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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
It's Friday, October 25th, 2013.
I'm Marc Cavigli, welcome to the Beijing Hour broadcasting live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening，
India's Prime Minister says he is very satisfied with his trip to China.
China’s high court rejects former party chief of Chongqing Bo Xilai’s appeal.
The EU says its distrust of the US over spying allegations may hinder fighting terrorism.
Business, China launches a new benchmark lending rate to help markets set the cost of funds.
Sports, major league baseball teams the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardnials have both won a game against each other in the World Series.
Entertainments, Alfonso Cuaron’s new film Gravity coming to Chinese cinemas next month.
Plus Special reports says goodbye to the big yellow duck which will be leaving China this weekend.
Weather
Snow weather eases N China's air pollution
Long-awaited snowy weather has showed up in northeast China's Jilin province, which has recently been choked by heavy air pollution.
Provincial capital Changchun has witnessed severe air pollution in the past four days.
The sleet on Friday brought the air quality index to read "good".
Despite this, forecasters are warning of likely air pollution in the region caused by coal burning.
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 4 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 19. Cloudy on Sunday with a high of 18.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 12, sunny tomorrow, with a high of 20.
Lhasa will be clear tonight, 1 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast with a high of 30.
Kabul, sunny, 21.
Over in Australia
Sydney, overcast, highs of 23.
Canberra, sunny, 21.
Brisbane, overcast, 28.
And finally, Perth will also be overcast with a high of 26.
Top News
India PM "very satisfied" with China visit
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says he is "very satisfied" with his just-concluded visit to China.
Singh has remarked both sides made significant progress concerning border issues with the signing of a border defense agreement and consensus that stable borders are paramount to a healthy relationship.
The comments come following border tensions earlier this year, when Indian and Chinese troops stood off against one another.
Hou Shuiping, director of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, says the signing of the border deal is a significant move.
"The border deal provides a framework for solving our border issues, which will also benefit trade activities. It shows the two sides are increasingly willing to solve the disputes through dialogue."
Singh, who has been dubbed the "father of India's economic reform," also focused his time here in China on trade and investment.
India is planning to invest 1-trillion U.S. dollars in infrastructure over the next 5-years, which Singh claims is open to Chinese investment.
China amends consumer rights law
China's top legislature has passed a revision to a law on consumer rights, the first time since the adoption of the law in 1993.
The bill, which has been through three readings since April, includes new clauses to protect online shoppers as well as the privacy of consumers.
It comes at a time when the country has been trying to turn domestic consumption to spur its economy.
The revised law is set to take effect on March 15th, also known as World Consumer Rights Day.
Consumer rights law to protect online shopper
Anchor:
Chinese consumers and online vendors are expressing mixed opinions about the new regulations connected to online purchases.
CRI's Zhou Heyang explains.
Reporter:
The current version contains an article endorsing higher compensation for consumers who die or suffer serious health problems due to faulty products knowingly sold by dealers.
The bill bans dealers from forcing consumers to buy or impose unfair and unreasonable conditions, and further clarifies regulations on e-commerce, protecting the rights of both consumers and businesses.
Though the bill allows e-shoppers to unconditionally return merchandise for refunds within seven days of a transaction, it also requires them to pay logistics costs.
One online buyer disagrees.
"They say the actual product is identical to the picture they put on their Taobao store. But sometimes there is actually a noticeable difference between the clothes they send and the picture, or else the size is different to their description. I don't think I should shoulder the delivery fee even if it's not a matter of quality."
Miss Tang, a Taobao dealer, says it's not fair for dealers like her to pay the logistics fee.
"The clothes I sell may be flawless, but the buyer may still insist on returning it. But if I am the one who pays for the delivery fee and accepts the unconditional returns, I will lose money in this transaction."
The new draft expands the list of products not suitable for unconditional returns and refunds.
Digital products sold via downloads have been added to the list, which already includes audio-visual products with the packaging removed, bespoke products, fresh and perishable goods, magazines, newspapers and software.
Consumers can seek compensation from online trading platforms if the platforms fail to provide valid contact details for vendors using their networks. After compensating consumers, online trading platforms are entitled to claim compensation from vendors.
Zhang Wenbin, a lawyer, says this revision on consumer rights protection generally favors consumers. The revision to the law this time is a step forward.
