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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Fridayy, August 30th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
The UK parliament has voted to reject any British intervention in Syria.
The head of the IMF is calling for global coordination as countries prepare to end their respective stimulus packages.
At least two people have been killed in flooding on Taiwan.
In Business, Everbright Securities has been hit with a massive fine for its trading glitch earlier this month.
In sports, Li Na looking for a bit of US Open revenge tonight in round-3 against Britian's Laura Robson.
In entertainment, the much-anticipated The Great Gadsby has finally hit Chinese theatres.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 16 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 30. Cloudy on Sunday, the high stays at 30.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be overcast tonight, with a low of 23, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 32.
Lhasa will have moderate rain tonight, 10 degrees the low, thundershowers tomorrow with a high of 28.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 34.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, overcast, highs of 25.
Canberra, overcast, 21.
Brisbane, sunny, 28.
And finally, Perth will have rain with a high of 20.
Top News
IMF chief calls for global coordination as unconventional monetary policy exit looms
Anchor:
The International Monetary Fund has issued a new call for better international policy coordination amid growing fears advanced economies may rush to an exit of their "loose monetary policies."
CRI's Lucy Du has more.
Reporter:
IMF chief Christine Lagarde notes many advanced economies have been adopting unconventional monetary policies to try to boost their economies amid the world economic slowdown.
She admits these kinds of abstract measures were needed following the start of the slowdown in late 2008.
"We believe that it has been essentially positive for the the world because it has helped boost growth and avoid massive financial instability."
Lagarde also says she believes the unconventional monetary policies, as the massive asset purchase program still underway by the U.S. Fed, are still needed right now.
However, she conceeds the day will come when the current period of exceptionally loose monetary policies must end.
She says the world needs to work together to minimize the impact of the exits.
"Many central banks are doing unconventional monetary policies at the moment and there should not be a collective rush to exit. It should be timely. It should be country-specific. It should be well-coordinated with other non-unconventional monetary policy countries, policymakers."
Still, Lagarde says it's her belief the conclusion of these abstract monetary policies won't have a direct negative impact on emerging economies.
However, she is advising emerging economies to set up appropriate policy tools to counter the current impact of the quantititive easing.
"I would observe that emerging market policymakers have the tools available to respond to that situation. They can certainly use macro-prudential, micro-prudential tools. They can use their reserve when they have such reserve. Those that have flexible exchange rates should take the benefit of that flexibility. And if it comes to the last resort, certainly using capital flow management would be acceptable as a last resort tool."
From the Chinese point of view, Li Daokui, a former senior monetary policy consultant with China's central bank, is also playing down the potential negative effects from the impending exit.
Li Daokui, instead, says Chinese policy makers should be focused on maintaining this country's economic flexibility.
For CRI, I'm Lucy.
U.S. drone strike kills local al-Qaida chief in Yemen
A local al-Qaida chief has been killed in a U.S. drone strike in southern Yemen.
It's being reported some 7 missiles were fired at the vehicle of Qayid al-Dhahab, killing the al-Qaida chief and his escorts on the spot.
al-Dhahab had reportedly reached a deal with the Yemeni government to stop fighting government soldiers in return for a halt to airstrikes in his region.
Drone strikes have killed around 40-people in Yemen so-far this year.
Colombian government accuses FARC for fueling violent protests
Colombia's Defence Minister is accusing FARC rebels of fueling violence being brought on amid massive agriculture protests.
Violence has raged in the capital, Bogota, and the nearby city of Soacha, where protesters have hurled rocks at police, who in turn, launched tear gas to control the angry demonstrators.
Juan Carlos Pinzon contends FARC has infiltrated the protest movement.
"We've identified that this strike has three parts: one part being farmers, people who have legitimate reasons to protest, and the government is interested in and should attend to that part. One part is students which the government is interested in addressing their concerns. But a component of vandals, criminals and people who are serving dark interests, among them are FARC terrorists and their political affiliations."
The demonstrations are part of another wave of national strikes against President Juan Manuel Santos' free market policies.
The FARC, which began as an agrarian struggle against rural inequality in 1964, has issued a statement of support for the protests.
