The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Paul James with you on this Tuesday, September 24, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
A final sweep is underway inside the besieged shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya where Kenyan forces have been engaged in more gun battles with al-Shabaab militants.
China's foreign minister has been holding meetings with his African counterparts ahead of the start of this year's UN General Assembly in New York.
The Chinese government is rebuffing allegations of state-sponsored hacking to obtain US drone technology.
In Business, China's central bank has been pumping more liquidity into the system ahead of the forthcoming national holiday.
In Sports, Peyton Manning has another solid outing to keep the Denver Broncos undefeated so far this NFL season.
In Entertainment, Oscar buzz is already surrounding the new film starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylenhaal.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 25.
Meanwhile Shanghai will have moderate rain tonight, with a low of 21, light rain tomorrow, with a high of 26.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 9 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 21.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia.
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 35.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 29.
Canberra, sunny, 23.
Brisbane, sunny, 29.
And finally, Perth will be sunny as well with a high of 19.
Top News
Kenya shopping mall final push
Anchor:
A final sweep is apparently underway inside the besieged Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The sweep comes after Kenyan authorities shot and killed 6 of the terrorists in the latest assault this morning.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
Despite the Kenyan government assurances on Twitter of earlier success, another explosion and more gunfire could be heard coming from the mall early Tuesday.
At least 62 people have been killed in the assault.
The attack began on Saturday after 12 to 15 al-Shabab militants began their assault with guns and hand-grenades.
At least 18 foreigners are among the dead, including a Chinese woman. Nearly 200 people have been wounded.
It's since been revealed that at least 2 or 3 of the militants may be US citizens of Somali decent.
Al-Shabaab is a Somali-based group with links to al-Qaeda.
Al-Shabaab claims it launched the assault in Nairobi as a response to the Kenyan government's support of the African Union assault on the terrorist group in southern Somalia.
Meanwhile, Kenyan Vice President William Ruto has returned to Nairobi after being temporarily released from his International Criminal Court trial at The Hague.
"I have been encouraged by Kenya's magnificent response to the attack. Our President's fortitude in withstanding deep personal grief, while leading the nation in taking charge of the situation, has been exemplary and humbling. We have been assaulted by hateful, unthinking cowards, whose depravity motivates them to seek gratification in killing and maiming innocent, harmless people."
The International Criminal Court gave him permission to return to his country following the storming of Westgate Mall.
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.
Meantime, scores of Kenyans have been donating blood, as the blood bank in Nairobi is facing a shortage after the mall siege.
A number of Chinese nationals are among those queuing to help out.
"This is the first time I've donated blood in Kenya, and also the first blood donation of my life. It is a tragedy happened in the country I am living in, so I have to donate blood to help."
Meanwhile, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is pleading with the international community not to restrict its citizens from visiting Kenya by issuing travel alerts.
Kenya relies heavily on tourism to maintain its economy.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
Kenya shooting
For more on the siege, we're joined live on the line by CRI's special correspondent in Nairobi, Ronald Mutie.
…
That was Ronald Mutie, CRI's special correspondent, reporting for us live outside the besieged Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
China stresses cooperation with Africa
Anchor:
China's foreign minister has been discussing the importance of China-Africa cooperation at meetings ahead of the start of the UN General Assembly later on this Tuesday.
Wang Yi has stressed the importance of China-Africa cooperation at the meeting at the UN in New York.
CRI's Ding Lulu has more.
Reporter:
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane jointly hosted the meeting, with some 40 other African countries attending.
As part of the meeting, the group has signed a Joint Communique, the 3rd of its kind among the foreign ministers from China and African countries.
Wang Yi says China and Africa share common goals.
"Since the beginning of the new century, we have seen Africa has changed, from 'the forgotten land' to a continent full of hopes and growth. Over 1 billion African people unite together and strive to realize their African dream of development and prosperity."
The Chinese foreign minister also says China and Africa are bound together.
"China is and will always be a faithful and reliable friend for Africa. We will strengthen cooperation with African countries for opportunities, development and better life for our people. Our cooperation will also contribute to a global dream of peace and common prosperity."
