新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/10/11

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
 
 
Paul James with you on this Friday, October 11th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has taken part in a series of meetings with East Asian officials to try to push for better cooperation in the region.
The White House appears to be reacting positively to a new offer from the Republicans to push forward the debt ceiling for a few weeks.
Libya's Prime Minister is back on the job after being briefly kidnapped amid the political upheaval in that country.
In Business.... the Chinese government has signed a massive currency swap agreement with the European Union.
In sports... China's men's basketball team has opened up its East Asian Games with a victory.
In entertainment... the nominations for this year's American Music Awards have been unveiled.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 24 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be clear tonight with a low of 11
In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 27 the high, and it will be clear tonight, the low of 18 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be sunny in the daytime the temperature's at 20, and tonight will be cloudy with a low of 5 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 33.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 27.
And in North America
New York, moderate rain, with a high of 16 degrees.
Washington, moderate rain, highs of 15
Houston, sunny, 29.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 29.
Toronto, overcast, 18.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, overcast, 24.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 26 degrees Celsius.
 
 
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TIMECHECK
 
 
Top News
 
 
Chinese premier calls for deepened cooperation in East Asia
 
Anchor:
China's Premier has taken part in a series of meetings with leaders from a number of Asian countries as part of his time in Brunei.
CRI's Lucy Du has the details.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling on his counterparts from East Asia to build mutual trust in security cooperation.
Li Keqiang has made the comments at an East Asia summit held in Brunei.
The Chinese Premier says "without peace and stability, development is out of the question".
"Each member country should work to maintain the peace and stability of the region. We need to stick to the path of mutually beneficial cooperation and development, while prioritizing economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods. By doing so, we can keep the cooperation in the East Asia on a right track."
Speaking at a meeting with the regional grouping, the so-called "10+3," Li Keqiang has reaffirmed his government's commitment to strenthen ties with the regional framework.
"10+3" includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, along with China, Japan and South Korea.
Li Keqiang says the "10+3" group needs to first commit itself to maintaining regional peace and stability.
He also says the group needs to speed up economic integration, establish an economic safety net and cooperate more closely in areas such as food safety and people-to-people exchanges.
The "10+3" grouping was born out of the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
At the sideline of the East Asia summit, the Premier also met with leaders of South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia and New Zealand.
Li Keqiang's time in Southeast Asia will also take him to Vietnam and Thailand.
For CRI, I am Lucy Du.
 
 
White House Welcomes House Republican's Offer
 
Anchor
White House is describing a Republican offer to temporarily raise the government's debt ceiling as an encouraging sign.
The offer comes less than a week before the US government is set to go into default.
CRI's Washington correspondent Xiaohong has more.
Reporter
White House press secretary Jay Carney says the Republican offer is "at least an encouraging sign."
The proposal by House Speaker John Boehner would raise the government's debt ceiling for a short period of six weeks, allowing the government to pay its bills until November 22nd.
Carney says President Obama is likely to sign such a short-term bill, as long as there were no conditions attached, even though he would prefer a much longer duration.
"The President strongly believes it would be are preferable if Congress were to pass a bill that would ensure that the United States can pay its bills for a longer duration, longer than the hypothetical 6 weeks that is currently being discussed."
Republican leaders are proposing the six-week increase to the nation's 16.7 trillion dollar debt ceiling as a way of avoiding a first-ever U.S. default on its debts.
In return for passing the bill, the Republicans are demanding the President sit down an negotiate on other issues.
House Speaker John Boehner.
"It's time for leadership. It's time for these negotiations and this conversation to begin. And I would hope the President would look at this as an opportunity and a good-faith effort on our part to move half way to what he has demanded in order to have these conversations begin."
The proposed deal does not address the current government shutdown.
The Republicans are insisting to sit down and talk while White House demands an unconditional clean budget bill to reopen the government.
Despite this continued impasse, the markets have responded positively to the likelyhood of the US avoiding default.
The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P all surged in late-day trading on the back of the news.
Xiaohong, CRI, Washington.
 
