新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2015/01/26（打印版）

Greece's left-wing Syriza Party has cruised to a monumental victory in that country's elections.

Chinese banking observers are calling for integration between banks and e-financing firms.

In business.... the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train link begins turning a profit ahead of schedule.

In sports... South Korea has beaten Iraq 2-0 to reach the final of the AFC Championships.

In entertainment.... the latest Hobbit movie launches to the top of the Chinese box office.

Beijing will be cloudy tonight, with a low of minus 7. It will be sunny tomorrow, with a high of 2 degrees.　

Meanwhile Shanghai will have slight rain tonight, with a low of 5, the rain will continue tomorrow, with a high of 7.

Chongqing will be overcast tonight, 12 degrees the lowest, tomorrow will have slight rain with a high of 13.

Greece's radical left-wing party Syriza has secured the right-wing Independent Greeks party's agreement to form an anti-austerity coalition.

It will be the first time since the Second World War that a leftist government has controlled Greece.

This follows Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras' vow to end Greece's "five years of humiliation and pain" following the party's victory in Sunday's general election.

"The sovereign Greek people have given a clear, strong, indisputable mandate. Greece has turned a page. Greece is leaving behind the destructive austerity, fear and authoritarianism. It is leaving behind five years of humiliation and pain."

For more on the outcome of the vote, CRI's John Artman spoke earlier with Doctor Cui Hongjian, head of European Studies with the China Institute of International Studies.

Cui Hongjian, head of the European Studies Department with the China Institute of International Studies, speaking to CRI's John Artman.

US President Barack Obama has become the first US leader to be honoured as the chief guest at India's annual Republic Day festivities.

The parade marking Republic Day in India, which is when the country's consitution took effect in 1950, is the centerpiece of Obama's time in India.

As part of his time in India, Obama has signed a breakthrough nuclear power deal between the two countries.

"Today we achieved a break through understanding on two issues that were holding up our ability to advance our civil nuclear cooperation and we are committed to moving towards full implementation and this is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also hailing the deal as a breakthrough in ties between the two countries.

"The civil nuclear agreement was the centerpiece of our transformed relationship which demonstrated new trust. It also created new economic opportunities and expanded our option for clean energy."

The deal resolves key differences over the liability of nuclear power suppliers to India in the event of an accident and U.S. demands on tracking the whereabouts of the nuclear materials supplied to India.

For more on the nuclear deal and the geopolitics in Asia, CRI's Xu Qingduo spoke earlier with Jia Xiudong, Senior Research Fellow from China Institute of International Studies.

The government of South Korea says it's not going to agree to North Korea's preconditions for talks.

This follows last week's statement from the North Korean government, demanding an end to joint military drills between South Korea and the United States as the pre-requisite for talks on potential reunification of the Korean peninsula.

"We do not plan to take anticipative measures on preconditions, which North Korea is demanding, to bring it back to the dialogue table. The preconditions that North Korea raises can be dealt with when they come back to the dialogue table, and consult with our government. We think granting such unjust preconditions even before the start of dialogue is undesirable for sincere and fundamental future improvements in inter-Korean relations."

South Korean President Park Geun-hye offered unification talks with North Korea in December.

However, North Korea has refused to hold talks unless South Korea lifts cross-border sanctions and cancels its military exercises with the US.

China's insurance regulator has outlined its priorities for the new year, saying it plans to set up a national catastrophe insurance fund.

"We will promote the catastrophe insurance this year. And we plan to submit the earthquake catastrophe insurance draft to the State Council. We will actively coordinating with relevant departments to study and establish a catastrophe insurance fund."

The commission has also revealed the Chinese insurance industry is worth over 300-billion US dollars.

Assets in the sector totaled over 1.5 trillion dollars last year, up 17.5-percent from the year before.

Industry regulators are also pushing to have insurers promote health insurance policies this year across all major Chinese cities.

Chinese financial industry observers are calling for an integration of the country's traditional financial institutions and the emerging internet financing market.

The call comes amid an explosion of internet financing, which the same observers are suggesting is beginning to challenge China's state-dominated financial industry.

Internet finance is still a relatively new thing in China, having only come into existence less than two years ago.

In June, 2013, Alibaba launched Yu'ebao, one of the first and so far the most popular internet financial product in China.

Yu'ebao allows customers to invest money through Alipay, Alibaba's online-payment service.

Since coming into existence, Yu'ebao has attracted investments worth over 90-billion US dollars as of the end of last year.

The main draw is that Yu'ebao provides higher returns compared to the savings rate at a bank, which is generally below the rate of inflation, meaning money left in a Chinese bank account will depreciate in value over time.

It's estimated that around 60 percent of China's more than 600 million Internet users have used Internet financing products.

This had led to calls to reign in the sector, with the banking industry complaining that it's been diverting investments from banks and other traditional financial institutions.

Shao Ping, governor of Shenzhen-based Ping'an Bank, is among those now calling for integration between internet financing and well-established financial institutions.

"Somebody says internet finance is challenging or even overthrowing traditional financial institutions. But I think that is not the case. It's true that internet finance has increased the competition. But more important, it brings about integration and innovation in the financial sector."

Wang Yanxiu with the China Banking Regulatory Commission says traditional financial institutions can take lessons from what the internet financing sector has been doing, particularly when it comes to offering targeted loans to those in need.

"Internet financing products should continue to target micro businesses and individuals. The internet should not be used as a platform to just raise funds. It should be used as a way to spread risks and slash the cost of financing for businesses. So internet companies and financial companies should both develop more convenient and useful financial products for investors and borrowers."

Some observers say internet financing services, including crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending, can help to break the stranglehold state-owned finance once held on those looking to fund a new business.

The number of internet-based financing platforms that went bankrupt or had difficulty repaying money climbed to 275 last year from 76 in 2013.

Chinese police are currently investigating a pair of Sina Corporation online wealth products for alleged illegal fundraising worth over 50 million yuan.

The first batch of more than a hundred official vehicles have been auctioned off in Beijing as part of Chinese government's attempt to curb corruption "on the wheels".

106 government vehicles, mostly Volkswagen's and Audi's, were auctioned off on Sunday, attracting some 500 bidders.

The auction netted the government 6.6 million yuan, or just over a million U.S. dollars.

That's almost 70-percent more than the government thought it was going to earn at the auction.

Those bidding on the vehicles say they're much more confident in bidding on an official's vehicle, rather than other vehicles available on the second-hand market.

"I have an eye on a Passat with its price ranging from 50 thousand to 70 thousand yuan. Unlike some second-hand car markets, the auction has vehicle information, including past damage or accidents. This makes us feel much more secure."

Despite this, questions are still being asked about over-pricing and the overall transparency of the bidding process.

In response, officials overseeing the process are promising to take steps to ensure a fair auction and prevent government property from being underpriced.

"Firstly, we selected used car assessment agencies through an open tender. And after the assessment, all of the cars are auctioned on an open transaction platform."

At the same time, Shang Xiaoting with the Government Offices Administration of the State Council says public servants don't have any advantage over the general public.

"Public servants also have to take part in the auction if they want to buy one of these cars. And if they are based in cities like Beijing that have a car purchase quota, they have to provide proof of their vehicle holdings before they can make a purchase."

Since launching its austerity drive among government services, around 3-thousand vehicles have been taken out of service since July.

However, Zhu Lijia, a professor of public administration with the Chinese Academy of Governance, argues the auctioning of public vehicles does potentially have negative consequences.

"One question is what might happen in the case of an emergency, where government vehicles are needed. Another issue is how the government is going to treat the vehicles that it still maintains. We're recommending the government provide subsidies for government officials who need to use vehicles. And at the same time, we should consider a market-based system to get rid of the vehicles the government doesn't need."

Chinese markets began the week's trading on a high note, despite profit-taking in the banking and insurance sectors.

Industries connected to the Shanghai Free Trade Zones and football helped drive up the Shanghai Composite Index by just under 1 percent.

In Shenzhen, Internet banking stocks led the gains, propping up the Shenzhen Component Index by over 2 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng picked up one-fifth of a percent, led by the commerce and industry sub-index.

The Japanese Nikkei dipped around one-third of a percent despite the country's official stats showing that December's exports had grown by 13 percent, the most in a year.

Shares of troubled car parts maker Takata fell by 6-percent after reports that Honda had chosen a rival firm to supply air bags for the next North American version of its Accord model.

Finally, Singapore's Straits Times index declined nearly half a percent, as investors reacted to the news that the anti-austerity Syriza party had won the Greek election.

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail connection has turned a profit, two years ahead of schedule.

The rail line's management company says the 13-hundred kilometer rail link grossed 30-billion yuan in ticket sales through last year, turning a 1.2 billion yuan profit, or nearly 200 million U.S. dollars.

Passenger numbers this past year hit 100 million, an increase of over 27-percent from a year earlier.

New stats from regulators are suggesting only around 60-percent of all items sold Chinese e-commerce sites actually meet quality standards.

Among them, Taobao is said to be the worst, with only 37 percent of the items holding up to standards.

Cellphones are said to be the most problematic, with less than 30 percent of them sold considered up to quality standards.

Online retail sales in China have been growing, on average, 50-percent a year, over the past few years.

For more on the regulation of the e-commerce business, the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

The cut doesn't coincide with a hike in the fuel tax, which has accompanied three of the 12 price cuts since July.

Tencent is allowing BMW, Coca-Cola and Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo to send messages to WeChat users.

WeChat users are expected to receive around four messages a day through the new advertising scheme.

The company is expected to generate advertising revenues of around 10 billion yuan, or over 1.5 billion US dollars, per year.

However, its platform is home to Tencent banking tool Licaitong and taxi-hailing app Didi.

Dalian Wanda has announced it is investing a billion US dollars in a property development close to Sydney Harbor in Australia.

The deal includes 330-million for a pair of existing office buildings and the cost to construct a complex under Wanda's own namesake.

The purchase is part of a string of Wanda initiatives to try to diversify out of the Chinese property sector, which is still struggling.

The Sydney harbor investment is also the second property project Wanda has in Australia.

The company paid 900-million dollars in August for a joint venture project in the city of Gold Coast.

Chinese express delivery firm SF Express has announced a price hike on delivery charges.

The average delivery charge of 10-yuan per parcel is being increased by 1-yuan for most deliveries.

The company says the price hike is in response to the cost increases it's been incurring in servicing more of this country's small villages and counties.

The express delivery market in China is highly competitive, with hundreds of courier firms undercutting each other to compete for market share.

China will build new restrooms at scenic spots and improve existing ones nationwide beginning this year, in a bid to beef up tourism infrastructure, officials say.

A total of 33,500 modern public restrooms are likely to appear in tourist sites, transportation hubs and entertainment facilities in the next three years.

All such restrooms are expected to meet "three-star" standards that include a toilet to be built on an area more than 60 square meters, separate units for men and women and the availability of free toilet paper, among other requirements.

The toilets will be rated on the basis of the number of squatting pots, pedestal pans (standard Western toilet), public resting space and outer facilities.

Poor toilet conditions have increasingly irked many foreigners who visit China to savor its centuries-old historical sites and culture.

According to a latest survey, Chinese professional workers, or white-collar workers, are far from satisfied with their jobs.

The average score for job satisfaction given by over 9-thousand respondents was a low 2.41 out of 5, less than half the possible full score.

Interpersonal relationships scored the highest among the five surveyed categories, receiving an average 3.02.

Training and learning opportunities came next on the list, scoring an average 2.82. Welfare and salary came third and fourth.

The survey found that a company's existing promotion mechanism is the main thing that affects an employee's chances. The effort made by each employee came second, while popularity among colleagues and bosses was the third most important element.

Sales of CCTV cameras have increased sharply after the government unveiled its plan requiring all day care centres to install the surveillance devices.

Data from online shopping mall Auction showed that its CCTV camera sales from Jan 9 to 22 increased by 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

The increase in sales is likely to have been sparked by nationwide concerns about child safety, after a recent incident at a day care center in Songdo, Incheon, where a worker beat a 4-year-old girl for not finishing her food.

Auction cited the day-care abuse case and demand from child care centres, as well as rising camera use by hospitals and other public facilities, fuelling the rise in sales.

The Justice Ministry says the number of child abuse cases in Korea has been on the rise, with monthly reported cases in 2014 increasing over 30 percent from 1038 in 2013.

Australian scientists have discovered that warm ocean water is melting one of the world's biggest glaciers from below, potentially leading to a rise in sea levels.

Satellite observations show that the Totten Glacier, located in Antarctica's Australian territory and bordering the Southern Ocean, has decreased in thickness over the past 15 years.

At 538-thousand square kilometres, the glacier holds enough water to raise sea levels by six metres and was once considered to be in the stable portion of east Antarctica, untouched by warmer currents.

A team of scientists have recently returned to Hobart from Antarctica and they used new technology to collect the first water samples near the Totten Glacier.

An Australian expert said although the glacier's changing is something new, it was too soon to tell if it was melting as a result of a changing global climate.

This past year has seen over 800-thousand people take part in marathons across China, a 50-percent increase from the number of people who took part in a long-distance running event in 2011.

Every weekend morning, the 10-km track in the Olympic Forest Park in the north of Beijing comes alive with athletes and amateur joggers.

They embrace the refreshing, slightly chilly morning air and gamely ignore the capital's pollution in their quest for fitness.

While some prefer to run in the early morning, a significant number of others run in the evening after they finish a day's work.

"I started to run in 2008 for health reasons. I used to be over weight, I had high blood pressure and depression. I run to lose weight and to get rid of some of the stress from work."

Thanks to his regular exercise, Tian has now been able to take part in two Marathons, the Beijing and Xiamen marathons. When he'd run both, Tian said he felt completely rejuvenated.

Like Tian Jun, a growing number of people in China's big cities enjoy running a marathon - but it's not just about finishing the race. Runners find many other sources of inspiration.

"Through running, I get along with myself better, keep up with my life. It even helps me to realise how I'm feeling. A Marathon is a platform on which to show yourself, and to rediscover yourself, and also a place to meet fellow 'marathoners' and share your enjoyment with them."

So far, marathons have been held in all four Chinese municipalities and in 34 cities across 17 provinces and autonomous regions. In the past three years, the number of events has risen by around 10 percent a year.

According to Zhang Tianwei, a senior media office worker, the Marathon has transformed from an elite sport into an activity of mass participation. And despite the growing number of races and runners, Zhang sees room for more.

"Compared with developed countries such as the United States and Japan, there are still fewer Chinese people running marathons. But more and more are taking part and enjoying the benefits of doing it. So in my opinion, there are bound to be more events in China in the future."

Statistics show that as many as 10 percent of Beijing's 21 million population are long-distance runners. So whatever the motivation, whether it's to improve one's physical or mental health, or both—it seems the Marathon trend is going to run... and run.

Iraq took on South Korea. South Korea prevailed in that match 2-0. They will next face the winner of the Australia-United Arab Emirates matchup, set for tomorrow.

Zhang Ze, Kai-Chen Chang Surprise Reigning Champions in Mixed Doubles at Australian Open

China's wildcard player Zhang Ze, of the mainland, teamed with Taiwan's Kai-Chen Chang, to stun reigning champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the mixed doubles at the Australia Open on Sunday.

Collaborating for the first time, the cross-strait pair seemed to work well together to seal the win in the final set.

Serena Williams avoided another Grand Slam defeat by Spain's Garbine Muguruza as she fought back to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The American world number one, who lost to Muguruza at last year's French Open, came through 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Williams next faces Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, who beat two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Defending men's champion Stan Wawrinka beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6.

The big suprise of the evening: 18th seed Venus Williams upset 6th seed Angieszka Radawanska, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

And it was 8th seed Milos Raonic taking out 12th seed Felaciano Lopez 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.

Dominique Jones added 57 points, Denzel Bowles had 20, and Li Ang had 13 as Jilin Northeast took down Liaoning in a surprise 120-117 loss for the league-leaders.

The game was dead even at 27-27 after the first quarter, but Jilin had an impressive second quarter taking them to 63-51. Liaoning had a stronger showing in the fourth, adding 40 points, but that was still not enough to turn things around.

Tianjin scored 8 points in overtime to take out Stephon Marbury and his Beijing Ducks 105-104.

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside had a triple-double with a career high 12 blocks to go with 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 96-84 earlier today.

Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago. Derrick Rose scored 19 but missed all six 3-pointers. Aaron Brooks added 17.

The Atlanta Hawks extended their franchise record winning streak to 16 with a 112-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Golden State left a surprisingly small margin of victory in their 114-111 win over the Boston Celtics.

Bill Haas pulled ahead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-four 16th and parred the final two holes for a one-stroke victory on Sunday in the Humana Challenge.

Phil Mickelson's opening round of 71 kept him from contending for the lead, but he worked himself back up the leaderboard over the final three rounds.

Mickelson made four birdies in a five-hole span to get to 15 under par, but bogeyed the 16th hole and drove his tee shot on the par-three 17th into the water.

Mickelson then closed with a birdie on 18 to sign a 68 and finished tied for 24th at 15 under in his first event since the Ryder Cup.

Hass eagled the sixth hole for a share of the lead, setting up his 15-foot putt with a 260-yard, 5-wood from the dormant left rough with the ball below his feet.

Part of a six-man tie for the lead after a par save on 15, Haas took the top spot for himself with a 20 foot birdie putt on 16.

He missed a 10-foot birdie try on the par-three 17th and, despite an errant tee shot, was able to two-putt for par on 18 to hold on for the victory.

The Hobbit: The battle of The Five Armies stormed its way to a 49.5 million dollar debut at the Chinese box office.

The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies bested the entire run of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in China. The earlier film grossed a total of 315 million yuan while Five Armies grossed 307 million yuan in its first three days.

The last film in the trilogy was also screened in IMAX across the country taking 6.8 million dollars, setting a record for a non-summer release. This places Five Armies just below transformers: Age of Extinction's nearly 10 million dollars all time record in the format.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' strong box office result from China pushed the film's worldwide haul to 866 million dollars.

Taken 3 follows The Hobbit in the global box office with takings of 227 million dollars worldwide.

Birdman has topped the annual Screen Actors Guild Award, winning the best ensemble cast.

This gives the film starring Michael Keaton a boost in the run up to the Academy Awards as the producer's guild have successfully predicted the winner of best picture at the Oscars for the past seven years.

Oscar favorites Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and J.K. Simmons cemented their front-runner status for the Oscars.

Julianne Moore, widely considered the best-actress favorite, won most supporting actress for "Still Alice," in which she plays an academic with early onset Alzehimer's disease. She shared her feelings at speculation that she could be tipped for an Oscar.

"This has been a wild and wonderful ride. We made this movie last March. It hasn't even been a year since we finished it. So the fact that any of this has happened has truly been an anomaly and really has surprised me every step of the way. I'm trying to remain as calm as I can, as present, I'm incredibly grateful"

"Boyhood" star Patricia Arquette added the latest in a string of awards on Sunday, taking the supporting actress honor for her performance, filmed over the course of 12 years.

Best ensemble cast in a drama series went to "Downton Abbey," the second time the series has won the category.

Because actors make up the largest portion of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are also considered one of the most telling Oscar previews. Individually acting winners usually mirror each other exactly, or very nearly.

Marco Mueller, the former artistic chief at the Rome, Venice and Locarno film festivals has been appointed as the chief advisor to the Beijing Film Festival.

Mueller will offer guidance for Beijing International Film Festival's internationalization, professionalization and high-end orientation by making full use of his broad festival hosting experiences.

He is a fluent Mandarin speaker and co-hosted a series of seminars at the first edition in 2011.

The festival is hoping to attract large quantities of first rate blockbusters from China and abroad.

The next edition of the Beijing International Film Festival will be held on April 16-23.

Oscar winning composer Alan Menken has said that he is working on a musical version of Mrs. Doubtfire.

Menken who worked on Disney's Aladdin and The Little Mermaid has said that the musical is in its early stages.

The film, starring Robin Williams, won a Golden Globe and took 440 million dollars at the box office.

A sequel to the 1993 film is said to have been in development before Robin Williams died in August last year.

Mrs. Doubtfire tells the story about a father of three who dresses up as an old granny so he can secretly spend more time with his children.

Alan Menken's back catalogue makes him a good fit for the musical. He has won 8 academy awards, 11 Grammys, seven Golden Globes and a Tony award.

新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2015/01/26（在线收听）