Wang Yi notes Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a number of African countries shortly after taking office earlier this year.
The Ministerial Political Consultations between China and African countries have been held every three years since 2007.
For CRI, this is DLL.
China refutes US reports on drone hacking
The Chinese government is moving to rebuff new reports in the United States about technology theft.
The reports claim Chinese hackers have been stealing American drone technology.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"China's achievements on economy and technology are results of Chinese people's hard work and sustained investments on research from the government. China's innovation is also growing. China has established Internet work groups with the US. We have smooth communication with the US in related areas."
A report in the New York Times claims hackers with connections to the People's Liberation Army have been engaged in a 2-year operation to try to steal US drone technology.
The Chinese government has consistently denied any involvement in state-sponsored hacking.
China poses no threats to others
The Chinese government has issued a new statement, saying its maritime activities are based on international laws and do not pose any threats to any other countries.
The statement has been made in response to a Japanese plan to send additional patrols into the Western Pacific.
The Japanese side says it's making the move amid increased Chinese naval activity in the Western Pacific.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"Some countries are creating tensions and threats, in order to find excuses for their military expansion. We hope that Japan learns from history and plays a constructive role in regional stability and peace. "
The new Japanese patrol ship is being sent to the waters around the Japanese island of Iwo Jima.
The Chinese and Japanese sides have been maintaining a tense stalemate in the region amid the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands.
South Korea President comment on sovereignty including disputed islands
South Korean President Park Geun-hye is pressing her country's sovereignty ahead of the maiden voyage of a South Korean coast guard vessel to disputed islets in the Sea of Japan.
Park says South Korea will never tolerate any challenges to its sovereignty over its islands.
"We will never tolerate any challenges to our sovereignty over all of the Republic of Korea's islands, continental shelves and exclusive economic zones."
Park has also taken time to laud the launch of the "Cheongryong."
"I truly congratulate the first voyage of the Cheongryong which will be going into commission to protect the Dokdo's southern waters. Defending Dokdo is defending the pride of the Republic of Korea. That mission rests on your shoulders."
The vessel will be going into commission to patrol the disputed South Korean-held Dokdo islets in the Sea of Japan.
The islets, called Takeshima in Japan, are claimed by the Japanese government.
South Korea has been posting police on the islets since 1954.
PLA hospital ship arrives in Cambodia, the last stop of its overseas trip
A Chinese naval hospital ship has arrived in Cambodia's southern port city of Sihanoukville.
The arrival of the "Peace Ark" is the ship's last stop on a 4-month overseas voyage to provide medical services in the region.
The ship has been welcomed by Cambodia's naval officers and a group of local students with traditional Chinese festive dance and music.
During its one-week stay in Sihanoukville, Chinese medics will provide medical services to local patients onboard the hospital ship.
Meanwhile, medical teams are also to be dispatched onshore to give on-the-spot medical services to locals.
The "Peace Ark" has over 400 people onboard.
Around 100 of them are medical staff.
The vessel set sail from China in early June.
This mission is its third overseas trip, which has seen it make stops in 8 Asian countries and the Gulf of Aden.
Chinese schools get independent education inspectors
Anchor:
Education authorities here in China are launching an independent school inspection program for primary and middle schools.
CRI's Hu Jia has more details.
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
Stocks
The markets here in Asian ended in negative territory today.
Stocks here in China fell, led by financial companies, which saw their biggest retreat in two months amid speculation about potentially-higher property taxes.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.6 percent
The Shenzhen Component Index also dropped 0.6 percent
Down in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell by 0.8 percent
Elsewhere here in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei ended down just under 0.1 percent
South Korea's KOSPI lost 0.1% amid concerns over a widening fiscal deficit and possible tax increases this may bring.
The Straits Times Index in Singapore dropped 0.1 percent
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell by just under 0.4 percent
China's overnight money-market rate falls most in a month
The central bank here in China has been infusing more cash into the system ahead of the national holiday, sending the overnight money-market rates on their biggest drop in a month.
The People's Bank of China has added 88 billion yuan into the system.
