新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/09/24

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 

RH with you on this Tuesday, September 24th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Kenya forces the 'clearing' of the under siege shopping mall
Assad admits Syria has large quantities of chemical weapons
Typhoon Usagi enters Guangxi
Business
Purchasing managers index comes in at 51.2 in September.
Sports
Ana Ivanovic reaches the second round at the Pan Pacific Open
Entertainments
Wong Kar Wai put the ‘The Grandmaster’ in for Oscar nomination
Plus
Special reports take a look at the stigma of mental health issues here in China
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 22 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be clear tonight with a low of 12.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 31 the high, and it will see moderate rain tonight, the low of 21 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 21, and tonight will be overcast with a low of 10 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 33.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 31.
And in North America
New York, sunny, with a high of 19 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 21
Houston, overcast, 29.
Honolulu, overcast, 31.
Toronto, overcast, 14
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, overcast, 14.
And Rio de Janeiro will have thundershowers with highs of 28 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Kenya forces 'clearing' Westgate centre
 
Kenyan officials say they are in the final stages of bringing the deadly stand-off to an end with suspected al-Shabab militants in Nairobi.
Explosions and heavy gunfire were reported as soldiers stormed the Westgate shopping complex.
62-people have been confirmed dead and another 65 remain unaccounted for.
Kenya's interior minister Joseph Lenku says two "terrorists" were killed in a morning operation on Monday.
"We also want to confirm that we have identified and killed two criminals, two terrorists. Two terrorists have been confirmed dead out of our activities this morning and several injured but we will give you finer details on that going forward."
Lenku added that Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall, though attackers could still be hiding inside.
Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman.
From neighbouring Somalia, a spokesman for al-Shabab said that the hostage takers had been ordered to "take punitive action against the hostages" if force was used to try to rescue them.
 
 
International Criminal Court allows Kenya's deputy president return home
 
Also on Monday, Kenyan Vice President William Ruto returned home from the Hague.
Judges at the International Criminal Court adjourned his trial for a week to allow him to deal with the hostage crisis.
Prosecutors have not objected to Ruto's returning.
At a hastily arranged hearing on Monday, Ruto's lawyer Karim Khan has told the court his client has to be back in Nairobi to help President Uhuru Kenyatta deal with the attack.
"It is essential, we say, for William Ruto to go back. One wouldn't have expected, or the world would have found it intolerable, if the president and the vice-president of the United States were not in the country after 9-11. Well this is Kenya's 9-11 and it is absolutely essential, for law and order, for assisting the president to resolve the situation."
Ruto is facing charges of crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating the violence in the aftermath of Kenya's 2007 presidential election.
Ruto is denying all the charges against him.
Later this year, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is also scheduled to stand trial in The Hague in connection with the post-election violence in 2007.
 
 
Assad admits Syria posesses chemical weapons in large quantity
 
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad says his government will allow international experts
"It should not be a problem in principle. But, as I said, if some countries give orders to those terrorists to stop experts' arrival and accuse the Syrian government for doing it, then the answer would be different."
Assad's comments come after Moscow and Washington agreed last week to put weapons inspectors back on the ground in Syria by November.
The deal also dictates all components of the chemical weapons programme in Syria are to be removed from the country or destroyed by the middle of 2014.
Assad also admitted that Syria's posession of chemical weapons was in large amounts.
"Syria has been producing chemical weapons for decades now. It's natural that they are large in quantity. We are a country in a state of war, with some lands having been occupied for more than 40 years. But no matter what, the Syrian army is basically prepared to fight with regular weapons."
The revelations of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal became public after an August attack near Damascus.
The US accused the Syrian government of the attacks and said more than 14-hundred people were killed.
Assad has denied his forces were behind the attack but has contended that opposition forces used them instead.
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces continue shelling rebels in Kafer Zita in the central region of Hama.
Kafer Zita is mostly abandoned as rebels fight with regime forces in the country's civil war.
 
