| The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
It's Shane Bigham with you on this Sunday, April 12th, 2015.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the program this evening...
boosting railway construction in central and western China...
US allegations that a Chinese supercomputer has been used for nuclear activities have been strongly denied...
And the American president has yet to remove Cuba from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list...
In our weekly sci-tech review: Xuelong returns from Antarctica...
In sports: Lewis Hamilton defends his title at the Chinese Grand Prix...
In entertainment: Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a speech at the Beijing International Film Festival...
Top News
China to Boost Railway Construction in Central, Western Regions: Premier
It has been announced that China will speed up railway construction in central and western regions of the country to lend steam to economic growth.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent the message to a work conference on regional railway development held in southwestern Chongqing municipality.
Premier Li noted that railway construction is crucial to steadying growth, economic restructuring and improving public welfare.
He added that China will continue to focus on developing major railway projects in its central and western regions to boost economic growth.
He said local governments look into investment and financing reform to help the process.
China aims to invest over 800 billion yuan, 130 billion US dollars, in railway construction to put more than 8 thousand kilometers of additional railway lines into operation in the coming years.
US Allegation of China's supercomputer is 'speculation.'
Anchor:
A senior Chinese military expert is blasting the U.S. government for alleging that China's supercomputer was once used for nuclear activities, saying that such claims are entirely unfounded.
The comment follows a move by the US Department of Commerce to revoke Intel's license to sell semiconductor chips to China, for the purpose of updating the machine in question.
CRI's Yu Yang has more.
Reporter:
Tianhe-2, which literally means "Milky Way-2" in Chinese, is believed to have been world's most powerful supercomputer for the past 18 months.
It uses 80,000 Intel Xeon chips to create a computational capacity of more than 33 petaflops.
This means that the computer can undertake some 33 quadrillion floating point operations per second.
This year, the supercomputer is set to increase number-crunching abilities by undergoing a series of upgrades, and the upgrades are mainly depending on new Intel Xeon processor chips.
Intel applied for a license to export tens of thousands of chips to update the Chinese machine but this request was refused by the US government.
US Department of Commerce says this is due to the concern about nuclear explosive activities that may be conducted by the machine.
However Yin Zhuo, a senior Chinese military expert has denounced this decision as absolutely unfounded speculation.
"It is absolutely impossible to conduct such confidential projects as nuclear explosion on a platform that is open to the public. We have a separate system for this. So, I say that it is out of thin air, pure and simple, for the United States to make such speculations. Its purpose is nothing but to restrict China's high-tech developmental capabilities so that China will not become a rival for the United States."
Yin mentions the United States has taken moves to limit US corporations from exporting computer technology to China in recent years.
He reckons such restrictions will, in the long run, tarnish the business reputation of the US.
"The United States has taken the move because in recent years, the overall computing power of China's supercomputer has surpassed that of the United States and, of course, it means a great challenge to its scientific and technological development. Our computer system is open to the society. In addition, we have paid high prices to buy chips from the United States. These companies have huge gains from the deals. If they are willing to sell, we are willing to buy. It is a fair deal conforming to the regulations of the World Trade Organization."
The export restrictions were put in a notice on February 18, introduced by the US Commerce Department.
The notice has also blacklisted four institutions where the Chinese supercomputer would be located, including the National University of Defense Technology, the National Supercomputing Center in Changsha, Guangzhou, and Tianjin.
For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.
Obama yet to remove Cuba from Sponsors of Terrorism List
Anchor:
U.S. President Barack Obama says he has not yet decided on whether to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
The comment comes after the first face-to-face talks between US and Cuban leaders since 1956.
Both Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have hailed their meeting in Panama as a historical moment.
CRI's Luo Wen has more.
Reporter:
During the meeting held on the sidelines of the seventh Summit of the Americas, Obama did not announce Cuba's removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism as was widely expected.
The U.S. State Department has completed the review of Cuba's status and recommended the White House remove Cuba from that list.
Obama has vowed to act quickly once he receives the recommendation.
Cuba was added to the blacklist in 1982 and its presence has been a major sticking point in the restoration of full diplomatic ties between the two countries.
It is one of only four countries on the list, including Iran, Sudan, and Syria.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez held a press conference after the meeting, calling for Cuba's removal from the list.
"Of course there are respective interests, and I mentioned that for Cuba there are fundamental interests related to the list of terrorist countries and the banking services that guarantee the normal functioning - I don't know if anyone knows of an embassy at this moment in the world that does not have banking services, except for the Cuban embassy in Washington."