 
IMF, World Bank warns negative impact of a US debt default
 
Anchor:
Despite indications US lawmakers are not going to allow the US government to go into default, the heads of both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are warning a default would have a severe impact on the global economy.
CRI's Li Jing has more.
Report:
Speaking at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, IMF chief Christine Lagarde says a U.S. debt default would have far-ranging impacts on economies across the globe.
"We know and you know by now that failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause serious damage to the U.S. economy but also to the global economy as a result of the spillover effects."
The U.S. political impasse has been dominating the discussions at the Washington meetings.
Lagarde also warns the global economy is in a slow and unbalanced recovery.
She's calling on Europe to clean up its banking problems and forge ahead with a new banking union.
"Concerning the Euro area which is finally climbing out of recession, we believe that it needs to finish cleaning up its banks, forge ahead with a banking union and break down some of the barriers that are still an obstacle to growth and job creation."
Lagarde is also pleading for better policy coordination among IMF member countries, noting the different economies are highly inter-connected.
At the same time, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says their analysis of the "near miss" in 2011 when U.S. lawmakers narrowly avoided default was a real 'eye-opener.'
"Even a near miss will have a real impact on developing countries. And so we are watching carefully and we just urge all policy makers to move quickly to come to some resolution, because the impacts are going to be severe."
Meanwhile, Jim Yong Kim says the World Bank has also set a new goal of reducing extreme poverty to 9-percent by 2020.
A new World Bank report says around 400 million children still live in extreme poverty worldwide.
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
 
 
UN Security Council okays plan to rid Syria of chemical weapons
 
The UN Security Council has officially approved the plan to eliminate Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.
The move officially authorizes the joint mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations.
The OPCW is already on the ground in Syria, and has begun the process of destroying the chemical weapons stockpiles.
The process is expected to last until the middle of next year.
The mission is expected to consist of about 100 experts.
It's to be based in Cyprus.
 
 
UN humanitarian chief says 2 million Syrians under siege, beyond reach of aid groups
 
The United Nations humanitarian chief estimates 2-million Syrians are beyond the reach of international aid.
Valerie Amos is accusing both sides in the Syrian conflict of using siege as a weapon of war.
"We estimate that there are two million people in besieged areas we have not been able to reach, and there are terrible stories of those people running out of food, of people being injured who are not able or allowed to leave."
Amos says her organization is hoping the warring factions will take steps that can lead toward a ceasefire.
"The most important thing is not actually a humanitarian thing, it's a political thing,"
The comments by Amos follow a UN Security Council statement last week, demanding humanitarian access to beseiged regions of Syria.
 
 
Libyan Prime Minister returns to his office after being briefly kidnapped
 
The head of the Libyan Congress contends the security situation in the country is under control.
This, despite the breif abduction of the country's Prime Minister on Thursday.
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was snatched from his hotel room by a number of gunmen.
He was later released unhurt.
"We hope this matter will be treated with wisdom and rationality, far from tension."
The kidnapping was originally said to be members of the Libyan Revolutionary Operations Chamber.
This is the Libyan militia tasked with protecting Libyan lawmakers.
But after Zeidan's release some 6-hours later, the Militia denied it played a role, despite originally saying it was behind Zeidan's detention for corruption charges.
The bizarre incident comes on the heels of a US raid in Libya this past weekend which captured a Libyan man said to be the mastermind of the 1998 US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.
The Libyan prime minister has come under heavy criticizm amid accusations he was complicit in allowing the raid by US Special Forces to take place.
Meanwhile, the White House is condemning Zeidan's temporary abduction.
White House spokesperson Jay Carney.
"The United States supports Libya's efforts to fulfill the aspirations of the 2011 revolution for a democratic, secure and prosperous Libya, and the people of Libya deserve a democracy based on the rule of law and respect for human rights."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has since issued a statement, saying the situation in Libya is cause for concern.
Despite this, Libyan National Congress President Nuri Abusahmain says citizens, foreigners and diplomats have nothing to fear in Libya.
 
