The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
It's Monday, October 28th, 2013.
I'm Marc Cavigli, welcome to the Beijing Hour broadcasting live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
Georgia’s billionaire backed candidate wins the country’s presidential election.
The row over US spying allegations spreads to Spain.
And in Eastern India, explosions have killed five people and injured dozens of others.
Business, China streamlines its corporate registration system.
Sports, US tennis player Serena Williams beats out China’s Li Na to win her second straight WTA championship.
Entertainments, Ex-Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed dies at 71.
Plus Special reports takes a look at China’s national holiday structure.
Weather
Smog to linger in north China
Weather forecasters say heavy smog is set to blanket large parts of north China in the coming three days.
The National Meteorological Center has again issued a yellow alert.
Weather authorities suggest people take necessary precautions and stay indoors.
Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 7 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 15.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 15, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 24.
Lhasa will have sleet tonight, minus 2 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 14.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast with a high of 28.
Kabul, overcast, 19.
Over in Australia
Sydney, thundershowers, highs of 26.
Canberra, overcast, 20.
Brisbane, thundershowers, 28.
And finally, Perth will also be sunny with a high of 31.
Top News
China sees decreased international adoptions
Anchor：
Since China opened its doors to international adoption in the early 1990's, many thousands of children have left its shores to join families abroad.
UNICEF reports at it's height in 2004, 13.5 thousand children were adopted by parents overseas, but that number has plummeted to around a third as many today.
This has nothing to do with a lack of prospective parents or the number of orphans, both have increased, but it is down to stricter rules by governments.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
REPORTER:
In the mid-1990's, Henri and his wife, who live in Lyon, France, decided they would like to adopt a child.
After careful consideration they decided to look in China.
"Well I chose China because I was attracted by that country at the time, and I still am by the way, but it's a little irrational because I suddenly saw a picture of a little China girl who had been adopted and I said, 'that's what I want to do."
Over the next few weeks, the couple investigated the procedure, firstly with the French social services, which took around nine months to give them the paperwork they needed, and then they approached Medecins du Monde.
"As my wife and I were rather old already at the time, more than 40-years-old, Medecins du Monde didn't want to deal with us saying we were too old. And then we argued, argued, argued and then they accepted only if we adopted a child who was more than three years old, and then as we were the only ones in this case it was quite short actually. After two months we received a file from the Chinese social services and it was Clara's, my elder daughter's file."
For Henri and his wife the procedure was relatively straight-forward. He now has two daughters from China, aged 18 and 11, who are growing up in their adoptive country no different than a child who was born there.
According to UNICEF estimates, there are almost 18 million children worldwide who are living in orphanages or on the streets, so international adoptions are often seen as a useful way of dealing with the problem.
But China has now put the brakes on the number of infants going abroad by imposing more stringent rules.
New regulations brought in since 2007 restrict potential parents based on: their relationship status, age, sexuality, state of mental and physical health as well as their annual earnings and assets, which must be at 10,000 dollars and 80,000 dollars respectively.
Tighter restrictions have hugely contributed in far fewer children being adopted, but it is not without reason.
There have been cases in the past, where widespread international adoptions have led to some children being abducted to fuel the need for children abroad.
Also as recently as September, a Reuters investigation discovered that some children adopted from overseas to the USA were abandoned over the internet.
This case led to China's adoption agency making an official statement that it was "shocked and furious" that this was taking place.
Sarah Lee from the USA, who has also adopted two children from China says it's entirely necessary to have very strict regulations.
"You know you're dealing with a child so you know, it needs to be as stringent as it was.And so we really embraced that. Every once in a while you will hear of a foreign adoption, a country which doesn't do that and it's usually pretty corrupt and you really just want to protect the child at all costs."
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
China's nuclear submarine "capable of nuclear deterrence and nuclear counterattack": PLA navy
Anchor:
The first nuclear submarine fleet from PLA North China Sea Fleet has just carried out a military drill.
According to naval officials, the fleet is now capable of nuclear deterrence and nuclear counterattack.
CRI's Wu Yanping has more.
Reporter:
The drill is aimed at testing the maneuver capability of the fleet in deep-sea navigation, long-distance operation, submarine communication and coordination with other battleships.