 
Egypt bans Muslim Brotherhood activities
 
An Egyptian court has banned all activities of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters has also ordered the confiscation of all of the organization's money, assets and buildings.
Mahmoud Abdeullah is a lawyer for the left-wing Tagammu party, who brought the case by accusing the Brotherhood of terrorism.
"The decision bans the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt including the official association it registered under as well as any institution branching out of it or and receiving financial support from it."
The verdict can be appealed.
The court didn't say if the ruling applies to the charities and social services linked to the Brotherhood, including schools and hospitals.
The military-installed interim government has launched a crackdown on the group since ousting President Mohammed Morsi on July 3rd.
Dozens of senior figures, including its general guide Mohammed Badie, have been detained on suspicion of inciting violence and murder.
 
 
Typhoon Usagi enters Guangxi after being downgraded to a tropical depression
 
Typhoon Usagi has entered Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after it was downgraded to a tropical depression.
The storm was forecast to leave Guangxi for waters off the region's southern coast tonight .
Lin Kaiping is chief engineer with the Guangxi Meterological Center.
"We will mainly focus on avoiding damages caused by storms and flooding in cities. Secondly, we will make all efforts to put the fishing boats back onshore and safeguard the embankments."
On Monday, Usagi left at least 25 people dead after making landfall in south China's Guangdong Province.
The typhoon also forced 310-thousand people from their homes and incurred direct economic losses of 7.1 billion yuan in Guangdong.
It's also caused massive gridlock, as hundreds of flights in and out of Hong Kong and the rest of the Pearl River Delta Region had to be cancelled.
Usagi was designated a super typhoon on Saturday after it passed across the Philippines and Taiwan, moving toward the Chinese mainland.
Usagi is the strongest storm to hit eastern Guangdong in 40 years and the most powerful to hit China this year.
 
 
20 people killed by monsoon-triggered landslides in the Philippines
 
Meanwhile torrential monsoon rains and landslides triggered by Typhoon Usagi have killed at least 20 people in northwestern Philippines.
Philippino officials say soldiers and villagers are continuing to search for several people who remain missing in mountainside villages hit by landslides.
Rolly Eurcadas is a local resident
"The hill suddenly fell on our house and I ran on top where my three children were; my one month old, my eldest and the second eldest they were saved, but my other three children are still down there."
15 bodies were dug out in two landslide-hit villages in the city of Subic of the Zambales province.
Five people also died in landslides in two other towns.
The other deaths came when two people drowned after a passenger boat capsized in northeastern Aurora province.
 
 
Chinese premier meets Venezuelan president
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro here in Beijing.
Li Keqiang hailed the China-Venezuela strategic partnership as fruitful.
The premier also said China believed the Venezuelan government and people would continue to progress in national development.
For his part, Maduro says bilateral cooperation benefits both nations.
He stressed that Venezuela will enhance cooperation with China in areas including energy, finance, mining, agriculture and infrastructure construction.
 
 
China urges diplomacy to curb missile proliferation
 
The Foreign Ministry of China has released a new statement, urging diplomacy to curb missile proliferation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The statement comes after media reports that Japan has approved the installation of an advanced US military radar in Kyoto Prefecture.
The radar is set to defend against any missile threat from North Korea.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China advocates political and diplomatic means in dealing with missile proliferation.
"China believes that unilaterally deploying an anti-missile system or forging an alliance is not conducive to the resolution of the regional nonproliferation issue as well as the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, and will bring about a severe negative impact on global strategic stability."
The X-band radar is capable of precisely tracking the trajectory of a ballistic missile and allows U.S forces to launch interceptor missiles from the ground and sea.
 
 
64th International Astronautical Congress Held in Beijing
 
Anchor
This year's International Astronautical Congress is underway here in Beijing.
More than 35-hundred delegates from over 70 countries are gathered to talk about the space industry, science and education.
CRI's Ding Lulu has more details.
Reporter
The 64th International Astronautical Congress,the largest space-related conference in the world, opened on Monday.
The event has attracted members of the space industry, ranging from government to industry and academia from around the world.
The one-week congress is meant to share the latest developments and information about space.
It's also an opportunity for the delegates to meet and share ideas.
Tian Yulong is the Secretary-general of China's National Space Administration.
"International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is considered the Olympics of world Aerospace field. It's a worldwide platform for scientists, researchers and space agency officials to share their latest trends and insight in space exploration, which will benefit for all people in the world."
As one of the most prestigious events for the international aerospace community, China is hosting the event for the first time since 1996.
Ma Xingrui is the Director of China's National Space Administration.
He says China's space industry has undergone massive development over the past 17 years.
"China has made great achievements in its space programs. Breakthroughs have been made in major aerospace engineering and space technology such as manned space flight, lunar exploration, Beidou Navigation Satellite System. National Spatial Data Infrastructure has been built, which was composed of the remote sensing, communications, broadcast and navigation positioning. The results of space technology have been widely used in various fields such as economy, science and technology, culture and education."
The theme of this year's event is "Promoting Space Development for the Benefit of Mankind."
Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao has touched on this as part of his speech to the opening of the congress.
"China is willing to share the experience of promoting economy through space technologies with countries around the world, including developing countries. Adhering to the concept of cooperative development and shared space, China will strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in aerospace and let the results of space research be the benefits of all."
Founded in 1951, the International Astronautical Federation has representatives in 62 countries.
For CRI, I'm DLL.
 