FARC and the Colombian government are currently discussing the rebels' inclusion in the political system as part of the on-going peace process.
US stands alone as staunchest ally UK votes against strike on Syria
Anchor:
The United States appears to have lost one of its potential key allies in any plans for strikes on targets in Syria.
This, after the UK parliament voted to reject any British involvement.
CRI's Zhang Ru has more.
Reporter:
After hours of heated debate, the UK parliament has voted against Prime Minister David Cameron's case for a military strike against Syria.
The disapproval has effectively ruled out British involvement in any joint military strikes against Syria in the coming days.
British Prime Minister David Cameron.
"It is very clear tonight that while the House has not passed a motion, it is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action - I get that and the government will act accordingly."
Though the British parliament could be called on for another vote after the United Weapons inspectors finish their investigation, many are taking the vote as a definitive "no."
Khaled Saleh is spokesperson for the exiled Syrian National Coalition based in Turkey.
"We are clearly disappointed. The UK prides its humanitarian track record. However, they are not going to participate in stopping Assad from using chemical weapons against children in Syria. I followed the debate very closely and it seemed that the debate was more about Iraq 2003 than Syria 2013, and results of these debates will be clearly heard by the Assad regime that continues to use napalm weapons against innocent civilians."
From the US side, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the White House have both gone on-record saying United States could still take unilateral action against Syria.
But the US says it will continue to consult with its allies to try to develop an international coalition.
French President Francois Hollande has since issued a statement, saying France is prepared to move forward with action against Syria without the UK, saying Damascus "cannot go unpunished."
Still, many in the US congress remain skeptical, and are demanding US President Barack Obama make a better case for intervention.
Republican Howard McKeon is the Chair of the House Armed Services Committee.
"So I am really disappointed in our Commander in Chief. He has put the nation and he has put himself in a tough situation when he said don't cross this red line by using chemical weapons on your people and then they did it and a couple months passed and nothing happened. They have now done it again and they say they have got the proof but they haven't presented it all to us yet."
Under US rules, Obama doesn't need the support of Congress if his administration wants to go ahead with action in Syria, provided he doesn't want a declaration of war.
Meanwhile, at the United Nations, a closed-door Security Council meeting has ended with no agreement on a resolution to address the growing crisis in Syria.
Russia, which backs Bashar Al-Assad's government, says it expects U.N. weapons inspectors to present their findings before any talk of reaction can begin.
The UN inspectors are due to leave Syria on Saturday following inspections this week.
For its part, the Chinese government is also calling for the UN weapons inspectors to be allowed to complete their work before anything is decided.
The Chinese side is also calling for restraint from all-involved.
For CRI, i am Zhang Ru.
U.S-Russia Relations
Anchor:
The divide between Russia and the United States over Syria is just the latest in a string of disputes which have left ties strained between the two sides.
Russia's move to grant NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden asylum, on top of Russia's move to block the adoption of Russian orphans by US parents are also adding to the frustration.
All this has come after the 2-sides appeared poised to cultivate a new and more inclusive relationship, after agreeing to reduce their nuclear stockpiles back in 2010.
For more on the state of US-Russia relations, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke with Dr. Cory Welt, Associate Director of Russian studies at George Washington University.
…
Doctor Cory Welt, Associate Director of Russian studies at George Washington University, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
South Korea urges Japan to compensate ageing comfert women
The South Korean government is once-again formally requesting talks with Japan about compensation for women forced into sexual slavery during the war.
Han Hye-jin is with South Korea's foreign ministry.
"Our government has repeatedly demanded the Japanese government accept our request to hold bilateral consultations in accordance with the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Settlement Agreement. We express our deep regret over Japan's failure to respond to the demand and once again strongly urge it to come to the consultation table in accordance with the Agreement as soon as possible."
The issue of so-called comfort women has long been a point of contention between Tokyo and Seoul.
Japan contends the matter of compensation for the women has been settled under a 1965 treaty establishing diplomatic ties with South Korea.
In 1995, Japan set up at fund to make payments to the women from private donations.
However, the South Korean side says this is unofficial, and therefore insufficient.
California fire gives way after 12 days, drone used
The massive blaze raging California's Yosemite National Park is finally starting to die down amid cooler weather and lighter winds.