Other issues Obama must deal with include the thorny question of the US government's five- decades -old embargo against Cuba, and Guantanamo Bay, the US military prison which Cuba regards as occupied territory.
Despite these issues and others, the first formal meeting between American and Cuban leaders in a half-century has been hailed as a historical step.
Pedro Machado lives in Havana.
"I think it's a good opportunity to continue with talks and arrive at a final agreement for a mutual relationship between Cuba and the United States, that we arrive at this point which is what is missing."
During the meeting, Obama said the two countries will be able to end the antagonism of the Cold War era and work together to boost commercial and diplomatic ties.
Meanwhile, Castro said all issues will be on the table, while cautioning that the two countries have "agreed to disagree" on some concerns.
Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, says many challenges still need to be overcome.
"The challenge lies on how to put aside the history over the past several decades, how to deal with the different working logic, highlighted spirit of confrontation as well as the ability to cope with internal affairs which hasn't helped draw the stances of the two sides closer."
The meeting followed a landmark agreement in December.
At that time, Obama and Castro announced they would move to normalize relations, including seeking to restore diplomatic ties that were broken off by Washington in 1961.
Obama's term is set to end in less than two years and the 83-year old Castro has hinted at retiring in two years.
For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.
Maduro Says Meeting with Obama to Bring "relations of respect" with U.S.
The seventh Summit of the Americas has concluded in Panama City.
On the sidelines of the summit, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had a brief meeting with US President Barack Obama.
Maduro says his short encounter with Obama is an "opportunity could open up for relations of respect" between the two countries.
"It was a serious and sincere encounter. We told the truth and I would say it was cordial. As a result of this brief meeting with President Obama, maybe in the near future there could be a possibility to engage in a dialogue with the United States and explore a new path of relations of respect, that is fundamental."
The meeting is widely expected after Maduro called upon Obama to repeal an executive order on Venezuela issued by the White House last month, and led a petition drive against the order.
Bilateral relations between Venezuela and the U.S. soured when Obama declared Venezuela "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security.
In less than a month Maduro collected more than thirteen million signatures under a petition urging Obama to retract his declaration.
Authorities admit loopholes in Tengger Desert pollution case
Authorities in northwest China's Gansu Province have admitted the provincial environmental protection department has loopholes in its supervision over the pollution of the Tengger Desert.
The comment comes as Gansu's provincial government briefed about the investigation into the pollution case.
Ronghua Industry and Trade Company, a firm based in the city of Wuwei, was found to have illegally discharged over 83,000 metric tons of untreated sewage into a pit in the desert since last May.
The sewage has contaminated about 18 hectares of land.
Liang Heping is the spokesperson of the Gansu government.
"Ronghua Company must take legal responsibility. The Party committee and government of Wuwei's Liangzhou district did not pay enough attention to the pollution and did not perform their duties accordingly. The provincial environmental protection department failed to conduct thorough inspection and supervision on high-risk companies. There are loopholes in their work. "
Liang says the authority in Wuwei concealed facts on purpose, adding that officials at the local environmental protection departments are now under investigation.
The company has been shut down and fined over three million yuan.
Two mangers have also been detained.
Most of the sewage has been transferred to treatment plants and the authorities are set to complete an impact assessment report by the end of this month.
Tengger Desert stretches across Gansu, NingXia and Inner Mongolia.
The case is the second involving illegal discharge of waste water to the desert.
The revised Environmental Protection Law was put into use earlier this year.
China's Rising Stock Market Sees Sharp Increase in number of Investors
China's rising stock market is seeing a sharp increase in the number of investors.
Stats show that over 1.6 million new trading accounts were opened on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges during the last week of March.
Zhang Han is with Kunming-based Hongta Securities Company.
"Many people are waiting to open new accounts now. When the stock market turned better some days ago, we received more than 20 people every day. But now, we open trading accounts for about 60 new investors daily."
This week witnessed continued strong momentum of the A-share market.
The Shanghai stock index climbed to a new high when the index exceeded over 4-thousand points on Friday, the highest peak in nearly seven years.
The B shares and H shares also performed well with a number of stocks climbing to their daily limits.
The huge valuation gap has driven many mainland investors to Hong Kong stocks as they consider H shares lower priced compared to Shanghai.
