Morning Edition

Paul James with you on this Friday, May 1, 2015.

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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Slight rays of hope of finding survivors are emerging from quake-ravaged Nepal, with two people pulled alive from the rubble over the past day.

A warning from the Chinese military has issued its response to the new defense guidelines issued this week by the US and Japan.

The Calbuco volcano in Chile is once-again creating havoc.

In Business.... reports suggest China's soon-to-be-merged rail giants are looking at taking over one of their Canadian rivals.

In Sports.... Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins named the NBA's rookie of the year.

In entertainment... A new trailer for a UK crime thriller has been unveiled.

Top News

Two rescued in Nepal quake after 5 days

Anchor

While some 6-days have now passed since Saturday's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, search and rescue crews are still holding out hope of finding more people alive.

The optimism has been buoyed by the rescue of two people trapped below the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kathmandu yesterday.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara has more.

Reporter

A huge crowd cheered as Nepal and US rescue workers pulled out 15-year-old boy Pemba Lama from the rubble under a collapsed apartment complex in Kathmandu, late last night.

Stories like this, of survivors being found, are still trickling in, nearly a week since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked Nepal.

Pemba Lama says he survived by drinking water from wet clothes and eating butter.

At the same time, a woman in her 20's has also been pulled alive from a collapsed apartment block where she had been trapped alongside three corpses.

Israeli Rescuer Yotam Polizer says her story of survival is almost unbelievable.

"There was another body above her that kind of blocked the walls and rocks from collapsing and also created some kind of air pocket that enabled her to breath and to survive for, for more than 130 hours without drinks, without food."

Both survivors have been taken to an Israeli-run field hospital.

Lieutenant Libby Weiss with the Israeli Military's Medical Team says the female survivor remains in critical condition.

"Her situation right now is quite serious. She came in and was conscious and was able to speak, but we did see that she was having trouble breathing, so she was intubated and now really the main focus is to deal with the serious chest injury that she has."

Despite the optimism following the discovery of the two survivors, bad weather is hampering the relief deliveries to remote villages.

Relief efforts in Nepal's rural areas have been relying heavily on helicopters.

Mountain roads continue to be blocked by landslides.

On top of this, medical officials are growing increasingly concerned about the outbreak of disease.

Doctors are reporting an increase of people becoming ill.

Thousands are still living out in the open and drinking contaminated water.

Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities have announced that climbing on Mount Qomolangma, or Mount Everest, is going to resume in the near future.

Officials had originally decided to cancel the spring claiming season on Everest.

However, repairs to the climbing path have allowed Nepalese officials to re-think their earlier assessments.

Avalances caused by Saturday's quake left 18 people dead on Everest.

Mountaineering in the Himalayan range is one of Nepal's main sources of income.

The country faces a reconstruction bill well-exceeding 10-billion US dollars.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

Nepal Earthquake: a heavy blow to Nepal's cultural heritages

Anchor

This past weekend's massive earthquake in Nepal has not only led to thousands of deaths, it's also destroyed numerous temples and historic monuments dating back centuries.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

Reporter

Piles of bricks, wooden beams and other debris are littered throughout Durbar Square in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

At least 3 of the 7 World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley have been completely destroyed.

The iconic 9-storey Dharahara tower, a major tourism attraction in Kathmandu, has been reduced to just its base.

Ye Liang, a Chinese Buddhist teacher based in Kathmandu, is doing his utmost to try to draw attention to the destruction of Nepal's cultural heritage.

"Here, I am calling for immediate action to preserver the Changgu Narayan Temple, which is a key world cultural heritage site in Nepal. Fortunately, the main body of the temple is still standing. However, the cracks in the walls suggest it may be in danger of collapsing in the near future."

The United Nation's cultural agency, UNESCO, is describing the scale of damage caused by last Saturday's earthquake as "very rare" among any natural disaster in modern history.

UNESCO says many of the temple complexes located in the communities of Katmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan are "almost fully destroyed".

This could be a deadly blow to the country's tourism industry, which accounts for around 8-percent of Nepal's GDP.

Despite the extensive damage, Buddhist scholar Ye Liang says the community in Kathmandu is already working to try to recover.

"Overall, people in Nepal are quite optimistic. Many shops resumed business the day after the earthquake, and a lot of religious groups have organized worship ceremonies. Because the nation just went through a 20-year-long civil war, which ended in 2006, many people didn't have full access to electricity and water even before the quake. They are able to cope with the disaster, perhaps better than most others."