"The prices of some products are just a few yuan. But the cost of claiming compensation is several, even dozens, of times the prices. Under such circumstances, many consumers decide not to advocate their right. This may encourage dealers to use the loophole of the law. It's not good to regulate their business behavior."
The consumer rights law has not been revised since it was enacted in 1993, but the way people shop and ideas of consumption have changed dramatically.
For CRI, I am Zhou Heyang.
China rejects Bo Xilai's appeal
The high court in east China's Shandong province has rejected ex-Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai's appeal and upheld the original sentence of life imprisonment for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
Bo Xilai is the former party chief of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as well as a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
He has been found guilty of accepting bribes of some 20-million yuan or 3.3-million US dollars as well as embezzling 5-million yuan.
The original verdict describes the circumstances of his abuse of power as "especially serious."
The high court has determined his defense and grounds for appeal have no factual or legal basis.
EU says distrust of US on spying may harm terror fight
EU leaders meeting in Brussels say distrust over US spying claims may harm international anti-terrorism efforts.
An issued statement says a lack of trust "could prejudice co-operation in intelligence gathering."
However, the statement also claims the EU values its "close relationship" with the US.
The US National Security Agency is being accused of collecting the telephone records of some 70-million people in France as well as tapping German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.
"And this is in the interest of the German citizens. This is not about me specifically, but about all citizens. We need trust among partners and this trust needs to be restored now."
The allegations against the US are drawing ire from others within the European Union.
Martin Schulz is the president of the European Parliament.
"The office of the European Parliament in Washington is the target of spying, I asked United States officials if this is true. They said, perhaps, because, of anti-terror measures. I could guarantee the European Parliament is not planning terrorist attacks on the United States."
Schulz is threatening to suspend the EU free trade talks with the United States over the allegations.
Ban Ki-moon calls for unity on UN Day
Anchor:
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is issuing a call for more unity on this, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Report:
UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon has delivered the annual message marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the world body.
"United Nations Day is a chance to recognize how much this invaluable Organization contributes to peace and common progress. It is a time to reflect on what more we can do to realize our vision for a better world."
Ban Ki-moon has highlighted two major challenges, notably Syria and the need to develop a new set of priorities when it comes to development.
"The Millennium Development Goals have cut poverty in half. Now we must maintain the momentum, craft an equally inspiring post-2015 development agenda and reach an agreement on climate change."
Ban is calling on the international community to be more united and "work together for peace, development and human rights."
In addition to his message, Ban Ki-moon has also taken to Times Square in New York to help UN staffers hand out promotional materials.
The huge Nasdaq screen in Times Square also became a platform, repeatedly displaying images of the UN's work around the world.
Martin Nesirky is a spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon.
"The Nasdaq billboard displayed UN messages. That was around 10 o'clock this morning. And those messages will be repeated on that billboard just after 4:25 this afternoon ... Messages that said very clearly and plainly what kind of efforts the UN makes in various areas, tackling poverty, on human rights, on peace and security, conflict prevention, environmental matters, very many, and listed there, vaccination programmes. "
The UN has also created a "Message to UN" as part of its Weibo account.
Subcribers can write down their message to the UN, take a photo and upload it online.
The UN Charter came into force on October 24th, 1945.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
Protests staged in Seoul in festival for disputed islands
Protests have been held in Seoul over a small group of disputed islets in the Sea of Japan on South Korea's national 'Dokdo Day'.
Lee Soo-kwang is the honorary mayor of the islets.
"On the occasion of Dokdo Day, through the 'Ten Million Honorary Dokdo Citizens' campaign, we once again confirm that Dokdo is a South Korean territory."
The Dokdo Islands, as they are known in South Korea, are referred to as the Takeshima islands in Japan.
The situation has recently been exacerbated by a film released online by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, which outlines their claim to the islets.
Protester Chun Do-oh says Japan's territorial claims are a sign the country has not fully repented for its past of military expansion.
"They haven't even deleted the video, and just act like nothing happened. Our anger towards the Japanese government cannot be contained."
South Korea celebrates "Dokdo Day" on October 25th every year.
Workers reportedly exploited in Fukushima
Anchor:
It has been reported thousands of workers have been exploited to work in and around Fukushima Daiichi in Japan.
