新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/04/18

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

 
Shane Bigham with you on this Friday, April 18th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The Chinese government has asked its counterpart in South Korea for information on two Chinese passengers aboard the ferry that sunk on Wednesday...
The office of the Australian prime minister has clarified statements regarding the future of the search for missing flight MH370...
And the US is taking steps to free up hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran, under the terms of the interim nuclear agreement reached last year...
In Business...a WTO ruling in China's rare-earth exports is now under appeal.. .
In sports...the remaining opening round NHL playoff series are now underway...
In entertainment...Jackie Chan, a Hollywood A-lister, and the biggest movie budget ever for a Chinese film...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today, with a high of 19 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should hover around 11.
Shanghai will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 20.
Moderate rain is expected tonight, with a low of 13.
In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 27.
Overnight it will see showers and lows are expected to be around 18.
Elsewhere in Asia:
Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 20.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 11.
In North America.
New York will be cloudy today with a high of 10 degrees.
Washington will be overcast with a high of 15 degree celsius.
Honolulu, overcast, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will be sunny with a high of 9 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 20.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 26 degrees Celsius
 
 
Top News
 
 
12 aircraft take part in day's search for Malaysia Airlines plane
 
Turning to the seach for the missing Malaysian Airlines jet,
Australian authorities say they will not call off the underwater search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight even if the current search does not yield results.
The comment comes after earlier report that Austrian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the international search would stop and regroup if the current effort fails to find wreckage of the plane.
Abbott's office has clarified the report, saying the Prime Minister is suggesting that authorities may change the area being searched by the robotic submarine, but not to call off the search.
So far, data from the undersea search has not produced any evidence of the missing flight.
Still, Captian Lee Goddard with the Australian Navy says they remain resolved in their hunt for the missing flight.
"The Royal Australian Navy has been working over the last couple of weeks, in particular, with the Royal Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy, but at different times have also worked very closely with the PLA or the People's Liberation Army or the Chinese fleet in our prescribed search areas. We're very pleased to be working together."
A dozen airplanes and 11 ships were involved in Thursday's air and surface search for the missing plane.
Authorities are scouring a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean where as many as four acoustic signals were previously detected, which may have come from the plane's black box recorders.
But authorities have not recorded a "ping" for over a week.
This has heightened the belief the batteries on the flight-data recorders have run out of power. The devices are 11 days past their 30-day expected life.
While the loss of the black-box signals will make the search more difficult, it doesn't make it impossible.
When Air France flight 447 disappeared into the mid-Atlantic in 2009, its black-box signals were never detected.
However, crews were eventually able to find that airliner's flight-data recorder.
 
 
China asks South Korea to South Korea to find missing Chinese passengers
 
Anchor:
The death toll from South Korea's ferry disaster has risen to 20, as 270 people are still listed as missing including two from China.
China's foreign ministry has asked South Korea to provide information on the two Chinese nationals as the search for survivors continues.
CRI's Yu Yang has more.
Reporter:
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on the South Korea government to find the missing Chinese citizens.
Earlier, South Korean authorities confirmed that a Chinese vehicle was on board and speculated that two Chinese nationals were in the car.
The passengers' relatives confirmed the couple boarded the ship in their vehicle.
"They have boarded. I took a picture of them, they were holding each other’s' hands just one moment before they boarded the ship. They brought their own vehicle aboard and that has already been confirmed."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says the Chinese Consulate General in Kwangju has arrived at the rescue scene.
"The Chinese Foreign Ministry has activated its emergency mechanisms. The consul-general has arrived at the scene, and has been working with South Korean authorities to verify the information and help in any way with the rescue operations. We hope that they can be found safe."
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang also extended condolences to their South Korean counterparts over the accident.
So far, at least 20 people are dead and over 270 others still missing after the passenger ship capsized in waters off South Korea's southwest coast Wednesday morning.
The ferry was carrying a total of 475 people, mostly high school students, on a journey from the port of Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju.
Authorities believe some passengers are trapped inside the ship.
Rescuers have struggled with strong waves and murky waters while trying to gain access to the interior of the submerged vessel.
Kim Soo-hyun, the regional coastguard chief, says the rescuers wanted to inject oxygen into the vessel.
"We have made efforts to extend the survival time of passengers stuck in the ship by approaching the ship and trying to increase the amount of oxygen present inside. However, because of the various reasons I explained, approaching was difficult because of the strong current and low visibility. Because of this, our task has not yet been accomplished."
The coast guard and navy are also prepared for underwater missions.
A total of 29 aircraft and 171 vessels have been deployed for rescue.
So far, 179 people have been saved.
It is reported that the ferry veered off course before the accident. It had departed some two and a half hours late because of heavy fog.
Automatic identification system data shows the ship made an abrupt turn hours before it sank.
Why the captain made the turn has yet to be known, but the change in direction is believed to have moved some 180 cars and over 1,100 tons of shipping containers on board to one side, driving the ship to lean gradually.
The ship's captain and crew are now questioned by the police.
The captain has apologized to the victims and their families. This follows reports that the captain was one of the first to leave the stricken vessel.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who has met up with angry families, says there will be a thorough investigation and a harsh punishment for those responsible for the accident.
For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.
 