UNESCO is now working on a detailed survey of the damage to each of Nepal's historical sites.

Wang Bing with the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture says one of the issues planners will have to deal with is religion.

"There is a general consensus around the world that renovation is the most common method to deal with destroyed cultural heritage. However, things could be different for Nepal, which is a country with strong religious background. Since these heritage sites are living temples for residents to pray at every day, rebuilding them completely might be the better way to go."

While devastating, this past Saturday's earthquake isn't the first shock to Nepal's culture in recent history.

An earthquake estimated at an 8.0 hit the country in 1935, causing significant damage to many of Nepal's major temples.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

Chinese army builds second resettlement for quake victims in Tibet

A second resettlement site for Tibetan victims of the Nepal earthquake has been set up.

The resettlement site is located on the outskirts of the city of Xigaze.

It's been set-up to to house the 6-thousand people who are being evacuated from the border town of Zham.

Liu Weiyi with the Tibetan Military Command says the tents they've set-up are designed for the long-term.

"These people aren't going to live here for just one or two days. So in order to make our Tibetan compatriots live more comfortably, we have reinforced the tents to make things more convenient for them."

Thousands have been left homeless in Tibet by Saturday's earthquake.

The official death toll stands at 25.

Four others are still listed as missing.

China warns U.S.-Japan defense guidelines against undermining 3rd party interests

The Chinese Ministry of Defense has voiced its concern about the new US-Japan defense guidelines released this week.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Geng Yansheng.

"The Japan-U.S. alliance is a bilateral arrangement made under special historical conditions. It should not go beyond its bilateral scope or undermine third parties' interests. Any attempt to improve military capacity by means of military alliance, contain the development of other countries and seek its own interests will be doomed to fail."

As part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's week-long trip to the United States, the US and Japanese militaries have signed off on a new defense prerogative.

Under the new agreement, the US will coordinate with the Japanese military in any overseas activities the Japanese military engages in.

This follows a re-interpretation of Japan's pacifist constitution by the Abe administration.

The current Japanese constitution was drafted by the US government following World War II.

China opposes U.S. cyber security strategy's accusations against Beijing

China's Ministry of Defense is voicing its opposition to the new cyber security strategy outlined by the Pentagon.

The US Defense Department's latest report suggests the military should be able to use the internet to disrupt a potential enemy's battlefield capabilities.

Deng Yansheng with the Chinese Defense Ministry suggests the US side should be acting more responsibly.

"With its great edge in cyber technology, we believe the United States should help manage the world cyberspace by example. The United States should do more to promote common security in cyberspace rather than simply seek its own security using its military strength."

The Pentagon paper has also included a section about alleged Chinese cyber espionage.

In response, the Chinese side notes China continues to be the victim of cyber attacks itself, and is fundamentally opposed to hacking in any form.

Abe's Speech Sparks Anger among Neighbors

The Chinese government has issued its response to this week's speech to the US Congress by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In addressing a joint meeting of the US Congress, Abe has offered condolences for Americans killed during World War II, but stopped short of apologizing for its wartime atrocities.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei suggests the Japanese side needs to do more to become a leading member of the international community.

"The Chinese side has always urged the Japanese government and Japanese leaders to deal with historical issues with a sense of responsibility and to stay true to its statements and commitments about reflecting upon its history of aggression. Only by doing this can Japan convince the international community and build friendly relationships with its Asian neighbors."

At the same time, the South Korean government has also blasted Abe's speech to US lawmakers.

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Noh Kwang-il suggests his speech lacked sincerity.

"As Japan has made clear during the speech at the US Congress, it is important to gain trust and build harmonious relationships with the international community by admitting the past and reflecting on their previous wrongdoing, in order to contribute to world peace. However, Japan's conduct is inconsistent in that it is moving in the opposite direction."

North Korea has also criticised Abe, calling on him to stop covering up Japan's "past wrongdoings."

Baltimore police disclose new finding in Freddie Gray case

Police in the US city of Baltimore have revealed the officers transporting the young black man who later died in their custody made an undisclosed stop while on their way to the station.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts says the state attorney's office is now investigating.