Three nuclear reactors at the plant were destroyed by a tsunami two years ago, leading to the worst nuclear disaster since Ukraine's Chernobyl.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Report:
Tetsuya Hayashi was one of those recruited for a job monitoring the radiation exposure of workers leaving the plant in the summer of 2012.
But soon he found himself handed off through a web of contractors and assigned to one of Fukushima's hottest radiation zones inside the plant.
"Those sent to the front lines are those who are gathered and then lied to, and then only used for a few days. Once they've been worked to the bone, then they just lie and gather a new group and it seemed like it's just that same loop over and over. So no, I don't think they're being very honest."
He was told the amount of radiation one received goes down by half in a week.
Fukushima's safety standards stipulate that workers are limited to 100-millisieverts of radiation exposure over 5-years.
In fact, there is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation.
It has also been revealed that leaders of the workers wrote down false information as to how much radiation the group received while on the work site.
Yousuke Minaguchi, a lawyer representing Fukushima workers, says Japan's government has turned a blind eye to the problem of worker exploitation.
"Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Ministry of Economy or the Ministry of Health and Labor don't want to focus on this. So on the surface they say that they are looking into exposing these incidents and saying they are illegal but in reality they don't look into them. By ignoring these cases, I think they are trying to continue using labour cheaply."
Tokyo Electric Power Company, the runner of the plant, says it needs to outsource work at Fukushima because it does not have the resources or expertise needed to complete a clean-up expected to run for 30-years or more.
The utility has claimed it is unable to monitor subcontractors fully, but has taken steps to limit worker abuse and curb the involvement of organized crime.
Statistics show there are about 25-percent more openings than applicants for jobs in the Fukushima prefecture.
Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is responsible for Japan's energy policy and the decommissioning of the plant.
He admits more could be done to ensure regulations are being enforced.
"In the course of working, it's necessary to get cooperation from a variety of companies and groups. Organization and making sure work continues is something we have to improve upon daily."
Some 50-thousand workers plus contractors have signed on over the past two years to clean up the plant and the surrounding area.
Thousands more will have to follow.
For CRI, this is Cao Yuwei.
Malagasy voters seek to end political conflict as election approaches
The final preparations for Madagascar's presidential election on Friday are underway.
Originally scheduled to be held in May, the election has been postponed many times due to candidature disputes.
A total of 33 candidates will compete in the election, down from the 48 registered.
Analysts believe election results will not come out until the second round of voting in December because of the excessive number of candidates.
Thierry Venty, director of the chairman's office of the Independent Electoral Commission, says political crisis remains in the country.
"One of the reasons why the political crisis remains in Madagascar is that political forces are not reaching agreements to form major parties, and select three to four candidates. Each party insists it can particularly contribute to the country. As a result, we have so many presidential candidates, and each candidate has his own opinion on the country's development."
This year's election is considered key to resolving the crisis.
Madagascar is now one of the least developed countries in the world.
92-percent of the population is said to be living on less than two dollars per day.
Israel and Saudi Arabia both want to prevent a nuclear Iran
Israel's chief peace negotiator is making a public link between the goals of Israel and Saudi Arabia when it comes to Iran.
But at the same time, Tzipi Livni notes the two countries can't work together on Iran's nuclear issues because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"In order to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon, we need to cooperate with those understanding that Iran is a threat to them as well. But unfortunately the open conflict between Israel and the Palestinians makes it impossible or very difficult for them to act with Israel against Iran. Because when it comes to public opinion in their own state, Israel is still the enemy."
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic ties.
Last week, Saudi Arabia cited an international failure to grant the Palestinians statehood as one of the reasons it renounced its seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the Israeli parliament last week, has suggested Israeli-Arab interests are something that could help advance decades-old peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
However, the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, revived in July after a three-year hiatus, have shown few signs of progress.
Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim-dominated state.
Iran is Shi'ite.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes only.
Biz Reports
Asian stocks
Asian stocks dropped, with the benchmark gauge set to snap two weeks of gains, as earnings from Canon Inc. to Posco trailed estimates.
Chinese shares dropped for a fourth consecutive day on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1.5-percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index fell 1.3-percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.6-percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei stock average suffered the biggest one-day loss in 2 and half months down 2.8-percent.
South Korean shares closed down 0.6-percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index was down 0.4-percent.
And only Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.3-percent.