 
World Leaders Send Condolences to S. Korea over Shipwreck
 
World leaders have extended condolences to their South Korean counterparts over the ferry disaster.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's message says he feels "profound sorrow" over the tragedy, and offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead and missing.
He also stated that China is willing to provide support and assistance to South Korea.
US President Barack Obama has offered his own "deepest and heartfelt" condolences over the tragedy, promising to render all assistance requested by the South Korean side.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also sent a letter to South Korean President Park Geun-hye, expressing his deep sorrow for the shipwreck.
Other countries, including Japan, Britain, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Fiji, have offered their condolences as well.
The ferry was carrying nearly 500 people when it sank, including several hundred highschool students on an outing.
 
 
Ukraine and Russia reached deal to de-escalate tensions
 
Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union have reached a deal to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.
The surprising agreement comes after diplomats went through seven hours of negotiation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"We agreed that all sides should refrain from any violence from any intimidation, from provocative actions, and we decisively condemn and reject the carrying out of extremism, racism, religious intolerance, including anti-semitism. That's a very relevant demand in light of what's happened in the last few months in today's Ukraine."
Lavrov says Russia has no intention of using force against Ukraine.
The deal also gives amnesty to protesters who comply with the demands of disarming, except those found guilty of capital crimes.
In return, it puts on hold for the moment additional economic sanctions the U.S. and EU have prepared to impose on Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia.
"We welcome that we managed to agree the language with our partners on the importance of rejecting and combating the extremism, terrorism, intolerance and xenophobia. The next couple of days will be crucial since they will require from all the parties sincere efforts to put into practice their formulas that have been so carefully elaborated throughout the day."
Monitors with the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe will be tasked with helping Ukraine authorities comply with requirements outlined in the agreement.
Meanwhile, Washington warns Moscow that it will face further sanctions if it does not carry out the agreement.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also highlights the importance of the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine in May, saying fair elections are expected.
Russia has called for the federalization of Ukraine.
But tension remains high in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after three pro-Russian militants died and 13 were wounded when Ukrainian troops repelled an attack on a guard base.
The clash came after the government announced an operation to retake government buildings in eastern Ukraine cities.
 
 
U.S. releases 450 mln USD of Iran's frozen funds
 
The United States is taking steps to release nearly half-a-billion dollars to Iran, under the terms of the interim nuclear agreement reached late last year.
The move follows a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirming that Iran has completed the dilution of the agreed amount of 20 percent enriched uranium.
A US State Department spokesman says as Iran lives up to its end of the deal, the US and its partners will honour their own obligations.
Under the deal it reached with the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany, Iran is taking steps to halt its controversial nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions that have crippled its economy.
 