"We dedicated 30 plus detectives, their full time job was focused on this case and only this case, including lab personnel and academy personnel and homicide detectives in our fifth team. The family and the community and the public deserve transparency and truth. The task force heeded my call and we have exhausted every lead at this point in time. But this does not mean that the investigation is over. "

Prosecutors are now looking into whether the 6 police officers involved in Freddie Gray's arrest will face charges.

An autopsy following his death has revealed his spine was nearly severed during his arrest.

His death last week has prompted riots throughout Baltimore this week.

Meanwhile, around 100 people have been arrested in New York following mass demonstrations connected to Gray's death.

Chilean volcano Calbuco erupts again

The Calbuco in Chile has erupted for the third time in eight days, firing out a new cloud of ash and gas.

Calbuco had been quite for around a week after springing back to life last weekend.

The new eruption has forced another 15-hundred people from their homes.

Chilean Deputy Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy says the latest eruption isn't as powerful as the first ones.

"The seismic intensity of this eruption is much lower than that of the others, particularly the first, and then the second. The ash cloud reaches no more than four kilometers in height. You will remember that the first reached 17 kilometers. It will affect the zones south of the volcano, in terms of the ash,"

Calbuco sprung back to life last week, ejecting some 200-million tonnes of ash.

This has forced hundreds to flee their homes.

It's also severely impacted the local fishing sector, on top of forcing the cancellation of flights as far as the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, some 14-hundred kilometers away.

Pakistan court jails 10 Taliban militants for Malala Yousafzai attack

A court in Pakistan has jailed 10 Taliban militants for life connected to the shooting Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012.

The teenager was shot several time while boarding her school bus in northwest Pakistan.

Prosecutor Sardar Khan says the verdict should be a message to fundamentalists hoping to disrupt the education of girls in Pakistan's tribal areas.

"Malala Yousafzai is a Nobel prize winner and the whole country and Pashtuns are proud of it. So, the court decision has increased the credibility of our judicial system. Those who indulge in criminal and unconstitutional acts are punished accordingly."

23-year-old Ataullah Khan, who has been identified as the man leading the attack, remains at-large.

The Taliban believes girls should only be given a rudimentary education, with reading and writing often considered an affront to the Taliban's interpretation of the Koran.

Malala Yousafzai, who survived the attack, was targeted for being outspoken about female education in Pakistan's tribal areas.

The now-17-year old has since become a global champion for education for girls.

Restriction on Baby Formula Advertising Receives Mixed Reactions

Anchor

Chinese law makers have passed an amendment to the country's Advertising Law that restricts baby formula advertising, which, in part, is designed to try to promote breast feeding among new mothers.

The changes to the law are being met with mixed reactions.

CRI's Tu Yun has more.

Reporter

The new amendment stipulates that "Dairy products, drinks and other food advertisements that claim to be partial or complete substitutes for mother's milk shall be banned from the mass media or public venues".

The move has been welcomed by people who champion breastfeeding as the best source of nutrition for newborns, as breastfeeding improves babies' immune systems and reduces the likelihood of obesity in adulthood.

Statistics show that less than one third of infants younger than six months were 100 percent breastfed in China in 2008.

And the number is declining.

In order to reverse this situation, the Chinese government has set a goal to raise the number of babies to 50 percent by 2020.

And it has introduced measures to encourage breast feeding, such as building dedicated rooms in public venues for new mothers.

Hospitals are also encouraging new mothers to feed their babies themselves.

Tang Zheng is with the International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital.

"In our hospital, unless the mothers need medication or a baby needs treatment, we encourage new mothers to breastfeed their babies as soon as possible. 90 percent of the mothers in our hospital breastfeed their babies."

China enacted a law to prohibit the advertisement and promotion of breast milk substitutes twenty years ago. However, its enforcement lacks teeth as the punishment is limited to warnings, confiscation or small fines.

This time, the maximum fine for a violation amounts to one million yuan, which is over 160-thousand US dollars.

However, Zhang Dianyuan, a professor at Fudan University's School of Journalism says the new regulation may not be strictly enforced:

"The big dairy companies may not be able to change the law, they could use their big public relations influence to avoid punishment. For medium and small companies, the penalty for violating the rule is very low, and they can make a lot of money by violating it."

What professor Zhang says is based on China's baby formula market.

China has about 16 million new-borns every year and the baby formula market is worth 18 billion yuan.

Many companies are prepared to take the risk of being fined to make profits in this enormous market.