 
Chinese schools get independent education inspectors
 
Anchor
Educational authorities here in China are pushing a supervision mechanism among Chinese primary and middle schools.
The move is aimed at improving educational quality and fairness.
CRI's Hu Jia has more.
Reporter
According to the Ministry of Education, over 300 thousand primary and middles schools here in China will be installed with inspectors by the end of this year.
These inspectors will be independent from local educational authorities.
He Xiuchao is the director of the ministry's education supervision department.
He introduced that these inspectors will deal with complaints from parents and students in addition to supervising schools' enrollment, management, educational methods, curriculum, and food safety and sanitation.
"These inspectors will be the internal police of the education system, discovering and reporting problems and helping find sound solutions."
The official noticed that a remarkable imbalance of education has come to exist among schools and between urban and rural areas.
Many schools have paid attention only to pupils' test marks, assigning too much homework to them and ignoring their physical and mental health.
Some schools have illegally charged extra tuition fees, and even reportedly manipulated the enrollment process for benefits.
"At such, these inspectors will carry out supervision and inspection to schools under relevant regulations. It will help to standardize schools' overall operation and practically solve out problems and further improve educational quality."
Inspectors are also required to submit monthly reports to local governments and put forward their suggestions, which will be important criterion for assessing the performance of a school and its heads.
The move comes amid government efforts to lessen the heavy workload for students.
Earlier this month, the Education Ministry issued a draft policy regarding this issue.
Zhang Guohua is the director of the educational bureau of Weifang City in east China's Shandong Province, where a pilot scheme has been carried out for over a decade.
He noted the mechanism has proved to be in success in Weifang city, but more needed to be done.
"The inspection mechanism is an important guarantee. However if we want to practically relieve students' burden from school , we also need to reform the evaluation mechanism for schools and comprehensive efforts from educational experts as well as social involvement."
According to the Education Ministry, the inspectors, with a three-year tenure, will be mainly selected from incumbent or retired principals and teachers as well as education researchers and administrative staff.
Each inspector will be responsible for supervising around five schools.
For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe
Join me on the desk, CRI's Hu Jia.
Reporter
U.S. stocks start the week with declines.
Stocks extending Friday's sharp slump, as investors tried to determine what would be the next move of the Federal Reserve.
William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said that the pace of improvement is insufficient, and too uncertain for the Fed to pull back now.
Another lingering concern for investors is the possibility of nasty budget negotiations in Congress.
In corporate news, Apple shares rallied 5 percent.
The tech heavyweight said it sold a record nine million of its latest iPhone models in their first three days in stores.
And said its fourth-quarter sales would be near the high end of its previous forecast.
BlackBerry. shares rose 1.1 percent on news that the company had agreed to be taken private by a consortium.
Citigroup fell 3.2 percent after the Financial Times reported the bank anticipates a large drop in trading revenue amid a slowdown in trading activity.
When the market closed,
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3 percent.
The S&P 500 lost 0.5 percent.
The Nasdaq lost 0.3 percent.
European stock markets dropped as investors digested a mixed round of euro-zone data.
The broader euro-zone "flash" composite PMI climbed to a 27-month high of 52.1, beating expectations of a 51.9 print.
The September services PMIs beat expectations in both France and Germany, while the manufacturing readings missed market views and pulled back compared with August.
Thus
France's CAC 40 index closed 0.8 percent lower while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell 0.6 percent.
Germany's DAX dropped 0.5 percent.
 