 
Egypt criticized US aid cuts
 
The Egyptian government is blasting a decision by the US government to suspend a large part of its military aid to Egypt.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Badr Abdelatty.
"We believe that it wasn't an appropriate decision and it raise a serious questions with regard the commitments of the United States to provide the security programs and assistance to Egypt."
The U.S has decided to cut some of its aid to Egypt following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and the crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
The US says it will withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles.
260-million US dollars in cash aid is also being withheld.
However, other humanitarian-based assistance programs will remain in-effect.
Despite this, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is stressing that Washington is not severing its ties with its long-standing ally.
 
 
China calls for social reconciliation in Egypt
 
The Chinese government has issued a new call for social reconciliation in Egypt.
The comments come after the Egyptian government's decision to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a non-governmental organization.
The Chinese government does say all domestic affairs in Egypt "should be decided by the Egyptian people on their own."
The comments by the Chinese side follow the announcement that ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is set to stand trial next month.
He's accused of ordering a violent crackdown on demonstrators outside the Presidental Palace earlier this year.
 
 
Floodwater starts to recede in hard-hit east China city
 
Floodwaters have begun receding in the typhoon hit city of Yuyao in Zhejiang.
Water levels on the Yao River been dropping, as the rains have been easing up.
Earlier this week the river burst its banks, submerging nearly three-quarters of the city.
More than 830-thousand people have been struggling through the flooding.
"We've been trapped for three days. The flood came suddenly. We cannot get out. We don't have enough water at home. We have rice, but no electricity."
Authorities are warning a complete resumption of electricity will take time.
Gas and water supplies have mostly been restored.
Relief supplies and daily necessities are being distrubuted.
However, many have been complaining the relief supplies aren't flowing in fast enough.
"One household can only get one bag of bread and one can of porridge each person. We'll bring more."
Municipal authorities in Yuyao are in the process of draining the water out of the downtown area.
However, poor drainage is proving problematic.
 
 
Tropical Storm Nari poised to roll through Philippines
 
The Philippines is poised to be hit by yet another major storm.
Tropical storm Nari has now gained Typhoon status.
The storm is currently situated just east of the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
Forecasters are warning Nari is going to make landfall sometime overnight tonight.
It's currently packing winds of 120-kilometers per hour at the center.
Nari's current track has it making a direct line for the Philippine capital, Manila.
After rolling through the Philippines, the storm is expected to move into the South China Sea.
From there it may begin tracking toward Hainan.
 
 
Snowden's father reaches Russia for reunion at undisclosed location
 
The father of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has arrived in Moscow to meet with his son.
Lon Snowden has answered few questions from reporters, other than to express his gratitude to the Russian government for giving his son asylum.
"You know, I've heard so many things through the media, and my assumption is certainly, given the circumstances, he's doing as well as could be expected. He's safe and he's free - and that's a good thing."
He also says he's not sure if his son will ever be able to return to the United States, given the charges of esionage he faces.
Snowden's lawyer, who is accompanying his father, says his client still remains unemployed in Russia.
He also admits the 30-year old is quickly running out of money.
However, Snowden's lawyer does say his client has recieved a number of job offers.
He's also hinted that Snowden may be planning to stay on in Russia permanently, noting that his client could apply for Russian citizenship if he stays there for 5-years.
Snowden is wanted by the US government after leaking confidential details of a National Security Agency spying program which monitors people's telephone and internet usage.
 