Meanwhile, some mothers say they will still buy formula products, as they are not really affected by advertising. Their knowledge about baby formula products mostly comes from friends and peers.

" The ads for baby formula products won't affect me. I talk to my friends and then decide whether to use milk powder."

"My friends and I share our experiences with formula milk. I've also looked for some information online."

The change in the law only restricts ads in the mass media, but there is not a clear definition of just what that phrase means.

And an increasing number of formula products are using new marketing techniques, employing new media and peer to peer marketing.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.

China, S Korea, Japan to Step up Anti-Pollution Coop

Anchor

The Environment Ministers from China, South Korea and Japan have signed a joint action plan to tackle environmental issues over the next five years.

The main focus of the new agreement includes air pollution, sand storms and mercury contamination.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

Reporter

The 17th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting between China, South Korea and Japan has been held in Shanghai.

Ministers signed the Tripartite Joint Action Plan on Environmental Cooperation on Thursday, agreeing on lists of specific joint activities in nine priority areas.

The nine priority areas include air quality improvement; biodiversity; chemical management and environmental emergency response.

Chinese environment minister Chen Jining says China has made progress in combating air pollution, as the average density of fine particle matter or PM 2.5 in 74 cities adopting a new air quality index has dropped.

"In the first quarter of this year, the decreasing trend sped up. The average PM 2.5 density in 74 cities decreased by 16 percent. PM 2.5 density in cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was reduced by more than 27 percent. "

Japanese environment minister Mochizuki Yoshio proposed that the three countries will step up their cooperation in the fields of monitoring technologies and emission reduction measures.

"China, Japan and South Korea will continue their discussion about policies combating air pollutions. Such discussions have been successfully held twice before. We will share information and jointly carry out research in terms of monitoring technologies, survey methods and emission reductions measures… At this meeting, we have agreed to build two working groups in charge of air pollution."

South Korean environment minister Yoon Seongkyu added that dust and sand storm forecasting will be another priority for the trilateral cooperation initiative.

"The three countries will build a research group composed of 30 experts. Each country will dispatch 10 people for studies related to dust and sand storms. Actually, the trilateral cooperation regarding monitoring and forecasting of sand storms started in 2002. "

According to Yoon Seongkyu, the meeting agreed a research plan on dust and sand storms over the next five years, aimed at improve forecasting accuracy.

The Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting was first held in 1999. The three countries rotate the hosting of the meeting annually.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen

A Dragon Flies High over Sky of Silk Road

Anchor

As part of the Chinese government's push to promote the "Belt and Road" initiative, a traditional Chinese Dragon Dance troupe from Shaanxi is being mobilized to help showcase traditional Chinese culture abroad.

CRI's Xu Fei caught up with the man in-charge of the dance troupe.

Reporter

The "Belt and Road" refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, mainly international trade and infrastructure projects.

The initiative, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Central Asia and Southeast Asia in 2013, is a new endeavor by China to further open up and integrate into the global economy.

Years before the Belt and Road proposal, Xia Faming had invented a unique dragon dance performance in the air and achieved popularity when it was performed at an area near the Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor in Shaanxi.

Xia Faming feels proud that his show is becoming increasingly popular.

"The flying dragon show is performed each year at the ceremony of the Emperor Mausoleum. Traffic jams can often be seen near the Mausoleum area. In fact, as the dragon reaches above a height of 10,000 meters, it would explode. On rare occasions, the fractured pieces of dragon might fall in the yard of local farmers' house. Then that farmer and his neighbors in nearby villages would burn incense for public worship in a belief that it would bring them good fortune.

The air show is oftentimes awe-inspiring, and Xia Faming thinks the spirit the flying dragon conveys will be enlarged on the new "Belt and Road".

1 male in Mandarin Chinese 39"

"The dragon is 56-meter long, with an eight-meter long, one-meter diameter head. It could first fly dozens of meters up high sky and finally reach a height of above 10,000 meters. Flying dragon conveys a spirit of getting united, tolerant and progressive, which coincides with what are expected to happen on the Silk Road, in terms of China's wide-range cooperation with other countries situated all along this road. The dragon flies over the sky of Silk Road also carrying China's good wishes for cultural exchanges."

Xia now heads an art troupe that dedicates to air shows about local folk art.