 
Morning Call-In Flash PMI
 
Anchor
Monday saw the release of upbeat initial manufacturing data, with the flash HSBC purchasing managers index coming in at 51.2 in September.
This hike from 50.1 in August exceeded market expectations, fuelling optimism that the world's second largest economy has emerged from its growth slowdown.
New orders for Chinese exports jumped to a 10 month peak on the back of strengthening overseas demand while domestic demand remained robust, with new orders peaking at a five month high.
This has renewed confidence that China is on track to achieve its growth target of 7.5 percent this year.
For a break down of the data I am on the line with, Mark Hughes, Executive business editor of China Daily.
Questions
1. What are the sub-indices that have gained the most in September? What industries are receiving the most new orders?
2. HSBC uses a much narrower sample than the National Bureau of Statistics, do you think these initial figures will be reflected in the NBS figures which are expected on 1st October?
3. How much do you think the figures are being skewed by companies increasing their output ahead of the mid-Autumn festival and the National Holidays?
Back Anchor:
That was Mark Hughes,Executive business editor of China Daily
 
 
First 3 days see 9m iPhone 5S and 5C sold
 
Sales of the less than perfect new iPhone models, has again beaten market expectations.
Figures for the first three days hit 9-million for the 5S and 5C models.
This is an expressive number as Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5's a year ago in the first three days after its launch.
However, media reports reveal that Chinese consumers, despite crazing the gold version of the iPhone 5S, have entirely rejected the 5C models.
Fans in Beijing have slammed Apple for failing to stock enough iPhone 5S models at its flagship store.
It is reported that about 300 iPhones were sold from the Beijing flagship store in the first day of trading.
 
 
Blackberry in $4.7bn takeover deal with Fairfax
 
Struggling smartphone maker Blackberry, has agreed a takeover deal with Fairfax for 4.7 billion US dollars.
Fairfax already the largest shareholder, is offering 9 dollars per share in cash to buy the company.
The news follows Friday's announcement Blackberry would cut 4-thousand 500 jobs globally.
Financial problems for the Canadian tech firm appeared to surface this year following the disappointing sales of its new Z10 smartphone model.
It is expected the loss would likely surge to 1 billion US dollars.
 
 
Microsoft unveils its latest and smallest tablet
 
Microsoft has unveiled its new tablet, Surface Pro 2.
Panos Pinay, Vice President of the company says the new gadget in terms of capability is more like a laptop or a desktop computer.
"Surface Pro 2 from Surface Pro is a 75 percent improvement in battery life across the board. We gave you a better screen, we've boosted the speakers, and we've added 50 percent graphics performance to the product. We increased the speed of the product by 20 percent."
The Surface Pro 2 is targeted at professionals.
Scott Stein is the editor of the American tech media website editor.
"So, Microsoft is trying to first of all craft an identity for tablet PCs in the Windows space and then I also think that Microsoft is trying to show how professionals are using this type of product as opposed to something like an iPad or other consumer tablets."
The kickstand which is built into the device is redesigned to make it easier to use on laps.
The Surface Pro 2 model will price at 899 US dollars for its 64 gigabytes version.
 
 
Microsoft to set up Chinese joint venture
 
More news from Microsoft.
Media reports show that the tech giant is planning to delve into the gaming industry here in China.
The BesTV New Media, a subsidiary of the Shanghai Media Group, has confirmed it will set up a joint venture company with Microsoft, to develop games and related services.
The registered capital for the JV is reportedly at 79 million US dollars.
Total investment may reach 237 million US dollars.
It is believed the JV company will be registered in the newly established Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
The firm, initially named as E-Home Entertainment Development, will see Microsoft holding 49 percent of the share.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Kenya forces 'clearing' Westgate centre
 
Kenyan officials say they are in the final stages of bringing the deadly stand-off to an end with suspected al-Shabab militants in Nairobi.
Explosions and heavy gunfire were reported as soldiers stormed the Westgate shopping complex.
62-people have been confirmed dead and another 65 remain unaccounted for.
Kenya's interior minister Joseph Lenku says two "terrorists" were killed in a morning operation on Monday.
He added that Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall, though attackers could still be hiding inside.
 