 
Study shows major pollutant components in Beijing
 
Anchor:
Leading environmental officials are warning that the fight against smog here in Beijing is going to be a long process.
This, after Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau revealed this week that around one-third of Beijing's PM2.5 comes from neighboring cities and vehicle emissions.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter:
According to the just-released research by the city's environmental watchdog, neighboring regions are one of the major contributors to the Chinese capital's PM 2.5 pollution - particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 micrograms that can go deep into the lungs and is extremely harmful to your health.
The new study shows anywhere from 28 to 36 percent of Beijing's PM2.5 pollution comes from neighboring regions, including Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei.
According to the study, motor vehicles account for just over 31-percent of the PM2.5.
Coal burning contributes nearly 22.5-percent, while industrial production and dust produced in the capital accounts for just over 14-percent.
Zhang Dawei, the head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, says reducing motor vehicle emissions should be one of the priorities.
"Motor vehicles discharge PM 2.5 directly, regardless of whether they run on gasoline or diesel. Vehicle emissions are the major pollutant in Beijing. The gaseous pollutants discharged by cars worsen air quality after mixing with dust. Beijing needs to tighten its control of motor vehicle emissions through new regulations."
Many wonder whether Beijing's air pollution is more serious than cities in developed countries which also have large number of vehicles.
Zhang Dawei says the answer is "yes."
"People in Beijing tend to drive more often than people in cities in developed countries. Also, our emission limit standards are much lower than standards in most other developed countries. On top of this, the gasoline quality here in Beijing is lower than what they use."
Zou Ji, professor at Renmin Univerity's Institute of the Environment, says tackling vehicle emissions in the capital will require changes to the broader driving patterns.
"One thing we can do is make public transportation within the 4th and the 5th ring road areas more convenient. Right now the transfer between bus stations and subways is still difficult for many people. Walking is tiring and other transportation options are not that convenient as well. Increasing public transportation options is affordable and is a choice that can have a comparatively quick effect."
Zou Ji says while plans like this can and do work, people need to be patient.
"Smog affects large regions, rather than appearing in only isolated area. Smog not only affects the north, it also affects southern areas covering tens-of-thousands of square kilometers. It can't be stopped by simply shutting down a few factories. So cooperation between central and local governments is very important. Plus, both businesses and ordinary people need to do their part as well."
The Beijing municipal government has pledged to reduce PM2.5 figures by at least 25-percent in the next 3-years.
For CRI, I am He Fei.
 
 
Cheaper Do-it-yourself Air Purifiers
 
Anchor:
A group of foreigners here in Beijing has come up with a new way to create "Do It Yourself" air purification systems to help people cope with the rising cost of this city's lingering smog problem.
CRI's Xiong Siqi has the details.
Reporter:
Since northern China continues to be gripped in smog, masks and air purifiers have become basic necessities for many.
But air purifiers here in Beijing are generally too expensive for the average household, with most filtration systems costing several thousand yuan.
To try to counter the costs, a group of American expats have created a simple and cheap way to help clean the air.
All the components people need to make the DIY air filters are commonly-available household items.
Gus Tate is one of the people behind the home-made system.
"Pretty simple, you take a HEPA filter. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air filter. And it's something you can buy on Taobao for about 100 yuan. So really you just need something to push air through the filter. The simplest thing that pushes air is a fan. So this DIY purifier is just a fan and a filter and with sort of straps. The fan blows air through the filter."
At a cost of around 200-yuan, the home-made air-filtration system is anywhere from 15 to 20 times less expensive than buying a professionally-made one.
This glaring difference has left many here in Beijing skeptical.
"I don't think it's effective. It looks too simple. The filtering result would be not satisfied."
"It's too simple. I highly doubt the filtering effect."
To try to counter the skepticism, Gus Tate has conducted an experiment in his workshop to show how his system works.
Tate placed an air-quality monitor in front of the filter, which showed that particulate matter dropped from over 6000 to about 200 parts-per-million, eliminating over 90-percent of the pollution from the air.
"The results are pretty good. On average, the one I just described gets 92 percent of particles in a 15 square meter room with the doors and windows closed within a couple of hours. Results are very day-to-day. But on average you get over 90 percent reductions."
The one drawback to the home-made air purifier is that its much slower than professionally-produced systems.
Cheng Jing is the CEO of Fashion Environmental Protection Alliance.
"Such a simple air purifier with a fan and a HEPA filter is suitable for a small room with an area of about 10 square meters. The clearing speed is not fast. But this is a really good choice for low-income households."
Gus Tate and a number of his friends have opened workshops in Beijing and Shanghai to try to teach people how to make the home-made air purifiers.
While the authorities here in Beijing do have plans to significantly reduce the air quality problems in the city, they admit pollution is going to be a significant problem for years to come.
As such, the low-cost solution could prove popular as people wait for the skies to clear.
For CRI, this is Xiong Siqi.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
U.S. stocks barely changed after wavering between gains and losses on Thursday.
On the Nasdaq, shares of China's Sina Weibo soared by almost 20% on their first day of trading, ending at some 20 dollars, after opening at 17 dollars per share.
The micro-blogging company's flotation had initially raised a less-than-expected 286 million US dollars.
The Weibo IPO came amid a selloff in global technology firms that has sent the Nasdaq index down for over three weeks.
Shares of Leju, a Chinese online-to-offline real estate services provider newly listed on the S&P 500, rose nearly 20 percent on its first day of trading.
Both the Nasdaq Composite Index and the S&P 500 added a fraction of a percent.
But the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased slightly, dragged down by the slide of IBM.
The US stock exchange will be closed on Good Friday.
Over in Europe,
Major indices all advanced, boosted by upbeat results from US banking giants like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
At close, the UK's FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 both gained three fifths of a percent.
And Germany's DAX picked up 1 percent.
 