Unmanned military drones are being used to assist in the fight against the enormous "Rim Fire."
Jeremy Salizzoni is a Captain with the San Diego Fire Department.
"This is a very remote fire, very large fire, so the ability to see all the sides is virtually impossible. And with this platform we've been able to get eyes on the perimeter and stay really accurate on the perimeter for quite some time with very little effort."
The fire is said to be around 30-percent contained.
Since starting 12-days ago, the so-called Rim Fire has blackened nearly 300-square miles of dry scrub and timberland.
The blaze now ranks as the 6th-largest California wildfire on record.
It's still unclear how the fire first began.
At least 2 died in Taiwan due to Typhoon Kong-Rey
At least 2 deaths have been reported on Taiwan amid the widespread flood brought on by Tropical Storm Kong-Rey.
Kong-Rey is well on its way to Japan after blowing past Fujian and Zhejiang Thursday night.
The storm is now listed as a tropical depression.
However, before skirting the mainland, the storm dumped close to 20-inches of rain on Taiwan's west coast.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are forecast to continue along Fujian and Zhejiang through the next 24-hours.
5.1-magnitude quake jolts Urumqi
A moderate earthquake has rattled Xinjiang's capital Urumqi.
The 5.1-magnitude quake hit around 1:30 this Friday afternoon, with the epicenter just 8-kilometers north of the city.
The quake was strong enough to send people scurrying out of buildings.
Emergency response measures have been instituted at a number of schools to let children out early.
So far no damage or injuries have been reported.
More than 200 thousand injured and died in traffic accidents every year in China
Anchor
New calls are being issued for more safety awareness campaigns to be launched amid word that more than 200-thousand people are hurt or killed in traffic accidents every year here in China.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Report:
Experts taking part in a China Traffic Safety Forum are warning the safety situation on the roads in China is severe.
The group is suggesting the government and social organizations work together to improve safety awareness.
Wang Changjun, head of Traffic Management Research with the Ministry of Public Security, says there are three elements leading to increased danger on Chinese roads.
"Firstly, the volume of traffic accidents is reported about 4.7 million every year, which is very huge; secondly, the volume of casualties is more than 200 thousand, and about 21% of these people died, while in Japan, this proportion is about 0.54%. Thirdly, malignant accidents happened a lot."
One of the main concerns being raised at the fourm is the rapid increase in traffic, which officials contend is affecting people's ability to properly concentrate on the road.
As of the end of last year, there were more than 240 million vehicles on the road.
More than 200 million people have a driver's license here in China.
Meanwhile, the use of seatbelts is also a growing concern.
Feng Zhenglin is China's deputy Transport minister.
"By widely publicizing the important of using seat belt and improving the ratio of seat belt installed and used, as well as to convert people's safety awareness into safety habit, we can effectively reduce the casualties of traffic accidents."
The latest stats show just over one-in-five people actually wear a seatbelt while in a vehicle.
It's believed the fatality ratio will be reduced by at least 10-percent if everyone buckled-up while in a vehicle.
For CRI, I'm He Fei.
Biz Reports
It was a rather lackluster trading day this Friday across most of Asia, as the markets wait until Monday to see how Wall Street will react later tonight to the better-than-expected GDP results from the United States.
Issues connected to Syria have also kept traders on the sidelines.
Chinese shares closed mixed to end the trading week.
The Shanghai Composite Index is up 0.1 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index shed 0.2 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.1 percent.
Elsewhere here in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei has ended 0.5 percent lower over concerns about possible U.S. unilateral military action against Syria.
South Korea's KOSPI added nearly 1%.
Singapore's Straits Times Index closed down 0.3 percent.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.8%
U.S. economy grows 2.5 percent in second quarter
The U.S economy has accelerated sharply in the second quarter.
New stats show US GDP grew at a 2.5 percent in the April to June period.
That is more than double the pace reported in the previous three months.
The initial US government estimate was 1.7-percent GDP growth.
The Commerce Department is attributing the increase to personal consumption, exports and housing investment.
Consumer spending accounts for about 70-percent of the US economy.
