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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Details of a prisoner swap remain murky, but Jordan has reportedly released a female suicide bomber at the request of the Islamic State... possibly in exchange for a Japanese hostage...

violence between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah appears to be heating up...

The Supreme People's Court has unveiled its first circuit court in the city of Shenzhen...

In business...a Chinese port project in Greece seems to be unaffected by a decision to scrap a privatization plan...

In Sports...Christiano Rinaldo has been told to sit for a couple of games...

In entertainment...CCTV's Spring Festival show gets a mascot...

First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...

 

 

Weather 

 

 

Beijing will be overcast with a high of 4, clear tonight with a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will have slight rain with a high of 7 and a low of 3.

Chongqing will also have slight rain with a high of 9 and a low of 5.

Elsewhere in Asia.

Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 6.

Kabul will have snow with a high of minus 8.

Over to North America.

New York will be cloudy with a high of minus one degree.

Washington will be sunny with a high of zero.

Honolulu, cloudy, 26.

Toronto will also be cloudy with a high of minus 7.

Finally, in South America,

Buenos Aires will be rainy with a high of 24.

And Rio de Janeiro will have slight rain with a high of 32 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Details of Jordan-IS prisoner swap still murky

 

Authorities in Jordan have reportedly released a female suicide bomber in a prisoner swap with the Islamic State militant group.

But it's still unclear who the IS will free in return, a Japanese hostage or a captured Jordanian pilot.

Syria's pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV says the woman, Sajida al-Rishawi, has entered Syrian territory and the IS will exchange the Japanese hostage with her in Syria's northern province of al-Raqqa.

But earlier in the day, Jordan's information minister said Jordan would exchange the suicide bomber for Jordanian pilot Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh without mentioning the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

The pilot's father, Safi al-Kaseasbeh, criticized efforts by the Jordanian government to secure his son's release.

"The government needs to work seriously, and find ways to contact the Islamic State, the way one would do to free his son, like the Japanese government does."

A swap would run counter to Jordan's hard-line approach towards Islamist militants and towards the position of its main ally, the United States.

London-based analyst Fawaz Gerges says the situation is a "lose, lose" one.

"This is a very serious situation because if the Jordanian government surrenders and basically releases Sajida, the prisoner who was sentenced to death, the Jordanian government comes across as what? As weak, as fragile? And if it does not, also loses domestic support and this could really unleash major social and political problems inside Jordan. So it's lose, lose."

The IS had threatened to kill the two hostages within 24 hours - late Wednesday night Japan time - unless al-Rishawi was freed.

The deadline has now passed.

 

 

Israel will respond forcefully to a missile attack: Netanyahu

 

Isreali Prime Minister is vowing to respond forcefully to missile attack from Hezbollah militants.

Benjamin Netanyahu made the remark after Israeli forces traded fire with the Hezbollah militants on the Lebanese border, which has so far left the death of at least 2 Israeli soldiers and a Spanish UN peacekeeper.

"In all of these events, our mission is to defend the State of Israel. Our only consideration is the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. Thus we have acted and thus we will continue to act."

The UN Security Council is to discuss the fighting at an emergency meeting called by France in New York.

The cross-border violence erupted when Israeli military vehicles were struck by anti-tank missiles in a tract of land where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.

Hezbollah said it was retaliation for an Israeli air strike that killed 6 of its fighters and an Iranian Revolutionary Guards general in the Syrian Golan Heights 10 days ago.

 

 

The first circuit court of Supreme People's Court Unveils in Shenzhen

 

Anchor:

China's Supreme People's Court has unveiled its first circuit court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The details from CRI's Wang Mengzhen.

Reporter:

The president of China's Supreme People's Court, along with provincial officials in Guangdong, took part in a ceremony which has unveiled the nameplate of the court during the inauguration.

Nine presiding judges, along with four other officials selected by the Supreme Court, have been sworn-in to take part in cases in the court.

The new circuit court in Shenzhen will hear administrative, civil and commercial cases from the country's south, including Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan.

It's designed to save litigants time and money, instead of being forced to travel to Beijing.

He Xiaorong is the director of the Supreme People's Court's Judicial Reform Office.

"All the judicial decisions, including judgments, adjudications and decisions, made by the circuit court are just as valid as the Supreme Court decisions in Beijing."

Presiding judges in the circuit courts will be rotated every two years in an attempt to avoid creating binding personal interests with local officials.

