新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2016/02/22（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Morning Edition

Bob Jones with you this Monday February 22nd, 2016.

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

Coming up on the program.

China reveals plans to make its sprawling cities more livable, green and smarter, through new technology.

A growing number of Chinese mainland residents travelling to Hong Kong to buy insurance products and services.

Islamic State claims responsibility for a series of bombings in Damascus and Homs that left at least 150 dead.

In Business - High hopes for a recovery in China's foreign trade.

In Sport - official confirmation China's women's football goalkeeper Wang Fei has left the team.

And in Entertainment - Chinese fantasy-comedy "The Mermaid" becomes the highest-grossing film in China - ever.

All that coming up in the next hour.

Top News

China Outlines Roadmap to Build Better Cities

China's central authorities have issued new guidelines on urban development, promising to make the country's sprawling cities more livable and green.

One of the key elements of the new plan is to limit cities from growing beyond the means of their natural resources.

City planners are also being told to draft their development strategies based on local characteristics, rather than stock models.

The new document also says a priority is going to be placed on creating 'smart cities' through Internet technology.

The document comes two months after the Central Urban Work Conference was held in Beijing.

That meeting was the first held in China since 1978, when only 18 percent of the population lived in cities.

That figure now sits at 56 percent as of the end of last year.

Beijing Plans Ventilation Corridors to Blow Away Smog

Anchor:

Beijing is planning to build ventilation corridors to help air flow through the conurbation and blow away smog and pollutants from the capital.

Air pollution has become a major concern for residents in of the city after the heaviest smog in years in November and December last year, partly brought about by winter heating.

CRI's Luo Wen has been looking more closely at the plan.

Reporter

The idea is to build five major ventilation corridors, running from northern suburban areas to the south.

They would be created by connecting Beijing's parks, rivers, lakes, and highways along with the capital's green belts, and possibly also by limiting the height of buildings.

Wang Fei, Deputy Director of the Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, says each of the corridors will be more than 500 meters wide, with some secondary ones over 80 meters wide.

"Five first-level and a dozen second-level ventilation tunnels will be built. There might even be third-level ones in the future. Based on the different conditions of the tunnels, we will conduct further studies with meteorological departments and other experts. Each tunnel will have a model. The aim is to ease the urban heat island effect and decrease air pollution."

One corridor will run through the central axis of Beijing from Taiping Suburban Park in the north, via the Olympic Park, down to the Temple of Heaven, all the way through to the Beijing-Shanghai Highway at the southern end of the city.

Wang Kai, Vice President of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, says the corridors will act as an air passage, accelerating wind speed and improving the urban micro-climate.

"Geographically speaking, Beijing is located at the northern tip of the North China Plain, near the meeting point of the Xishan and Yanshan mountain ranges. Beijing's outlying districts and counties extend into the mountains that surround the city from the southwest to the northeast. The prevailing wind direction in summer is southeast while that in winter is northwest. Having ventilation corridors in Beijing's urban center will speed up ventilation and regulate the local micro-climate. "

Wang Kai also says that Beijing should also consider curbing the number and height of buildings in the municipality's urban center.

"Wind direction and speed are unpredictable therefore we can't just rely on the corridors. I think we should also tightly control the number of buildings in Beijing's urban center and their height. If you go to downtown Tokyo, London and Paris, you'll find most buildings there have less than ten storeys. At the same time, we should also add more green space."

By the end of next month, Beijing and its neighboring cities will start using uniform criteria when they issue pollution alerts, which will be categorized by Air Quality Index readings.

Response measures to alerts will stay the same although each city can decide if primary and middle schools should be temporarily closed.

The uniform alert system will first apply to Beijing, Tianjin and four cities in Hebei and then be extended across a larger area.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

Restaurant fined for "over-priced fish"

Anchor

Local authorities in Harbin have punished several people over the issue of "overpriced fish" at a restaurant in the northeastern Chinese city.

The matter came to light after an angry customer posted his experience online causing a social media storm and prompting an official investigation.

CRI reporter Guo Yan has details.

Reporter

The issue garnered widespread attention after a tourist named Chen Yan claimed he was charged over 10-thousand yuan for a feast at a restaurant featuring wild fish.

Chen posted the bill to his Sina Weibo account, showing the price of the Huso sturgeon he ordered was nearly 800 yuan per kilogram.

The restaurant claimed the fish had been caught in the wild but it was later proven to be a farmed fish.

Songbei District Deputy Director Ding Wei led the investigation.

"By checking their order list and supply channels for the fish, we discovered the restaurant purchased the fish at a price of 60 yuan per kilogram. We have verified that the fish are not wild but artificially raised. The order list was faked."