Other than nuclear-powered submarines, a wide range of destroyers, frigates, depot ships and military helicopters were also engaged in the drill.
Living conditions in the nuclear submarine are extremely harsh. Confined in an enclosed space, the soldiers are subject to physiological malfunction.
Hu Junhua, is a sergeant from the training fleet.
"We can barely tell daytime from nighttime while under the sea. Within weeks, the crew members feel dizzy and have difficulty falling asleep, and even lose their appetites, which are very serious challenges to their health."
To tackle this, the navy bases have conducted psychological training for the crewmembers, including listening to music and playing games.
Besides the fundamental training, the crew members must also pass strict professional tasks.
Wang Zhonghui is the commander of a training submarine.
"We focus on how to win battles in times of information technologies. We conducted courses on nuclear reactor management, submarine operation, torpedo strikes and sonar disturbance under real marine warfare conditions."
Moreover, the training and drills are designed for and simulate actual combat, making submariners well prepared for real confrontations.
The drill ended when the fleet broke through air-to-sea strikes and underwater minefields to arrive at their target destination and launched the domestically-made torpedoes to hit a target ship.
The official debut of the fleet was in 2009, when the PLA navy celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding with a spectacular parade that included warships from China and 14 other nations.
For CRI, I'm Wu Yanping.
Candidate backed by PM won Georgia election
The candidate backed by Georgia's billionaire prime minister has won the country's presidential election with 62-percent of the vote.
Georgia's Central Election Commission Chairman Tamar Zhvania says the elections were free and fair.
"Voters have expressed their will at the polling stations and voted for their candidates. It is very important that everything was conducted in a peaceful environment, there have not been violations that could affect the results of the elections."
Former university rector Giorgi Margvelashvili has become the 4th elected president of Georgia as an independent country following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The new president is expected to be sworn in on November 17th.
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has promised to step down next month and nominate a new prime minister.
Under Georgia's new parliamentary system, the next prime minister will acquire many of the powers previously held by the president.
Opposition wins election at key province in Argentina
Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's governing bloc is holding onto control of Congress in the country's congressional elections, despite a strong challenge from both the opposition and a former loyalist.
Vice President Amado Boudou is now standing in as President.
"To those who had great results, to those whose results weren't so good, we congratulate them all. But above all, we congratulate the 40 million Argentines, as we celebrate 30 years of democracy."
Candidates sponsored by Argentina's opposition leader have won the House of Deputies' contest by a 10-percentage-point margin in the key province of Buenos Aires.
Opposition leader Sergio Massa,
"I also want to thank this group of 20 elected officials from the province of Buenos Aires who had the courage, the merit, but above all the conviction to choose to take a step forward and construct a path to the future."
The winning has shrunk President Kirchner's congressional majority.
With 72-percent of the votes counted nationwide, the governing Front for Victory won 33-percent of the congressional votes overall.
The number is far short of the 54-percent Kirchner carried in her re-election in 2011.
It has also snuffed out chances of a constitutional change to allow her a third term and kicking off the contest to succeed her in 2015.
US spying row spreads to Spain
The international row over US spying on its allied countries has now spread to Spain.
Spanish media say the US National Security Agency secretly monitored 60-million phone calls in Spain in just 1- month.
Meantime, a new report in a German newspaper is alleging US President Barack Obama has been aware of a telephone tap on German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the past 3-years, but has done nothing about it.
The German government is already expressing anger following the allegations, which first came to light last week.
The White House has denied it's been spying on Merkel.
The allegations have created a lot of anti-US sentiment in Germany.
"On the one hand it is outrageous. But it also outrageous that it seems to have no serious consequences. That is the really frightening thing about it. It is obvious that a lot has happened that we don't know the details of. And one can speculate that there is a lot more information that became known, and was researched and obtained through spying - on all levels. "
The allegations in Germany come on the heels of revelations the NSA collected around 70-million French telephone conversations over the course of this past month.
This has prompted a move by the European Union to send representatives to Washington to try to clarify the situation.
At the same time, a European Parliament committee in Brussels has approved sweeping data protection rules which would strengthen online privacy.
The Obama administration says it is working on possible changes on how it deals with its international surveillance programs.