The injection has been made through six-day reverse repurchase contracts.
This comes as the financial markets prepare to be shutdown between October 1st to October 7th for the National Day Holiday.
The overnight repurchase rate, which is the interest banks have to pay every night to remain liquid, dropped 28 basis points this mornintg, which is the biggest drop in over a month.
COFCO adds mainland properties to Hong Kong affiliate in 1.8 billion US dollar deal
China National Oils, Cereals and Foodstuffs Corporation, or COFCO, is to make a 1.8 billion US dollar deal to sell its commercial properties to Hong Kong Parkview Group in exchange for shares.
Hong Kong Parkview is planning to issue an additional 2.3 billion shares to widen its pool of investors and fund the purchase COFCO's assets here in mainland cities.
COFCO currently owns 69 percent of Hong Kong Parkview.
Should investors not take up the new shares to be offered, COFCO will end holding a 98 percent stake in the company.
The deal will see Hong Kong Parkview change its name to COFCO Land Holdings, which will have commercial property footholds in Beijing, Shanghai and the provinces Sichuan and Hainan.
The unusual move is a response by Chinese developers to the government's tightened restrictions on their access to capital.
Listing in Hong Kong is a way to access financing at lower costs.
The move by COFCO follows a similar move by state-owned Greenland Group, which took a 60 percent stake in Hong Kong-listed SPG Land Holdings in August.
Iron Ore stockpiles decline - Prices set to rebound
New analysis shows the stockpile of iron ore at 25 major Chinese ports declined last week.
Inventories of imported iron ore stood at 74.3-million tonnes, which is down 990-thousand tonnes compared to the previous week.
The Mid Autumn festival is said to have had an impact on iron ore prices.
The report is forecasting the price of iron ore is set to rebound this week.
Iron ore is the main component needed for the creation of industrial-grade steel.
Steel production and consumpion are used as key indicators of economic growth, particularly in developing economies like China.
Morning Call-In PMI
Anchor:
Observers here in China are pointing to this week's PMI data from HSBC as a further sign this country's economy may reach the government target of 7.5-percent growth for the full-year.
HSBC's initial Purchasing Managers Index for the manufacturing sector has come in at 51.2 in September.
This is up significantly from the 50.1 figure registered in August, and the highest over the past half year.
New orders for Chinese exports have also hit at 10-month high.
For a breakdown of the data, CRI's Rebecca Hume spoke earlier with Mark Hughes, Executive business editor of China Daily.
…
That was Mark Hughes, Executive business editor of China Daily speaking to CRI's Rebecca Hume.
Blackberry agrees to Fairfax take over
Struggling smartphone maker Blackberry has agreed to be taken over by Fairfax for 4.7 billion US dollars.
Fairfax Financial is already the largest shareholder of the Canadian-based company.
Fairfax is offering 9 dollars per share in cash to buy the company completely.
The news comes on the heels to Friday's announcement that Blackberry plans to cut 45-hundred jobs around the world.
Despite being one of the early pioneers of smartphone technology, Blackberry has been suffering for years from a lack of consumer interest in its smartphone designs.
Once one of the most valuable companies in the world, Blackberry - which was known as Research In Motion until it officially changed its name earlier this year - has reported losses of one billion US dollars this past quarter.
Chip prices surge to highest in over two years
Memory chip prices have surged 42 percent, peaking to their highest price in two years, placing pressure on smartphone and computer makers.
The increase in prices is largely because of the fire at the SK Hynix plant in China earlier this month.
Blazed forced the factory in Wuxi to close down.
SK Hynix is the world's second largest producer of memory chips.
In the wake of the fire, the company has upped its production volume in South Korea to ease the supply drain.
However, this hasn't been enough to counteract the upward pressure on prices.
The price of the benchmark DDR3 2-gig RAM chip reached 2-dollars-27-cents US this week.
This is up from 1-dollar-60-cents per chip on September 4th, when the fire took place.
This is the highest price hike since February 2011.
SK Hynix says it expects to fully recover its normal output levels by November.
Standard and Poor gives South Korea "A-Plus" Rating
Standard & Poor's has given South Korea a "A-plus" sovereign credit rating, citing the country's "stable" outlook.