Dalian Home Buyers Flock to Real Estate Fair
A series of policies issued by the central and provincial government recently have added impetus to the housing market.
At a real estate trade fair in Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province, many visitors said they would like to buy a home, if they can find something suitable.
"I'm going to improve my living conditions. I would like to change my small apartment for a bigger one. Now we have the money to afford a house, and also the loan rate has dropped a lot. Once I see an opportunity, I'm going to buy. In previous years, the policies were really strict and we couldn't buy a second home."
Many real estate developers at the fair say the housing market is bouncing back gradually while prices have remained comparatively stable since the new favorable policies were announced.
Chinese authorities last week lowered down payment levels for second home buyers to 40 percent from the current 60 to 70 percent.
The minimum down payment ratio for first-time home buyers who use the government's housing fund was also reduced from 30-percent to 20-percent.
Supporters "Ready for Hillary"
Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her second run for the US presidency today.
Ahead of the formal announcement, her supporters have eagerly announced that they are "Ready of Hillary". Some of them gathered in New York on Saturday to voice their support for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
US Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney attended the rally and addressed the crowd.
"She is a grandmother, a wife, a mother. She knows the problems around the peace table, the international table, the kitchen table of Americans, and has a track record of coming up with solutions. She is an incredible person, a very warm person, and she is going to be a great president."
The rally was organized by the grassroots organization "Ready for Hillary" that was founded two years ago to encourage Clinton to run for the White House in 2016. The group now has over 3.8 million supporters.
Alex Harper who works in finance is one of those supporters. He believes that Hillary is the one who knows how to work with both parties.
"I believe one, Hillary is the most competent candidate that is going to be running in the field of Republican, and or Democrat. And I feel that she is the one who is going to be able to cross the aisle and do what Barack Obama wanted to do originally, but now she is actually going to be able to accomplish it. "
On the same day, US President Barack Obama says his former secretary of state will be an "excellent president".
"She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding Secretary of State. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent President. "
Obama made the comment during a news conference at the Americas summit in Panama City.
Hillary Clinton was Obama's main competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination in the primary elections in 2008. After being defeated, the former first lady endorsed Obama; she and her husband Bill Clinton campaigned actively for him. After Obama was elected president, he nominated Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
US citizens sue State Department for no evacuation in Yemen
Anchor:
41 U.S. citizens have filed a lawsuit against the State Department and Defense Department for allegedly failing to evacuate them from Yemen.
Last month, a 45-year-old Yemeni-American from California was killed by mortar fire in Yemen.
CRI's Guo Yan has more.
Reporter:
The suit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the American-Arab anti-Discrimination Committee, seeks to compel the government to use all available resources to evacuate the stranded U.S. citizens.
"We filed earlier this morning with 41 plaintiffs that include people as young as just a couple of weeks old, United States citizens that are stuck in Yemen. "
U.S. State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke has declined to respond to the lawsuit, saying the department has repeatedly advised Americans in Yemen to leave.
He also says gathering hundreds or thousands of Americans to one place to be evacuated would be unsafe.
"Well, we are unfortunately in a situation where access to Yemen is extremely difficult. And to do so with U.S. government assets could put other lives at risk."
In 2006, over 15,000 Americans were safely evacuated from Lebanon after war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah.
It is estimated that at least 450 Americans are trapped in Yemen right now.
U.S. embassy operations in Yemen were suspended in February and U.S. citizens were encouraged to depart while commercial transportation was still available.
Since March, Saudi Arabia has imposed a no-fly zone over Yemen.
Attorneys allege that because of the no-fly zone, U.S. citizens are forced to try to escape to neighboring countries over dangerous roads or by smuggling themselves via the sea.
In order to leave Yemen, a California native hired a powerboat to take him across the Red Sea to get to East Africa, where he managed to secure a flight through Amsterdam back to San Francisco.
At least eight countries including China and Russia have evacuated their citizens from Yemen.
Nihad Awad is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"We honestly do not understand, why the most powerful military in the world cannot evacuate its citizens from a combat zone like Yemen, while in fact some many countries have evacuated their citizens."
The U.S. has backed the Saudi air strikes in Yemen against the Houthi militants.
For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.
Modi Meets Indian Community Members in France
Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with members of the local Indian community in France.
Modi says India is a country that has sacrificed lives for world peace. The country is asking the world for a seat in the United Nations Security Council.
