stopping the run, you know, getting the turnovers, that's the reason we're standing here tonight."

Denver's victory was especially significant for 39-year old quarterback Peyton Manning. The NFL veteran became the league's oldest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, and first to reach 200 career wins.

He offered these thoughts on the historic game.

"Up until that final second goes off, like I said, you are kind of into the game and into the moment but I was certainly very excited and it's a special moment to be there with your team mates and see coach Kubiak get the Gatorade poured on him and, you know, I've had the chance to visit with coaches and players and that is a unique moment because after that it gets chaotic and everyone is kind of going separate places and getting pulled on but that moment on the sidelines is always something that you'll remember."

It had been rumoured the game would be Manning's last, but speaking after the game, he refused to confirm any future plans.

Weather

Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of minus 3; sunny tomorrow with a high of 10.

Shanghai will be clear with a low of 2; sunny tomorrow with a high of 17.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 5; overcast tomorrow with a high of 15.

Lhasa, sleet with a low of minus 2; cloudy tomorrow with a high of 9.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 23.

Kabul, sleet, 5.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will see slight rain and 26.

Brisbane, slight rain, 28.

Perth, sunny, 41.

And finally Auckland will have slight rain with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories...

The death toll of an earthquake that hit southern Taiwan on Saturday rises to 40...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour team, its Spencer Musick in Beijing.

Stay tuned for a special edition of People in the Know, and join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together...