Investigators say the restaurant had also cheated on registrations and permits, and they have verified Chen's accusation that there was a physical altercation involving restaurant staff.

Local authorities describe the issue as a serious infringement on consumer rights. The license for the restaurant has been revoked and the owner has been fined 500,000 yuan.

These findings represent a complete reversal of a previous investigation of the issue.

In a report released two days after Chen's viral online post, The Harbin Market Supervisory Authority had said the fish had been sold at a reasonable price.

When talking about the contradiction in the results, Ding says staff members with some local authorities have been negligent in their work, as they took testimony from the restaurant's side only.

"After receiving the message on Weibo, we sent out investigators to check the issue immediately. We have tried to contact Chen Yan but failed. Under such circumstances we only listen to the testimony from the restaurant and drew the first report. We wanted to send an immediate response to the public and media. "

He says local authorities involved in the case will be subjected to executive accountability and will take responsibility for their actions.

Ding says the issue has harmed the image of the city and the local authority has been reflecting on the case.

"The issue has made us to reflect on our work. We will enhance the supervision of the Market and stress the rule of law to ensure food safety. The qualifications of the managerial staff needs to be improved. And we welcome public supervision."

According to the National Tourism Administration, tourism revenues during the Spring Festival holiday hit 13.8 billion yuan, up 14 percent from last year.

Yet many problems, including price fraud and selling under coercion, have been exposed in the booming sector.

To deal with these problems, China's State Council announced on Friday that it will expedite establishment of a tourism supervision body to address problems such as the infringement of tourists' rights.

Local governments have also been urged to do their part to ensure fairness in the sector and protect consumer rights, and publicize details of any wrongdoing.

For CRI, this is Guo Yan.

Shanghai Girl who was freaked out by her boyfriend's dinner proves to be a scam

The story of a Shanghai girl who was so freaked out by the standard of the food her boyfriend's parents served up for Spring Festival, that she decided to put an end to their relationship, has turned out to be a scam.

The story went viral online earlier in the month prompting support for her stance, and criticism in equal measures.

It now turns out the so-called "Shanghai girl" is in fact a mother, surnamed Xu, who lives somewhere near Shanghai. And the so called "boyfriend from Jiangxi" has never even met her.

The originator of the scam said she was simply venting her discontent with her husband after they'd had an argument over the Spring Festival holiday.

People Hold Activities to Celebrate Lantern Festival

Anchor

People across China are decorating lanterns, preparing delicacies and organizing lion dances to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which falls on Monday this year.

Various lantern shows have become regular features of celebrations in cities and villages across the country for the festival as CRI's Luo Bin reports.

Reporter

The Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, and marks the first full moon of the Lunar New Year.

The Festival also brings down the curtain on the Spring Festival holiday.

Apart from lantern shows, people across the country have different ways to celebrate the festival, such as performing folk dances and of course setting off fireworks.

In south China's Nanning City, magnificent lanterns of various shapes and sizes hang in the streets and always attract countless visitors.

Jiang Yutong, a local resident, says the show is a fantastic visual experience.

"My favorite lantern is that meteor shower tree. It's covered by glittering lights from top to its root, just like a real meteor shower. It's very beautiful. I wish for happiness for the entire family and booming days in the new year."

In southwest China's Guizhou Province, ethnic minorities also use lanterns to reflect their lives and express good wishes for the future.

Cheng Zonggui from the organizing committee of the lantern festival says every lantern has special ethnic characteristics.

"We have 18 ethnic minorities here in Weining, so we designed the lanterns based on the distinct characteristics of each ethnic minority. We invited professional craftsmen from Zigong of Sichuan Province, who spent a month on making the lanterns."

Rooted in tradition, nowadays the making of lanterns has been moving with the times, embracing new technology.

Liu Huijun, a textile worker says their creations of lanterns are made from recycled materials.

"For example, this lotus lantern is made from baling wires, recycled textiles, recycled wire and light bulbs. Others are also made from recycled materials."

Elsewhere in China, people in Mawei in southeast Fujian Province and Mazu Island in Taiwan share the holiday spirit by sending lanterns across the Taiwan Straits.

More than 30 sets of lanterns featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac made their way from Mawei to Mazu.

Initiated in 2003, this gesture of cross-Straits friendship marks the first national intangible cultural heritage coordination undertaken jointly by the mainland and Taiwan.

Even though the nature of celebrations varies from place to place - some things seem to be the same wherever you go - such as eating sweetened rice dumplings.

In Beijing, a manager at a traditional Chinese food shop says the sales of sweet dumplings have reached a high point.

"This year, the sales peak for sweet dumplings comes earlier than previous years. In the past, we sold around 500 kilograms every day. But we sold more than 700 kilograms every day this year and there is even a shortage of supply."