UK braces for powerful storm tipped to be worst to hit country in decades
The UK is bracing for what is forecast to be the biggest storm to hit the island-nation in decades.
The storm, dubbed Saint Jude, is bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force gusts to the southwest coast.
This is expected to create flooding and transportation disruptions.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has told government agencies to make sure contingency plans are in place for the country's transportation, schools and power systems.
Mark Douch is a forecaster with the UK Environment Agency.
"The south-westerly storms and high winds that we are going to get tonight are going to move a lot of that shingle along the coast line. So we've got our plant pre-positioned here in readiness for Monday morning - so should we need to, we are ready to react straight away to get the shingle back into the right position and get the sea defenses shorn up to the right standard."
The storm is expected to move across the country and head out over the North Sea by Monday afternoon.
Ahead of the storm, Heathrow Airport has warned travelers to expect delays.
Rail networks have preemptively cancelled many trains up through Monday morning, citing the high risk of trees and debris falling on the lines.
The storm is also expected to roll through the UK and later begin blasting the Nordic countries.
Bomb blasts before Indian opposition rally kill 5, injure dozens
A series of explosions have killed five people and injured dozens of others in Eastern India.
The explosions in the city of Patna have come just hours before a political rally for the main opposition's prime ministerial candidate.
As many as 6 home-made bombs have gone off in different parts of the city, including at the park where the rally was to be held.
So far one man is being detained in connection with the explosions.
Patna district police chief Manu Maharaj.
"We have tightened security and an anti sabotage team is investigating what happened. There will be an enquiry."
The political rally in Patna took place as scheduled.
It's unclear at this point if the bombings were politically motivated.
Authorities are tracking a number of leads in a neighboring state in connection with the attacks.
Life of blue collar workers in big cities/Michael 1602
Anchor:
As part of China's urbanization drive, huge amounts of blue collar workers are now flocking into major cities.
As CRI's Li Dong reports, it remains difficult for them to be part of city life.
Reporter: Shen Hongying is a nannie in Beijing. Her salary is about 3,700 yuan a month; she works 6 days a week. Compared to her previous job working in a factory in her hometown, Shen's current salary is much higher. But she is constantly aware of the sharp contrast between her basement shelter and her employer's spacious apartment.
"The difference is like heaven and earth. It's impossible for people like me to actually become a member of the city."
But Zhang Kai, a security guard at Peking University believes he can change his life. He has been working in Peking University for 6 years and is now attending night school. He believes gaining a better education will bring hope to his life so long as he doesn't quit learning.
There are many people like Zhang Kai and Shen Hongying who hope to change their lives by moving from a small place to a bigger city, such as Beijing or Shanghai.
According to a survey carried out by CCTV, about 43 percent of respondents are unsatisfied with their current life.
More than half of all respondents plan to reside permanently in the city they are currently working in. In order to do so, respondents believe that a stable job, property and the ability to enjoy a city's social welfare benefits are vital.
Statistics from the CCTV research reveal that among the new blue collar respondents in big cities, more than 53 percent are below the age of 25.
Liu Dehuang, deputy director of the marketing and media research center at Peking University says this group wants to better their life, despite the pressure they face by living in big cities.
"Why do they work so hard? On the one hand, I think they experience a lot of pressure to make a living. On the other hand, they really want to better their social and economic status. They hope to move up the social-class ladder."
Shi Xiuyin, researcher of the institute of sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences thinks the new generation of blue collar workers needs to improve their skills if they want to better their social status, and regardless of their individual endeavors they also need assistance from society. Shi says a number of blue collar workers have already realized their dreams.
Act 3 Chinese Male
"I have no figures on the ratio of how many of them successfully upgraded their social class. But the number is growing. To complete the transfer from a blue collar worker to a skilled profession, there are still many barriers."
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Biz Reports
Biz Stocks
Asian stocks rose on Monday with Australia scaling a five-year peak after a record high finish on Wall Street helped offset worries about tighter credit in China, while investors gave the safe-haven yen a wide berth.
Chinese shares ended mixed on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up slightly, while the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.5 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.5 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Nikkei closed 2.2 percent higher on Monday, boosted by a rally on Wall Street and a weaker yen.