"(the country which has sacrificed lives for world peace) is desperate to get a seat in the (UN) Security Council. I will request the world that at a time when we are marking the anniversary of the First World War, it is also time to honour the messengers of peace. This is the time to give the land of Gandhi and Buddha its rights. The days when India would have begged for this are over - the country is asking for its right."
It is the second day of Modi's official visit to France. This trip has produced an announcement of plans to buy 36 fighter jets and some other contracts in energy, transport and space exploration.
The other two legs of Modi's tour will be Germany and Canada, all aimed at strengthening relations with India's western partners.
Sudan to Hold Presidential Election
Sudan will hold presidential and parliamentary elections between Monday and Wednesday. Many people believe President Omar Al Bashir will easily take another victory.
Although Sudan's National Elections Commission has approved 15 candidates for the presidential elections, there are barely any posters on the streets except for those of President Bashir.
Mohammed Avad Al Baroudi is one of the candidates.
"We entered into this electoral battle without any funding against a ruling party which has access to many resources. The media has very clearly been biased and almost 90 percent of the time was helpful to the ruling party only."
The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections and calling on people not to vote, citing concerns about transparency.
President Bashir defends the legitimacy of the elections.
"For those who say that the elections should be postponed, we say that the election is the right of the citizens because they determine who their representatives are in the legislative council and the federal legislature besides selecting their president."
71-year-old Bashir has been in power for 25 years. He led the ruling National Congress Party to victory in the last elections in 2010, which were the first multi-party elections in almost 24 years.
Pineapple Science Award: Using Curiosity to Leverage the Earth
Anchor:
Why don't falling raindrops kill mosquitos? How many licks does it take to reach the center of a lollipop? It sounds strange and funny but these are topics covered by researchers who have been named as winners of the 2015 Pineapple Science Award, announced last night in Hangzhou.
Let's follow our reporter Chi Huiguang to find out the answers.
Reporter:
A walk in the rain can be romantic. But for a mosquito, a falling raindrop is like a car hitting a person. How can it survive?
This year's Pineapple Science Award for Physics has been taken by Dr. David L. Hu from the Georgia Institute of Technology, who discovered the little insects' secret: they have extremely strong exoskeletons and are good at Taichi, dropping a little with the raindrop to discharge the force.
Though it sounds funny, the discovery has practical meaning. Dr. Hu explains:
"There are a lot of interesting and small flying robots. The big question is how do they survive outdoors where the air is moving very fast or there's heavy rain. The result has been found that the smaller the organism is, the more strong unforeseen advantages that really can't get destroyed even it is hit very hard."
The winner of 2006 Nobel Prize for physics, Professor George Smoot has been invited to announce the Pineapple physics award. Professor Smoot once played as himself as a guest on the popular TV series "the Big Bang Theory" and humorously mocked the show's Sheldon Cooper. He says he loves the research acknowledged by the Pineapple award:
"I think it's an interesting project, an interesting prize. It's a good thing to celebrating people doing interesting and different science. It relates what the science can be fun or not. Sometimes even the serious projects when yo u hear about it sounds very funny."
The pineapple award for mathematics has been given to the Jinzi Huang Team from New Work University. It offers a long-sought answer to a question from childhood: How many licks does it take to reach the center of a lollipop? By formulating a theory for how flows cause dissolving and shrinking, the researchers calculated an estimate of about 1,000 licks.
Professor Ji Qi's team from Zhengzhou University in China's Henan province has won the biology or medical prize. The result of their research shows monkeys related to each other by blood look alike more.
And the chemistry award has been won by the Wang Liming Team from Zhejiang University who found that it is octopamine that helps fruit flies to look for food, because they have two different nervous systems, one for feeling hungry and one for looking for food.
Other winning research includes the discovery that people who love their names are happier, and the invention of a tattoo that can generate electricity.
With a slogan of Admiring Curiosity, the 4th Pineapple Science Awards have concluded. It has been called the Chinese version of the Ig Nobel Prize, and was jointly launched by China's most popular science and technology social network Guokr.com and Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Museum. It is designed to honor clever and imaginative research, or amusing and silly ideas that arouse public enthusiasm for science.
For CRI, I am Chi Huiguang reporting in Hangzhou.
World largest Tibetan medicine center to be built in China
China's Tibetan medicine center has announced plans to build the world's largest Tibetan medicine and astronomy calendar information center within 10 years.
The Traditional Tibetan Medicine College has collected more than 600 ancient books from monks, farmers, and local scholars.