Everbright Securities faces fines for erroneous trading
Securities regulators have hit Everbright Securities with a massive fine for its abnormal trading earlier this month.
Everbright has been hit with a fine of 436-million yuan.
On August 16th, Everbright put out a buy order worth some 23-million yuan.
This sent the Shanghai Stock Exchange spiking close to 7-percent in a matter of minutes.
The buy-order was rescinded minutes later.
But not before the company made some 87-million yuan on the rush on the stocks.
Everbright has also been ordered to repay the ill-gotten money.
The company is also being forced to shut down its proprietary trading desks where the erroneous trades were made.
China to resume treasury futures trading after 18-year halt
The trading of treasury bond futures is going to resume here in China after an 18-year break.
T-bond futures trading is officially resuming Friday next week.
The trading was suspended in 1995 following a series of irregular trading cases.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission will be allowing the trading of 5-year treasury bond futures on the China Financial Futures Exchange.
China to raise retail fuel prices
Gasoline and diesel prices here in China are once-again on the rise.
Retail prices for gasoline will be raised by 0.17 yuan per liter tomorrow.
Diesel prices are going up 0.19 yuan per liter.
This will be the fifth price hike of the year.
Under the country's current pricing regieme, domestic fuel prices are adjusted when international crude prices change of more than 50-yuan per tonne over a period of 10 working days.
Corporate news of the week
Anchor:
This week in the corporate world here in China, Hewlett-Packard is moving to consolidate its presence here in China.
At the same time, a new batch of 4G construction licences have been dolled out.
For more on this, CRI's Rebecca Hume spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters, speaking with CRI's Rebecca Hume.
China passes new trademark law to curb infringements
China's legislature has passed a new trademark law.
The new legislation is meant to crack down on infringement cases and ensure a fair market for trademark holders.
The new law raises the compensation ceiling for trademark infringement to 3 million yuan.
This is 6-times the previous maximum limit.
The new law also stipulates trademark agencies are not allowed to accept business if they know or should know their clients are conducting a malicious registration or infringing on someone else's trademark.
Sinopec to buy 33 pct stake in Apache Egypt
Sinopec has announced plans to buy a 33-percent stake in Apache Corporation's oil and gas business in Egypt.
The deal is said to be worth 3.1-billion U.S. dollars.
The deal is still subject to government approval.
If the deal goes through, it will enable Sinopec to expand its output by an estimated 6.5 million tonnes of oil per year.
This would also mark Sinopec's debut in the Egyptian oil and gas market.
Apache is an American company.
China's Yashili gets go-ahead for New Zealand milk plant
Chinese infant formula maker Yashili has been given the green light to build and run a milk processing plant in New Zealand.
The local district council has given its approval following a 3-day hearing.
The plant is going to cost around 170-million US dollars to build.
Federal approval in New Zealand for the plant was granted in April.
This comes as Inner Mongolia-based Mengniu Dairy moves to buy a 75-percent stake in Yashili.
New Zealand businesses see income rise for second straight year
New stats out of New Zealand show business income has risen 5.9-percent through fiscal 2012.
This represents the second straight annual increase in business income in New Zealand.
Income from goods and services increased 4.3 percent.
Business income derived from interest, dividends and donations increased over 14-billion New Zealand dollars through the whole of fiscal 2012.
That's up 26-percent.
Business spending in New Zealand increased 3.2-percent through the same period.
Eurozone jobless rate remains at record high of 12.1 pct in July
Unemployment rate of the euro area stood at 12.1 percent in July.
This is the highest level since such statistics started to publicize in 1995.
Headline News
UK votes to avoid conflict in Syria
The United States appears to have lost one of its potential key allies in any plans for strikes on targets in Syria.
This, after the UK parliament voted to reject any British involvement.
From the US side, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the White House have both gone on-record saying United States could still take unilateral action against Syria.
But the US says it will continue to consult with its allies to try to develop an international coalition.
France's president has since gone on-record saying his country is prepared to move against Syrian targets without the UK.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to allow its chemical weapons experts team to deliver its findings before any action is taken.
Everbright Securities faces fines for erroneous trading
Securities regulators have hit Everbright Securities with a massive fine for its abnormal trading earlier this month.