Naturally enough, with Chinese community spread throughout the world, Lantern Festival celebrations can be found everywhere you go.

Several hundred thousand visitors came to see the lanterns, sample Chinese food and be entertained by a host of international performers in the New Zealand city of Auckland.

Jennifer King, director of culture at the Asia New Zealand Foundation says the celebrations bring Chinese culture closer to them.

"It draws people closer together. People just through osmosis learn a lot about Chinese culture coming here. We design our lanterns to say something about Chinese culture."

Lantern Festival traditions can be traced back thousands of years, and judging by the number of events taking place across China and the world, seem likely to continue for a long time to come.

For CRI, this is Luo Bin.

Mainlanders Flock to Buy HK Insurance Products

Anchor

Latest figures suggest a growing number of Chinese mainland residents are travelling to Hong Kong to buy insurance products and services.

The same data also shows that mainlanders paid more than one fifth of new office premiums in Hong Kong in the first three quarters of 2015.

CRI's Li Jianhua has been looking into the figures in more detail.

Reporter

Hong Kong agents are banned from selling their products on the mainland, but mainland travelers can buy policies when they visit the city.

According to figures from Hong Kong's office of the Commissioner of Insurance, mainland visitors bought insurance premiums worth 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in the city in the first three quarters of last year, accounting for 22 percent of new office premiums in Hong Kong in that period.

That represents nearly a five-fold increase from 2011.

Hong Hao, from the local BOCOM International Holdings Company, believes the cheaper prices and higher returns of insurance products in Hong Kong play a key role in attracting mainland buyers.

"Insurance products sold in Hong Kong are, in general, cheaper than those sold in the mainland market. In some extreme cases, we've seen 50 percent discount between Hong Kong products and mainland products. For example, in the past 10 years, the average expected return for Hong Kong insurance products is five to nine percent. I think on the mainland it's probably less than five percent. So if you assume the currency exchange rate is stable, then the return of the Hong Kong insurance products here can be a lot more attractive."

Analysts say that insurance products provided in Hong Kong outstrip those offered on the mainland also in many other aspects, such as product innovation, scope of protection and the quality of service.

Among the attractions of local insurance policies is the wider variety of currency and investment choices as the city is able to offer products denominated in US or Hong Kong dollars, in addition to the Yuan. There is also a wide range of investment choices and terms available there.

On the mainland - insurance policies are denominated in yuan and are mainly invested in bank deposits or bonds.

However, analyst Hong Hao warns that for investors who want to hedge risks by diversifying investment tools, it is not devoid of danger, especially when it comes to currency fluctuations.

"In the past 10 years, the Hong Kong dollar has depreciated against the mainland currency by about 24 percent. So even if you get a more attractive return from the Hong Kong insurance product, you stood to lose 24 percent over the past five to 10 years. So in that way, from the investment perspective, you may not be able to get the expected yield you are getting from the Hong Kong insurance product after factoring in the currency fluctuation."

Hong Kong has seen its insurance market expanding rapidly in recent years.

With a population of around 7 million, the city has about 160 insurers, the largest number of authorized insurance companies in Asia.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

IS Claims Responsibility for Deadly Blasts in Syria, Killing 150

The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for a series of deadly bombings which have ripped through the Syrian city of Homs and the capital Damascus.

At least 150 people are dead.

Local media source say around 60 were killed in the central city of Homes.

This is the sect of Islam which the Syrian leadership hails from.

At the same time, the Islamic State is also taking credit for an attack in a Shiite district in the southern part of Damascus.

A car bombing was followed by a pair of suicide bombers launching their own attacks.

Over 80 people have been killed in that attack.

The attacks come as the international community continues to discuss ways to implement a ceasefire in Syria, which was meant to take effect on Friday after initial agreements were made.

However, there are still discussions underway about how bring the fighting to an end.

The nearly 5-year conflict in Syria has left over 260-thousand dead, and millions others displaced.

Lavrov, Kerry discuss conditions for hostilities cessation in Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry says he's reached a provisional agreement on a ceasefire in Syria's five-year civil war with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, by phone.

Kerry made the announcement at a news conference in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

He also said he anticipated that US President Barrack Obama and the Russian President Vladmir Putin would be speaking in coming days in order to take things further.

"We have reached a provisional agreement in principle on the terms of a cessation of hostilities that could begin in the coming days. It is not yet done and I anticipate that our presidents, (US) President (Barack) Obama and (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin, may well speak somewhere in the next days or so in order to try to complete this task."

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Lavrov and Kerry had spoken about conditions for a ceasefire in Syria on the telephone, saying further work would be done through the interaction between the two countries' foreign and defense ministries.