Liu Guixiang is the chief judge of the Shenzhen circuit court.

"Our principle is that presiding judges who hear the case will be fully responsible. As such, the court head and deputy heads will no longer review the case. Instead, the presiding judge needs to both hear and review the case."

Aside from hearing cases in Shenzhen, Liu Guixiang says the circuit court will also travel to Hainan and Guangxi to hear local cases.

"When we visit Hainan and Guangxi, we will borrow facilities from local courts and have public hearings there. On top of this, we will send out presiding judges and other staffers to hold receptions. This will represent the features of 'circuit court', which are meant to tackle the local people's disputes and make litigation more convenient."

A second circuit court is slated to open later this month in the city of Shenyang to cover China's northeast.

The No.2 Circuit court will be in charge of cases in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

The creation of the circuit courts is part of the Chinese government's broader attempts to make the justice system more accountable and more trusted by the public.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

 

 

Spat between Taobao and regulator escalates

 

Anchor:

The spat between China's largest shopping website, Taobao.com, and the country's commerce regulator has escalated as Taobao is filing a complaint over what it calls "improper supervision."

The spat was triggered by a controversial quality inspection report which accused Taobao of failing to properly deal with vendors selling fake goods on the Taobao website.

CRI's Qi Zhi has the story.

Reporter:

At the core of the quarrel is whether Taobao, the most profitable branch of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, has been fairly treated by the regulator.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce or SAIC published a quality inspection report last week and gave Taobao the lowest rank in terms of its "certified product" rate.

Sample testing showed that only about 37 percent of surveyed commodities sold on Taobao were authentic, well below the 59-percent average across all major online shopping platforms.

Taobao fired back by saying the inspection was flawed in logic as a sample of only 51 items cannot represent the enormous trade volume on the platform.

In response, an SAIC official Yang Hongfeng said the survey just aims to evaluate market risk.

"The survey, like the one during the Double Eleven shopping carnival, was conducted by a third party which has its own plans of selecting samples. The results should not be over-interpreted."

However, in a further response, the SAIC published a white paper regarding Alibaba on Wednesday, accusing it of allowing an influx of fake goods and illegal transactions.

The regulator made clear that strengthening the supervision of online market is its legal duty.

That stance is backed by Zhao Zhanling, a legal counsel for the Internet Society of China.

"The inspection aims to look for leads in illegal online shopping. The results may not be perfect in terms of how the samples were chosen or how it was conducted, but the move itself was intended to safeguard marker order and protect consumers' interests. It's a regulatory move, not personal."

Although the SAIC and Taobao still remain locked in debate over the certified product rate, both sides agree that tough action against counterfeiting is needed.

Taobao announced on Wednesday that it would establish a special force of 300 staff to cooperate with officials to crack down on fake goods.

The SAIC has pledged to continue to take action against illegal activities in online shopping.

Industry watchers, meanwhile, are calling for a sound interplay between producers, online platforms and regulators with all sides having responsibilities to safeguard market order.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

 

 

Japan, U.S., S.Korea hold trilateral denuclearization talks

 

The chief nuclear envoys from Japan, the United States, and South Korea have met in Tokyo to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea.

The three countries' top envoys to the six-party talks agreed to maintain sanctions against North Korea while keeping the doors open to Pyongyang for bilateral dialogue.

US Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Sung Kim:

"We will energetically look for opportunities to return to credible negotiations toward denuclearization, and in this regard, North Koreans will need to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in a concrete manner before we can resume any serious negotiations."

Sung Kim is expected to visit Beijing after his staying in Tokyo.

 

 

China and African Union sign a memorandum on infrastucture cooperations

 

China and the African Union have signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on major infrastructure networks and the broader industrialization process in Africa.

The MOU covers high speed rail, aviation and highways construction.

Chinese deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming.

"China and Africa share traditional goodwill and the willingness to cooperate. Secondly, Africa is in the early stages of its rise, including its economic development, infrastructure construction and industrialization. This means Africa has large demand. China has a lot of experience and mature technologies in areas of high speed railways, highways, aviation and industrialization."

Nko-sazana Dla-mini- Zuma is the chair of the AU Commission.

"We think this memorandum of understanding is really the first agreement that we are signing on the basis of agenda 2063. And we are looking at it as a long-term project and we are looking at it as a project that could benefit both our peoples and it will accelerate our integration. So I'm very excited."

A number of projects connected to the new agreement have already been completed in countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Djibouti.