His latest endeavor is taking a famous fresco of Flying Fairies, which is a symbol of Dunhuang's art, up to the sky.

Dunhuang, located in the southwest of Gansu, was the last stop on the ancient Silk Road in West Asia. Dancing images in Dunhuang frescoes are a brilliant gem for all human beings.

President Xi Jinping once said the 'Belt and Road' initiatives will not be a solo project for China but a real cooperation comprising all countries along the route. And Chinese culture is destined to shine in this chorus on the international stage.

Back Anchor

CRI's Xu Fei reporting.

Weather

Beijing will see rainy today with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 14.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 25 and a low of 17.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 28 and lows of 18.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,

Kathmandu, thunderstorms, 25.

Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 32.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 24.

Over to North America,

New York will be cloudy with a high of 15 degrees.

Washington, showers with a high of 19 degrees.

Honolulu, showers, 26.

Toronto, Canada, will be partly cloudy with a high of 19 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be partly cloudy with a high of 25.

And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Headline news

Two rescued in Nepal quake after 5 days

While some 6-days have now passed since Saturday's devastating earthquake in Nepal, search and rescue crews are still holding out hope of finding more people alive.

The optimism has been buoyed by the rescue of two people trapped below the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kathmandu yesterday.

Nepal and US rescue workers pulled out 15-year-old boy Pemba Lama from the rubble under a collapsed apartment complex in Kathmandu, late last night.

At the same time, a woman in her 20's has also been pulled alive from a collapsed apartment block where she had been trapped alongside three corpses.

Both survivors have been taken to an Israeli-run field hospital.

Chinese army builds second resettlement for quake victims in Tibet

A second resettlement site for Tibetan victims of the Nepal earthquake has been set up.

The resettlement site is located on the outskirts of the city of Xigaze.

It's been set-up to to house the 6-thousand people who are being evacuated from the border town of Zham.

Thousands have been left homeless in Tibet by Saturday's earthquake.

The official death toll stands at 25.

Four others are still listed as missing.

NASA spacecraft crashes into Mercury, creating 16-meter-wide crater

NASA says its MESSENGER spacecraft has slammed into the surface of Mercury, creating a 16-meter-wide crater on the planet's surface.

The crash of the probe, which had been in-orbit of Mercury for the last 11-years, went unobserved, as it hit the side of the planet facing toward the sun.

MESSENGER began orbiting Mercury in March of 2011.

The probe was able to accurately determine the planet's surface composition, its geological history, its magnetic field and polar deposits.

Those deposits, despite Mercury's proximity to the sun, are thought to be made of water.

WHO approves China's Ebola test

The World Health Organization has approved an Ebola testing reagent developed by a Shanghai company.

The real-time diagnostic kit is being recommended for use to help diagnose Ebola patients around the world.

Approval by the WHO follows on the heels of the China Food and Drug Administration giving its nod to the use of the reagent.

Testing for Ebola has been cited as one of the underlying factors behind the massive death toll in West Africa over the past year.

Medical officials say early diagnosis of the virus can sharply increase a victim's chance of survival.

DPRK top leader cancels planned visit to Russia

Russia has confirmed that North Korea's top leader has canceled his planned visit to Moscow for the Victory Day celebration on May 9.

The Kremlin says Kim Jong Un cited interior affairs as the reason for his absence.

The Russian authority notes that Kim's decision has nothing to do with objections from western countries to his presence in Moscow.

Biz reports

Anchor

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

Joining me on the desk, Niu Honglin.

Reporter

U.S. markets ended lower again on Thursday, with downbeat corporate results and mixed economic data dampening market sentiment.

In corporate news, shares of LinkedIn plunged over 20 percent after the company reported a first quarter loss, citing a strong US dollar and slower-than-expected growth.

Time Warner Cable's shares also fell 1.5 percent after posting a disappointing first quarter.

On the economic data front, the US Labor Department reported 262-thousand people applied for jobless claims in the week ending April 25th.

This is the lowest level in 15-years.

However, the upbeat employment data fell in the shadow of the 0.2 percent GDP growth registered for the US economy through the first quarter.

At close,

The Dow Jones dipped 1.1 percent.

The S&P 500 shed 1 percent.

The Nasdaq plunged 1.6 percent.

Over in Europe,

Major European indices saw a rebound after a massive sell-off on Wednesday, thanks mostly to German employment figures.