Everbright has been hit with a fine of 436-million yuan.
On August 16th, Everbright put out a buy order worth some 23-million yuan.
This sent the Shanghai Stock Exchange spiking close to 7-percent in a matter of minutes.
The buy-order was rescinded minutes later.
But not before the company made some 87-million yuan on the rush on the stocks.
Everbright has also been ordered to repay the ill-gotten money.
The company is also being forced to shut down its proprietary trading desks where the erroneous trades were made.
China to resume treasury futures trading after 18-year halt
The trading of treasury bond futures is going to resume here in China after an 18-year break.
T-bond futures trading is officially resuming Friday next week.
The trading was suspended in 1995 following a series of irregular trading cases.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission will be allowing the trading of 5-year treasury bond futures on the China Financial Futures Exchange.
At least 2 died in Taiwan due to Typhoon Kong-Rey
At least 2 deaths have been reported on Taiwan amid the widespread flood brought on by Tropical Storm Kong-Rey.
Kong-Rey is well on its way to Japan after blowing past Fujian and Zhejiang Thursday night.
The storm is now listed as a tropical depression.
However, before skirting the mainland, the storm dumped close to 20-inches of rain on Taiwan's west coast.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are forecast to continue along Fujian and Zhejiang through the next 24-hours.
5.1-magnitude quake jolts Urumqi
A moderate earthquake has rattled Xinjiang's capital Urumqi.
The 5.1-magnitude quake hit around 1:30 this Friday afternoon, with the epicenter just 8-kilometers north of the city.
The quake was strong enough to send people scurrying out of buildings.
Emergency response measures have been instituted at a number of schools to let children out early.
So far no damage or injuries have been reported.
Newspaper Picks
Shanghai Daily
"Hospitals report rise in school phobia"
With the new semester starting next week, local hospitals have reported a rise in the number of children suffering from school phobia.
About 20 percent of patients treated at the local pediatric hospitals had symptoms of school phobia, a type of anxiety disorder.
Doctors said parents should be concerned if their children are too sick to go to school and vomit, or suffer from insomnia, without any apparent reason.
A pediatrician said children at the first year of a primary school and those who are entering the final year (of primary and middle schools) tend to suffer from this anxiety complex.
In addition to academic pressure, the syndrome is also related to personality and a child's own family and school.
The doctor added most symptoms fade in a month's time but if it persists, parents should consult doctors.
Xinhua
"Chinese researchers identify key protein behind depression"
Chinese researchers said Thursday that they have identified a key protein in the brain responsible for the development of depression, offering a fresh avenue in the search for therapies to treat depression.
Previous studies have found that cells in a brain region called lateral habenula (LHB) are hyperactive in depressed individuals, but scientists haven't known what triggers them.
Researchers from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, used a technique called quantitative proteomic screening to examine the proteins in the LHB tissue of regular rats and rats that had been depressed since birth.
The researchers reported that a protein called CaM was nearly twice as abundant in the depressed rats.
When the researchers gave depressed rats antidepressant drugs, not only depressive symptoms of the animals improved significantly, but also the amounts of the protein in the LHB tissue dropped significantly.
Researchers said the study provides a new potential target for gene therapy of depression.
The Telegraph
"Gene discovered that could cure jet lag"
The team from the University of Oxford found that the gene slows our body's adaptation to new time zones.
However, tests on mice indicated turning the gene off could prevent the symptoms jet lag.
Our bodies, like those of most life forms on earth, operate to the circadian clock, a natural 24 cycle which tells us when to sleep or wake up.
This responds to natural light - but when we rapidly move to a different time zone, such as on a long haul flight, it is thrown into disarray.
Researchers studied gene expression in mice, who were exposed to light and darkness.
Amongst these, they identified one molecule, SIK1, that terminates this response to light, acting as a brake to limit the effects of light on the clock.
When they blocked the activity of SIK1, the mice adjusted faster to changes in light cycle.
Dr Russell Foster said that we were still a long way off from a jet lag cure, but added it was a step towards developing drugs for interrupted sleep cycles.
Special Reports
China's National Games turns frugal
Anchor:
China's National Games are set to officially open tomorrow in Liaoning.