 
China appeals WTO ruling on rare earth exports
 
The Chinese government has filed an appeal over a World Trade Organization ruling that China violated global trade rules by limiting exports of rare earth minerals.
Last month, the WTO ruled that China had acted inconsistently with the body's rules on export measures imposed on rare earth minerals.
The WTO report says China limited its rare earth exports by imposing disproportionate export duties, export quotas and export quota allocation measures.
The case was initially brought to the WTO by the European Union, Japan and the US in 2012.
Rare earths, a class of 17 mineral elements, are some of the most sought-after metals due to their vital role in green technologies like wind turbines and electric car batteries.
China, with its rare earth reserves taking up some 23 percent of the global total, supplies over 90 percent of the world's market demand.
 
 
Corp news with Doug Young
 
Anchor:
Let's check out some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Story 1: China's online video and Internet TV giant LeTV is planning a service launch in Hong Kong later this year and possible entry into the US market.
Questions:
1, How does LeTV compared with its competitors, like Youku Tudou and Baidu's I-qiyi?
2, Why does it favour Hong Hong as a test ground for moving outside its home market?
3, What is the strategy for LeTV to make its operations in Hong Kong a success, is it seeking a local partner there?
Story 2: China's CITIC Pacific has agreed to buy the main operating unit of its parent, state-backed CITIC Group, for 36.5 billion dollars in a stock and cash deal.
Questions:
1, What is the motivation for CITIC to buy its parent company?
2, CITIC is listed in Hong Kong, how is the market reacting to this deal?
3, CITIC's parent company has a wide range of business operations, from real estate to banking, securities to energy and natural resources. Will this deal bring any changes to the company's business structure and possibly affect its competitiveness?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
China to ease price controls on basic drugs
 
China will loosen price controls on a list of "commonly used low-cost medicines", allowing pharmaceutical companies to set prices for these drugs.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the statement after criticism that tight controls had caused a deficiency in some drugs' availability on the market.
The loosening of regulations will also allow hospitals to choose suppliers of these medicines.
Under the current drug procurement system, suppliers are chosen through provincial bidding systems geared to keeping costs low, driving drug companies to cut or suspend production of many basic medicines.
A proposal submitted to an advisory body to China's parliament in March suggested more than 200 kinds of inexpensive medicine were in short supply due to government's price caps.
 
 
Lincoln brand to debut in seven Chinese cities later this year: Ford
 
Car-maker Ford is set to debut its premium brand, Lincoln, in seven Chinese cities later this year.
Company chief John Lawler says the company plans to open eight Licoln retail outlets in seven Chinese cities starting in October.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
S. Korea steps up rescue efforts as shipwreck death toll keeps rising
 
The death toll from South Korea's ferry disaster has risen to 20, as 270 people are still listed as missing, including two from China.
South Korean authorities are sending more aircraft and ships to the scene, including three large salvage vessels.
Military and civilian divers have already made dozens of attempts to enter the ferry. But rising winds, waves, and rain have hampered efforts.
Meantime, family members of the missing passengers have been allowed to board rescue vessels to visit the shipwreck site.
China's foreign ministry has asked South Korea to provide information on the two Chinese nationals on board the ship.
The cause of the sinking is not known, though it's been speculated that the ship ran aground.
The ship's captain and crew are being questioned by police.
 
 
12 aircraft take part in day's search for Malaysia Airlines plane
 
Australian authorities say the underwater search for flight MH370 will not be called off, even if the current effort does not yield any results.
Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that the international search would stop and regroup if nothing is found in the area of seabed that is being examined.
Abbott's office has now clarified the statement, saying authorities may change the search area, but the effort will not be stopped.
So far, the US Navy Bluefin-21 remote sub that has been taking 3-D pictures of the ocean floor has found no trace of wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
Investigators are hoping to find the flight's blackbox recorders to find out what happened on the plane the night it disappeared.
But no signal from the black-box locator beacons have been detected in over a week, likely meaning the batteries have died.
 
 
Ukraine, Russia Agree to Framework to De-Escalate Ukraine Tensions
 
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a series of steps to ease tensions in Ukraine.
Those include demobilizing militias, vacating seized government buildings, and establishing a political dialogue that could lead to more regional autonomy in Ukraine.
The plan has backing from the US and Europe.
However, the deal has left many unanswered questions on such specific issues as how international monitors can "play a leading role in assisting Ukrainian authorities and local communities" on implementing the deal.
The deal doesn't require Russia to pull its troops back from the border with Ukraine, either.
 
 
Peru evacuates 4,000 near active Ubinas Volcano
 
Evacuation orders have been issued near a volcano in Peru.
Some 4 thousand people living near the Ubinas  volcano have been told to leave their homes following an increase in volcanic activity.
The authorities expect it will take up to three days to safely remove those people from the area.
Thirty-thousand heads of livestock are also being removed.
The volcano has been spewing a steady stream of smoke and ash, sending a plume nearly 5 kilometres into the air. There has also been an increase in ground tremors.
Ubinas is the most active volcano in Peru right now. It's 12-hundred kilometres south of the capital, Lima.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Drive made to safeguard national space safety
Summary
China has published its first space situation report, designed to keep policymakers better informed and to protect the country's space interests.
The report elaborates on topics that include space equipment, foreign programs and global competition for superiority in space.
GLOBALTIMES
Headline
Beijing police to launch anti-fraud Internet site
Summary
Beijing public security bureau has announced it will cooperate with Qihoo 360 to establish the first online platform to fight against Internet fraud.
fanzhapian.360.cn will enable Net users to report websites they suspect of being fraudulent.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Rumormonger blogger jailed for three years
Summary
An Internet blogger found guilty of defamation and "provoking trouble" has been handed jail time by a court in Beijing. He is the first person to be sentenced after a crackdown against online rumormongering.
Qin Zhihui, known as "Qinhuohuo" online, was found guilty of spreading rumors via Sina Weibo from 2012 to 2013.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Head of an alleged mafia gang becomes emotional during court
Summary
Liu Han, alleged head of a mafia-style gang and a former mining tycoon, burst into tears during a court hearing.
Liu is accused of crimes such as organizing a mafia gang, intentional homicide and assault, blackmail and illegal possession of guns along with other 35 members of his alleged gang.
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Track sabotage behind NE China derailing
Summary
Police in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province have confirmed that a train's derailing in the province on Sunday morning was caused by sabotage of the rail tracks.
The train from Heihe to Harbin derailed at 3:17 am on Sunday, injuring 15 people.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Batteries put electric buses in charge
Summary
A fleet of 60 electric buses that have the ability to charge themselves while on the road has gone into service.
The vehicles can store power in an onboard battery as well as drawing electricity from overhead cables via two pantographs on their roofs.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
China Alerted by serious soil pollution, vows better protection
 
Anchor:
A recent report has found that some 16 percent of the soil on the Chinese mainland is polluted.
Alarmingly, the number for farmland is around 19 percent.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has the details.
Reporter:
The report is issued jointly by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Land and Resources.
It is based on a 9-year survey starting since 2005, on about two thirds of the land across the Chinese mainland.
Gao Shengda is secretary of the Industry Alliance for Environmental Rehabilitation.
He says the main pollution source is human industrial and agricultural activities.
"The rapid economic growth of China over the past few decades has taken its toll on our environment. Industrial waste contaminates farmland around factories and mines. Chemical plants in the suburbs also produce organic and inorganic pollutants that are hazardous to the land. Therefore, we call for stronger supervision and liability-pursuing mechanisms that focus on the disposal of waste produced by industries known for producing heavy metal waste as well as the abuse of chemical products used during agricultural production."
According to the report, irrigation by polluted water, the improper use of fertilizers and pesticides and the development of livestock breeding also cause pollution to farming land.
Gao says soil rehabilitation is a time-consuming and costly process.
"Pollution is hard to eliminate because the self-purification capacity of soil and underground water is weak. China has focused on microbe and plant-restoring methods, while overseas countries use physical and chemical methods to restore the soil. It's easy for us to pollute soil, but it will cost us ten times or even one hundred times as much investment to purify it."
Faced with the alarming figures, the government is taking countermeasures to better protect the soil environment and curb pollution.
The environment ministry is rushing to map out an anti-land pollution action plan in cooperation with other related departments.
Wu Xiaoqing is the deputy minister of the ministry.
"We are drafting an action plan on soil protection and pollution control. The plan will be based on notions of ensuring agricultural products' safety and providing a healthy living environment. That means we'll have to achieve the goal by enhancing the land quality of arable and construction sites. Meanwhile, we'll strengthen laws which curb the soil pollution and better protect environmental safety. Moreover, regulation on pollution monitoring, control and remediation will also be enhanced."
Revising the environmental protection law, which took effect in 1989, has been deemed vital to curbing pollution.
The law is set to be reviewed by the country's top legislature at the end of this month.
For CRI, this is Alexander Aucott.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Federer Djokovic and Wawrinka through to Monte Carlo quarter finals
 