The announcement followed a softening in the stance of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the main US-backed Syrian opposition group.

This was the second phone conversation between Lavrov and Kerry relating to Syria, and the two men reportedly discussed a range of issues relating to the conflict.

No Connection in Mich. Shooting Victims: police

The Authorities say there appears to be no connection between the victims of three separate shooting events in Kalamazoo, in the US state of Michigan that took place on Saturday evening.

Jeff Getting is the County Prosecutor of Kalamazoo.

"At this point, the connection between these three incidents, between these three cases, is the defendant, is Mr. Dalton. There is no connection that we're aware of between the three different sets of victims, to each other, or any of the victims to Mr. Dalton. They appear to have been chosen at random, because they were available."

Getting added that 45-year-old Jason Dalton, who had no criminal history, will probably face multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

The shooting spree on Saturday killed at least six people, including an 8-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.

(bjh/top/0222) Death toll in N. India riots rises to 12 as gov't appeals for end to violence

The death toll caused by rioting across the northern Indian state Haryana has risen to 12, most of whom are said to belong to the Jat caste, a rural caste in India.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed to the relatively affluent Jats to restore peace while announcing that a committee has been set up to look into their demands for a quota of central government jobs.

Jat Sangharsh Samiti party leader Jaipal Singh Sangwan said the demands of the rioters have been met by the government.

The riot in Haryana damaged the vital Munak Canal that provides much of New Delhi's water supply.

The Delhi government announced closure of schools on Monday as part of water rationing after supplies from Haryana were disrupted.

Rioting and looting in Haryana is symptomatic of increasingly fierce competition for government jobs and education in India.

Last year, in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, a protest by the Patel community also called for a greater share of scarce government jobs and college places that are currently held in reserve for people from lower castes.

Three Abducted Journalists Freed In Turkey

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency is reporting that three of their journalists, who'd been kidnapped by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the mainly Kurdish southeast, have been freed.

The journalists had been held for more than 48 hours.

Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ali Atalan spoke about the circumstances of their detention.

"Three journalists are kept here on suspicion. They are freed now. The real reason for this is the ongoing war (the conflict in southeast Turkey) in our country." "Nobody should put obstacles against journalists and prevent press freedom. We believe that all press members should be able to work freely regardless of their beliefs."

The correspondent, photojournalist and cameraman had been assigned last week to Nusaybin district of Mardin province.

Security sources in the southeast say it's believed the journalists had been kidnapped after filming in a PKK stronghold without the permission from the militant group.

The region has been swept by violence since the collapse in July of a ceasefire between the government and the PKK, which has waged an insurgency for Kurdish autonomy for many years.

The PKK is seen as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.

London Mayor Boris Johnson to back Brexit

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has declared that he is joining the campaign to encourage Britain to leave the European Union.

Johnson's decision poses a major challenge to the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who has launched a major push to win support for his call to keep the country within the EU.

"I will be advocating "Vote Leave" or whatever the team is called, I understand there are many of them, because I want a better deal for the people of this country, to save them money and to take back control. That's really, I think, what this is all (about)."

Johnson's move will also deepen the divide in Cameron's ruling Conservative Party. It triggered a shortening of the betting odds against a British exit to 2 to 1 - a 33 percent chance - from 12 to 5 - about 29 percent.

The latest polls suggest that British voters are split on membership. About a fifth of voters are undecided, although one poll published on Sunday suggested the campaign to stay in had a lead of 15 percentage points.

On Friday, Cameron confirmed the vote will take place on June 23rd.

A British exit could bring further instability to the European Union by ripping away its second-largest economy, one of its top two military powers, and by far and away its richest financial centre. The move could also prompt another referendum on whether Scotland should remain part of Great Britain.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe, turns 92, still in charge: official

A leading Zimbabwean official is rebuffing suggestions the country's President is running the government on "auto-pilot."

The Chief Secretary to Robert Mugabe says the world's oldest leader is still running a packed weekly schedule, and maintains full control of both government and party work.

The comments come as Mugabe celebrated his 92nd birthday on Sunday.

Mugabe has been in power since Zimbabwe gained its independence from Britain in 1980.

The opposition in Zimbabwe has been suggesting Mugabe should consider retiring, suggesting new leadership is needed to deal with the country's lingering economic problems.

Mugabe has given no indication he plans to step down, suggesting at one point that he plans on running the country until he is 100.

Bolivia votes if Morales can run for 4th term

Bolivian President Evo Morales has cast his ballot in a referendum which will decide whether he should be able to run for a fourth term.

The current limit, according to the constitution, is two terms.

Morales said he was fulfilling his duty like all other Bolivian people.