As CRI's Su Yi reports from Shenyang, this year's opening ceremony is going to be a much-more scaled down version of what's been seen in the past.
Reporter:
These retired aunties may have never thought they would have the chance to bring their Taichi routines to the opening ceremony of the largest sporting event in China.
"We have been working out together everyday here since retirement. We are very proud that the games are being held here in Shenyang. We never thought we could have had this opportunity."
No big stars, no fireworks, no fancy LED light shows – the opening ceremony is poised to be a giant showcase of every-day sports enthusiasts.
Additionally, the ceremony will take place in the daytime for first time in over 20 years.
Some say this is all because of China's central government pushing frugal campaign that China's central authorities have been promoting in the past few months.
From a certain perspective, it is indeed hard to argue, since the event's budget is 78 percent less than the previous one in Shandong.
Also, organizers for the opening and closing ceremonies only manage to get 10 percent of their promised budget.
However, the rationale behind this frugality can be interpreted from a different perspective.
Organizers say over 90 percent of the venues are refurbished instead of newly-built.
Also 85 percent of tickets sold were priced below 100 yuan, or 16 US dollars.
While the budget for this year's games took a huge drop, more money has been designated to build public sports facilities across Liaoning Province for the games.
Additional funds were earmarked to ensure that the sporting venues are open to public use after the two-week event concludes.
Local residents, including this retiree playing ping pong in a college gymnasium, feel that this outcome is a victory for all.
"I just need more time to practice…I hope I can play with the players of the National Games."
The bigger picture surrounding this story might be related to the shifting mindset of Chinese people regarding Olympic competition.
What sports fans here want to take away from this year's games may be a simpler, yet more rewarding, venture: a good game, to take pride in the glory of their hometown athletes and, most importantly, to be inspired to play sports themselves.
Luckily, that is exactly what the organizer of this year's National Games is looking for.
So, this Saturday, come and play!
For CRI, I'm Su Yi reporting from Shenyang.
Sports
He brothers finish 1-2 in 3m springboard at China's National Games
There is some preliminary action already underway at China's National Games in Liaoning.
Olympic gold medalist He Zi has claimed the first place in the women's 3m springboard semi-final, followed by Shi Tingmao from Chongqing and Wang Han from Hebei.
The final competition is set to open tomorrow.
In the men's 3m springboard final,
Olympic champion He Chong and his younger brother He Chao took an 1-2 finish for Guangdong.
Earlier in the day, Olympic champion Chen Ruolin failed to win a medal in her trademark 10-meter platform event.
Gold in the event has been claimed by 13-year old Liu Xin from Shandong.
Wu Shengping took the silver for Jiangsu, while Huang Xiaohui brought the Chinese Army a bronze.
China's Peng Shuai was eliminated in the US Open
In tennis action at the US Open...
Chinese 5th seed Li Na will be looking for a bit of revenge on center-court when she takes on Britian's Laura Robson.
It was the now-30th seeded Robson who surprised Li Na last year in the first round of this tournament, and knocking her out early.
Zheng Jie, coming off her big win in the 2nd round against Venus Williams, will face 18th seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.
In the women's doubles competition.
Chinese Junior star Zhang Saisai and her American partner are in action in the Women's Double's 2nd round against a duo from Zimbabwe and New Zealand.
4th seeded Peng Shuai and Hsieh Suwei from Taiwan start their double's tournament against a pair of women from Greece and Germany.
Peng Shuai can now concentrate fully on her doubles competition after she was knocked out of the women's singles draw by Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in a hard-fought, 3-set battle, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6.
Still on the women's single's draw from last night, it was defending champion and top-seeded Serena Williams reaching the third round with a convincing 6-3, 6-love victory over Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan.
Williams has been leading the charge of a strong group of American women vying for this year's title.
"You have to be ready for everything and every part. We'll see what happens. I mean, all of them have been playing well. Sloane plays excellent, and Jamie has been playing really well. Hopefully I can just try to keep up."
The first major upset of the women's single's event took place last night, as 4th seeded Italian was upset by her compatriot Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-1.
Errani was this year's French Open finalist and a semi-finalist at last year's U.S. Open.