The work started in 2010.
Nyima Tsering, head of the Traditional Tibetan Medicine College:
"The documentary record experiences of veteran experts and scholars, covering diagnosis, prescriptions, and effective treatment in traditional Tibetan Medicine. Such sorts of things are recorded. We collected them, and retrieved them. We have made some achievements in preserving, tapping and collating the archives of traditional Tibetan medicine."
Tibetan medicine has a near 4,000 year history.
It was listed as part of China's intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
Weather
Beijing has showers tonight with a low of 5, tomorrow sunny to cloudy with a high of 18.
Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 9, tomorrow, mostly sunny, high of 15.
Chongqing is cloudy tonight, 10 degrees the lowest, tomorrow, overcast, high of 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,
Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 32.
Kabul, sunny, 26.
Over in Australia
Sydney, partly cloudy, high of 21,
Brisbane, mostly sunny, 28,
Finally Perth will be mostly sunny with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.
Headline news
1 student dies, 141 injured in Kenya after terror scare at campus
One student has died and 141 have been injured after an electrical transformer exploded at a university in Nairobi, and terrified people stampeded.
A University of Nairobi Vice-Chancellor says the students jumped from windows when they mistook the explosion from the transformer for a terrorist attack.
It happened at 4 o'clock this morning.
The incident comes two weeks after 148 students at Garissa University College were killed during a siege by militants from the Al-Shabaab terror group.
Officials say the students avoided using the main entrance to get out of their dorms, opting to jump from windows because they believed the campus was under attack.
Gunmen attack S. Korean embassy in Libya's Tripoli
The South Korean government has confirmed its embassy in Libya has been attacked by gunmen.
Seoul's foreign ministry says at least one guard was killed today when militants fired at the front of the embassy compound.
The ministry says there are no reported casualties of Korean nationals.
Meanwhile, the country's Yonhap News Agency reports the attack was conducted by the Islamic State group and has left two guards dead and another injured.
China to Boost Railway Construction in Central, Western Regions: Premier
It has been announced that China will speed up railway construction in central and western regions of the country to lend steam to economic growth.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent the message to a work conference on regional railway development held in southwestern Chongqing municipality.
Premier Li noted that railway construction is crucial to steadying growth, economic restructuring and improving public welfare.
He added that China will continue to focus on developing major railway projects in its central and western regions to boost economic growth.
He said local governments look into investment and financing reform to help the process.
China aims to invest over 800 billion yuan, 130 billion US dollars, in railway construction to put more than 8 thousand kilometers of additional railway lines into operation in the coming years.
China approves reforms to three policy banks
The State Council has approved plans to reform three Chinese policy banks.
The banks include the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China and the Agricultural Development Bank of China.
The reforms aim to enable the banks to play better roles in stabilizing economic growth, boosting exports and serving rural economies.
All three banks were set up in 1994.
China Exclusive: Dual-screen YotaPhone to debut in China
A made-in-Russia smartphone is set to go on sale in China in the coming week.
The dual-screen YotaPhone combines a high-definition LCD display on the front with a power-efficient e-ink display on the back.
The handset became well known in China after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave one as a gift to President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit in Beijing last year.
The price of a Yotaphone will start at about 790 U.S dollars, nearly the same as the entry-level model of Apple's iPhone 6.
Sci&Tech
Anchor:
It's time for our Weekly Sci& Tech report. China's 'Xuelong' is returning from its 31st Antarctic trip, a Chinese-led team from Stanford reports a major breakthrough in aluminum battery development, and Xiaomi breaks the world's daily sales volume record.
Let's catch the details with CRI's Wenjie:
Reporter:
The icebreaker "Xuelong" (Snow Dragon), returned to Shanghai on Friday, concluding China's 31st Antarctic expedition.
Members of the mission have completed reconnaissance and survey observations for a planned bio-ecology and research station.
The team also analyzed marine geology; geophysics; marine chemistry, biology, and biotic resources in the Southern Ocean.
Scientists succeeded in drilling ice cores with a total length of 172 meters, which will inform ancient climate study.
The astronomical telescope at Kunlun Station was repaired, and another was installed.
The vessel left Shanghai on Oct. 30 last year.
Thirty-one team members will spend the winter at the Changcheng and Zhongshan stations to conduct research in the fields of meteorology, ecology and polar light.
A Chinese-led research team from Stanford University announced it has developed a rechargeable, high-performance aluminum battery that could be a safe alternative to conventional batteries.