China launches new benchmark lending rate
China has launched a new benchmark lending rate, in another step towards letting markets set the cost of funds and reducing distortions that have led to excessive investment and overcapacity.
China's central bank says the "loan prime rate" will guide commercial bankers when setting interest rates and lending to their best customers.
The rate is set by nine commercial banks including China's four biggest banks and was quoted for the first time on Friday near 5.7-percent.
China has been gradually moving away from rate controls in favor of a market-driven system and in July abolished all controls on bank lending rates.
The People's Bank of China says the loan prime rate is aimed at further promoting market-oriented interest rates, improving the benchmark rate systems and guiding the pricing of credit market products.
Foreign trade of private enterprises grows fast in Shanghai Customs District
Recent data shows the import and export volume of private enterprises in Shanghai has increased to around 160-billion US dollars in the first three quarters this year, up by 9.1-percent amid a sluggish export situation nationwide.
In order to better predict the country's foreign trade, China's General Administration of Customs has launched a monthly online survey of 2-thousand foreign trade companies.
Zhu Chunhua, deputy director of the Division of Statistics at the Shanghai Customs District, has commented on the survey.
"The survey showed that the orders have been rising continuously. The companies taking negative views toward the country's foreign trade have been declining to a five-month low."
Besides the surging trade volume, the private enterprises' trade structure has also changed.
In the first three quarters, trade involving original brand manufacturing accounted for over half of the total, while the processing trade was on a downturn.
Corporate News of the Week
Anchor：
Let's check in with some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
China to subsidize e-waste processing enterprises
According to the China Resource Recycling Association, or CRRA, China will subsidize accredited domestic electronic waste processing enterprises within the week, in order to assist the e-waste recycling sector.
According to Tang Aijun, secretary-general at the CRRA, China is planning to expand the subsidy program to include more electronic devices, such as cell phones, MP3 players and tablets.
"Faced with such a situation, the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance are formulating based on research a new list which may include new items like cell phones, small office equipment and household appliances, as well as lead-acid batteries in the funding program."
Under the program, the firms will receive 85-yuan, or almost 14-US dollars, in subsidy for processing a television or a computer, 80-yuan for a refrigerator, and 35-yuan for a washing machine or air-conditioner.
This is good news for many Chinese e-waste recycling companies seeking more government support as they were forced to run at partial capacity due to limited supplies of waste last year.
Air pollution affecting environmental sector stock prices
Local governments across China have recently adopted a series of measures to combat serious air pollution.
This has had a great impact on the Chinese mainland stock market as shares in the environmental protection sector are booming.
According to statistics, stocks related to environmental protection have risen around 20-percent in total, since October, and will continue to grow.
In the past week, thick smog has covered major cities in northeast China, such as Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang.
Meteorological authorities in these two provinces have issued red-level alerts in response to the hazardous smog.
This year, the central government appropriated 5-billion yuan for combating air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
This allocation hopes to motivate the flow of social capital into the environmental protection industry.
Headline News
India PM "very satisfied" with China visit
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says he is "very satisfied" with his just-concluded visit to China.
Singh has remarked both sides made significant progress concerning border issues with the signing of a border defense agreement and consensus that stable borders are paramount to a healthy relationship.
The comments come following border tensions earlier this year, when Indian and Chinese troops stood off against one another.
Singh, who has been dubbed the "father of India's economic reform," also focused his time here in China on trade and investment.
India is planning to invest 1-trillion U.S. dollars in infrastructure over the next 5-years, which Singh claims is open to Chinese investment.
China rejects Bo Xilai's appeal
The high court in east China's Shandong province has rejected ex-Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai's appeal and upheld the original sentence of life imprisonment for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
Bo Xilai is the former party chief of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as well as a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
He has been found guilty of accepting bribes of some 20-million yuan or 3.3-million US dollars as well as embezzling 5-million yuan.
The original verdict describes the circumstances of his abuse of power as "especially serious."
The high court has determined his defense and grounds for appeal have no factual or legal basis.
China amends consumer rights law
China's top legislature has passed a revision to a law on consumer rights, the first time since the adoption of the law in 1993.
The bill, which has been through three readings since April, includes new clauses to protect online shoppers as well as the privacy of consumers.
It comes at a time when the country has been trying to turn domestic consumption to spur its economy.
The revised law is set to take effect on March 15th, also known as World Consumer Rights Day.