However, she's failed to make it past the second round in only one of the four majors this year.
In the men's draw,
Roger Federer had no trouble moving through.
The 17-time major champion hammered Argentina's Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in just 95 minutes.
2nd seeded Rafael Nadal easily disposed of Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-1, 6-1, 6-love.
Next up for Nadal is Croatia's Ivan Dodig, who beat the Spaniard the last time they met.
British qualifier Dan Evans continues his remarkable run, beating Australia's Bernard Tomic in a 4-set battle.
Evans made it through the first round by upsetting 11th seeded Kei Nishikori.
China ends USA's three-year run as World Grand Prix champions
In volleyball action in Japan,
China's women's volleyball team has maintained its perfect record at the World Volleyball Finals in Japan.
At the same time, the Chinese women have also ensured Team USA will not repeat as champions.
Led by Zhu Ting with 23-points, the Chinese women downed the Americans in 3-straight sets.
The win is China's 3rd at the competition in Sapporo.
The loss for the Americans is their 3rd straight, and ensures they will not be moving on.
China is next set to take on Japan, who has/is just concluding its match against Serbia.
Meanwhile, Brazil has jumped ahead of China in the point's rankings at the tournament, after blanking Italy in 3-straight sets.
Brazil has yet to drop a set at the tournament so far.
This gives them 9-points, one point ahead of China.
Golf Roundup
In Golf...
Taiwan's Tseng Yani finds herself in a good position after the first round of the Safeway Classic in Portland, Oregon.
The 22-year old, who has been struggling this year after losing her world number-1 position in March of this year, fired a 5-under-67 to sit tied for 6th.
Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum has the clubhouse lead after shooting a blistering 8-under-63.
American Lexi Thompson sits alone in 2nd at 7-under.
Rising mainland star Wang Shanshan from Guangzhou is not in this week's tournament.
In the PGA...
The Deutche Bank Championships in Boston are set to get underway tonight.
Among those in the field include last week's winner Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, who finished 2nd last week at The Barclays, despite struggling with neck and back problems.
Woods says his practice rounds this week in Boston seem to have sorted that out.
"I started feeling better yesterday. As far as any mental hurdle, no. I felt great this morning. The treatment was good and felt ready to go. And I did full activation and went out there today and warmed up, had no issues, and then went out and played. As I said, it was a pleasant surprise to play all 18. I was just going to play nine and shut it down and chip and putt on the back nine. But I felt good."
The first groups are just teeing off tonight in Boston.
And at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor,
Round 2 is already underway.
Norway's Espen Kofstad holds the clubhouse lead after round-1, firing a 7-under-64.
"Oh easy. The game just felt really good today. I had a really good start and just kept hitting quality iron shots. "
Australian Richard Green and England's Chris Wood finished round-1 tied for 2nd at 5-under.
NFL ends pre-season
The pre-season has come to an end in the National Football League.
All 32-teams were in action this morning.
It was Tim Tebow throwing a pair of touchdown passes and an interception in leading the New England Patriots over the New York Giants 28-20.
It was Detroit over Buffalo 35-13.
Cincinatti hammered Indianapolis 27-10.
It was the New York Jets over Philadelphia 27-20.
Matt Simms throwing for 285 yards in the victory.
Jacksonville got past Atlanta 20-16.
Miami squeezed by New Orleans 24-21.
Washington made easy work of Tampa Bay 30-12.
Last year's offensive Rookie of the Year, Robert Griffin III, did not play.
However, doctors have cleared RG3 to start for the Redskins in their season-opener.
It was Carolina over Pittsburgh 25-10.
Cleveland edged Chicago 18-16.
Houston surprised Dallas 24-6.
It was the Kansas City Chiefs all over Green Bay 30-8.
Defending Champion Baltimore Ravens ended their pre-season on a down-note, going falling to St. Louis 24-21.
Minnesota squeaked by Tennessee 24-23.
It was Arizona dropping Denver 32-24.
San Francisco embarrassing San Diego 41-6.
And it was the Seattle Seahawks over Oakland 22-6.
Ribéry is crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe
In European football news...
Bayern Munich forward Franck Ribéry has capped-off a memorable 2012/13 season by collecting the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.