The research will be published in the online edition of Nature on Monday.
By using aluminum for the anode, graphite for the cathode and an ionic liquid as the electrolyte, the Stanford scientists claim they are able to create a battery that charges quickly, is long- lasting, and is inflammable, inexpensive and flexible.
Hongjie Dai, research team leader and professor of Chemistry at Stanford University, says this is a breakthrough as the rechargeable aluminum battery is the first of its kind.
Ming Gong, Graduate student at Stanford University, says the aluminum battery is very safe.
"Commonly, for lithium battery, if you drill a hole through the battery, it will probably catch on fire. But our aluminum battery is inflammable, so if you drill a hole through it, it still runs for a while. It's definitely a very safe battery.”
Besides safety, the battery can be charged within a minute, while it takes hours to charge the lithium battery that most smartphones and laptops use.
The aluminum battery can withstand over 7,500 charge-discharge cycles without losing any capacity, while a typical lithium battery lasts about 1,000 cycles.
Another feature of the aluminum battery is that it can be bent or folded without causing damage or causing a fire risk.
Researchers believe that the aluminum battery can be a safe alternative to alkaline batteries and many other commercial batteries in wide use today.
For future applications, the aluminum battery may also be used within electrical grids to rapidly store and release energy.
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has received a certificate from Guinness World Records to mark the company breaking a world's record in sales.
According to the certificate, the company was recognized for "the most mobile phones sold on a single online platform in 24 hours." A total 2.1 million phones were sold online on Wednesday, two days after the celebration of the company's fifth anniversary.
Statistics from Xiaomi show that the total number of orders was 3 million, and overall sales revenue reached 2 billion yuan ($340 million).
Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest smartphone makers, rolled out a pair of its new Galaxy smartphones on Thursday, one of which has a dual curved screen.
The pair is almost the same in specs, including size, application processor, display, camera and even battery life.
The outstanding difference of Galaxy S6 Edge from Galaxy S6 is a dual curved screen.
The curved screen allows messages, calls and other information to be displayed, even while the phone is lying flat on a surface.
They're set up for wireless charging, meaning improved battery life in comparison to their predecessors.
But according to Will Findlater, the editor-in-chief of the monthly UK-based tech publication Stuff Magazine, the touch and look of the new devices are most important.
"The main thing that you'll notice as soon as you pick it up is that Samsung's made it from glass and aluminum, instead of plastic which has traditionally been a bit of a sticking point for some reviewers when they've been looking at the Samsung device. It feels very premium, it's got an incredible screen - 2k resolution screen which means you can't see any of the pixels at all, no matter how close you get to it. And a seriously impressive camera as well - 16 mega-pixel camera round the back which - as far as Stuff is concerned - is the best we've seen so far in a smart phone."
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge are the latest models from the South Korean tech giant.
They went on sale on Friday in about 20 countries and regions, including South Korea, the United States, Germany and France.
A 3-D printed car could be in your driveway sooner than you think. A US car manufacturer is planning to sell a 3-D printed car called the Strati later this year. It's a two-seater that can go up to 40 kilometres per hour.
Engineered by Phoenix-based Local Motors, the car's frame and panels are printed out of carbon fiber-infused plastic, on a machine that could fit in a single-car garage.
The Strati was made in conjunction with Maryland based Sabic Innovative Plastics.
Scott Fallon is the CEO of Sabic Innovative Plastics.
"Who would have dreamed even five years ago that a 3-D car would be printed, shaped, assembled and driven off the floor of this show. It's absolutely remarkable."
Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers says the Strati is the first of three vehicles the company is planning to sell.
"This particular vehicle, the Strati, will be available within 2015. It may look different, it may have a different shape and that, but as a neighborhood electric vehicle, you'll be able to get them within 2015. We expect the starting price will be between US$18,000 and US$30,000."
It takes about 44 hours to print one Strati, made up of 212 layers. Then it's outfitted with an electric car battery, motor and suspension from French automaker Renault.
"Right now, we're at about 44 hours to build a vehicle by direct digital manufacturing. We hope by the end of the year to be closer to 24 hours, and then we'd hope be able to get it down to somewhere between 10 and 12 hours total."
It's going to be a while before 3D printing catches up with super-cars, but Rogers says the company eventually hopes to make highway-legal cars. For now, the Strati would serve for short, urban trips.