 
Chinese premier meets Venezuelan president
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro here in Beijing.
Li Keqiang hailed the China-Venezuela strategic partnership as fruitful.
The premier also said China believed the Venezuelan government and people would continue to progress in national development.
For his part, Maduro says bilateral cooperation benefits both nations.
He stressed that Venezuela will enhance cooperation with China in areas including energy, finance, mining, agriculture and infrastructure construction.
 
 
Typhoon Usagi enters Guangxi after being downgraded to a tropical depression
 
Typhoon Usagi has entered Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after it was downgraded to a tropical depression.
The storm was forecast to leave Guangxi for waters off the region's southern coast tonight .
On Monday, Usagi left at least 25 people dead after making landfall in south China's Guangdong Province.
The typhoon also forced 310-thousand people from their homes and incurred direct economic losses of 7.1 billion yuan in Guangdong.
It's also caused massive gridlock, as hundreds of flights in and out of Hong Kong and the rest of the Pearl River Delta Region had to be cancelled.
Usagi is the strongest storm to hit eastern Guangdong in 40 years and the most powerful to hit China this year.
 
 
China-Australia Military Culture and Friendship Week to Start
 
A Chinese delegation has arrived in Canberra to kick off this year's Australian Defence Force and People's Liberation Army Culture and Friendship Week.
It is the first time the PLA has conducted military change in a western country.
During the eight day visit, the 86-member delegation will hold a photography exhibition and a concert.
Senior officers from the Australian Defence Force are also slated to attend the events and have discussions with their Chinese counterparts.
The event officially begins on Wednesday.
 
 
Morning Call-In Flash PMI
 
The flash HSBC purchasing managers index comes in at 51.2 in September.
This hike from 50.1 in August exceeded market expectations, fuelling optimism that the world's second largest economy has emerged from its growth slowdown.
New orders for Chinese exports jumped to a 10 month peak on the back of strengthening overseas demand while domestic demand remained robust, with new orders peaking at a five month high.
This has renewed confidence that China is on track to achieve its growth target of 7.5 percent this year.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Global Times
Strict meeting budgets
Summary:
China's central government departments are now required to cut their spending on meetings.
The new measures have shortened conference length and reduced meeting sizes at all levels.
Beijing Times
Girls killed in washing machine
Summary:
Two girls, aged 2 and 4, died after they climbed into a broken washing machine, which may have ran automatically after its lid was closed.
Their father was watching TV in the bedroom and their mother was cooking when the incident occurred.
The couple saw a chair was placed near the washing machine.
South China Metropolitan Daily
Suspect arrested over death of boy
Summary:
Police have arrested a suspect who they say killed a 9-year-old boy.
The boy's body was found in a river in central China's Henan province.
The boy had more than 100 knife wounds and his corneas missing.
A video clip from a community security camera showed the boy being taken by a young man into a house.
Shanghai Daily
Juice makers to be investigated
Summary:
China's food watchdog has ordered an investigation into four beverage groups after claims that their juice products were being made from rotten fruit.
Preliminary investigations have found no rotten fruit.
Yanzhao Metropolitan Daily
Gasoline, diesel prices to rise
Summary:
Chinese drivers will have to pay more for fuel amid the country's drive to reduce air pollution through upgraded fuel quality.
In the next two years, the price of gasoline and diesel fuel that meet the national "fourth phase" standard will be raised by 290 yuan ($47.40) per metric ton and 370 yuan per ton.
China Daily
Taoists on a mission to promote ancient lore
Summary:
Chinese Taoists will embark on a cultural exchange tour to Europe on Thursday to promote the philosophy, which they believe can encourage world peace and promote environmental protection.
The delegation will show off Taoist pictures, costumes, paintings, musical instruments and videos.
Beijing News
Schools nationwide to receive supervisors
Summary:
All primary and secondary schools across China are to be appointed supervisors by the end of the year, a move to improve the regulation of education.
They will carry out inspections on various aspects, including school management, student recruitment, fees, curriculum design, teaching quality, etc.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Stigma remains hinderance for people suffering mental problems to get treated
 