"Firstly, as always, like any other Bolivian, I'm here to fulfil our duty to participate by casting my ballot in this referendum to modify the constitution. We hope - as is always my wish - that today of the 6.5 million Bolivians that participate in the modification of the constitution, or in the rejection of the modification, there is great percentage of participants."

Morales has been in office for a decade and is seeking the change to allow him to run for re-election in 2019.

Patricia Cueva is one of the voters.

"Well, it's what the people decide. What can one do? We can't do anything. If 'yes' wins, well, we need to satisfy ourselves with that. And if a 'no' wins, well too bad."

The Polls indicate voters in Sunday's referendum are about evenly split — with some 15 percent undecided.

One potential difficulty for Morales has been revelations in the opposition press that a former-lover secured a top job with a Chinese construction company which has obtained nearly 500 million US dollars in contracts from the state.

Weather

Beijing will be sunny with a high of 8 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to minus 4.

Shanghai will see moderate rain with a high of 8 and a low of 5.

In Chongqing, it will see slight rain with a high of 12 and lows of 9.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,

Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 23.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 11.

Over to North America,

New York will be cloudy with a high of 10 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 10 degrees.

Honolulu, overcast, 25.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of minus 3 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 36.

And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.

Headline News

China Outlines Roadmap to Build Better Cities

China's central authorities have issued new guidelines on urban development, promising to make the country's sprawling cities more livable and green.

One of the key elements of the new plan is to limit cities from growing beyond the means of their natural resources.

City planners are also being told to draft their development strategies based on local characteristics, rather than stock models.

The new document also says a priority is going to be placed on creating 'smart cities' through Internet technology.

The document comes two months after the Central Urban Work Conference was held in Beijing.

That meeting was the first held in China since 1978, when only 18 percent of the population lived in cities.

That figure now sits at 56 percent as of the end of last year.

Life Sentence Upheld For Former Beijing Traffic Management Official

A Beijing court has upheld the life sentence handed to the former head of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

Song Jianguo's conviction and sentence for bribery has been upheld by the courts.

He was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars in November of 2014 after being found guilty of accepting bribes worth around 3.5-million US dollars to help people in Beijing get license plates for their vehicles.

Song began cashing in after authorities in Beijing brought in the lottery system for license plates at the end of 2010.

49 Illegal Immigrants Arrested In South China

A group of 49 foreigners who attempted to enter China without official documentation have been arrested by Chinese police in Guangdong.

Most of the suspects are young people seeking "high-paying jobs" in southern China.

Authorities say they would pay fees ranging from 800 to 8-thousand yuan to criminal organizations who promised jobs with payments "ten times higher than in their hometowns."

People smuggling from countries in Southeast Asia into China has been a lucrative business for criminal organizations for years, as people from economically-depressed areas of Vietnam and other neighboring countries attempt to carve out a better life for themselves in China.

Abe's Support Rate Drops 7 Pct Following LDP-Linked Scandals, Gaffes

A new survey shows nationwide support for the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet has tumbled 7 percent to below 47 percent.

The survey puts the slump down to scandals and blunders by cabinet ministers and high ranking politicians.

Former economic and fiscal policy minister, Akira Amar, resigned because of his involvement in a funding scandal.

Abe's lawmaker Kensuke Miyazaki stepped down after it was revealed that he'd had an extra marital affair with a model.

Asked about controversial security legislation forced through parliament at the end of last year, more than 38 percent of those asked said the bills should be scrapped.

The survey was conducted by the Kyodo News Agency.

Biz Reports

US &Europe market preview

Anchor

Turning to business news, starting with a preview of what to expect on the markets this week.

The coming week is seen as a pivotal week for global markets.

In the United States, investors will closely watch this week's speeches by US Federal Reserve officials as the U.S. economy regained some momentum at the start of the year.

This suggests that an interest rate hike might come earlier than expected.

The heavy data week kicks off on Tuesday with housing and consumer confidence reports.

The Commerce Department will report January's orders for durable manufactured goods on Thursday.

On Friday, the second estimate of the US's fourth-quarter GDP is likely to show the economy expanded at a 0.4 percent annual rate.

In Europe, one key event will be the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's evidence to a UK parliamentary committee on the economy and monetary policy this Tuesday.

The next day, Germany's Bundesbank is scheduled to publish its annual report.

Investors also have high expectations of the G-20 finance ministers meeting in Shanghai this week, hoping global powers will discuss stimulus to help the global economy.

On the corporate front, many retail giants will report their fourth-quarter sales this week.

Target Corp is expected to report fourth-quarter revenue below analysts' estimates on Wednesday.

Kohl's Corp, will report its quarterly results on Thursday.