 

 

Ban warns world being tested again as UN marks 70 years since Auschwitz liberation

 

Anchor

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning that the international community is again being tested by increasing anti-Semitic hatred.

Ban made the remarks as the world body marks the 70th anniversary since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

Reporter

The ceremony was rescheduled for Wednesday because of a snowstorm forecast to hit New York earlier in the week.

The UN chief is urging the international community to remain vigilant to eradicate the deep roots of hatred as anti-Semitic attacks continue around the world.

"As we remember what was lost in the past, and as we recognize the perils of the present, we know what we must do – and we know we must do it together,"

The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is marked every year on January 27, the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945.

Ban Ki-moon says the world is still often tested by similar hatred.

"Anti-Semitism remains a violent reality; Jews continue to be killed solely because they are Jews. Extremism and dehumanization are present across the world, exploited through social media and abetted by sensationalist press coverage. The targets are as diverse as humankind itself."

Ban has pledged to uphold the principles of the UN.

In addressing the ceremony, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin says the pledge of "never again" is the very essence of the UN.

"We must remember that evil is not the property of any specific religion just as it is not the attribute of any specific country or ethnic group. Evil by its very nature seeks to differentiate and discriminate between one life and another, between one human and another, where the only real difference is between good and bad, between humanity and darkness."

This year's observance coincides with other milestone events as 2015 also marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the founding of the UN.

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

 

 

Illegal Construction Leads to Road Collapse in Downtown Beijing

 

Anchor:

The news that the illegal construction of a basement in Beijing caused the collapse of four neighbouring homes and has endangered an apartment building has been met with public anger.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

Reporter:

The collapse happened near the northern part of Second Ring Road.

According to Beijing's urban planning commission, the owner had dug a basement about 18 meters deep in a courtyard, without first obtaining a construction permit.

The cave-in left a 10-meter-deep hole on the ground and caused the collapse of 4 neighboring houses. 15 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.

An apartment building nearby is being monitored after its foundation was shaken.

Media reports say about 4,000 tons of cement have been used to fill the hole.

Wang Wei is an official from the city's construction watchdog.

"From the information we have so far, the owner started the operation without obtaining a permit for underground construction. This is a crime of illegal construction. The nature of the accident goes beyond that. It caused the road to sink and the surrounding houses to collapse. It should be regarded as an incident caused by illegal construction."

The accident soon grabbed public attention after media reports revealed that the courtyard belongs to Li Baojun, a lawmaker from Xuzhou city in Jiangsu Province.

Li has not commented on the accident, which happened over the weekend.

Officials from Xuzhou say they will deal with the case after receiving official notification from Beijing.

People living near Li's residence say they had reported the construction to the relevant authorities. Officials say they had ordered Li to stop the illegal construction last July but it continued in secret.

Bian Lanchun, a professor from the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University.

"There are many motives for illegal construction. Some people may commit this crime because of a lack of living space. But of course, there are some people who commit this act who are driven by other interests. I think to solve this problem, on one hand we should improve the legal system, and on the other hand advocate public involvement and build a more extensive supervision system."

Reports on illegal construction projects have been increasing in recent years.

In 2013, a massive rooftop villa in Beijing shocked the country. It had an area of 800 square meters and artificial gardens and rocks. It has since been demolished.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

Joining me on the desk, Bejan Siavoshy.

U.S. stocks changed little midday Wednesday, despite cheerful earnings from bellwether corporations, as falling oil prices dragged down the energy sector.

The U.S. dollar climbed against most major currencies, as the Federal Reserve announced it would remain patient and hold interest rates where they are, stressing that the U.S. economy has been expanding solidly.

Investors were keeping a close eye on the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, wrapping up Wednesday, for any clues on the timing of its next interest-rate hike.

The Fed will release its statements in the afternoon.

At close,

The Dow slipped over one percent.

The S&P 500 lost one and two-fifths of a percent, while the Nasdaq dipped almost one percent.

Stocks in Europe held on to early gains as markets steadied following recent declines.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 rose one-fifth of a percent.

Germany's DAX closed up four-fifths of a percent.

And France's CAC 40 decreased by about a third of a percent.

 

 

China's port project in Greece not affected by privatization reversal

 

Piraeus Container Terminal, a subsidiary of Chinese shipping conglomerate COSCO Group has confirmed they will continue to run two container terminals, Pier II and Pier III, in Greece under a 35-year concession agreement.