South Korean shares gained 0.7 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index was up 0.1 percent.
And Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.0 percent.
China scraps company registration requirements
Chinese authorities have decided to streamline the country's corporate registration system to try and ease market access and encourage social investment.
Among the changes, the minimum capital requirement for registering a new company has been removed in order to lower the threshold for startup businesses and stimulate the private economy.
Other fees such as the 100-thousand yuan, or over 16-thousand US dollar, requirement for individual companies and 5-million yuan requirement for incorporated companies have been removed as well.
Furthermore, there will no longer be limitations on the proportion and duration of the paid-in capital, nor will it be a matter of business registration.
Instead, the amount and duration of registered capital will depend on the founder of the company.
Call-in China unveils more market-oriented lending rate
Anchor:
The central bank here in China has unveiled a new benchmark lending rate for commercial banks in a bid to try to further liberalize this country's interest rates.
The Loan Prime Rate is based on the lending rates reported each working day by 9 commercial banks designated by the People's Bank of China.
Five state-owned banks and 4 other domestic banks are included in the list.
Those banks will have to report lending rates for their best customers to the PBOC.
The central bank will then use this to calculate the Loan Prime Rate.
In the initial stage, the PBOC will only release a one-year LPR to the public.
The one-year LPR for Friday stood at over 5 and a half percent, slightly lower than the current benchmark one-year lending rate of 6-percent.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Economics and Business.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Mike Bastin, Visiting professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
Government thinktank report on reform under spotlight
The Development Research Center of the State Council, or DRC, has highlighted eight key reform areas ahead of a key plenum of the Communist Party of China.
The Chinese government think tank's reforms cover monopoly industries, land, finance, tax and fiscal systems, opening-up, government administration, state-owned assets, boosting innovation and green development.
The DRC's report suggests China should widen market access and promote competition in key industries.
This includes diversifying investment in the railway sector, easing access to explore unconventional oil and gas, and relax restrictions for importing crude, refined oil and natural gas.
The Chinese government has attached great significance to the role of reform in providing momentum for the country's growth and development.
Comprehensive reforms are expected to be discussed during the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee scheduled for November.
China's coal barons set sights on new jobs
As China's domestic coal industry continues to cool, coal mine owners made wealthy by the industry are now seeking new profitable careers.
Over capacity of the coal mining industry and economic slowdown has some coal barons moving away from mining entirely, and instead focusing on industries such as eco-agriculture, food processing, hotels, and logistics.
However, many others are sitting on large sums of idle money struggling to find their next venture.
One solution points to the government to make more investment channels for coal mine owners, allowing barons to recruit professional managers and introduce modern enterprise management systems.
Apple's iPhone sales, holiday quarter up for scrutiny
Apple's iPhone sales and revenue details are expected to determine whether the world's largest tech company has missed the mark or continues to dominate the market with its cheaper 5C model.
Flagging sales suggest the less-expensive model is lagging behind the top-tier iPhone 5S.
Apple will report their results of the gadget responsible for half the company's profit just a week after taking the wraps off their new iPad Air.
The tech giant is expected to report sales of 33 to 36-million iPhones in its fiscal 4th quarter which ended in September.
Apple has come under pressure to increase iPhone and iPad sales over the past couple years after rival Samsung began offering cheaper quality gadgets using Android software.
Toyota keeps top spot in auto sales rankings, outselling GM, VW
Toyota Motor Corporation's January to September global sales figures show the car manufacturer has kept its lead over rivals General Motors and Volkswagen.
The Japanese carmaker is closing in on a record annual profit as sales have totaled almost 7.5-million vehicles, up 0.1-percent from a year ago.
Figures released earlier this month show General Motors sold 7.25-million vehicles during the same period, with Volkswagen selling 7-million cars.
Analysts expect Toyota to post an operating profit of nearly 25-billion US dollars ending in March 2014.
In September, Toyota's monthly groupwide global vehicle sales rose 6.3-percent from a year ago.
CCB net profit up 11. 6 pct
One of China's four largest state-owned banks, China Construction Bank, has declared its net profits are up 11.6-percent year on year near 175-billion yuan, or close to 30-billion US dollars.
These numbers account for the first 3-quarters of 2013.