Anchor
Mental health issues continue to be a problem for people here in China and across the globe.
Experts are warning that the stigma attached to mental health disorders has become a hinderance for many to get the right treatment.
CRI's Marc Cavigli has more.
The World Health Organization estimates at least 100-million Chinese citizens suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime.
Depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorder, and schizophrenia are examples of debilitating conditions reportedly experienced by over a third of people in most countries.
This number is staggering; even more staggering is the realization that few people receive quality treatment while others are not even aware they have an illness.
This problem is especially true in China where treatment is difficult to find.
So why aren't people getting the care they need?
Some experts consider stigma as the greatest hindrance to mental health in China.
Doctor William Hamill is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Menlo Park, California.
"People get afraid. They get afraid of what they don't understand, and then tend to stigmatize it as a way of distancing themselves. What we don't understand we fear."
Fear contributes to a lack of knowledge and appropriate care, which strengthens the stigma.
Dr. Hamill emphasized a fact that people who stigmatize mental illness forget.
"This is a genetic and medical condition. It's like other medical conditions; diabetes, hypertension. Mental illness is a medical condition."
What this means is blaming someone who suffers from mental illness would be akin to blaming someone because they have cancer or diabetes and the same goes for treatment.
So if both situations are medical conditions then why is there such a disconnect in the way society thinks about them?
Kevin Ahmadi is an In-house Case Manager at a mental health facility in California and offers one explanation.
"Mental illnesses have been portrayed in a more violent manner in media, movies, and TV. That's all people know, they think all those people are violent."
When a knife attack occurs, like last year where a man injured 23-children and an elderly woman, Chinese news outlets tend to write-off the attacker as mentally ill as if that explains their behavior.
This reinforces the stigma.
However experts and studies have shown there is no correlation between mental disorders and violence.
Those who do commit violent acts are a part of a very small percentile.
Ultimately, people need to drop this stigma by educating themselves and understanding the problem for what it is; a treatable medical condition.
"This is something we all need to understand better and not to demonize or think that people with mental disorders are less than human, they're not. They need our help and understanding for them to get through."
Those who suffer need the support of family and friends and need easy access to treatment options.
For CRI, this is Marc Cavigli
 
 
Sports
 
 
Ana Ivanovic reach the second round at the Pan Pacific Open
 
Tennis now, to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia also reached the second round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Annika Beck of Germany.
The 11th seed lost the first game of each set but bounced back with six successive games each time to beat Beck.
Japanese Ayumi Morita is one of three Japanese players to advance to the second round .
Morita had six aces in a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Britain's Laura Robson.
Fifth seed Angelique Kerber needed just 54 minutes to brush aside the challenge of Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor and secure her spot in the third round.
German Kerber, chasing her first WTA title of the year and third of her career, broke her Spanish opponent seven times en route to a 6-0 6-1 triumph.
Back in first first-round action Romania's Simona Halep, the 13th seed, was leading Anastasia Pavl/yu/chen/kova 3-6 7-6 (7/5) 3-0 when her Russian opponent retired.
 
 
Heineken Cup launch is held in Paris
 
Representatives from France's six main football clubs involved in the Heineken Cup have all taken part in the launch of the 2013/2014 competition in Paris on Monday.
That includes Castres Olympique, Toulon, Toulouse, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Montpellier and Perpignan.
But the future of the tournament appears to be in severe jeopardy as English and French clubs have announced they will leave the tournament at the end of the season.
The breakaway clubs have cited a variety of reasons for their decision to depart Europe's top-tier club tournament.
That includes issues with the qualification system and the way revenue is shared.
English and French clubs have also announced their plans for the Rugby Champions Cup, which would be set up in time for the 2014/15 season.
Premiership Rugby - the umbrella body representing England's top-flight clubs says that the competition will also be open to teams that play in the Pro12 league, which consists of clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy.
 
 
Barcelona aim to build on their perfect start to the season
 
Barcelona have been preparing for their league clash against Real Sociedad which takes place today as they aim to stay on top of La Liga by maintaining their perfect start.
The Spanish champions are on top of La Liga after a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Barca have 15 points from five games, and moved top ahead of Atletico Madrid on goal difference.
Barcelona coach Tata Martino, who rotated his squad again in Saturday's match, is still seeking cohesion and admitted there is a lot to improve.
"I feel the players are feeling more and more comfortable, and as they feel more comfortable and we become stronger as a team and individually, we will improve. We are close to perfection point-wise, but we are not even close in the way we play."
Asked about close-season signing Neymar, Martino said the Brazilian was adapting very well to the Catalan team.
"What he (Neymar) has given the team since he arrived, not only when he has played, but.. He has adapted very fast to the team. To the team's shape and needs. He contributes a lot creating chances, but also recovering. I am particularly very happy with how Neymar is responding".
Barca are set to play against seventh-placed Real Sociedad, with six points.
Their last two league matches have been goaless draws and they have not won in the league since their opening match of the season against Getafe.
 