The statement follows a move by Greece's newly elected government to halt privatization and stop the planned sale of a 67-percent stake in the Piraeus Port Authority.

COSCO is one of the suitors for the privatization of port authority.

The previous Greek government decided last year to privatize the facilities.

Senior officials from the COSCO subsidiary say the suspension announced by the new Greek government refers to Pier I and other facilities, but not Pier II and Pier III operated by PCT.

Regarding further information about the suspension, the PCT official said the company had not been notified on this matter and refused to comment.

Until now, COSCO has run Pier II and Pier III for almost 7 years since 2008 under the 35-year concession agreement.

 

 

China' second private bank approved

 

China's banking regulator has approved the opening of a second private bank to help finance cash-starved smaller borrowers.

Shanghai Huarui Bank, set up in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, has been approved by the city's Banking Regulatory Commission.

Its opening, likely to come within six months after it secures a license and business registration from local banking and business regulators, will follow the establishment of WeBank in Shenzhen early this month.

With a registered capitalization of 490 million U.S. dollars, the private bank will take deposits, grant loans, handle settlements and other services.

 

 

China's rare earth groups to accelerate restructuring

 

China's six major rare earth groups will complete substantial integration of small mines and smelting companies by the end of 2015.

The six groups are Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Company, Aluminum Corp of China, Xiamen Tungsten Company, China Minmetals Corporation, Ganzhou Rare Earth Group, and Guangdong Rare Earth Group.

The six producers control 94 percent of China's total rare earth resources and 75 percent of the mines. Meanwhile, their smelting and separating capacity account for nearly 60 percent of the total.

Su Bo, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, says the move aims to better manage the country's rare earth resources.

"There are now over 100 rare earth-related companies in China. Rare earth resources are very precious and we need big groups to improve the efficiency of development. The six groups will regulate the smaller companies to get rid of such problems as rampant illegal production, environmental disruption and the destruction of resources."

Su Bo said China will continue to control strictly the number of new projects related to rare earth development, smelting, and separating and will not approve projects submitted by enterprises beyond the six groups.

China has scrapped its quota system restricting exports of rare earth minerals. The change was detailed in China's Ministry of Commerce trade guidelines, issued at the end of December.

Under the new guidelines, rare earths will still require an export license but the amount that can be sold abroad will no longer be covered by a quota.

 

 

PARTYWORLD KTV closes another branch in Beijing

 

Media reports say Taiwan-based KTV brand PARTYWORLD is going to close its Chaowai branch in Chaoyang District of Beijing on Feb 1.

This would leave PARTYWORLD with only one store in Beijing.

The Chaowai PARTYWORLD branch opened in Oct 2001. Its signature service, with free buffet meal, had helped it beat many other brands and make it the first choice for many KTV goers. Its daily revenue once reached 750 thousand yuan during the Christmas season.

The closure of the Chaowan branch came after PARTYWORLD KTV closed two other branches in Beijing last year.

For more on this and the KTV industry, we're now joined live with CRI Financial Commentator Cao Can.

…

Back anchor: Cao Can,CRI Financial Commentator.

 

 

China's VAT reform cuts revenue by 31 billion US dollars

 

According to China's taxation authority, a pilot tax reduction scheme to replace the turnover tax with a value added tax or VAT led to a fall in fiscal revenue of over 31 billion U.S. dollars in 2014.

More than 4 million taxpayers have applied to join the scheme since it was launched in 2012, with over 95 percent of them now paying less tax.

Turnover tax is a tax on the gross revenue of a business, while a VAT is levied on the difference between a commodity's price before taxes and its cost of production.

The scheme was expanded to state-dominated sectors such as railways and postal services last year, with tax reductions of 128 million US dollars and 64 million dollars respectively.

VAT reform is part of a tax reduction package to facilitate economic restructuring.

 

 

Yuan ranks 5th-most used globally

 

Transactions organization SWIFT says its data shows the yuan has become the world's fifth-most widely used payment currency, with the value of cross-border deals settled in the currency more than doubling in 2014.

The data comes as China looks to increase international use of the yuan.

The yuan overtook the Canadian dollar and the Australian dollar to enter the top five of world payment currencies in December.

It has climbed eight spots in fewer than two years, having been in 13th place in January 2013.

Total yuan payments rose by more than 100 percent last year, dwarfing the overall annual rise of 4.4 percent for all currencies.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

Details of Jordan-IS prisoner swap still murky

 

Authorities in Jordan have reportedly released a female suicide bomber in a prisoner swap with the Islamic State militant group.