"It weighs about 18-hundred pounds (816 kilograms). It goes, limited, as a top speed of 25 miles (40 kilometres) an hour, carries two people. And it's a neighbourhood electric run-about, as the first of many vehicles."
The manufacturer says the car should last for at least half a decade, and can be recycled.
"If you left it outside in the harshest of elements, you'd have probably five to six years of use. If you garage it and you use it like you would use a normal car, then it will last for much longer."
"And it is fully recyclable. So the good news is, while it's in its life, if it gets cracked or hurt or other things like that, you can take the other components off that are not recyclable, recycle the material. Get a credit for the cost of the material, and have a new vehicle."
And that's this week's sci & tech report, this is Chi WenJie. See you next week!
Sports
Hamilton claims Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai
At Formula One's Chinese Grand Prix, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton took his second straight win in Shanghai as he led all the way through the 56-lap race to cruise to the top of the podium.
The win marks his second victory in three races this season, and his eighth in 10 grands prix dating back to Italy in September last year.
The victory also extended his championship lead to 13 points.
The next Formula One race will take place in Barcelona, Spain on May the 10th.
Chinese Super League Preview
In football ,
Changchun Yatai tied with Jiangsu Sainty 2-2 this afternoon in the fifth round of the Chinese Super League.
Another match has Shanghai SIPG underway against Beijing Guoan.
Two games are on deck tonight,
Shandong Luneng against Guangzhou R&F.
And it's Guangzhou Evergrande taking on Liaoning.
In English Premier League,
Two matches are on the schedule.
Queens Park Rangers are to play league leaders Chelsea.
And it's Manchester United taking on Manchester City.
Golden State Warriors Beat Minnesota Timberwolves 110-101
In NBA action from this morning,
The Golden State Warriors broke their franchise record with their 37th home win, a 110-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They have lost only twice at home and lead the NBA with a 65-15 record.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points for the Warriors.
Before the game, Minnesota released a statement saying point guard Ricky Rubio will have exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left ankle, on Monday in Southern California.
Rubio has played 22 games this season after spraining his ankle early in the year.
He has played only once since March 13th and sat out his 13th consecutive game today.
In other action,
New York beat Orlando 80-79.
Toronto beat Miami 107-104.
Philadelphia lost to Chicago 114-107.
LA Clippers beat Memphis 94-86.
And it's Utah got by Portland 111-105.
Madison Keys Beats Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-4 in Charleston Semis
In tennis,
Madison Keys reached the final of the WTA's Family Circle Cup in Charleston with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Lucie Hradecka.
The 20-year-old Keys will face fifth-seed Angelique Kerber in the championship match.
Kerber beat defending champion Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
Moving to the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston,
Sam Querrey set up an all-American final against Jack Sock at the tournament on Saturday, following a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 win over the defending champion Fernando Verdasco.
The match will be the first showdown between two Americans anywhere in an ATP Tour final since Mardy Fish topped John Isner in Atlanta in July 2011.
Pittsburgh Penguins clinch post-season spot by beating Buffalo Sabres 2-0
In NHL,
Brandon Sutter scored twice and Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in the Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff-clinching 2-0 win over the last-place Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, the final day of the NHL regular season.
The Penguins, who will face the New York Rangers in the first round, limped into the playoffs by going 4-9-2 over their final 15 games.
In other action,
Ottawa clinched the eighth and final spot in the east by beating Philadelphia 3-1.
NY Rangers beat Washington 4-2.
San Jose lost to Los Angeles 4-1.
Minnesota lost to St. Louis 4-2.
Calgary went down to Winnipeg 5-1.
Detroit beat Carolina 2-0.
Columbus beat NY Islanders 5-4.
Montreal beat Toronto 4-3.
New Jersey lost to Florida 3-2.
Tampa Bay beat Boston 3-2.
Dallas downed Nashville 4-1.
Colorado beat Chicago 3-2.
Anaheim beat Arizona 2-1.
And it's Vancouver over Edmonton 6-5.
Jordan Spieth Retains Lead in Third Round of Masters Tournament
In golf,
Jordan Spieth carded a two-under 70 on Saturday to take a four-shot lead into the final round the Masters.
Just as he had at the midway stage, the 21-year-old set a new 54-hole scoring record for the Masters, breaking the previous mark shared by Raymond Floyd and Tiger Woods by one stroke.
He is looking forward to the final round.