EU says distrust of US on spying may harm terror fight
EU leaders meeting in Brussels say distrust over US spying claims may harm international anti-terrorism efforts.
An issued statement says a lack of trust "could prejudice co-operation in intelligence gathering."
However, the statement also claims the EU values its "close relationship" with the US.
The US National Security Agency is being accused of collecting the telephone records of some 70-million people in France as well as tapping German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.
World gender gap narrows
A World Economic Forum report shows the gap between men and women has narrowed slightly in most countries during the course of last year.
Iceland, Finland, and Norway top the list with the smallest gender gap, while several Middle Eastern and North African countries appear at the bottom.
Of the 130-countries on the list the highest-ranked Asian country is the Philippines.
China holds the 69th place.
Japan has performed poorly at the 105th place.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
" Study finds 40 percent of parents happy with one child"
A report by Nanjing's family planning commission showed about 40 percent of Nanjing residents are eligible to have a second child still do not do so.
The capital of East China's Jiangsu province is facing the lowest birthrate in recorded history at 1.3 children per couple, down from a high of 5.8 during the 50s and 60s.
Yuan Xin, an expert on aging-population said that China has had a low birthrate for at least 21 years.
The Telegraph
" Women better at multitasking, scientists confirm"
Researchers from the University of Glasgow tested the well-worn theory by setting groups of male and female volunteers a variety of challenges at the same time.
These included locating restaurants on a map, solving maths puzzles and developing a strategy to find a lost set of keys in a field.
Participants were asked to complete as much of each task as possible in eight minutes.
To make matters worse, they received a phone call during the test which – if they answered it – resulted in a barrage of simple general knowledge questions.
In most tests men were able to hold their ground but in the keys challenge in particular, women developed much better strategies.
The India Express
"Washing hands can make you optimistic"
This is another scientific study which has shown how washing our hands influences how we think, judge and decide,
Researchers examined how physical cleansing affects people after failure.
They found that test subjects who washed their hands after a task were more optimistic than those who did not wash their hands, but it hampered their future performance in the same task domain.
....................................
In the first part of the experiment, participants from two groups had to solve an impossible task.
After failing, the group who washed their hands did a better job in solving the task than the one that did not wash their hands.
However, the third group who had not experienced failure and only taken part in the second test run did even better.)
Special Reports
Beijingers say goodbye to big yellow duck
Anchor:
Thousands have poured into the Summer Palace in northwest Beijing to mark the end of the 2-month stay of a Dutch artist's giant rubber duck.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter:
24-year-old Ye Minghui came to see the rubber duck on a Thursday morning.
"The giant yellow duck gave us overall impression that it is huge and I think it is adorable. I heard that it will be leaving on October 26. So we made our way to come here to look at it."
The 18-metre-high inflatable rubber duck by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman was unveiled on the river in Beijing's Garden Expo Park last month.
Hofman says his rubber duck has brought him to many places around the world.
"People are just crazy about this rubber duck and are connecting all over the world with each other by loving and sharing happiness. I think this should not be also forgotten. It's an art work and this here in Beijing is only a small part of the art work because it is a global art work where rubber ducks all around the world appear and connect people."
Hofman says the rubber duck's next stop remains a secret.
"We've talking to some cities and it might you know pop up but I would never tell where and when, it is a surprise, like, surprises are the best, right?"
Many Chinese people including movie star Jackie Chan are asking why this country cannot create its own "rubber duck".
"I'm wondering if China could create something like giant yellow duck. Their idea is quite a simple one. Yellow ducks don't belong to just one person. And this guy made such a big duck from a small one and caused such a stir. The most important thing is that it can placed into an environment and create fun in the environment."
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
Sports
Cardinals beat Red Sox to level World Series to 1-1
Beginning with Baseball,
The St Louis Cardinals have turned the tables on the Boston Red Sox in game two of the World Series.
They collected themselves after their 8-1 defeat away to take the second game Four to TWO.
St Louis pitcher, Michael Wacha, said it goes to show when you're playing the Red Sox at the moment, you can't afford to make mistakes:
"With this lineup that Boston has, you can't make mistakes or they'll let you pay. A good hitter like Ortiz, I made a mistake, 3-2 change-up up in the zone, and he made me pay. I was pretty mad coming in, but Yadi came up and was like, "Don't worry. Just hold them here. We're going to score in the top of the 7th." Sure enough we put up a big three spot. Everyone was starting to feel pretty good."
The Cardinals were the fist to score leading one – to nothing… but Red Sox star David 'Big Papi' Ortiz smashed a two run home-run in the sixth inning to put his side in the lead.
This was erased in the seventh inning however following some calamitous throwing by Boston in which they dropped the ball twice allowing the Cardinals to snatch three runs back.
Red Sox manager, John Farrell acknowledged the mistake but didn't seem too concerned:
"Well, just in terms of the series, we fully expected this to be a hard-fought series. Not surprising that we're in this position we are. In the seventh inning, we kind of contributed to the three runs allowed. I thought John Lackey threw the ball very well."
The best-of-seven series shifts to St. Louis for the next three games with game three scheduled for Saturday.
Li Na beats Jelena Jankovic to go unbeaten at WTA championships in Istanbul
In Tennis at the WTA championships in Istanbul,
China's Li Na is defeated former World Number one Jelena Jankovic to go unbeaten in the white group so far.
She defeated the Serbian in three sets 6-3 2-6 6-3
The world number five was forced to fight hard by Jankovic in the only match in the round-robin tournament to go the distance so far.
Li will next face Victoria Azarenka to make it through to the final four.
While if Jelena Jankovic loses to Sara Errani she will go through anyway, though that is thought to be unlikely.
In the Red Group American Serena Williams continues to dominate.
The world number one, crushed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-2 6-3 to complete her stroll through the season ending competition.
The defending champion is looking unbeatable and has not dropped a single set, leaving her rivals to scrap over the runners up spot.
Ktivova and Germany's Angelique Kerber are due to face each other at midnight, Beijing time in a winner-takes-all match to make it to the final four.
Luke Guthrie leads after BMW Masters Shanghai day one
In Golf,
Luke Guthrie leads the BMW Masters in Shanghai by three shots after carding a Seven-under-par round of 65 on the first day.
The 23-year-old American made three birdies before chipping in an eagle on the 15th.
Two of Guthrie's compatriots sit just behind him with John Daly on four-under a shot ahead of Peter Uihlein.
There was some controversy as Injured Dutch golfer Joost Luiten teed off at the first hole before immediately withdrawing from the competition.
He felt forced to tee off as the rules state the golfers must compete in at least two out of three events before the Race to Dubai to be eligible.
It was tough to swallow for first reserve Justine Walters however, who had just missed out on qualifying for the 72 man event but had flown out to Shanghai in the hope of someone pulling out before the tee off.
England Cricket team arrive in Australia for 2 month tour including second Ashes of year
The England cricket team have arrived in Austrialia where they will tour for two months.
The tour will include their second Ashes campaign of the year after they secured the trophy 3-0 in August.
The two Ashes series are almost back-to-back in order to avoid falling too close to the 2015 cricket world cup.
Met at the airport by Australian journalists, Batsman Ian Bell, said he was looking forward to the summer ahead:
"It's as exciting summer definitely yes. It's going to be a great test series,"
Reporter : "You think you can win another Ashes? You feeling confident you can do it?"
"You always come on tours to win, don't you? So, it's obviously, you know, a good month of preparation and an exciting test series,"
The first test takes place at the Gabba in Brisbane before further matches in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
Guangzhou to face FC Seoul in first game of 2013 Asian Champion's League Final
Looking ahead to the weekend,
And Guangzhou Evergrande are to take on FC Seoul in South Korea tomorrow in the first game of the 2013 Asian Champions League Final.
Thousands of fans have made the journey to the Korean Capital in the hopes that the Chinese League leaders can be the first to claim the cup since it was launched a decade ago.
Guangzhou Manager Marcello Lippi is hoping to be the first coach ever to win both the Uefa Champions League as well as its Asian equivalent.
He won in Europe with Juventus in 1996.
The first game will kick-off tomorrow at 6:30pm Beijing time and the second game will be played in Southern China on November the 9th.
Vettel fastest at Indian GP as he sits on the cusp of his fourth successive world championship
And in Formula One,
Sebastian Vettel has gone fastest so far during Friday practice at the Indian Grand Prix.
The German driver is 90 points clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with 100 points still available from four races.
The Red Bull driver, who has won the last five races, will be crowned world champion for the fourth time in a row if he finished fifth or better on Sunday.
Entertainment
'Gravity' to Hit Chinese Screens Next Month
Alfonso Cuaron's record-breaking new film "Gravity" is set to hit screens in China on November 20th.
The movie has been praised by Avatar director James Cameron as "the best space film ever made."
The 3D science fiction thriller and space drama stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
It tells a story of two astronauts who become lost in space after a disastrous encounter with space debris.
Recently, Cuaron recorded a special statement for Chinese movie goers.
Hello, dajiahao. I'm Alfonso Cuarón, director of "Gravity." Our film will transport you to
space and take you to intensive danger in which Chinese technology played a fundamental role with Tiangong space station and Shenzhou space both save the debris. This immersive danger is best experienced in 3D. I'm very excited that 3D will be released in China on November 20th. And I cannot wait for the Chinese audience to experience the film. Xie xie.
Gravity still holds the top spot at the US box office since its opening at the beginning of this month.
Elton John to perform live on 'The X Factor'?
Pop superstar Sir Elton John has reportedly agreed to appear and perform live on The X Factor.
It is rumored the "Your Song" singer was convinced to make an appearance by judge Sharon Osbourne.
John will likely appear on the show later in the series as well as mentor the acts ahead of their performances.
The move is surprising as in the past John has been highly critical of The X Factor and other reality-talent shows.
He has given warnings to the winners of such shows saying TV prematurely launches the performers to superstardom then expects them to back it up.
Lady Gaga and The Wanted are also set to perform live on The X Factor soon.
Johnny Depp to front documentary as part of Sky Atlantic series
Johnny Depp has agreed to head the first documentary in a new series on Sky Atlantic.
The Jack Sparrow actor will follow the life and career of his hero, artist Ralph Steadman, in "For No Good Reason".
Depp is the first of many stars set to work on the second season of documentary films for the channel.
Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris will also air his own documentary "The Unknown Known" during the series.
The documentary looks as former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his role in the Iraq War.
The Unknown Know is the first documentary to be nominated for the coveted Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in September.
The Sky Atlantic documentaries will air next year.
Chris Pine's 'Jack Ryan' movie pushed to January 2014 release
Star Trek actor Chris Pine's new thriller "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" has been pushed back to early next year.
The movie, starring Pine as author Tom Clancy's CIA analyst character, was scheduled for release this holiday season.
The new date will make room for the debut of filmmaker Martin Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street", which has been pushed from a November to Christmas Day premiere.
Directed by Thor director Kenneth Branagh, fans can enjoy "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" in both traditional and IMAX theatres.
Tim Roth to portray FIFA president Sepp Blatter in new movie 'F2014'
English actor Tim Roth has signed on to portray FIFA president Sepp Blatter in a new movie about the football governing body's 110-year history.
The film, tentatively titled "F2014," will see the "Pulp Fiction" star appear as the controversial Swiss Blatter with French actor Gerard Depardieu starring as FIFA's longest-serving president Jules Rimet.
"F2014" is expected to shoot in Azerbaijan, France, and Brazil and scheduled to hit theaters next year to mark FIFA's 110th anniversary and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Blatter, who has been in office since 1998, was the victim of a Twitter hacking earlier this year, with tweets from his account claiming he had resigned from his position.
Gong Li opens up about new Zhang Yi Mou collaboration
Chinese screen icon Gong Li is opening up about reuniting with director Zhang Yi Mou on upcoming project "Return".
The pair's work in the late 80s and early 90s, including the Oscar Nominated Raise the Red Lantern, are often creditted for bringing Chinese cinema to the international platform.
The actress was out in Hong Kong last night for the high end collection launch of luxury Swiss jewellers Piaget, for whom Li is a brand ambassador.
Li says that working with Zhang after all these years is a breeze.
"It's like (working with) someone you know very well, or an old friend. It's very easy to work together. You don't have to be polite. The two of us both want to make a great film. I hope he can return to that filmmaker that we know."
"Return" is currently in production and slated for release next year.
A quick recap of headlines before we go，
India's Prime Minister says he is very satisfied with his trip to China.
China’s high court rejects former party chief of Chongqing Bo Xilai’s appeal.
The EU says its distrust of the US over spying allegations may hinder fighting terrorism.
Business, China launches a new benchmark lending rate to help markets set the cost of funds.
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