S&P says the rating reflects the country's favourable policy environment, sound fiscal position and net external creditor position.
South Korea has been carrying a current account surplus for quite some time.
The South Korean won is actively traded.
S. Korea rejects Boeing's F-15 SE as next-generation fighter jet
Boeing has missed out a multi-billion US dollar deal to sell fighter jets to the South Korean government.
South Korean authorities had been looking at potentially buying upto 60 of Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle fighter jets for 7.2-billion US dollars.
However, the South Korean defense ministry has decided to back away from the purchase of those jets, citing concerns about their lack of stealth technology.
Headline News
Kenya shopping mall final push
A final sweep is apparently underway inside the besieged Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The sweep comes after Kenyan authorities shot and killed 6 of the terrorists in the latest assault this morning.
At least 62 people have been killed in the assault.
The attack began on Saturday after 12 to 15 al-Shabab militants began their assault with guns and hand-grenades.
China stresses cooperation with Africa
China's foreign minister has been discussing the importance of China-Africa cooperation at meetings ahead of the start of the UN General Assembly later on this Tuesday.
Wang Yi stresses the importance of China-Africa cooperation at UN consultations in New York yesterday.
He also highlights their cooperation is to further build mutual trust and multilateral cooperation.
The Ministerial Political Consultations between China and African countries have been held every three years since 2007.
Iran overtaking Syria as top issue in and around UN annual debate
Observers monitoring this week's UN General Assembly meeting are suggesting Iran has become the leading topic of discussion among the diplomats and reporters in New York.
Iran's apparent moderation in its foreign policy stance has been generating a lot of interest about what may happen next.
US President Barack Obama's welcoming speech and New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's turn at the podium are scheduled just a couple of hours apart, adding to the speculation of a possible meeting between the two at the UN headquarters
However, the White House did say last week Obama has no scheduled plans to meet with Rouhani.
11,000 Western Australia homes still without power after Sunday storm
More than 11-thousand homes in Western Australia remain without power after a powerful storm blew through the southwest of the country on Sunday.
The storm hit overnight with winds of over 100-kilometers per hour.
The high winds fell trees and power lines throughout the region.
The local power provider in Western Australia has been installing temporary generators to help with essential services in some of the worst-hit areas.
The company hasn't been clear how long it may take to have power fully-restored.
China's overnight money-market rate falls most in a month
The central bank here in China has been infusing more cash into the system ahead of the national holiday, sending the overnight money-market rates on their biggest drop in a month.
The People's Bank of China has added 88 billion yuan into the system.
The injection has been made through six-day reverse repurchase contracts.
This comes as the financial markets prepare to be shutdown between October 1st to October 7th for the National Day Holiday.
Newspaper Picks
China News Service
"Students in Hunan resort to wish tree for holiday"
Students at a high school in Hunan province expressed their wishes for a holiday on a tree, as they got only three and a half days off in a whole month.
On Mid-Autumn Day, the students at Yueyang County No. 2 Middle School in northeast Hunan's Yueyang city had classes into the night. Between classes, many students tied colorful pieces of paper with words such as, "Wish a holiday" or "today is off," to a tree in the school yard.
One student said "Mid-Autumn holiday is an extravagant expectation." .Students said they have no weekends, no holidays and only get three and a half days off a month to go back home.
A deputy headmaster at the school said many students' homes are too far away, so it is unsafe for them to go back every weekend, and would be tough for the school to manage.
The Guardian
"Midday nap helps pre-school children learn, new study finds"
Researchers have found phasing out napping in nurseries may harm children's ability to store memories.
According to a study by psychologists in the US, A midday nap can help pre-school children remember what they learned in the morning.
The research suggests that carers and nurseries that phase out after-lunch sleeps may be harming children's ability to learn, by disrupting the way their brains store memories.
Pre-schoolers who went without a midday sleep fared worse on memory tests than those who napped. They also failed to improve their scores even after a good night's sleep.
The findings highlight the crucial role of sleep in consolidating memories, a process that underpins the brain's ability to learn new information.