 
China Europe investment forum opens in Shanghai
 
Anchor
The "Go to Europe" Investment Forum has opened in Shanghai.
The forum is meant to be a platform to discuss how Chinese companies can launch their businesses more effectively in Europe.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more from Shanghai.
Reporter
At present, the EU is China's biggest trading partner and the most important export market.
A rising number of Chinese enterprises have chosen the EU as their investment destination.
Li Zhaoxing is Chairman at the China Public Diplomacy Association.
He says Chinese businesses going into to Europe can create win-win outcomes.
"With Chinese enterprises investing and starting their business in Europe, it is a good opportunity and big thing not only for China, but also for the Europe."
China has recently signed free trade agreements with Switzerland and Iceland.
Relations with Europe have been further boosted since China and the EU solved their solar panel disputes.
Zhai Jun, is Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He highlighted ways both sides could boost their relationship:
"First, the two sides should insist on mutual respect and equality and strengthen mutual trust. Second, both sides should expand cooperative scale and improve cooperative quality in a bid to get win-win. Third, the two sides should promote cross-cultural exchange and understanding. Fourth, both sides should strengthen communication and coordination in international affairs."
Meanwhile, a number of foreign representative officers based in China have attended the forum.
Steven Kool is president at the Rotterdam Commercial Representative office.
He says the "Go to Europe" forum shows that China's government supports Chinese companies going abroad.
"I think today's direction is that China is going outbound. And I think especially the speech by China Development Bank outlined financial supportive policies for Chinese companies, who have plans to invest abroad. It is very informative. But also it shows that China's government from central level to the local levels. It strongly supports Chinese companies going abroad."
Kool also says the forum gives an opportunity to stimulate and promote European countries.
The "Go to Europe" Investment Forum is hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association, or CPDA and the China Development Bank.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao in Shanghai 
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the markets in North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Hu Jia.
Reporter
US stocks soared on Thursday, putting the market on track for its second-best day of the year, thanks to the news that Washington is moving closer to avert a US government default.
The market were sharply higher throughout the day, and spiked after the Republicans announced the short-term plan to raise the debt ceiling.
Jonathan Corpina is the Senior Managing Partner at Meridian Equity Partners.
"We've been programmed to look at things on a very short-term basis just because so much can change in a period of time. So, yes, this is a form of kicking the can down the road but the longer that can is being kicked it's going to give the parties involved a little bit more time to really take a step back and evaluate the situation."
Despite the big gains, there is still muted enthusiasm on Wall Street.
Traders say the rebound in stocks has been led mainly by investors exiting from bearish positions built to protection portfolios.
When the market closed,
The Dow climbed 2.2 percent
The S&P 500 also jumped 2.2 percent
And the Nasdaq surged 2.3 percent.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX gained 1.3 percent.
European markets were also on the rise on Thursday.
UK's benchmark FTSE 100 rallied 1.1 percent, with banks and resource firms leading the way, after the Bank of England made no changes to its interest rate or asset purchase program.
In France, the CAC 40 gained 2.2 percent.
In Germany, the DAX rose nearly 2 percent.
 
 
China, EU agree to 45 bln Euro currency swap
 
The Chinese government has signed a 350-billion-yuan currency swap agreement with the European Union.
The agreement is for the next 3-years, and can be extended if both sides agree.
This move is expected to provide liquidity support for the yuan within the Eurozone.
It's mean to try to help deal with trade promotion and settlements.
The Chinese government has signed currency swap agreements worth 2.2-trillion yuan with 22 different countries and regions.
The Chinese government recently inked a 100-billion yuan currency-swap extension with Indonesia.
 
 
PBOC Said to Establish Separate Accounting System in Shanghai Free Trade Zone
 
Internal sources are suggesting the Shanghai Free Trade Zone is going to have its own separte accounting system.
The People's Bank of China is reportedly working on plan to identify the accounts of all the firms, individuals and financial institutions operating in the zone with special tags.
This would distinguished them from other domestic accounts.
The move would enable the central bank to monitor the capital flows of these accounts in a real-time manner.
This would help prevent hot money inflows via the free trade zone.
 