Stats out of Germany show the number of unemployed people in the country stands at 2.84 million, the lowest in the country's post-war history.

At the close,

Both the UK's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX edged up 0.2 percent.

France's CAC 40 gained 0.1 percent.

China to impose tougher administrative penalties on banking industry

The China Banking and Regulatory Commission is bringing in tougher rules surrounding banks which break its rules.

Under the new regulations, individuals caught breaking CBRC rules could face life-time bans from the banking sector.

Wang Kejin with the CBRC says this represents a fundamental change in the way they deal with regulatory offenders.

"The original regulations didn't state clearly the punishments for violations. So, administrative penalties have mostly been focused on the organization, not the individual. The obscure regulations weakened the strength of our administrative penalties and compromise deterrence. It's not good for the steady and healthy development of the banking industry."

The amended rules also allow for violators to be punished in both in the place where the violations occurred, as well as where the company is registered.

Apple Watch faces delivery delays due to faulty component

The delivery of the new Apple Watch may be delayed because of a defective component.

It's being reported a component called the 'taptic engine,' which is designed to produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist, has been breaking down quickly.

The component itself has been mass-produced by a company based in Shenzhen.

Reports are suggesting Apple has already moved the production of 'taptic' to another supplier in Japan.

However, reports say it may take time for the Japanese firm to increase its production to fill the backlog.

Apple has not yet made an official comment on the report.

Profit growth of China's big five banks falls

New analysis shows the net profits of China's five major state-owned commercial banks increased less than 2-percent in the first quarter.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has posted a 1.4 percent year-on-year increase in its first-quarter net profits.

This is down from the 6.6 percent growth seen during the same period last year.

China Construction Bank is reporting a 1.9 percent first-quarter growth.

Bank of China has reported growth of just under one percent.

This is down sharply from the 14.3 percent growth seen through the first quarter of last year.

Agricultural Bank of China has come in at 1.3 percent.

Bank of Communications saw its profits increase 1.5 percent through Q1.

call-in Corporate News of the Week with Doug Young

Anchor

Let's check out some of the main events taking place on the corporate front in China this week.

Joining me on the line now is Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

Story 1:

Baidu posts first quarter profit decline

Chinese internet search engine Baidu is reporting its net profit declined 3.4 percent in the first three months.

This despite the company's sales revenue surging 34 percent to hit over 12.7 billion yuan or 2 billion US dollars.

Company chair Robin Li said revenues generated from the mobile sections now make up 50 percent of the overall income.

Questions:

1. Baidu has rarely reported a profit fall, especially when the sales revenue was on a 34 percent increase. Where did the earnings go?

2. Baidu has been competing with the other two tech giants Alibaba and Tencent in almost every regard, online financing and mobile payments as such, are these move getting any headways?

Story 2:

Alibaba has announced an end to new hiring for the rest of this year.

Company chairman Jack Ma said the move is to arrest the e-commerce giant's overheated pace of expansion.

Ma added that Alibaba will only hire when someone leaves his current position, which means the company's payroll will be maintained at roughly 30,000 people.

Alibaba earlier announced that it aims to serve more than 2 billion consumers in the next four years.

The company is also boosting growth overseas as it has launched new tools and platforms including a cross-border payment tool similar Alipay.

Questions:

1. Does this make any sense that one of the biggest private employers is halting new hiring to ease its pace of growth?

2. Will Alibaba's current 30,000 strong labor force able to accommodate its expansion strategy overseas?

3. Alibaba has invested in health care, digital entertainment, online mapping and even smartphone manufacturing, is the company really doing investors a favor to have such diversified business?

Back Anchor:

Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

Chinese firm becomes co-contractor of Russia's high-speed rail project

A Chinese company has been brought on board to help build a high-speed railway line link Russia's capital Moscow and the city of Kazan in the Urals.

China Railway ErYuan Engineering Group is teaming up with a pair of Russian companies to help complete the project.

The Chinese stake in the project has not been revealed.

The rail project, said to be worth 380-million US dollars, is expected to be complete by the end of next year.

The Moscow-Kazan railway will become the first to adopt high-speed rail tracks in Russia.

High-speed trains running among Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novgorod still use regular tracks.

Chinese trainmakers seek control of Bombardier's rail unit

Soon-to-be-merged Chinese trainmakers are reportedly in discussions with Bombardier about possibly buying a controlling stake in the Canadian company's railway unit.