 
Luis Suarez: Liverpool boss yet to make decision on Luis Suarez
 
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says he hasnt decided whether Luis Suarez will start at Manchester United on Wednesday.
But Rogers says the striker is keen to get stuck in after his ban.
"Well, he (Luis Suarez) certainly comes back into the squad and, obviously, we're delighted to have him. It's been a really difficult time for him in terms of not playing games. But I have to say how he's prepared himself over these last numbers of weeks, he's been fantastic, his attitude in training and everything. I know he's really champing at the bit now to get back and help the team so as I said he'll obviously travel with us and we'll reflect over the next 24 hours whether he's selected or not."　
26 year old Suarez has completed his 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April.
Suarez has been playing in games organised for him by the club and represented Uruguay earlier this month in World Cup qualifiers.
After being denied a move away from Liverpool, with Arsenal's bids rejected, Suarez is now back in a contention for a team he hoped to leave.
Suarez joined Liverpool from Ajax in January 2011 and has scored 51 goals in 96 appearances.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Wong Kar Wai Submits Grandmaster to Academy
 
Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai's new film The Grandmaster has been submitted for nomination to the Academy Awards.
(grandmaster trailer)
The film hopes to achieve nominations in several categories including Best Foreign Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress among others.
The Grandmaster tells the life story of Wing Chun master Ip Man who also instructed Bruce Lee.
The film stars Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen all who spent years studying Kung Fu in preparation of the film.
The film has received mostly positive reviews and has been successful with audiences both in China and the world.
The 86th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles next year in March.
 
 
Wikileaks Posts Script and Slams Film The 5th Estate About Julian Assange
 
Controversial secret-publishing website Wikileaks has posted a copy of the script to the new film The Fifth Estate in which actor Benedict Cumberbatch appears as wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange.
(fifth estate trailer)
In an open letter posted with the script the website trashed the film saying it is irresponsible, counterproductive, and harmful.
The post claims the film is fiction masquerading as fact saying most of the events depicted never happened, or the people shown were not involved in them.
The film premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival before a mass release.
Cumberbatch has shared his thoughts on Assange saying he thinks Assange is a hero in many ways and that he admires him.
However, earlier this month he also revealed Assange asked him not to go through with the film.
Assange is currently in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in political asylum.
He has been residing there for the past year and a half.
 
 
Film Adaptation in the Works for The Giver
 
(rogers clip)
An adaptation of author Lois Lowry's award winning novel The Giver is finally going into production at the end of this year.
Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges is set to star as the Giver and will also produce the film.
As of now Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce, known for films such as Salt and Rabbit-Proof Fence is set to direct though this could change.
24-year-old actor Brenton Thwaites will portray Jonas from the book, the young boy destined to be the Receiver of Memories in the dystopian/utopian setting of the story.
In the book Jonas is a young boy so given Thwaites age it will be interesting to see how they deal with this.
Rounding out the cast so far is Academy Award winner Meryl Streep who will appear as the Chief Elder.
The Giver is scheduled to be released next summer.
 
 
Cate Blanchett's Directorial Debut
 
Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett has signed up to direct her first feature film.
The film will be an adaptation of author Herman Koch's 2009 novel The Dinner about a restaurant meeting between two sets of parents whose sons have most likely committed a disturbing crime.
It is unclear whether or not Blanchett will also star in the psychological thriller.
Meanwhile, many are considering Blanchett the frontrunner for this year Best Actress Academy Award for her work in Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine.
 
 
 
That's all we have time for on the show as well.
Recapping our top headlines....
Kenya forces the 'clearing' of the under siege shopping mall
Assad admits Syria has large quantities of chemical weapons
Typhoon Usagi enters Guangxi
Business
Purchasing managers index comes in at 51.2 in September.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour team, I'm Rebecca Hume in Beijing, hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together!