On the same day, electronics retail giant Best Buy, is expected to report quarterly sales below analysts' estimates.

Meanwhile, HP Inc is set to report its first-quarter profit and revenue on Wednesday.

Samsung launches Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and VR camera

Samsung has unveiled its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S7 and curved screen S7 edge.

While keeping its overall design unchanged, the S7 accepts MicroSD cards to allow storage to be expanded.

It's also been designed to survive being submerged underwater.

Samsung's European vice-President Jean-Daniel Ayme unveiled the new model at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday.

"So, today we are very proud to introduce our new flagship the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, both of them launching with this beautiful design - this is the S7 Edge, with this renowned now edge screen. Five-point five inch screen with an enhanced camera, a much better design, enhanced usability, more features, and more power."

Designers say the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will take better pictures under low-light conditions.

Ayme says the new phone also has a stronger battery.

"The battery in this device is now 3,500 milliampere (mAh) which is a considerable increase compared to previous devices. With this battery and this power, you can have 13 to 15 hours of HD video playback on one charge."

Samsung has also introduced a virtual reality camera called 'Gear 360' which allows filming in 360 degrees.

New devices are due to hit the global market in mid-March.

It's being reported the S7 will be priced at around 45-hundred yuan in the Chinese market.

China's Commerce Minister Confident in Stable Trade Growth in 2016

Anchor:

China's Commerce Minister says the government remains confident in the recovery of foreign trade this year, despite global economic prospects remaining weak.

Gao Hucheng does admit there are still a lot of challenges.

"Based on the global markets, the difficulties in 2015 will not slow down or be solved this year. Instead, it might get worse. This, in fact, has seriously affected international trade. No one can be immune from it in today's globalized economy. This is our judgment on the situation, and we must take precautions and be fully aware of the difficulties."

Gao Hucheng also says despite the decline in foreign trade domestically, China's share of the global market continues to grow.

The latest stats shwo exports from China fell 6.6 percent year on year in January, while imports are down 14 percent.

For more on the trade situation in China, we're joined live on line with Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center at Southampton Solent University in London.

Questions:

1. What are the difficulties both the world and China's economies are facing this year? Gao said "it might get worse", what is your take on this?

2. From your perspective, should the declines in trade cause worries? What is your take on the ministry's calculation on China's share in the international trade? What does the increasing share implicate about China's trade and economy?

3. What precautious measures can be taken to ensure a "stable growth"?

4. What do you think create the misconception that a large-scale of foreign investments flew out of China? What is actually happening in terms of China's FDI?

Back Anchor:

That is Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center at Southampton Solent University in London.

Ali Health-Run Online Drug Monitoring Platform Suspended

China's food and drug regulatory body has announced that it suspended its electronic drug monitoring system, a platform run by Alibaba's Ali Health.

The drug regulator says it is now soliciting public opinion in an effort to revise regulations monitoring pharmaceutical sales.

The suspension comes after a pharmacy chain in Hunan sued the regulator over the monitoring system in January.

The Yontinhe Group alleged that the arrangement gave an unfair advantage to Ali Health, which has its own online drug sales business.

However, Ali Health has previously claimed that, though the platform was operated by the company, it was actually owned by the regulatory body.

Yahoo considering a separation to its stakes in Alibaba

Yahoo is said to be exploring "strategic alternatives" to turn around its troubled business, which would include spinning off its stake in Alibaba.

On Friday, the California based tech group said it had hired three investment banking firms to evaluate potential bids for its Internet operations.

CEO Marissa Mayer said separating its Alibaba stake from Yahoo was essential to maximize value for shareholders.

However, this comes just two months after Yahoo claimed it would not take such a step due to potential tax complications.

Earlier this month, Yahoo cut 15 percent of its workforce after the company reported a huge loss of 4.3 billion US dollars for the year.

Share prices in Yahoo have fallen by over 40 percent since the end of 2014.

Volvo Car Group recalls 59,000 cars over faulty software

Volvo is recalling around 59-thousand vehicle in 40 different markets due to faulty software that can briefly shut down the engine of the vehicles.

The software problem affects Volvo's 60 and 70 series vehicles produced from mid-2015.

Most have been sold in Sweden, Britain and Germany.

All affected vehicle owners will receive a letter encouraging them to contact their nearest dealership for a no-charge fix.

The Swedish car maker says no accidents have been recorded as a result of the glitch.

However, some drivers have reported a sudden shutdown of the engine while the car is in motion.

Sports

Chelsea Defeat Manchester City 5-1 in English FA Cup Fifth Round

In football,

Chelsea has earned a spot in the quarter-finals of the English FA Cup, rolling over Manchester City 5-1 earlier this morning.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink.