Headline News
Xi meets South Africa vice president
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with South African vice president Kgalema Motlanthe in Beijing.
The two sides have reviewed progress on previous binational commission decisions and have promised to go forward implementing their cooperation agreements.
Motlanthe is in China for the 5th South Africa-China Bi-National Commission.
China is South Africa's largest trading partner, with the current trade between the two standing at 21-billion US dollars.
Candidate backed by PM won Georgia election
The candidate backed by Georgia's billionaire prime minister has won the country's presidential election with 62-percent of the vote.
Former university rector Giorgi Margvelashvili has become the 4th elected president of Georgia as an independent country following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The new president is expected to be sworn in on November 17th.
Opposition wins election at key province in Argentina
Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's governing bloc is holding onto control of Congress in the country's congressional elections, despite a strong challenge from both the opposition and a former loyalist.
Candidates sponsored by Argentina's opposition leader have won the House of Deputies' contest by a 10-percentage-point margin in the key province of Buenos Aires.
With 72-percent of the votes counted nationwide, the governing Front for Victory won 33-percent of the congressional votes overall.
The number is far short of the 54-percent Kirchner carried in her re-election in 2011.
UK braces for powerful storm tipped to be worst to hit country in decades
The UK is bracing for what is forecast to be the biggest storm to hit the island-nation in decades.
The storm, dubbed Saint Jude, is bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force gusts to the southwest coast.
This is expected to create flooding and transportation disruptions.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has told government agencies to make sure contingency plans are in place for the country's transportation, schools and power systems.
ABC apologizes to Chinese community over offensive words
The American Broadcasting Company has apologized to the Chinese and Asian communities for permitting a show with offensive material directed at Chinese people to air.
In a letter to the Asian American political organization ABC has wrote they "would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community."
ABC stressed they've "taken swift action" to remove all offensive content across all platforms and have promised to "edit it out of any future airing of the show."
The offensive remarks came from "Jimmy Kimmel Live", where the host asked children how the US should deal with the government shutdown and the debt owed to China.
One of the children replied the US should "kill everyone in China."
Newspaper Picks
Beijing News
"Air-conditioned trains to get power outlets"
A post on China National Radio's official Weibo account said passengers will be able to charge their phones on China's air-conditioned trains starting from next year's Spring Festival travel season, or Chunyun period.
The sockets will be usable for laptops, shavers, and mobile chargers, but portable stoves are a no no.
Zhengzhou Railway Bureau confirmed the post. A staffer said outlets have already been available on some air-conditioned trains since Oct.1.
Xinhua
"Tianjin to cut steel, cement output to battle smog"
North China's Tianjin municipality plans to reduce steel and cement output amid the country's effort to fight against air pollution and lingering smog.
The Tianjin government is aiming to reduce steel output by 1.4 million tonnes and cement output by 2.3 million tonnes by the end of the year.
The city has also shut down 440 high polluting factories since January this year.
The local government aims to reduce heavy industry emissions and industrial energy consumption by 30 percent and 20 percent respectively, by 2017.
Japan Daily Press
"Honda unveils driverless parking system for electric cars"
Honda has demonstrated their automatic valet parking system at the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) World Congress in Tokyo.
However, the parking system is not fully automated. Honda's system relies on the input of the cameras in the parking lot as well as the car's rearview cameras.
Drivers can drop off their cars at a central location and then using a touchscreen panel, let the car go and park itself and then return to the drop off point when the driver is leaving.
The system will be viable and operational by the year 2020.
The Telegraph
"Tax on shopping bags 'will lead to more food poisoning'"
Experts have warned shoppers who switch to reusable bags may be at risk of food poisoning because of a rise in the amount of contamination.
It was claimed an increase in the use of "bags for life" could lead to a spike in illness rates as shoppers place new items in bags already used to store fresh meat and raw vegetables.
The comments come amid growing pressure on families to reuse plastic bags as part of an environmental drive.
Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced plans to charge 5p for plastic bags in England from 2015 to discourage the use of multiple bags.
However, leading Scientists warn that reused bags are often "heavily contaminated" with bacteria.
They suggest any bag that's carrying meat, wrapped or unwrapped, shouldn't be used again.