 
Call-in Corp news with Doug
 
Anchor
Let's check in with some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line.
He's an associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
[Lenovo looking to acquire HTC, talks have been going on since August]
It is reported that PC maker Lenovo is hoping to acquire the struggling Taiwan phone maker HTC.
Top level executives have met in Taiwan in August.
1)HTC, do you think it will stage a comeback to the top 3 smart phone brands at least here in China propelled by the potential deal?
2)We've seen lots of M&A deals in the tech industry, but some are just carrying the hype high. Can this one materialized as solid and sound to both firms and how?
3)How do you think the deal may possibly signal that Lenovo will make more moves in the smartphone market? And fuelling rumor that it may likely to purchase the Blackberry?
4)If compare this one with the IBM think pad acquisition deal by Lenovo several year ago, could you brief us the cons and pros in this case for Lenovo?
[Qingdao Haier, KKR Form Strategic Partnership]
KKR, a leading global investment firm is investing 83.5 billion US dollars with Chinese home appliance maker Haier.
That will enable KKR to hold 10 percent share's of the white goods manufacturer.
1)KKR, renowned for its acquisition expertise which favors to create long term value for its clients, how important do you think its endorsement to Haier will somehow help the domestic brand building up its overseas image or recognition globally?
2)And what do you think is the crucial attraction of Haier that makes KKR committed to it at a time that made-in China white goods are experiencing a contraction in the overseas market?
3)The deal is expected to guarantee Haier suffice funds to press ahead, but where do you think will the money pouring into as we've heard the firm is entering quote 'the online strategic phase of its long-term growth plan'?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
U.S. initial jobless claims rise sharply
 
New stats from the US Labor Department show initial jobless claims have risen sharply this past week.
The number of people applying for jobless benefits has spiked by some 66-thousand to 374-thousand last week.
A couple of factors are in-play.
Authorities in California last week processed a major backlog of jobless applications.
At the same time, the partial federal government shutdown has prompted numerous government contractors to layoff their employees.
Any jobless claims put forward by the roughly 800-thousand furloughed US federal government employees will be calculated separately, and won't influence the weekly readings.
The 4-week moving average for US unemployment, which smooths out the volitility of the weekly readings, has increased by 20-thousand to 325-thousand.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Chinese premier raises four-point proposal on promoting "10+3" cooperation
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has put forward a 4-point proposal to try to deepen ties within the so-clled "10+3" regional grouping.
"10+3" includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, along with China, Japan and South Korea.
Speaking at a meeting of the grouping in Brunei, Li Keqiang says the "10+3" group needs to first commit itself to maintaining regional peace and stability.
He also says the group needs to speed up economic integration, establish an economic safety net and cooperate more closely in areas such as food safety and people-to-people exchanges.
 
 
Obama "happy" with House GOP debt ceiling offer: White House
 
The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama is "happy" with the latest offer from Republicans in connection with the debt ceiling.
House Republicans are proposing raising the debt ceiling for a 6-week period to avoid default next week.
In exchange, the Republicans are demanding Obama sit down an negotiate other items of concern with them.
The proposal by the Republicans would not cover the current US government shutdown.
 
 
Security in Libya "under control" after kidnapping: parliament
 
The head of the Libyan Congress contends the security situation in the country is under control.
This, despite the breif abduction of the country's Prime Minister on Thursday.
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was snatched from his hotel room by a number of gunmen.
It was originally said to be members of the Libyan Revolutionary Operations Chamber.
This is the Libyan militia tasked with protecting Libyan lawmakers.
But after Zeidan's release some 6-hours later, the Militia denied it played a role, despite originally saying it was behind Zeidan's detention for corruption charges.
 
 
China, EU agree to 45 bln Euro currency swap
 
The Chinese government has signed a 350-billion-yuan currency swap agreement with the European Union.
The agreement is for the next 3-years, and can be extended if both sides agree.
This move is expected to provide liquidity support for the yuan within the Eurozone.
It's mean to try to help deal with trade promotion and settlements.
The Chinese government has signed currency swap agreements worth 2.2-trillion yuan with 22 different countries and regions.
The Chinese government recently inked a 100-billion yuan currency-swap extension with Indonesia.
 