"It's a boost for the confidence of the players and it's good to see that, although the first half we knew that we would play against a team with some changes, but it's not always easy when youngsters are coming in and not get sloppy in organization, which we did when they made the equalizer on the break of half-time, but I think we had a very good reaction in the second half."

Chelsea will face Everton in the quarter-finals.

---

Tottenham has been bounced from the tournament, going down to Crystal Palace 1-nil.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"We feel very disappointed because it was a competition that, was exciting for us to go far, but you know, I think in the moment that we play and, and in the period that we are, very tough period with every game that we play, is a final and, you know in one month I think we have ten games and, very, very difficult for the team, for the squad, but, I think, it's not that, excuse but.... we play much better today, but disappointed for the result because I think we deserve more."

And it was West Ham United also making it into the quarter-finals, downing Blackburn 5-1.

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In Spain,

Real Madrid has now fallen 9-points behind Barcelona in the Spanish Premier League, being held to a 1-1 draw with Malaga.

Wang Fei officially announced to have left the national women's football team

In off-field football news,

China's national women's football team has confirmed goalkeeper Wang Fei has left the team for health reasons.

This means Wang will not be part of the Olympic qualifiers to be held in Japan at the end of this month.

Wang Fei helped China earn a spot in the semi-final of last year's Women's World Cup.

Team China will leave for Japan on Thursday for the Rio qualifiers.

China will be competing with other five teams for a pair of spots in Rio.

Iran defeat hosts Uzbekistan 2-1 to win 2016 AFC Futsal Championship title

In futsal,

Iran has gotten past Uzbekistan 2-1 in the final of this year's AFC Futsal Championship in Tashkent.

It's the 11th title for Iran, but first since 2010.

Iran has qualified from Asia for this year's FIFA Futsal World Cup in Colombia along with Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.

Thailand defeated Vietnam 8-0 on Sunday in the third-place match.

Blazers to Take on Jazz for 5th Straight Win

In basketball,

Here in China,

Liaoning, Guangdong, Xinjiang and Sichuan all have reached the semi-finals of the CBA playoffs.

Xinjiang booked the final spot in the semifinals following a 103-94 win over the Beijing Ducks last night.

The Flying Tigers take the series 3-games-1, and will now face the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the next round.

The other bracket has Liaoning taking on Sichuan.

Both those teams swept their first-round series.

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Action already taking place in the NBA this morning.

It was Cleveland embarassing Oklahoma City, earning a decisive road victory over the Thunder 115-92.

New Orleans got past Detroit 111-106.

A few games are now underway.

[UPDATE FROM INTERNET]

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Three games on deck later this morning,

Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers in Chicago to take on the Bulls, hoping to snap their four-game losing skid.

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The Portland Trail Blazers are at home to the Utah Jazz, looking to extend their winning streak to five games.

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And it's the Philadelphia 76ers in Dallas.

Nomura holds off Ko to win Women's Australian Open

In golf,

Japan's Harukyo Nomura fired a blistering 7-under-65 on Sunday to take a 3-stroke victory at the Women's Australian Open.

Nomura held off a late charge by world number-1 and defending tournament champion Lydia Ko, who finished alone in 2nd at minus-13.

Chinese golfers Lin Xiyu and Yan Jing also finished out the tournament well.

Lin Xiyu ended up tied for 17th at minus-5, while Yan Jing, who struggled in her first round and was poised to miss the cut on Friday, turned her play around, making it into the weekend and firing a 2-under-70 on Sunday to finish her tournament at minus-2.

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At the European-Asian Tour stop in Malaysia,

It was South Korean Lee Soo-min self-destructing on Sunday.

After carding a 7-under-64 on Saturday, Lee, who had been leading for most of the tournament, blew up yesterday, firing a final-round 73 to allow Australian Fraser Marcus to take the inaugural Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur with a 2-stroke victory at Minus-15.

Lee ended up alone in 2nd at minus-13.

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Francesca Schiavone Wins Rio Open

In tennis,

Zheng Saisai has powered her way into the second round of the Qatar Open, knocking out American Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets 6-2, 7-6.

Her compatriot, Wang Qiang, wasn't so lucky, going down to Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Others advancing in Qatar include Germany's Andrea Petkovic, Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, Russian Daria Kasatkina and Crotia's Donna Vekic.

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Elsewhere,

In South America, Italy's Francesca Schiavone has won the Rio Open after taking out American Shelby Rogers in the final.

On the men's side,

Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas will be on the court against Argentine's Guido Pella for the title later this morning.

The 30-year-old Cuevas is into the final after a surprising win over top seeded Rafael Nadal in a three-set battle.

Pella comes into the match-up after downing 5th seed Dominic Thiem in straight sets.