But it's still unclear who the IS will free in return, a Japanese hostage or a captured Jordanian pilot.

Syria's pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV says the woman, Sajida al-Rishawi, has entered Syrian territory and the IS will exchange the Japanese hostage with her in Syria's northern province of al-Raqqa.

But earlier in the day, Jordan's information minister said Jordan would exchange the suicide bomber for the pilot, without mentioning the Japanese hostage.

The IS had threatened to kill the two hostages within 24 hours - late Wednesday night Japan time - unless al-Rishawi was freed.

The deadline has now passed.

 

 

Israel will respond forcefully to a missile attack: Netanyahu

 

Israeli Prime Minister is vowing to respond forcefully to missile attack from Hezbollah militants.

Benjamin Netanyahu made the remark after Israeli forces traded fire with the Hezbollah militants on the Lebanese border, which has so far left the death of at least 2 Israeli soldiers and a Spanish UN peacekeeper.

The UN Security Council is to discuss the fighting at an emergency meeting called by France in New York.

The cross-border violence erupted when Israeli military vehicles were struck by anti-tank missiles by Hezbollah militants in a tract of land where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.

 

 

Japan, U.S., S.Korea hold trilateral denuclearization talks

 

The chief nuclear envoys from Japan, the United States, and South Korea have met in Tokyo to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea.

The three countries' top envoys to the six-party talks agreed to maintain sanctions against North Korea while keeping the doors open to Pyongyang for bilateral dialogue.

US Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Sung Kim is expected to visit Beijing after his staying in Tokyo.

 

 

China's first circuit court established in Shenzhen

 

China's Supreme People's Court has unveiled its first circuit court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The new circuit court in Shenzhen will hear administrative, civil and commercial cases from the country's south, including Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan.

It's designed to save litigants time and money, instead of being forced to travel to Beijing.

Aside from hearing cases in Shenzhen, the circuit court will also travel to Hainan and Guangxi to hear local cases.

 

 

Alibaba sets up task force to monitor fakes

 

E-commerce giant Alibaba has established a special force of 300 staff to fight counterfeit goods as authorities accused its main platform Taobao of failing to crack down on shady merchants.

The move comes after the most recent round of national inspections of online goods gave Taobao the lowest rank in terms of its "certified product" rate.

Taobao responded by saying the company is willing to work with regulators, but at the same time is to file a complaint against the commerce regulator over what it calls 'improper supervision".

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

China Daily

Headline

Arsonist tried in Hangzhou

Summary

Bao Laixu, who set fire to a bus full of passengers in Hangzhou on July 5, has admitted to his crime during his trial.

Bao says that he lost hope in life because he was suffering from tuberculosis.

He admitted to setting fire to the bus and says he regrets hurting so many people.

The court has not announced the verdict yet.

The Beijing News

Headline

Police admits gun loss

Summary

Local authorities in a county in Hunan province have confirmed a gun is missing and the police officer involved in the case has been detained.

The provincial authority has set up a working team to further investigate the issue and help local police to search for the missing gun.

Beijing Morning Post

Headline

Late Taiwan leader's house may turn into McDonald's

Summary

The local government of Hangzhou says it has received an application form McDonald's to turn a West lake villa once belonging to late Taiwan leader Chiang Ching-kuo into a coffee house.

The government has begun soliciting public comments on the project.

Experts suggested that the café should be operated without damaging the historic building.

Beijing Youth Daily

Headline

New year festivity at Russian embassy

Summary

The Russian embassy has invited 70 Beijing students to spend the upcoming Spring Festival with Russian students.

The embassy will hold a series of festivities and visiting tours for the young people.

Xiaoxiang Morning Post

Headline

Fiscal support for nursing institutions

Summary

The fiscal department in Changsha city will provide financial subsidies for nursing institutions.

Nursing homes newly-built by social organizations can get a subsidy of 10 thousand yuan for each bed.

Elderly people will also receive bonuses to offset their accommodation at nursing homes.

Shanghai Daily

Headline

Licensed street performer trial extended

Summary

Street performers are to have trial licenses extended and are being given a new spot in Jing'an Park, in Shanghai.

This will lead to more street entertainers being licensed by the city.

Local media watchdog said the licensed street performers trial, which began last October, is being extended for another three months.