In Tennis,
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic showed their superior class on clay on Thursday as they eased into the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Federer, who has a record 17 grand slam titles, defeated Czech player Lukas Rosol 6-4 6-1 but in the next round will face a tougher challenge against local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Meanwhile Champion Djokovic dropped just one game as he demolished Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 6-0 6-1 to continue his title defence in the principality.
In the quarter final the second seed, will face either Thomas Berdych of the Czech Republic or Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Swiss third seed Stanislas Wawrinka reached the quarter-finals without hitting a ball after his third-round opponent Nicolas Almagro withdrew with an injury.
 
 
Canadiens, Pittsburgh and Anaheim victorious as NHL playoffs begin
 
A look at North American Sport and...
The National Hockey League playoffs are underway.
In the first round of their Eastern Conference match-up, the Montreal Canadians have taken first blood in their best-of-seven series with Tampa Bay.
Lars Eller scored the overtime winner as they downed the Lightening 5-4.
Also in the east, Pittsburgh came from behind to beat Columbus 4-3.
In the first Western Conference match-up, top-ranked Anaheim held on for a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.
There are 4 games scheduled for Friday morning, all of them Game-1's.
The only game in the East sees the New York Rangers entertaining Philadelphia.
Out west, St. Louis hosts Chicago. Minnesota is on the road in Colorado.
And the highly-anticipated battle of California features Los Angeles on the road in San Jose.
 
 
NBA playoff places set as regular season closes
 
In Basketball,
The NBA regular season has closed with the Portland Trail Blazers beating the Los Angeles Clippers 110-104 to end on a five-game win streak.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder's win earlier in the day, the Clippers are locked in as the third seed in the Western Conference, and will take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Trail Blazers will enter this weekend's playoffs as the fifth seed, and will take on Houston.
The other Western Conference match-ups will see 2nd seeded Oklahoma City take on Memphis, while top-ranked San Antonio will battle their Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks.
Out east, the matchups have top-seeded Indiana taking on Atlanta.
Second ranked Miami facing Charlotte.
The four-five match is Chicago with home-court advantage over Washington.
And the NBA playoffs will begin at 12:30am Sunday morning Beijing-time with the 3rd seeded Toronto Raptors at home to the Brooklyn Nets.
 
 
Preview Chinese F1 Grandprix
 
Now a look ahead to this weekend's Chinese Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai.
Stefano Domenicali who made a sudden departure as Ferrari team principal on Monday has now been replaced by Marco Mattiacci, formerly president of Ferrari North America.
He takes charge having no Formula One experience and has his work cut out for him as the Italian team have made a dismal start to the season.
Also Red Bull Racer Daniel Ricciardo has spoken of his disappointment after having his appeal turned down. He crossed the line in second place in his home Grand Prix, the Australia opener, but was stripped of the place after the team fell foul of fuel metering restrictions.
But that was all something of a sideshow as all eyes for now are on the pair from the silver arrows. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg look to be well out front of the rest of the pack but as they raced each other they almost got into a tangle in Bahrain.
The German driver Rosberg is said to have had words with his British team-mate about one particular move on lap 18 but Hamilton seemed to think it was just good racing:
"Yeah it was quite an exciting race. I got to spend some time at home with the family at the weekend and we watched the highlights. So it was quite interesting to see the duel between each team and team mates. But yes, as I was saying, it was a bit more like a go-kart race, whether or not it will always be like that..that was a great race. I mean I hope there are more races like that during the year."
Currently it's Rosberg though who leads the championship by 11 points. We'll have an idea who has the edge in China however after first practice kicks off at 10am local time.
 
 
Rogers says Liverpool focused to season's end
 
In Premiere League football Liverpool top the table, two points clear of Chelsea, with just four games in the season remaining.
Their next match, against 17th placed Norwich city should be little more than a formality, but as Manchester City proved on Wednesday – in their match against bottom of the league Sunderland – you can never afford to be complacent in the Premiership.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers says he's confident his side can keep their focus as the season draws to a close:
"We still are in check with reality in terms of where we are at, you know, we've made great progress this season and our objective to qualify for the Champions League was always going to be a very, very difficult one, because of the competitive nature of the league. But, we are still on course for that and if we can a win at the weekend then that would rubber stamp that for us."
Meanhwhile Luis Suarez is now looking all but certain of becoming the first Liverpool player to score 30 goals in a Premier League season. If he does help Liverpool to a Premiere League title it will be their first since 1990.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez dies
 
Nobel prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has died in Mexico aged 87.
A spokeswoman for the family announced the news on Twitter.
The cause of his death has not been released.
He was recently hospitalized for a lung and urinary tract infection in Mexico City.
Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has paid tribute to the renowned author on Twitter.
He wrote, "One Hundred Years of Solitude and sadness for the death of the greatest Colombian of all time."
Garcia Marquez has been considered one of the greatest Spanish-language authors.
His masterpiece of magic realism, One Hundred Years of Solitude, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.
Garcia Marquez's other novels include Love in the Time of Cholera, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and The General in His Labyrinth.
 
 
Jackie Chan co-star with Hollywood A-lister in historical epic
 
Kung Fu star Jackie Chan has announced he will co-star with a Hollywood A-lister in the historical epic "Dragon Blade".
But he remained discreet about the name of his opposite.
Chinese media have locked on Mel Gibson to be the one.
The film will be directed by Daniel Lee, who also directed "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon".
The film tells a story about Roman soldiers lost in ancient China.
A lot of action scenes can be expected.
Chan said he has been preparing the film for more than seven years.
He was inspired by the documented evidence of Roman descendants and Roman ruins in Liqian village in northwest China's Gansu province during the Han Dynasty.
Chan said the film will have a record-breaking budget for China.
The investment reaches two-billion-yuan, about 320 million US dollars.
Investors include Beijing Cultural Assets Chinese Film & Television Fund, Huayi Brothers and Shanghai Film Group.
Dragon Blade is scheduled for global release in 3D IMAX in China and international markets on Chinese Lunar New Year's Day next year.
 
 
Coldplay reveals intimate live show for new album launch
 
(Coldplay)
Before launching their new album "Ghost Stories", Coldplay has unveiled a run of live shows to give fans an advance look.
The British rock band will hold six "intimate" shows in five countries.
The first show starts April 25 at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany, then moves to New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo and London.
Tickets for the Cologne show will be available tomorrow, while ticket information for the rest five shows are to be emailed exclusively to subscribers to the band's mailing list at Coldplay.com.
Ghost Stories is the sixth album from the band, and will be released worldwide on May 19.
Their last album dropped in 2011. During the tour supporting that album, frontman Chris Martin told audiences that they wouldn't play another, quote, "big show for a few years."
The coming live shows for the new album will host a limited number of onlookers.
 
 
Beijing leg of 2NE1 world tour kick off tomorrow
 
(2NE1)
Korean girl-group 2NE1 will blow the roof off the Mastercard Centre here in Beijing tomorrow night.
As a part of the group's world tour, 2NE1 will take the stage for the first time here in the capital city.
2NE1 is the one and only girls' hip-hop groups in Korea, and enjoys great popularity.
Themed "All or Nothing", it is the second world tour for the four ladies.
Their first tour was two years ago, named "New Evolution".
During the Beijing leg of the tour, 2NE1 will make new arrangements with their songs.
They performed in Shanghai last week.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The Chinese government has asked its counterpart in South Korea for information on two Chinese passengers aboard the ferry that sunk on Wednesday...
The office of the Australian prime minister has clarified statements regarding the future of the search for missing flight MH370...
And the US is taking steps to free up hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran, under the terms of the interim nuclear agreement reached last year...
In Business...a WTO ruling in China's rare-earth exports is now under appeal.. .
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.