Special Reports
Science Behind China's Holiday Arrangement
Anchor:
The national holiday structure continues to come under scrutiny here in China.
A new survey by the China National Tourism Association has found a majority of people are dissatisfied with the current holiday rules.
To that end, CRI'S Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Cai Yibai, a member of the holiday system reform research group at Tsinghua University.
…
That's Cai Yibai, a member of the holiday system reform research group at Tsinghua University, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Sports
Serena Williams defeats Li Na to win at the WTA Championships
In tennis, Serena Williams has defeated China's Li Na to win her second straight WTA Championship title in Istanbul.
Li Na was on track to win her first ever WTA Championship, and got off to a great start taking the first set 6-2.
But the top-seeded American rallied to take the second set 6-3, and the third 6-0.
Li's championship run did bump her up to world number three, a career high ranking for China's top player.
"Yes I mean. top three was my goal for this year. I was really happy in the end. I talked to my team, and we said "at least we did what we said" so we made it."
Also, Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai claimed the doubles title, their ninth WTA title as a pair.
Over in the ATP,
Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro beat home favorite Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors final.
"It means a lot to win this tournament once again, beating Roger in the big final once again. I'm so glad to win my first title in this season. I'm looking forward to my last two tournaments this year. I'm getting closer to the top."
Still, Federer has a good shot at securing his place in the ATP World Tour Finals in London next week.
And at the Valencia Open, Russia's Mikhail Youzhny upset defending champion David Ferrer in the final, 6-3, 7-5.
Chelsea beat Man City 2-1 with Torres' last minute thriller
In the English Premiere League, Fernando Torres scored in the last minute to bring Chelsea a 2-1 victory at home against Manchester City.
Torres had been the game's central figure, setting up Andre Schurrle's first goal in the 33rd minute.
Though he was guilty of a dreadful miss, coach Jose Mourinho says his general play has been excellent.
"Fantastic performance. Even better because it was built after an easy goal missed and that makes it even more fallible, because when a striker misses an easier chance many, many times he is affected for the rest of the game and it looks like that moment was the moment when Fernando thought 'I will be the man of the match'.
Chelsea has now moved up to second in the table, trailing Arsenal two points.
Also in the EPL, Sunderland registered their first Premier League victory of the season after beating Newcastle United at home 2-1.
Meanwhile in the Italian Serie A,
Juventus beat Genoa 2-0 to keep level on points with Napoli in second place.
While leaders Roma kept their perfect start to the season after beating Udinese 1-0.
Roma has now surpassed Juve for the best start to a Serie A season as they have won nine victories in all nine matches.
Juve held the record for the best winning start with eight straight wins.
O'Sullivan eased past Anthony McGill in the first Round of International Open
In Snooker defending champion Judd Trump meets Scotishman Alan McManus in the first round of the International Open in Chendu.
Meanwhile, Australian veteran Neil Robertson takes on Alex Davies of England.
[Both results will be updated later]
Later on, Chinese ace Ding Junhui takes on fellow Chinese Cao Yupeng in their first round action.
While Marco Fu from Hong Kong will clash with Englishman Adam Duffy.
Earlier, Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Anthony McGill 6-2 in first round action.
O'Sullivan has not played in a major tournament since winning the World Championship at the Crucible in May.
But the 37-year-old made light work of his opponent, scoring breaks of 73, 80 and 52 to advance into the next round.
Also on Sunday, there were comfortable wins for Mark Allen and John Higgins, while Graeme Dott also went through.
Moore wins CIMB Classic in Malaysia
In golf, Ryan Moore birdied the first hole of a playoff with Gary Woodland to win the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
They started the playoff on the tee of the par-5 18th hole.
Moore birdied the hole in the opening round but pared it the next three times around the course.
Moore's approach left him five feet from the flag and he smoothly swept in his putt for the victory.
The 30-year-old American won for the third time on the PGA Tour.
He also won the 2009 Wyndham Championship and 2012 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
The tournament was an official PGA Tour event for the first time and, thus, Moore received a two-year PGA Tour exemption and a spot in the Masters.
Entertainment
Lou Reed dies aged 71 in New York
So today is a truly sad day as rock legend Lou Reed has died aged 71.