Licenses were issued following complaints about performers causing disturbances.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

China to Streamline Rural Medicare

 

Anchor:

China is looking to streamline its rural medical care. How will China do this and what benefits will it have for rural villagers in China? We go to Sam Duckett for the answers.

Report:

China's State Council has recently approved a plan for better rural medical care by deploying more doctors in the countryside.

The plan aims to ensure that every 1,000 residents in the countryside have access to at least one doctor. It looks to do so by redeploying physicians in rural villages, establishing village medical institutions and purchasing medical equipment via public-private partnerships and government subsidies.

Gui Qi is a Master's medical student in China.

"I think it is great that the medical environment in rural villages in China is going to get better. It will also become more convenient for people in rural areas in China to see a doctor. I would consider such an opportunity myself, but I would have to take into account my own career development."

According to the plan, rural doctors will get extra training for free, better further education opportunities and preference in their future careers. They will also receive higher pay and pensions.

A statement released after the State Council meeting promised to optimize the allocation of medical resources and offer them to the general public at an affordable, convenient and efficient medical service.

A huge part of this process will be making sure that rural areas in China have a sufficient amount of pharmaceutical supplies.

Zheng Chong is general manager of a medical research company in Beijing.

"This will have a lot of benefits for the people of China. I myself actually grew up in a rural area of China so I know what the circumstances in these areas are like. I have also devoted my life to medication and our company also aims to improve the pharmaceuticals used by the people in China. So I am personally very happy about the streamlining of Medicare in China."

To achieve this goal all counties in China will have at least one general hospital and a Traditional Chinese medicine hospital. Trans-regional medical institutions will be tried in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta regions.

This will be however, very tough for medical practitioners. There is a vast difference in the individual counties in China in terms of infrastructure, social welfare and lifestyle. The lack of medical resources in the rural parts of China will also mean a vast workload for these doctors when they first arrive.

Zhang Kailin is a doctor in a rural part of Wuhan.

"There are special circumstances where I have to go to see patients at their home during the night or in normal working hours. If I can't go myself then I call the medical center or an ambulance."

Streamlining medical care in China will be no easy task, especially when accounting for how vast China is and how far resources will need to be streamlined. This is however a good cause that will benefit the entire country. It is also an investment that needs to happen.

BACK ANCHOR:

IT's CRI"s Sam Duckett reporting

 

 

Sports

 

 

Aussie Open: Williams, Djokovic Through to Semi-Finals

 

Over in tennis from the Australian Open quarter-finals yesterday:

In women's action:

Serena Williams moved one step closer to her 19th Grand Slam title by beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2 in 65 minutes on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

The number one-ranked Williams displayed her immense power, reeling off heavy returns that included 58 winners compared to 38 from Cibulkova, last year's runner-up.

Madison Keys overcame a left thigh injury to beat Venus Williams 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the Australian Open on Wednesday, ensuring there would be no Williams sisters semi-final.

And in men's action:

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.

Wawrinka will go on to face world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, who remains on course for a fifth Australian Open title after beating Milos Raonic in straight sets.

Djokovic pressed home his advantage, sealing a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-2 victory and maintaining his record of having not dropped a set at this year's tournament.

The world no. 1 says he is hoping to carry the momentum of his victories into his next match against Wawrinka:

"I take a lot of confidence and try to carry that in every next match, next challenge. Obviously, I'm going to play Stan, who is a defending champion here; we played five-set matches in 2013 and 14 at the Australian Open and I'm going to be ready for a fight, but knowing that I have raised the level of performance tonight and have played the best match of the tournament so far is affecting my confidence in a positive way and hopefully I can carry that into the next one."

Today;

In women's action:

Compatriots clash when Serena Williams battles Madison Keys;

And no. 2 Maria Sharapova faces fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

In Men's action; seventh-seed Czech Tomas Berdych will go up against no. 6 Brit Andy Murray.

 

 

Basketball: CBA and NBA action

 

Taking a look at basketball

Over in the CBA last night;

Jilin Northeast took out Tianjin 129-112;

Dongguan beat Zhejiang Chouzhou 114-109;

Xinjiang defeated Qingdao 131-110;

Guangdong Southern destroyed the Bayi Rockets 127-91;

Zhejiang Guangsha downed the Jiangsu Dragons 112-107;

Shanxi defeated Fujian 134-118;

Beijing routed Jiangsu Tong Xi 136-90;

The Sichuan Blue Whales outpaced the Shanghai Sharks 111-100;

Guangdong Foshan beat Chongqing 139-128;

And Liaoning edged Shandong 93-89.