It's being reported CSR and CNR are preparing to continue their discussions with Bombardier after the completion of their merger next week.

Bombardier has been exploring a possible sale of all, or part, of its railway business.

The company has been dealing with huge cost overruns in its aircraft division.

Fosun Seals 2nd NYC Property Project

Chinese conglomerate Fusun has become involved in a new property project in New York City.

Fosun and local partner JD Carlisle are preparing to build a 47-story tower on Madison Avenue.

The luxury residential development will consist of 174 homes.

The new deal follows Fosun's purchase of One Chase Manhattan Plaza back in 2013.

EU luanches anti-dumping probe into Chinese steel bar makers

The European Union is launching an anti-dumping probe into steel bars imported from China.

The EU is responding to a joint-complaint by around a quarter of European steel makers.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has since responded, saying only that Chinese steel exporters should "take note."

The EU investigation is expected to last around 15-months.

So far no initial duties have been imposed on Chinese steel bar imports.

Sports

NBA: Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins Named Rookie of the Year, Playoff Preview

In hoops action from the National Basketball Association playoffs:

On the court right now for game six of their series, it's the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Chi-town is up three games to two and sit one win away from the next round, but they blew their three-win lead, dropping games 4 and 5 to the Bucks.

In today's other game:

The Los Angeles Clippers take on the San Antonio Spurs:

The Spurs currently lead the series 3 games to 2.

In off-court news:

Minnesota Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

Wiggins averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and hitting the court in all 82 NBA games of his first season.

The Toronto native says speaking to his father helped him face the league's high level of competition:

"You know, after every game I talked to my dad and he told me what I need to do and what I should do better. He never sugar-coats nothing with me. He's not just going to tell me everything is sweet. He's going to be honest with me. What I need to do and that's where I got my grind from really. I'm not really scared of anybody no matter who I go up against I'm going to try and face them like I face anybody."

Chicago's Nikola Mirotic and Philly's Nerlens Noel were second and third, respectively.

And Oklahoma City has just named their new coach--Billy Donovan, the most successful coach in Florida Gators history.

ESPN is reporting that Donovan signed a five-year deal with OKC, with a team option on the fifth year, to replace former head coach Scott Brooks, who was with the team for the past seven seasons before being fired in April.

Belgium International Gregory Martens Dies In Hospital, Football Preview

Over in Football:

Belgium under-21 international Gregory Mertens died on Thursday, three days after collapsing with heart failure during a match.

The 24-year-old defender had been in a coma since going into cardiac arrest early in a reserve team game on Monday.

Taking a look at on-pitch action:

Tonight, in the Chinese Super League:

Second-place Guangzhou Evergrande will hit the pitch against third-place Shanghai Shenhua.

No. 4 Graundzhou R&F take on Liaoning;

Beijing Guoan will face Shijiashuang;

In accion de La Liga--

Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 against Valencia.

Espanyol beat Granada 2-1.

Over in the English Premiere League:

Manchester United will look to bounce back to form when they face West Brom Albion.

Newcastle take on Leicester;

Aston Villa will battle Everton;

Liverpool will meet QPR;

Sunderland meet Southampton;

It's Swansea versus Stoke;

West Ham will face Burnley;

Then on Sunday;

First-place Chelsea are one win away from the league title when they face Crystal Palace.

And second-place Manchester City will face Tottenham Hotspur.

Table Tennis Recap

In table tennis:

China's world number one Ma Long beat Gionis Panagiotis of Greece on Thursday night for a spot in the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Round of 16 on the line.　

The Chinese star, who has yet to lose in 2015, then swept past Panagiotis in straight games 14-12, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 to remain unbeaten on the year advance to the next round.

In a European men's singles battle, Portugal's Joao Monteiro won a deciding seventh game 12-10 against Germany's Timo Boll to move on.

Monteiro will face Hong Kong's Wong Chun-ting.

In the mixed doubles semifinals, the Chinese and South Korean pair of Xu Xin and Yang Hae-un defeated Hong Kong's Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem to advance to Friday's championship final.

The duo will face Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa in the final after the Japanese pair after they defeated North Korea's Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong 11-8, 5-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4.

Tennis Recap

In tennis:

UK's Andy Murray entered the clay-court season with a straight-set win over Germany's Mischa Zverev to reach the quarter-finals of the BMW Open.