The age
"Chocolate a health food - really?"
Very dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, has a high concentration of potent antioxidants called flavanols. They may have benefits for blood vessels like helping to lower blood pressure a little.
One theory is that these flavanols improve the function of the inner lining of blood vessels. This lining produces nitric oxide – and that's important for keeping arteries relaxed and open, making it easier for blood to flow through them.
However, it does not mean you can eat as much as you like. Not only the results need more research, but stronger evidence that other things like a high intake of vegetables do a better job of keeping arteries and blood pressure healthy.
If you want chocolate for its health benefits, the bottom line is this: you need the dark stuff containing 70 to 85 per cent cacao.
And you only need a little. One row of dark chocolate two or three times a week is enough.
Special Reports
Home leave holiday
Anchor:
New arguments are being made here in China about the viability of a law which allows employees who work for government agencies 20 to 30-days off a year to visit parents or spouses living in different parts of China.
CRI's Li Dong explains.
Reporter:
The law was made 32 years ago. At that time, there were very few privately owned enterprises.
In a random survey in Hangzhou, most interviewees didn't even know the existence of such a holiday, stipulated by the law as only designated for visiting parents and spouses residing in another city.
Si Lijuan has been working in a company in Hangzhou for four years. She says her company doesn't offer such home leave holidays.
"Our company says this home leave regulation was made a long time ago and doesn't apply to our company."
But even in state-owned enterprises, enjoying home leave is no easy task. Shen Xiangjuan is a HR manager in a SOE. She says enterprises have their concerns.
Shen says, the regulation hasn't been changed since made in 1981. However, as the country's economy and society is experiencing enormous innovation, her company is trying their best to strike a balance between having staff enjoy their home leave and rising labor costs.
"When employees decide to use their home leave, whilst his or her basic salary remains untouched, all their bonus will be deducted or at least seriously affected. This is a big sacrifice for them. That's why employees give serious thoughts about whether to use their holidays for home leave."
Xu Jianyu is an associate professor at Zhengjiang University Guanghua Law School. He says that as a law-protected holiday system, it has legal force. Both employees or the employers should abide by it, no matter whether the company is publicly or privately owned. Depriving employees' right to home leave is illegal and violates the principal of fairness protected by China's Labor Law.
Xu Jianyu says some revisions need to be made to the old home leave regulation, but cancelling such a holiday is not a good option.
"Personally, I don't think cancelling the home lave holiday is right. Because the function of home leave can't not be substituted by a paid holiday. The subject of visits made during home leave is restricted to only spouses and parents, not ordinary relatives."
Some internet users say their current paid holiday is already hard to guarantee, let alone the outdated home leave. Some also say that labor supervision departments should put in more effort to support employees to carry out their legal holiday rights no matter what kind of organization they work for, whether it be publicly or non-publicly owned.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
Denver tallies its 14th straight season win with victory over Raiders 37-21
In the NFL,
Peyton Manning and his Broncos got their 14th straight regular-season win after beating the Oakland Raiders 37-21.
Denver is 3-0 now, with a 31 point lead over second-place Green Bay. The Broncos have outscored opponents 127-71 this season.
Manning was at his best last night, throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns.
In the first three games, the quarterback has thrown 12 touchdown passes, beating Tom Brady's old record in 2011.
And he has yet to throw an interception, which ties a record held by Michael Vick.
Pittsburgh headed to playoffs for first time in over two decades
In major league baseball,
The Pittsburgh Pirates made it into the playoffs for the first time in 21 years after beating the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
That win, and the Washington Nationals lose to St. Louis, guarantees the Pirates at least a National League wild card.
The last time the Pirates participated in the post season in the early nineties, they had Barry Bonds and Jim Leyland.
After Bonds left, the Pirates racked up 20 consecutive losing records.
The Cincinnati Reds also secured at least a wild-card spot after beating the New York Mets 3-2.
The Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 last night. Three of Miamis runs came in the eighth inning.
Baltimore suffered major disappoint in its 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was a rough game, Baltimore's all-Star third baseman Manny Machado was carted off the pitch on a stretcher, after his left leg buckled on a run to first.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said it looked like Machado blew out a knee.