Entertainment
Great Gatsby finally arrives in Mainland cinemas today
Arriving in Chinese cinemas today is Baz Luhrmann's resplendent production of "The Great Gatsby".
The film is based on F Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus of the same name, which casts a critical eye on the idealism and decadence of the Roaring Twenties in America.
Luhrmann's 3D take on the novel is a sparkling visual feast for the eyes with a magnificent turn by DiCaprio as the charismatic Gatsby.
Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton round up the stellar cast.
Whilst a box office success, the film has drawn mixed responses from critics, with some arguing that the dazzle of the film overshadows Fitzgerald's true message.
William Friedkin receives Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
Over at the Venice Film Festival, American director William Friedkin yesterday became the proud recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
The 78 year old gave us timeless classics such as the Oscar winning "The French Connection" and the Exorcisit.
The Board of Directors of the festival commended Friedkin for his outstanding contribution to film.
Shortly after the ceremony, John Curran premiered his latest film "Tracks".
Starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver, the film is based on Robyn Davidson's international best seller about her solo trek through the Australian outback.
The film traces Davidson's 2000 mile jounrey from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean accompanied by nothing but four camels and her faithful dog.
The arthouse flick has been praised by critics for Wasikowska's performance and the sensitive portrayal of Davidson's inner journey as she forcibly isolates herself from society.
"Tracks" is one of 20 films showing in competition at this year's competition.
The winner will be announced on Saturday, September 7.
Allan Leech joins "The Imitation Game"
Downton Abbey's Allen Leech has been signed on to appear in the upcoming Alan Turing biopic, "The Imitation Game".
The actor, who plays Tom Branson in the period drama, will be joining Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Leech will be taking on the role of a Scottish spy for the Soviets in the WWII drama while Knightley is on hand as a complicated love interest.
Cumberbatch, who replaces the Leo Dicaprio, will be playing the famous British code breaker who was instrumental in cracking the Enigma code during WW2.
However, he was prosecuted and convicted of homosexual acts by the UK government in 1952.
Turing was sentenced to probation on the condition that he underwent hormone treatment, which ultimately left him impotent, leading to his suicide in 1954.
Graham Moore's script was one of the most accomplished but unproduced scripts of 2011.
The Morten Tyldum directed project is slated for release next year.
Jay Z and Justin Timberlake unveils Holy Grail video
Rap royalty Jay Z has given first glimpse of the music video for his latest single "Holy Grail".
The video shows Jay Z performing in a dilapidated mansion complete with headless romanesque statues and a stack of televisions showing Mike Tyson boxing.
The music has also been rearranged from the album tracks, with newly added pitch drops and reworked vocals from Timberlake punctuating the track.
The clip became the first by a major artist to premiere on Facebook video feature.
Facebook has, of course, hailed Jay Z's move as "really exciting" and "emblematic of the revolution of how musicians connect with their fans."
The move follows the decision to pre-release his new album Magna Carta to Samsung users, with whom Jay Z has a $30 million deal.
Holy Grail is the first cut from the rap mogul's latest album, which has been his 12th consecutive to debut at the top of the charts.
Black Eyed Peas Fergie welcomes baby boy
The Black Eyed Peas Fergie has just given birth to a baby boy.
The singer and husband actor Josh Duhamel welcomed little Axl into the family yesterday.
The couple met in 2004 when Fergie appeared on Duhamel's show Las Vegas with the Black Eyed Peas and married in a Catholic ceremony in 2009.
Little Axl is the couple's first child.
Sound Stage Awards coming to town next Friday
We are only a week away from CRI'S The Sound Stage Awards, which hits Beijing next Friday, 6th September.
The awards show will be recognizing the cream of China's thriving independent music scene.
The show will feature live performances from six bands, including the phenomenal Nova Heart.
Also taking to the stage is Beijing's rockabilly superstars, Rolling Bowling.
Misandao, Dirty Little Secret, Dream Spirit and The Twenties round up the sparkling lineup.
The Sound Stage Awards kicks off at Yugong Yishan on Friday 6th September at 7.30pm.
Presale tickets are available now for 80 yuan, otherwise it is 100 at the door.
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