Also through are Austrian Dominic Thiem, second-seeded Gael Monfils and Czech Lukas Rosol.

Over in the Istanbul Open:

Second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov and third-seed Argentine Pablo Cuevas advance.

Over in the WTA:

A pair of upsets at the Morocco Grand Prix;

as second-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky went down to no. 7 Slovakian Anna Schmiedlova 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

And third-seed Flavia Pennetta was beat by Timea Babos 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.

Down at the Prague Open:

Home favorite and top-seed Karolina Pliskova beat compatriot Denisa Allertova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to advance to the semi-finals.

Golf:

In golf:

In round 2 over at the PGA's World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play in San Francisco, California:

NHL Playoff Preview

Taking a look at on-ice action from the National Hockey League playoffs:

The first match in the Eastern Conference second round--

The Washington Capitals are just getting on ice to face the New York Rangers.

Later this morning;

In the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames will mix it up with the Aneheim Ducks for game one.

Boxing: Mayweather v. Pacquiao This Weekend

And quickly:

I am sure you've all heard it before, but just to reiterate:

The biggest boxing match in over a decade takes place on Sunday morning at 11 a.m., Beijing time when Floyd "Money" Mayweather puts his undefeated streak against Phillipine boxing phenom, the Pac-Man, Manny Pacquiao.

Entertainment

Warner Bros rethinks film marketing after Nepal earthquake

Warner Bros is said to be considering holding-back the release of a new trailer for its forthcoming disaster film "San Andreas."

The internal discussions reportedly surround sensitivities following Saturday's earthquake in Nepal.

"San Andreas," which stars Dwayne Johnson, AKA 'The Rock,' is set in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in California.

The trailer features scenes of Los Angeles skyscrapers collapsing and a massive tsunami bearing down on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Warner Bros is on-record saying its going to stick to the original May 29th release date.

However, its publicity material remains a question mark.

At the same time, Universal Pictures says its is also moving forward with the planned September release of its new film "Everest."

"Everest" is a non-fiction account of an attempted summit by groups of climbers in 1996 which saw a dozen people perishes.

First Trailer for crime thriller "Legend" revealed

The first trailer for the new crime thriller "Legend" has been unleashed.

(bjh/soundbites/0501 legend trailer)

The crime thriller follows the relationship between two brothers as they embark on a reign of terror in 1960s gangland London.

Tom Hardy plays the role of notorious twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray.

"Legend" is due to hit UK theaters in September.

Kiss, The Doobie Brothers honored at annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards

Kiss and The Doobie Brothers were among those who were honored at Wednesday's 32nd annual Pop Music Awards in Los Angeles.

The event is organized by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Rock band Kiss received the organization's top price, the Founders Award.

Guitarist Paul Stanley says this was a great honor

"You know to be celebrated and honored as songwriters is something really, really heavy - pardon the pun. But the truth of the matter is that a band or singer, any performer is only as good as the song that they are singing."

Past winners include Sean "Diddy" Combs and Sir Paul McCartney.

John Legend's "All of Me" took the prize for "Song of the Year".

Max Martin won Songwriter of the Year.

The Doobie Brothers received the Voice of Music Award.

Indie pop-rocker St. Vincent received the Vanguard Award, which recognizes work in new and developing musical genres.

Charlie Hebdo's carttonist quits Mohammad drawings

Charlie Hebdo's cartoonist Luz who drew the cover picture that appeared after the Paris attacks in January, has said he will no longer draw the Prophet Mohammad.

Telling French Magazine "Les Inrocks" in an interview that the Prophet no longer interests him.

Armed men claiming to be avenging the Prophet killed 12 people when they attacked the Paris offices of the irreverent weekly.

Charlie Hebdo's next edition after the attacks carried on its cover Luz's cartoon of a tearful Mohammad holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign under the words "All is forgiven".

The magazine sold several million copies rather than its usual circulation of 60,000.

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

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Slight rays of hope of finding survivors are emerging from quake-ravaged Nepal, with two people pulled alive from the rubble over the past day.

A warning from the Chinese military has issued its response to the new defense guidelines issued this week by the US and Japan.

The Calbuco volcano in Chile is once-again creating havoc.

In Business.... reports suggest China's soon-to-be-merged rail giants are looking at taking over one of their Canadian rivals.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.