"I was just anxious to get started, but when I got out there and saw a couple putts go in, I felt really comfortable. And that's good. I mean, that gives me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow. I think it's a new position -- it was a new position for me and I feel like tomorrow I'm going to approach -- it's not like Saturday versus Sunday should make any difference to me."
Spieth tied for second in his first Masters last year, when he led by two strokes with 11 holes remaining.
Zhou Qi Tagged as Next Chinese Star to Land NBA
Basketball player Zhou Qi, who currently plays for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association, has been tagged as the most promising Chinese star to be included in the NBA's 2016 draft.
The 19-year-old collected two points, three boards and three blocks in 12 minutes on Saturday in the World Select team's 103-100 victory over team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit.
Zhou is nearly 2.2 meters tall and his wingspan is an amazing 2.30 meters wide, even better than that of former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.
The Draft Express website lists Zhou as a first round draft candidate next year.
However, word is he needs to build up his body first as he is currently viewed as too thin for the NBA.
Entertainment
Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming to China
Movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming to China.
Organizers of the Beijing International Film Festival say the actor will make a speech at the event, which begins on Thursday.
The exact date and time of the star's appearance hasn't been revealed.
Schwarzenegger has two films coming out this year - the zombie film "Maggie" and "Terminator: Genisys."
The opening and closing ceremonies for the Film Festival will be held at Yanqi Lake where the APEC meetings were held last year.
More than 900 movies representing 90 countries are to be screened. The Beijing International Film Festival will end on the April 23.
"Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere's on HBO tonight
Today is the day millions of "Game of Thrones" fans across the globe have been waiting for, as season five debuts tonight on HBO.
It's been almost ten months since season four ended with twists surrounding Half-Man, the Onion Night, John Snow, Kingslayer and Mother of Dragons.
Season five promises to be thrilling, just as bloody and sexually scandalous, with all the political intrigue as the previous seasons.
According to reports there will be as many as nine new characters joining the fantasy show.
Critics are already declaring it as Game of Thrones' best season to date.
Writing for "The Incredibles 2" has begun
More than a year after the sequel was announced, writing for "The Incredibles 2" has finally begun.
Director Brad Bird who was also behind Pixar's "Ratatouille" revealed in a recent interview that he had started writing the sequel.
Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors at the company's headquarters last year that Pixar was planning a sequel to "The Incredibles" along with a third installment of its "Cars" franchise.
"The Incredibles" was released in late 2004 and went on to gross $631 million worldwide.
Chinese films draw attention at Houston film festival
Several Chinese feature films and documentaries screened at a renowned film festival in the U.S. have been well received by locals and movie professionals.
The 48th World Fest; Houston International Film Festival had a "China Day" where seven Chinese films made their U.S. premiere screenings at the event.
Organizers said it was the first time that films made by Chinese producers were imbedded into the festival as a unit.
The unit, called Panorama China, is composed of four feature films and three documentary shorts.
The Chinese films included "So Young," directed by famous actress and producer Zhao Wei, "China Women" and "Hua Mulan."
The World Fest; Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1961, is one of the three original international film festivals in North America, after San Francisco and New York.
It is the only international film festival in North America to be completely dedicated to independent films.
Jon Bon Jovi delves into reality TV
American rock singer Jon Bon Jovi is diving into reality TV, partnering with TWC Dimension to produce a new series called 'If I wasn't a rock star.'
The series will follow rock stars back to their hometowns, where they will then have time to reflect on how their lives would be different if they weren't famous.
In a statement Bon Jovi said he was drawn to this project because it will be a celebration of the working men and women in this country.
The band Bon Jovi has kept a relatively low profile since their last album "What About Now" was released in 2013.
Weather
Beijing has showers tonight with a low of 5, tomorrow sunny to cloudy with a high of 18.
Shanghai is cloudy tonight with a low of 9, tomorrow, mostly sunny, high of 15.
Chongqing is cloudy tonight, 10 degrees the lowest, tomorrow, overcast, high of 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,
Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 32.
Kabul, sunny, 26.
Over in Australia
Sydney, partly cloudy, high of 21,
Brisbane, mostly sunny, 28,
Finally Perth will be mostly sunny with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.
That’s it for this weekend edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick look at the headlines before we go...
boosting railway construction in central and western China...
US allegations that a Chinese supercomputer has been used for nuclear activities have been strongly denied...
And the American president has yet to remove Cuba from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list...
In our weekly sci-tech review: Xuelong returns from Antarctica... |