Over in the NBA:

Eleven games on tap this morning, with two tipping off at about 8 a.m., Beijing time:

The Portland Trailblazers will try to put a stop to the Cleveland Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak when they meet on the court. Portland power-forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be starting in that game.

And the Detroit Pistons will meet the struggling Philadelphia 76ers, who are trying to avoid a fourth-straight loss and missing point-guard Michael Carter-Williams due to a respiratory infection.

 

 

Football: Barcelona Beat Atletico Madrid for Quarter-Final Place in King's Cup

 

In football action:

over in La Liga

Barcelona rallied from a point down to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 and clinch a place in the King's Cup quarter-finals.

An early goal from Atletico's Fernando Torres put the Catalans up 1-0, but after a back and forth that saw both sides even at 2-2, Neymar scored the final goal to get Barca the W.

Over in the African Nations Cup:

Ivory Coast beat Cameroon 1-0, while Guinea and Mali tied 1-1.

In England's Capital One Cup:

Sheffield and Tottenham tie at 2-2.

and down at the Coppa Italia:

Juventus beat Parma 1-0.

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo Suspended for Two Games After Send-Off Against Cordoba

 

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo was on Wednesday handed a two-game ban by the disciplinary committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for his sending off against Cordoba on Saturday night.

Ronaldo was given his marching orders for kicking out at Cordoba defender, Edimar, but the fact is that he was lucky not have been sent off earlier after appearing to try and punch one Cordoba defender at a corner kick 10 minutes earlier.

The two game ban conveniently means Ronaldo will be available to face Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderon Stadium in just under two weeks in a match which will be decisive in the battle for the La Liga title.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

CCTV reveals first ever mascot for Spring Festival Gala

 

China Central Television has revealed its first ever mascot for the Spring Festival Gala.

The mascot was named Yangyang.

His name comes from the Chinese zodiac as 2015 means the year of the goat, and Yang means goat.

The broadcaster made the announcement, with a picture, on its Sina Weibo account.

Wu Guanying is one of the designers.

"The most outstanding feature is its cavels which are spiral-like and very huge. These huge cavels indicate its role of bellwether."

Yangyang, wearing a red bellyband stood out and attracted the production team from ten candidates.

It's the first mascot in 33 years since the Spring Festival gala begun.

CCTV's annual variety show has been a huge part of China New Year celebrations since 1984.

This year's show will broadcast on Feb. 18.

 

 

'Chinese Running Man' theme song internet hit

 

The theme song for new comedy "Chinese Running Man" has been released.

And it's caught the attention of thousands of netizens before the movie even landed in cinemas.

The song shares the same title with the film and in Chinese translates as "Ben-Pao-Ba-Xiong-Di".

According to renowned music composer Dong Dongdong, he chose the Chopstick Brothers to sing the song, and they then produced it for the film.

Their recent song "Little Apple" was a huge hit in China last year.

The film is based on a Chinese variety show broadcast on Zhejiang Television.

Its main cast includes Angela Baby, Wang Baoqiang and Zheng Kai.

"Chinese Running Man" will hit cinemas in China tomorrow.

 

 

Bridging The Dragon Launches at the European Film Market

 

The upcoming European Film Market will soon be marking the launch of 'Bridging the Dragon.'

A groundbreaking platform seeking to forge closer strategic ties between film industries in Europe and China.

The Berlin-based organization, is aiming to bridge a divide between these two film communities.

China is expected to become the world's number one film market by 2018.

Prominent companies that have already joined the platform include Chinese giant Bona Film Group, Ridley Scott's Scott Free Films and Dutch family entertainment player Lemming Film.

Bridging the Dragon will bow on February 10 with a panel on co-producing between Europe and China.

As well as organizing get-togethers at major film events, Bridging the Dragon will put out a regular newsletter with updates on the Chinese market, activity of its members in China, and producers' profiles.

 

 

Steve Jobs biopic begins production

 

Universal Pictures has announced that filming has begun on the delayed Steve Jobs biopic.

The film is directed by Danny Boyle and stars Michael Fassbender as the world famous creator of the computer giant 'Apple'.

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, the film goes behind the scenes of the digital revolution painting an intimate portrait of Jobs at its epicenter.

Universal also unveiled the official cast list for the film, including Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels.