新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2013/10/31

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
It's Thursday, October 31st, 2013.
I'm Marc Cavigli, welcome to the Beijing Hour broadcasting live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program,
Syria’s equipment to make chemical weapons has been destroyed.
China will send experts to help destroy the remainder of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.
The director of the US National Security Agency denies allegations the organization hacked into Yahoo and Google’s databases.
Business, Tech giant Sony reports quarterly losses.
Sports, Boston Red Sox break the curse of Babe Ruth and win the World Series of baseball on their home turf.
Entertainments, The Russian film Stalingrad premieres in China in IMAX 3D.
Plus Special reports takes a look at the British Dare to Speak campaign which has opened an English speaking cornershop near a Beijing middle school.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will have a hazy night with a low of 5 degrees Celsius.　Tomorrow showers with a high temperature of 12.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 17, also cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 23.
Lhasa will have sleet tonight, minus 2 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 12.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 26.
Kabul, sunny, 16.
Over in Australia
Sydney, overcast, highs of 23.
Canberra, overcast, 26.
Brisbane, sunny, 27.
And finally, Perth will be clear with a high of 26.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Syria chemical equipment destroyed, says OPCW
 
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says Syria's declared equipment for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons has been entirely destroyed.
The international watchdog has given Syria until November 1st to destroy this equipment.
Weapons inspectors were sent to Syria following allegations that chemical weapons were used in civilian areas.
The Syrian government and the rebel groups blamed each other for the attack.
The US says more than 14-hundred people were killed during a nerve agent attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August.
 
 
China sending experts to participate in the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria
 
Anchor:
China is set to send experts to participate in the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.
Meantime, the anticipated summit in Geneva has been cast with doubts.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter:
The Chinese Defense Ministry has announced China is going to send two chemical weapon experts to Syria.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi revealed the move earlier on Wednesday when meeting with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Paris.
"We're fully aware of our responsibilities, our obligations and we want to play our role fully in the peace and security of the world. As part of the U.N., there are Chinese experts and technicians who are going to participate in the destruction of chemical weapons."
Wang has also reiterated political settlement is the only way out of the Syrian crisis.
Both Wang and Fabius will be present at a preparation meeting of the planned Geneva II conference early next month.
The French minister says he is "not blind" to the difficulties facing the anticipated summit in Geneva, which has been tentatively scheduled to take place sometime in November.
Meantime, UN-Arab League Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus hoping for an international summit to try and end the lingering civil war.
The meeting between Lakhdar Brahimi and Bashar al-Assad appears to have cast some doubt on Geneva II.
Bashar al-Assad has gone on record saying foreign support for the armed opposition must end if any political solution to the country's conflict is to succeed.
The United States, Russia and the United Nations have been trying for months to bring the Syrian government and the opposition together in Geneva in an attempt to negotiate a political resolution to the lingering conflict.
However, the Syrian opposition remains deeply divided over whether to attend, while the Syrian government refuses to sit down with the armed opposition.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is now suggesting a November conference in Geneva might not happen.
"As far as Geneva 2 is concerned, the situation is a bit more difficult as there are now open objections to convening this conference on the initiative of Russia and the U.S., coming not just from various Syrian parties, but from some of the neighbor's capitals."
The Syrian government has agreed to have its chemical weapons destroyed by the middle of next year.
However, the Russian-brokered agreement included nothing which might bring the over 30-month long conflict in Syria to an end.
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
 
 
Road extension links China's last county having no highway access
 
Anchor:
A highway linking the isolated county of Medog in southwest China's Tibet Region to the outside world opens today.
CRI's Wu Yanping has more.
Reporter:
Medog, a county in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is the last of China's 21-hundred counties to be connected by a highway.
The 117-kilometer highway to Zhamog Township in the north of Medog will give locals easy access to the rest of the country.
Oyang Longmei, an express station owner, says she hopes the new highway will bring a better future for her business.
"When the highway opens and the mountain road to the county is not cut off, I think Medog will have great chance to develop."
Getting into and out of Medog used to be a dangerous journey.
Travellers had to climb two snow-capped mountains 4-thousand meters above sea level where landslides and collapses were frequent occurrences.
Local people called the rugged path out of Medog the "monkey road," as only people who were light and flexible like monkeys could make their way out of the mountains.
Project leader Zou Zongliang says the highway is crucial to improving transportation throughout China's western plateau region.
"During construction of the highway, we took advantage of advanced technology and the experience gained during the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The highway is a landmark project in improving transportation in China's western plateau region."
Medog, which means "secret lotus" in Tibetan, is noted for both its scenery and weather.
Surrounded by mountains, it is humid and rich in resources.
In the 1960s, China started to construct the highway with a low-cost highway completed in 1994.
However, this was destroyed by mudslides one day after opening to traffic.
The highway cost 1.6-billion yuan, or about 263-million US dollars.
For CRI, I'm Wu Yanping.
 
 
NSA Director denies agency broke into Google and Yahoo networks
 
The director of the US National Security Agency has denied the allegations his organization recently infiltrated Yahoo and Google databases.
General Keith Alexander says such reports were "factually incorrect" and it would be illegal for the NSA to break into companies' databases.
"Not to my knowledge, that's never happened. In fact, there was this allegation last June that NSA was tapping into the servers of Yahoo or Google or our industry reps. That is factually incorrect."
The ever-growing spying scandal has already strained relations between Washington and some of its most important European allies.
A delegation of EU Parliament members have been meeting with officials from various U.S. agencies throughout this week, expressing their concerns.
Claude Moraes is a European parliament member from the United Kingdom.
"Spying has always existed, but we have said repeatedly that friend on friend spying is not something that is easily tolerable if it doesn't have a clear purpose. And if it happens, there needs to be some kind of justification. "
The NSA director has also denied European media reports about the agency's spying on its European allies before a congressional hearing this week.
But at the same time, Alexander testified there are valid intelligence reasons for spying on world leaders, and contends those policies are within the law.
 
 
HHS Secretary Apologizes for Website Debacle
 
Anchor:
The Obama administration's Health and Human Services Secretary has gone before a congressional committee, apologising for the poor rollout of Obamacare.
CRI's Washington correspondent Xiaohong has more.
Reporter:
As part of a three-and-half-hour hearing in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has delivered an apology to the American people.
"I am as frustrated and angry as anyone with the flaw launching of healthcare.gov. So let me say directly to these Americans, you deserve better. I apologize. I'm accountable to you for fixing these problems."
Since its launch on October 1st, healthcare.gov, the government's platform designed to help millions of uninsured Americans shop for health insurance, has encountered numerous technical failures.
Many have experienced error messages and long waits in trying to sign on to the website.
It has become a political embarrassment for the Obama administration.
A number of congressional hearings have been launched in the wake of the poor rollout of the program.
And some of the revelations from the hearings have been startling.
It's been revealed the website only underwent testing two weeks prior to its official launch, giving little time to detect and fix problems and potential risks.
And despite the short testing window, none of the stakeholders, from the Department of Health and Human Services, down to contractors, ever suggested a delay of the website's launch.
Facing a grilling from House Republicans looking to score political points, Secretary Sebelius says her department has already tapped a number of experts to fix the problems.
She says she's confident the website will be fixed by the end of November.
Despite this, Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn took the opportunity for a bit of political theatre, showing the broken website as part of the hearing.
"This is what is happening right now with this website. It is down. It is not working."
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is President Barack Obama's landmark legislation passed during his first term in office.
Under the new rules, uninsured Americans have to complete the registration process by December 15th and buy health insurance by the end of March.
Failure to do so will result in fines.
Xiaohong, CRI, Washington.
 
 
Hongkong's aging population raise discussion on migrant works
 
Anchor:
Authorities in Hong Kong are trying to gauge the mood about a new proposal to potentially allow more migrant labor to enter the city to help cope with the aging population.
At the same time, lawmakers in Hong Kong are also debating whether to enact pro-birth family planning policies.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
A consultation document by Hong Kong's Steering Committee on Population Policy shows the city's aging population is growing faster than expected.
People over 65-years of age will account for one-third of the population in Hong Kong by 2014, which means a decline in the labor force.
This is expected to add more pressure to the social welfare system.
The document has raised some possible solutions to increase the labor force, including introducing migrant workers and adopting pro-birth policies.
However, there are concerns a flood of migrant workers could influence rights of the local labor force.
Director of the Hong Kong Security Bureau Li Dongguo explains new policies will still give priority to local residents when it comes to job opportunities.
However, he says it won't be easy to attract new talent.
"Although Hong Kong is an attractive city, it's not flawless. For example, there is not enough room in the international schools. Hong Kong's air condition is not satisfactory. The houses are also expensive. Despite the price, it is much smaller compared to living conditions on the mainland. "
The document points out over 780-thousand people migrated to Hong Kong through the One-Way-Permit scheme throughout the past 16-years.
The permit allows residents from the mainland to leave permanently and settle in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong currently has an OWP quota of 150-people per day.
Some people suggest the scheme should be changed and a cap on how many children families can have should be considered.
Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam says it's unnecessary.
"Because we have a relatively low birth rate and low population growth rate, we have to take care of the aging problem so that the labor supply meets the demand. Therefore I don't think it's necessary to put a cap on how many children each family can have."
Steering Committee's report notes the low birth rate is the main issue with the aging society, which could be improved through pro-birth policies.
These potential policies include direct or indirect subsidies, aids on reproduction treatments, as well as funds on nursery services.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
Car insurance policy causes debate in China
 
Anchor:
Car owners who encounter natural disasters in China may face a difficult time getting compensation for damaged vehicles.
Insurance companies have set up numerous schemes where they avoid paying policy holders, but some car manufacturers have chosen to financially assist automobile owners who have had their vehicles damaged by natural disasters.
Liu Min has more.
Reporter:
Liu Fang is a car owner living in Fujian Province; his car was destroyed by typhoon Fitow. According to the insurance company, he didn't purchase the water-log policy and he can't get any compensation for the engine damage.
"A car's engine is the major part of the vehicle—the most important part. But the insurance doesn't cover the waterlogged engine. This is so unfair. Can they still call it full-coverage vehicle insurance?"
As Fitow raged, the city of Wenzhou was reported to have more than 3000 cars submerged in water or hit by falling objects like trees or crashed walls. However, according to the People's Insurance Company of China, only 6 percent of the cars had water-log insurance; the rest of the cars were without protection, since those owners didn't buy the water-log policy. Many car owners found it unfair, claiming that the insurance companies should take some social responsibility and stop misleading or fraudulent action like offering an insurance policy called "full coverage" when it omits certain protections.
"We are not insurance experts, but we can judge things based on the social consciousness and morality. We give so much money to these insurance companies--we are your customers. Now this natural disaster happens, and you don't compensate me. I think there are problems in this industry."
Zhu Yi is the Director of the Property Insurance Administrative Department of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. She says the commission is working to protect policy holders' rights.
"The China Insurance Regulatory Commission is planning to set up a complaint hotline for consumers. We will set up a uniformed system to regulate the entire insurance industry on vehicle insurance policies and procedures."
But obviously, the action from the Insurance Regulatory Commission falls short of being any use to anyone. Some car manufacturers have already taken actions to assist car owners and reduce their losses--Mercedes-Benz is one of them. Mercedes-Benz has offered five thousand yuan commute subsidies to S Model owners and SMART owners in the typhoon-hit area. Nicholas Speeks is the President and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Corporation. He says:
"Without our customers, we can't be a sustainable business. These are the people who placed trust in us, and we wanted to show our concern, and also try to help them in practical terms; and it's a recognition that everything we do in this country depends very much upon the good will and trust of our customers. So that's why we've been trying to help them, very small, but at this particular moment."
Insurance experts say that car owners need to pay extra attention when purchase the so called full coverage policy for their car every year. Usually car engine problem and broken glasses are not covered under the full-coverage policy. There are another up to 16 hidden additional policies to be added to get real full protection for one's car.
For CRI, I'm Liu Min.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Asian stocks
 
Asian markets suffered a glancing blow on Thursday.
Chinese shares fell on Thursday after rallying more than one percent the previous day, as investors rushed to lock in gains.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.9 percent, and the Shenzhen Component Index retreated 1.3 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed down 0.4 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Nikkei was down 1.2 percent.
South Korean KOSPI shed 1.4 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index was down 0.6 percent.
And Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.1 percent.
 
 
China's shale gas policy promises more financial support
 
China's energy regulator is rolling out new polices for the country's shale gas sector.
The National Energy Administration is promising to increase financial support for shale gas exploration and extraction.
As part of the new program, local governments are going to be encouraged to provide tax breaks for local shale gas producers.
Tariff exemptions for imported equipment will also be provided.
For more on China's shale gas sector, CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
……
That was Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
 
 
China's first coal-to-gas project ready
 
China's top economic planner says the country's crude steel output rose 8-percent year on year to around 590-million tons in the first three quarters.
The National Development and Reform Commission says the growth was much faster than the 1.7-percent increase seen in the same period last year.
The growth comes at a time when China's economy seems to be stabilizing as its GDP expanded 7.8-percent in the third quarter.
China's steel prices rose in September, with the steel price composite index up 0.9-points.
 
 
Less than 30% American firms says business conditions are improving, Shen respond
 
A report shows 29-percent of the members in the American Chamber of Commerce in China believe business conditions are improving in China, but 19-percent disagree saying conditions are deteriorating.
Shen Danyang, the spokesman for the Commerce Ministry, says his ministry will improve investment conditions based on the report's constructive advice.
"The Chinese government will revise the relevant rules based on the need of China economic development and industrial restructure to guide foreign investment. We'll revise the rules in order to ease foreign investment restrictions following a more open and transparent principle. The purpose of the 2011 rules is to expand more areas and create better investment conditions. "
Foreign firms ranging from pharmaceuticals to baby formula, smartphones and coffee have come into the media's spotlight recently.
Shen Danyang again,
"The relevant departments will make their determinations legally as to whether foreign companies violate Chinese laws. The Commerce Ministry will team up with them based on the law, in order to protect the consumers' rights and the foreign companies' legal interests."
Shen also says the foreign companies should treat consumers' demands and media scrutiny with a positive attitude to protect their brand image.
 
 
BOJ raises GDP forecast, holds line on inflation
 
After a review, the Bank of Japan has stopped claiming it can raise inflation to 2-percent in 2-years.
However, it does say it's on track to reach its target and will maintain its massive stimulus as long as needed.
The central bank has revised its economic growth forecast to 1.5-percent for the 2014 fiscal year beginning next April.
The decision came after the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained its own massive bond-buying program.
Economists worry the Bank of Japan expects too much from the government stimulus, which is designed to offset the impact of next April's rise in sales tax from 5 to 8-percent.
 
 
US Fed maintains stimulus measures
 
The US Federal Reserve has voted to keep interest rates at record lows and to continue with its 85 billion US dollars a month bond-buying program.
The decision has been widely expected.
Last month, the Fed took analysts by surprise by delaying its decision to wind down the programme, which had been expected to take place around this time.
Fed officials say the US economy continues to grow, but only moderately.
The Fed is on-record saying it wants to keep interest rates at their current near-zero levels until the unemployment level falls below 6.5 percent.
The latest figures show the US jobless rate fell to 7.2 percent in September.
The central bank has a dual mandate to promote job growth and to maintain price stability.
 
 
U.S. posts lowest budget deficit since 2008
 
New stats show the US government's budget deficit for fiscal 2013 has come in at its lowest level since the 2008 financial meltdown.
The Treasury Department is reporting the US government recorded a 680-billion US dollar deficit, which is 4.1 percent of the country's GDP.
This is the smallest annual defecit since 2008.
The full-year figures also includes a government surplus of 75-billion US dollars for September.
The deficit has fallen mostly due to increased revenues, as well as slightly lower government spending.
US government spending for the full fiscal year has come in at 3.5 trillion US dollars.
That's down 2 percent from the year before.
The Treasury Department is also reporting the US government has seen its revenues come in at 2.8 trillion US dollars for fiscal 2013.
That's up 13 percent from 2012.
 
 
Sony posts quarterly loss
 
Sony has cut its full-year profit targets and posted a net loss for September's quarter with its struggling TV operation falling back into the red.
This highlights the difficulties the company now faces restoring its electronic hardware operation to a profit.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Syria chemical equipment destroyed, says OPCW
 
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says Syria's declared equipment for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons has been entirely destroyed.
The international watchdog has given Syria until November 1st to destroy this equipment.
Weapons inspectors were sent to Syria following allegations that chemical weapons were used in civilian areas.
The Syrian government and the rebel groups blamed each other for the attack.
The US says more than 14-hundred people were killed during a nerve agent attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus in August.
 
 
China sending experts to participate in the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria
 
The Chinese Defense Ministry has announced China is going to send two chemical weapon experts to Syria.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi revealed the move earlier on Wednesday when meeting with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Paris.
Both Wang and Fabius will be present at a preparation meeting of the planned Geneva II conference early next month.
Meantime, UN-Arab League Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus hoping for an international summit to try and end the lingering civil war.
The meeting between Lakhdar Brahimi and Bashar al-Assad appears to have cast some doubt on Geneva II.
Bashar al-Assad has gone on record saying foreign support for the armed opposition must end if any political solution to the country's conflict is to succeed.
 
 
10 injured after quakes in NE China
 
Two earthquakes measured magnitudes 5.5 and 5 have struck the Songyuan City in northeast China's Jilin Province leaving at least 10 people injured.
The quakes have also damaged at least 4-thousand homes.
Over 14-thousand people have been relocated following Thursday morning's earthquakes.
 
 
Plane bomb hoax suspect caught in China
 
A suspect who made bomb hoax calls and forced a plane to land in east China has been arrested.
The plane was forced to land in Nanchang City after a bomb threat.
The airline received the threat a half hour after the flight took off.
The plane landed safely less than an hour later with no injuries reported among its passengers.
 
 
Road extension links China's last county having no highway access
 
A highway linking the isolated county of Medog in southwest China's Tibet Region to the outside world opens today.
Medog is the last of China's 21-hundred counties to be connected by a highway.
The 117-kilometer highway to Zhamog Township in the north of Medog will give locals easy access to the rest of the country.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Global Times
"Science talent program eyes Nobel Prize"
China has unveiled the first group of talents selected for an ambitious program, which aims to financially support Chinese scientists' bids for the Nobel Prize, while boosting innovation and development in both natural and social sciences.
The National Special Support Program for High-level Talents, also dubbed the "Ten Thousand Talents Program," was launched in 2012, and aims to support 10,000 people in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, philosophy, social sciences and higher education over the next decade.
The "Ten Thousand Talents Program" have three tiers, including 100 "outstanding talents" who have the potential to become world-class scientists and win the Nobel Prize, 8,000 "leading talents" in various fields and 2,000 "young talents" who are under 35.
China News Service
"Bill Gates gets more Chinese neighbours"
As China has set a number of regulations to cool down its real estate market, many Chinese buyers are purchasing properties overseas, and they prefer luxury houses located near schools.
According to a real estate agent in Seattle, an increasing number of Chinese are choosing Seattle to buy property, including the so-called luxury "Lake-view houses" by Lake Washington, located close to Bill Gates's mansion.
In addition to luxury properties, apartments near the University of Washington, which cost about $500,000 each, are also popular among Chinese buyers.
Many of the buyers are Chinese parents buying apartments for their children studying at the university.
Over 1,200 Chinese students have enrolled at the University of Washington this year.
AP
"New York to raise cigarette sale age"
New York City Council has voted to raise the minimum age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21.
New York will now become by far the most populous place in the US to impose such a high age limit.
The new age limit includes electronic vapour cigarettes.
Across the US there is a minimum age for smoking of 18. Some states have raised the limit to 19 and at least two other towns have raised it to 21.
AFP
"Germany to allow third gender option at birth"
Germany on Friday will become the first European country to allow babies born with characteristics of both sexes to be registered as neither male nor female.
Parents will be allowed to leave the field for gender blank on birth certificates, effectively creating a category for indeterminate sex in the public register.
The change is intended to remove pressure on parents to quickly make a decision about controversial sex assignment surgeries for newborns.
A spokesman for the interior ministry said German passports, which currently bear an "M" for male or "F" for female, will soon be allowed to have an "X" in the gender field.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
 "Dare to Speak" English corner amazes young Chinese
 
Anchor：
A corner shop near a Beijing middle school has suddenly been turned into a English corner.
In fact, it is part of the "Dare to Speak" campaign organized by the British Embassy.
CRI's Siqi has more.
Reporter:
At 5pm in Xinming Hutong, near The Second High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University, a corner shop seems to have undergone some changes. The shopkeeper is now a British person, and the decoration of the shop has also experienced some changes. What are the reactions of Chinese high students to the changes to their familiar corner shop?
In fact, this is an activity called "Dare to Speak" organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.
Lv Hui, from the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, is in charge of the series of activities.
 "Actually, the idea of this 'Dare to Speak' activity is to bring the occasion from abroad to China to give students' the opportunity to communicate with the native speaker. We want to make it fun and interesting. So we didn't inform students beforehand. "
The corner shop is where the students usually go everyday after school. But upon seeing a British shopkeeper there, many students were too shy to enter. However, after they stepped into the shop and had a little chat with the British shopkeeper, they became quite talkative and were willing to talk and even bargain with him.
The actor who played the role of the British shopkeeper says he was quite impressed.
"We have a few students today. Generally their reactions have been slightly surprised. But all the students have been willing to speak and engage a little bit at least in English. "
Cui Yan is in her second year of high school. She has studied English for nine years, but thinks her spoken English still lags behind that of others and hopes there will be more similar activities in the future.
"The activity is very fun and interesting. But I think my spoken English still needs to be improved. And what we learn in class is too formal and much is based on written language."
Besides Beijing, the "Dare to Speak" campaign will also go to three other cities – Chongqing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to simulate real foreign life scenes there.
Many people say that due to too much focus on passing exams, Chinese students are currently only learning dumb English, while the original purpose of learning English, communication, has been lost. Organizer Lv Hui says.
" We do believe that communication is the essential part of language. We want to draw their attention to the idea that communication is the essential part of language."
Just as what the campaign promotes, if you dare to speak to the world, the world will open her arms to you.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Boston wins a third World Series title in a decade
 
In the Major League Baseball,
The Boston Red Sox have closed out the Saint Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game Six and clinched its third World Series title in a decade.
Boston roughed up Saint Louis starter Michael Wacha, who the team was counting on to get them into a deciding Game 7.
Mike Matheny, the manager for the Cardinals says he was unpleasantly surprised by his team's loss and failure to make it to Game 7.
"Well, it's hard to think about it too much cause this one hurts pretty bad but I truly anticipated seeing us play a Game 7 tomorrow - I think every single guy in there believed it with everything that we had so that makes it a little more difficult to swallow but, as we looked through the season - and we'll start doing that tonight and into tomorrow, kind of reviewing what we were able to accomplish - we had plenty of adversity."
Boston won the World Series in 2004 and 2007 but have waited 95-years for the title to return to Fenway Park.
The last time they won the title on their home field was when Babe Ruth was on the roster back in 1918.
 
 
Roger Federer bags 12th consecutive ticket to World Tour Finals
 
In tennis,
Roger Federer sealed up a 12th consecutive invitation to the ATP's World Tour Finals with a win in straight sets at the Paris Masters.
Federer, seeded Number-5 in Paris beat Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round in Paris.
The Swiss said he is just happy to make it to the London Finals at all.
"It's been one of my best happy hunting grounds over there and it's been one of the most prestigious events and that was one of the goals I set myself at the beginning of the season. So now that I've made it it's a huge relief it's a highlight actually for me because it's been a tough season but nevertheless I've made it and I'm really looking forward to the O2 no doubt about that."
There are two spots remaining for the eight-player Tour Finals.
Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet are in the favored positions to claim the other two London spots.
Also from the Paris Masters,
World Number-1 Rafael Nadal finished off fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers with a 7-5, 7-5 win.
Third-seeded and defending champion David Ferrer also moved to the third round topping Lukas Rosol 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
 
 
Golden State routs L.A Lakers 125-94
 
Moving on to basketball,
A total of 14 games have been played on Day 2 in the NBA.
In California, it was a one-sided game for Golden State as Klay Thompson scored 38-points to rout the Los Angeles Lakers 125-94.
One night after opening their campaign with a victory over the home-town rivals, The Clippers, the Lakers were overwhelmed by the well-rested Warriors.
Over in Sacramento, Jason Thompson scored the game's final points with a dunk as 42-second remained and the Kings held on to nip Denver 90-88.
In the East, the Miami Heat lost 110-114 to the Philadelphia 76ers on their second evening of the new season.
LeBron James led Miami with 25-points and 13-assists.
But the 76ers' Michael Carter-Williams hit two free throws with 9-seconds left to play to wrap up the victory for their season opener.
In other action, the Dallas Mavericks thumped Atlanta 118-109.
San Antonio beat Memphis 101-94.
Indiana closed out New Orleans 95-90.
And Oklahoma City survived to edge Utah 101-98.
 
 
Allen Iverson officially retires from basketball
 
Also in the NBA,
The league's four-time scoring champion Allen Iverson has officially retired from basketball.
The 38-year-old hasn't played in the NBA for more than 3-years but says he has no regrets in his 14-year NBA career.
"I formally announce my retirement from basketball, you know, I thought once this day came, it would be basically a tragic day. I never imagined the day coming but I knew it would come. And i feel proud and happy to say that i am happy with my decision."
Iverson was voted MVP in 2001 for helping the 76ers to the NBA Finals.
He played a total of 12-seasons in Philadelphia as well as spending time with Denver, Detroit and Memphis.
Iverson won 4-league scoring titles and averaged 26.7-points a game over his 914-game career.
He was selected for the All-Star Game 11 times.
 