Baltimore's second baseman Alexi Casilla was also sidelined after colliding with another player.
That loss puts the Orioles in danger of being eliminated from the American League wild-card race.
Espanyol wins 3-2 over Athletic Club
In football,
Espanyol had a 3-2 home win over Athletic Club yesterday in La Liga.
Espanyol is one of the five teams that remains unbeaten in Spain's top flight.
AC Milan star Mario Balotelli has been banned for three matches, after he was accused of intimdating and insulting a referee.
The striker was sent off at the final whistle, after Milan's 2-1 defeat by Napoli. He allegedly clashed with napoli's valon behrami and exchanged heated words with an official.
Balotelli may have been set off by his missed penalty shot earlier in the game, the first missed penalty in his career.
If the suspension is not overturned, the Italian striker will miss out on the upcoming matches against Bologna, Sampdoria and Juventus.
In other news,
One English footballer Joe Yoffe is considering taking FIFA to court over what he calls unfair restraints on player movement outside the transfer window.
After his playing time in Iceland comes to a close, the 26-year-old will be without a club until the transfer window reopens in January.
Yoffe said he's spoken with a couple lawyers who are willing to take up the case.
Venus Williams to face Victoria Azarenka at Pan Pacific Open
In Tennis,
The Pan Pacific Open is underway in Tokyo,
Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia upset third-seeded Sara Errani in two sets to make it through to the third round.
In other second-round matches,
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard beat ninth-seeded Sloane Stephens of the USA.
No. 11 seed Ana Ivanovic defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in two sets, and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia beat Casey Dellacqua of Australia.
Later today, Venus Williams will take on top-seeded Victoria Azarenka.
Serena Williams pulled out of the tournament to take a well-earned break from her summer schedule.
Ryder cup captains discuss team picks for 2014
Yesterday marked one year to go until the 2014 Ryder Cup.
To celebrate, the two Ryder Cup captains traveled to Gleneagles by way of a 1927 steam train from Edinburgh.
The Americans have something to prove, after letting the 2012 cup slip out of their fingers despite an early lead.
America's captain Tom Watson said he wants players who can handle the pressure.
"The most important thing is right here (points to his chest), who has the heart, who has the ability to make that five foot putt to win the match or tie the hole - that's what I want in my team. I want those types of players in my team, the guys that have the guts, the heart, to be able to play in this wonderful event with all this pressure and perform better than the other team."
The last time the Americans won the Ryder Cup on foreign soil was in 1993, when Watson captained the team at the Belfry in England.
Tour of China II begins in Hunan
In cycling,
The second edition of this year's Tour of China is underway after yesterday's start in Changsha.
In the opening leg, riders battled heavy rain as they made their way around the 124 kilometer circuit in Hunan's capital.
Ben Johnson returns to Seoul as part of an anti-doping campaign
Former Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson has returned in Seoul as part of an anti-doping campaign.
The visit is a personal one for the athlete, since it was at the 1988 games in the South Korean capital that he won gold in the 100 meter dash, and then had his medal stripped for doping.
In his own unique way, the sprinter encouraged young athletes not to dope, because they won't be rewarded in the way they expect.
"People think that if you dope, you're going to run fast. It ain't going to happen. If you don't have the genetics, and the proper culture and the mind, physically, mentally strong, and discipline, you aren't going to make it. If that was the case, then the whole world would be taking drugs and be running really fast. It ain't going to happen."
Johnson said he's still suffering judgment and disgrace 25 years after his crime.
Entertainment
Grey's anatomy star Pompeo criticises lack of diversity at Emmys
This weekend's Emmy Awards have drawn criticism from many people including Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, for their lack of diversity.
The actress, who plays the lead role of Meredith Grey in the series, said there were hardly any minorities represented, not only among the nominees but even among the performers at the star-studded event.
"I'm extremely proud of our very, very diverse cast which represents the world that I walk around in every day. And I don't see that at all. I didn't see it last night when I watched the Emmy's. I didn't see any diversity in the Emmys at all. The Emmys felt so dated to me last night. I was really disappointed."