"Well, I think I played a fantastic match today, like Domi(mic Thiem) yesterday against (David) Ferrer. I think that I did not make any mistakes, any easy mistakes and I think I played an unbelievable match, even in the first set. So, like I said, I am really happy to be here. It's like kind of a surprise for me to be here in the final. I played unbelievably the entire week."

This is the second time Pella, currently ranked 71st in the world, has gotten past a top 20 player this week, knocking out American John Isner in the first round.

And at the 13 Open in France,

It was upstart Aussie Nick Kyrgios winning his first-ever ATP tournament, powering past 4th seeded Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6.

Penguins gain ground on New York with matinee win

In the National Hockey League,

The Minnesota Wild have won the first-ever outdoor NHL game played in Minnesota, upsetting the Central Division leading Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 earlier this morning.

The game itself was played at the University of Minnesota stadium where the college team plays football.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins got a 3-point night from defenseman Kris Letang in helping edge the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 this morning in one of two Sunday matinee games in the league.

With the win, Pittsburgh moves one point back of the idle New York Islanders for 3rd in the Metropolitan division with 68-points.

Following the loss, Buffalo also announced its leading scorer, Ryan O'Reilly, is likely going to be out for around a month with a lower body injury.

He didn't play this morning after being injured in Buffalo's last game against Columbus.

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Later this morning, its the red-hot Anaheim Ducks looking for their 5th in a row at home to Calgary.

The New York Rangers are at home to Detroit.

Tampa Bay is in Carolina.

And the Vancouver Canucks play host to the Colorado Avalance, who pulled off a pre-deadline trade this morning with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Avalanche have picked up forward Shawn Mattias from the Leafs in exchange for an AHL prospect and a 4th round draft pick.

Entertainment

2016 Berlinale Comes to a Close

This year's Berlin Film Festival - or Berlinale - has closed after nine days of movie mayhem.

The head of this year's competition jury Meryl Streep was joined by other celebrities for the closing ceremony of the event.

Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's Documentary on the refugee crisis, "Fire at Sea," won the Golden Bear award for Best Film, becoming the first documentary ever to win the top prize at the major European film festival.

Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's "Death in Sarajevo" won the festival's Grand Jury Prize, which comes with a Silver Bear statuette.

Chinese movie "Crosscurrent" brought back a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for its photographer Li Pingbin.

And the French film director Mia Hansen-Love won the Silver Bear for Best Director for her movie "Things to Come".

This year's festival screened a total of 434 films from 77 countries and regions.

20-thousand accredited guests from over 100 countries joined the 9-day event.

"The Mermaid" Breaks China's Box Office Record

New Chinese fantasy-comedy "The Mermaid" has blown away records at the Chinese box office, earning 2.7 billion yuan, or 420 million US dollars, in just two weeks in theatres.

"The Mermaid" became the highest-grossing film ever in China on Friday.

As of Friday, it had grossed 2.45 billion yuan or 380 million US dollars, officially surpassing "Monster Hunt" to become the highest-grossing film ever in China.

"Monster Hunt" took in 2.4 billion yuan or 370 million US dollars through 2-months in theatre this past summer.

Chinese-American co-production "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2" has come in 2nd through the weekend, raking in 140 million yuan or 22 million US dollars in three days of release.

In North America,

Superhero movie "Deadpool" tops the box office at through its second week, earning 55 million U.S. dollars over the weekend.

This brings its total gross to 235 million US dollars.

"Deadpool" raced past the 200 million US dollars mark on Saturday on its 9th day in theatres, making it the fastest-grossing R-rated film ever.

"Kung Fu Panda 3" finished 2nd through the weekend, grossing 12.5 million dollars.

Two new movies "Risen" and "The Witch" debuted in third and fourth place.

Madonna Chooses Hong Kong Star Eason Chan By Chance to Dance with her

Madonna's latest leg of her "Rebel Heart" concert tour in Macao has once again been hitting the headlines here in China.

Towards the end of her performance, she routinely picks a member of the audience to dance with her on stage.

But this time, the chosen one was not just some lucky fan, but pop singer Eason Chan.

Chan said he was very excited to have the opportunity to share the stage with the pop icon - it went down well with the crowd too.

Madonna's latest world tour, which began in Montreal in September, will later head to Manila and Singapore.

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

Recapping our top stories ...

China reveals plans to make its sprawling cities more livable, green and smarter, through new technology.

A growing number of Chinese mainland residents travelling to Hong Kong to buy insurance products and services.

Islamic State claims responsibility for a triple bombing in Damascus that left at least 150 dead.

On behalf of the rest of the Beijing Hour team, this is Bob Jones in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.