Sources close to the Velvet Underground singer said he had been suffering from an illness related to his liver for a few months.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential singers and songwriters in rock, the musician died at his New York home on Sunday morning.
Lou Reed and his band The Velvet Underground had little commercial success when they were in existence in the 1960's but countless artists including David Bowie, REM, Nirvana and Iggy Pop all sited him as a major influence.
Brian Eno once summed up their influence when he said "The Velvet Underground's first album only sold 10,000 copies. But everyone that bought it went on to form a band."
The Velvet Underground were also renowned for their fusion of Music and contemporary art, and collaborated closely with the late great artist Andy Warholl.
Speaking in 2003 as he was putting his hands in cement at Hollywood Rockwood, Reed said he owed a lot to Warhol:
"As far as I'm concerned, I want to thank Andy Warhol. You know, everything I do is from the outside and if it hadn't have been for Andy who knows whether we would've had a chance to do everything. So, I think I owe everything to Mr Warhol. Thanks."
Reed did also have global smash hits with tracks such as Walk on the Wild Side and the track Perfect Day.
This song received a new lease of life when it was featured on the soundtrack of Danny Boyle's 1996 film, Trainspotting, and a year later it was performed by some of the world's biggest artists as part of a BBC charity single.
As news of his death came out many stars gave their condolences, Iggy Pop called it "Devastating news" while Def Jam founder Russell Simmons tweeted: "New York lost one of our greatest gifts today."
Chris Brown arrested for Saturday Night Fight in Washington DC
Staying in the US, Chris Brown was arrested early yesterday morning in Washington, D.C., after getting involved in a fight police sources say.
Brown, 24, was charged with felony assault in an incident that started just before 4:30 a.m., D.C. police spokesman Paul Metcalf said Sunday morning.
A man was injured in the fight and reportedly taken to a hospital, but he has not been identified nor has the extent of his injuries been revealed.
This incident complicates an already snarled legal history for the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer.
Brown remains on probation for the 2009 beating of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna just before the Grammy Awards. The photos of Rihanna's bruised face caused outrage among many fans.
Brown pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault as part of a plea deal.
His probation was revoked briefly earlier this year after a hit-and-run incident, and he was given 1,000 more hours of community service.
Brown, has been involved in a number of incidents since the 2009 arrest.
He has also been sued for a nightclub brawl that allegedly erupted between his entourage and that of musician Drake, at the time believed to be romantically involved with Rihanna.
"Angel Warrior" Starring Yu Nan & Collin Chou Premieres in BJ
Chinese action film "Angel Warrior" staring mainland actress Yu Nan and Taiwanese actor Collin Chou premiers today in Beijing.
"Angel Warriors" tells the story of five girls from the city, who go on a rural getaway surrounded by lush jungles and beautiful beaches.
But there's trouble in paradise when an excursion into the forest leads the five girls into a dangerous encounter with local criminals, who are endangering the surrounding ancient cultural relics.
However, these aren't docile city girls who cower to danger; these vicious vixens decide to take action.
Collin Chou is famous for his portrayal of Seraph in the films "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" attended the premiere.
The film will hit screens around China on November the 1st.
Jason Isaacs talks about sexy western 'Sweetwater'
So now on behalf of China Radio International I would like to say Ni ho Jason Isaacs…
Hello to Jason Isaacs
The British actor who stars as Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" films – has taken on a dark role in the unconventional Westerm "Sweetwater".
The film, also starring January Jones and Ed Harris takes place in the 1800s.
Jones plays a former prostitute who catches the eye of a sadistic and powerful l religious leader played by Isaacs.
During the film her life is turned upside down and she joins with a sheriff to take her vengeance.
Jason Isaacs said this film is not one to watch with your children or your grandparents and best saved for those who want to be offended.
He said even during filming the cast and crew had to take extreme measures to lighten the mood lest they all fall into the darkness of the roles they were portraying.:
Isaacs is currently filming "Fury,"…. writer-director David Ayer's much-anticipated World War II tank movie starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go，
Georgia’s billionaire backed candidate wins the country’s presidential election.
The row over US spying allegations spreads to Spain.
Explosions have killed five people and injured dozens of others in Eastern India.
Business, China launches a new benchmark lending rate to help markets set the cost of funds.
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