Pompeo there was speaking ahead of Gray's anatomy's 200th episode, which aired in the US on Monday night.
There WAS some minority representation at the awards though, such as Kerry Washington from "Scandal" who was nominated for best actress in a drama.
The award eventually went to Claire Danes of "Homeland", but had Washington won she would have been the first African American to do so.
Oscar Buzz around 'prisoners' movie
They are still some way off, but new film "Prisoners", which has just premiered in Los Angeles, has already started generating "Oscar Buzz".
The thriller stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal showing working class families trying to understand the disappearance of two young girls.
In a story heavy with allegory, Jackman plays a father willing to cross moral lines for justice. The actor ,who earned his first Oscar Nomination for last year's "Les Miserable", played down the hype.
"Yeah, I don't pay attention I learned a great lesson on the first day of filming. I walked on set, Roger Deakins, our cinematographer had just been nominated for his 10th Oscar and I just got my first nomination as I walked on the set. I listened to it in the car going to set. I walked in and I said Rog, you and me man. Its 11 nominations right here. I said, 'You excited about it?' He said, 'No, I don't think I'm gonna go. We have work to do, come on'. I was like, 'Right. So I'll take my tux off then and will get to work."
After opening in US theatres on September 20th, Prisoners has already landed the number one spot in US theatres, taking 21.4 million dollars on its opening weekend.
Shanghai based BesTV to develop games with Microsoft
A Shanghai media company has announced plans for an entertainment development venture with Microsoft.
BesTV New Media Co. Ltd said in a bulletin posted on the Shanghai Stock Exchange that it will hold shares of 51 percent and Microsoft will have 49.
The joint venture with a total investment of 237 million US dollars will develop games and related services.
Canadian rapper Drake launches new album and Fifa 14
Now to one of your countrymen Paul, as Canadian rapper drake has just released his third album, entitled 'Nothing Was the Same'
But far from being stressed out, the 26-year-old was a star guest at the launch of FIFA 14 in New York.
He took on professional soccer player Tim Cahill of the Red Bulls in front of hundreds of fans, and said despite feeling patriotic he had to choose a team which would give him a fighting chance.
"Tim has to use New York, But definitely Canada on this side. Canada, Real Madrid is my squad. I can't go Toronto FC, just for the sake of my gameplay…… I do this naturally. I play FIFA on the plane. I played it on the plane flying here. I played it at the house."
And all that practice paid off in the end as Drake came out victorious.
The EA Sports game is released today on PS3 and XBox 360.
Miley Cyrus keeps bad girl persona going at iHeart Music Festival LA
Miley Cyrus built on her bad girl image, as she performed at the iHeart Music Festival in LA.
The 20-year-old former Disney star caused a stir during her outdoor set at The Village, when she entered the stage in a barely there tight white corset and hotpants, with some reports that she suffered a… Wardrobe malfunction revealing more than she perhaps intended.
But for all the criticism the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus has received, she seems to be playing the game pretty well.
Her extremely raunchy video for wrecking ball, which features her wearing nothing at all, swinging from a ball and chain, smashed the 24-hour record for views across the Vevo platform, helping to propel her to the top of the billoard top 100, and securing a deal with RCA records.
But it remains to be seen if the artist, whose fourth studio album, Bangers, comes out on October the 8th, will have longevity.
There were some artists at the iHeart Music festival, who certainly do though.
It was opened by Sir Paul McCartney, closed by Justin Timberlake and featured stellar performances by other acts such as Muse, Bruno Mars and Elton John.
That's it for this edition of the BJH
A quick recap of the headlines BEFORE WE GO...
A final sweep is underway inside the besieged shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya where Kenyan forces have been engaged in more gun battles with al-Shabaab militants.
China's foreign minister has been holding meetings with his African counterparts ahead of the start of this year's UN General Assembly in New York.
The Chinese government is rebuffing allegations of state-sponsored hacking to obtain US drone technology.
In Business, China's central bank has been pumping more liquidity into the system ahead of the forthcoming national holiday. |