 
Marco Fu battles Mark Selby for a semi-final berth in Chendu
 
In snooker,
Marco Fu from Hong Kong is now taking on world number two Mark Selby in the quarter-finals of the International Open in Chendu.
Marco Fu came into the match after sending 16-year-old Chinese prodigy Zhao Xintong crashing out earlier in the third round.
Meanwhile Englishman Joe Perry is now battling Welshman Ryan Day in another quarter-final match.
Earlier, world number one Neil Robertson was knocked out by Englishman Peter Ebdon 6-5.
The 43-year-old Ebdon now moves onto the quarterfinal to face in-form Chinese star Ding Junhui later tonight.
Ding is on his way to become the first player since Stephen Hendry in 1990 to win three consecutive ranking events.
The other Chinese ace, Liang Wenbo will also engage in a quarterfinal match tonight against Scotishman Graeme Dott.
Liang earlier knocked out world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the third round.
 
 
Beijing Guoan seals place in AFC Champions League as Hangzhou Greentown avoids relegation
 
Finally in football,
Beijing Guoan has defeated Shandong Luneng 3-1 to secure a coveted 2014 AFC Champions League spot and third place in the Chinese Super League.
Guoan led 2-0 at the half, but Shandong's Vagner Love headed in the free kick to cut their lead to one.
But Beijing answered with a final score by Wang Hao off an assist by Piao Cheng.
Meanwhile, Hangzhou Greentown has successfully evaded relegation after their 3-0 win over Guizhou Renhe.
Guizhou still has a chance at joining Guangzhou Evergrande, Shandong, and Beijing in the AFC Champions League next season if they win the Chinese FA Cup in December.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Russian Film "Stalingrad" Screened in China
 
More good news for Chinese cinema fans as Russian war epic "Stalingrad" hits cinema screens here today.
Back in 1993 audiences were treated to a German film by the same name which saw the brutal battle through the eyes of German officer Hans von Witzland.
Now, two decades later, the film is seen from the other side now in IMAX 3D.
The first Russian film completely produced with 3D technology, the film focuses on the battlefield friendship between five Soviet soldiers who are desperately defending a strategically vital apartment building against far-better armed Nazi occupiers.
The film is partly based on Vasily Grossman's acclaimed 1959 novel, "Life and Fate", which was suppressed by the Soviets and only published in the perestroika era.
Made with a budget of $30 million, the film has been selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.
 
 
James Blake wins 2013 Mercury Music Prize
 
English electronic musician James Blake has won the 2013 Mercury Prize for his second studio album "Overgrown"
This award is given to the best album to come from the UK and Ireland.
The Mercury Prize is decided by a panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures in the music industry and its aim is to try to choose the best album musically regardless of sales of popularity.
Blake had been nominated for the award but missed out in 2011.
The new album is his most wide ranging and was born with the help of guests such as electronic producer Brian Eno and Grammy Award-winning rapper and producer RZA.
It debuted at number eight on the UK album chart and at number one of the US Dance/Electronic chart and fought away competition from favorites Laura Mvula, Disclosure and David Bowie.
 
 
Aston Kutcher becomes real life Steve Jobs developing tablets with Lenovo
 
Now here's an unusual story,
Back in the summer US movie star Aston Kutcher played Steve Jobs in the Biopic of the Apple founder…
Well he was obviously highly convincing as he has become a product engineer with Chinese tech company Lenovo.
His role will see him help to develop and market next-generation tablets targeting Apple.
David Roman, the chief marketing officer of Lenovo, said that Kutcher will provide input on design, specifications, software and usage scenarios.
And you won't have to wait long to see what the second coming of Steve Jobs has come up with, as world's biggest personal computer maker is launching the next generation tablet in China tomorrow.
The Beijing-based company hopes this strategy will help it take on tech giants Apple and Samsung.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Syria’s equipment to make chemical weapons has been destroyed.
China will send experts to help destroy the remainder of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.
The director of the US National Security Agency denies allegations the organization hacked into Yahoo and Google’s databases.
Business, Tech giant Sony reports quarterly losses.