 
Tropical Storm Nari poised to roll through Philippines
 
The Philippines is poised to be hit by yet another major storm.
Tropical storm Nari has now gained Typhoon status.
The storm is currently situated just east of the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
Forecasters are warning Nari is going to make landfall sometime overnight tonight.
It's currently packing winds of 120-kilometers per hour at the center.
Nari's current track has it making a direct line for the Philippine capital, Manila.
After rolling through the Philippines, the storm is expected to move into the South China Sea.
From there it may begin tracking toward Hainan.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
SOUTHERN METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Anchor babies turn to the US
Summary
After Hong Kong banned so-called anchor babies last year, many Chinese nationals are now said to be turning to the US, which still offers birthright citizenship.
Agencies have been promoting US birth programs which can cost perspective parents over 500-thousand yuan.
So-called anchor babies are foreign nationals born in countries or regions which offer citizenship at birth.
This then makes it easier for the parents to emigrate to the place their child has citizenship.
GUANGZHOU DAILY
Headline
Bookings required for vehicle inspection
Summary
Authorities in Guangzhou have announced bookings are now essential before annual vehicle inspections can be carried out.
Drivers will be put on a blacklist if they fail to show up at their appointments three times.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Rubber Duck deflated
Summary
The Rubber Duck currently at the Summer Palace had to be deflated amid the strong winds in Beijing yesterday.
Park administrators say they'll re-inflate the duck when the winds die down to a reasonable level.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Reporter arrested for libel
Summary
A reporter who publicly accused a senior official of corruption has been arrested on charges of libel.
The lawyer for Liu Hu says his clients actions don't constitute a crime, given that Liu didn't deliberatly try to fabricate incorrect information.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Flood victims still without food or power
Summary
Public services in the city of Yuyao in Zhejiang are still not working properly amid the massive flooding there.
Many are still finding it difficult to access tap water, power and telecommunications.
The floodwaters are expected to begin receeding this weekend.
Close to three-quarters of the city of Yuyao has been flooded out by the reminance of Typhoon Fitow.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Flooded car owners seek payouts
Summary
Vehicle owners are demanding compensation from a management company after their vehicles were stranded in underground car parks during the rainstorms in Shanghai this week.
The management company says compensation is under discussion.
Legal experts are suggesting the vehicle owners should be contacting their insurance companies.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Federer crashes out, but Nadal and Djokovic are through at Shanghai Masters
 
Yesterday at the Shanghai Masters,
Former world number one Roger Federer was dumped out of the tournament after a third round loss to Frenchman Gael Monfils.
After dropping the first set, the Swiss won a tense tiebreak in the second, but eventually surrendered in the third after two hours and nine minutes.
"I had chances early on in the third set I think to make something happen. He kind of recovered, then started to serve a bit better again towards the end of the third set which made it difficult for me. It's a bit of an up-and-sown performance for me."
Forty five minutes after losing to Monfils, the 17-time grand slam winner headed back onto the court for a doubles match with teammate Zhang Ze of China.
It was double-defeat for Federer, as the pair went down to fifth seeded Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.
But world number two Novak Djokovic offered words of encouragement.
"He is the most Grand Slam winner in history. Whenever he plays, wherever he plays, he's always on the spotlight, he's always the man to beat. This is fact, and it's going to stay that way as long as he's going to play tennis."
Djokovic breezed past Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3, and will next face Monfils.
Germany's Florian Mayer outmuscled David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3 .
Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the last eight after Tommy Haas withdrew with a back injury.
Rafael Nadal, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are also through to the fourth round.
 
 
East Asian Games roundup from Thursday
 
Updates from the East Asian Games,
China took both golds in the mens and womens badminton team events.
With the help of world number two Chen Long and number three Du Pengyu, the men had an all-win record.
And in the womens final, world number seven Wang Shixian helped overwhelm Chinese Taipei 3-0.
Chinese athletes swept all eight shooting golds after Su Yuling claimed the womens 10 meter air pistol title.
The Chinese swim team, which is spearheaded by Olympic champion Ye Shiwen and Jiao Liuyang, is also making a strong start, topping the medal table already with five golds.
 
 
China beat Japan 60-47 in East Asian Games opener
 
Anchor
The Chinese men's basketball team has opened its campaign at the East Asian Games with a 60-47 victory over Japan.
CRI's Li Jing has more.
Reporter
At the end of the first quarter, the Chinese side trailed their opponents by five.
But the team picked up the pace in the next two quarters to move ahead of the Japanese side 40-37.
In the final quarter, a dunk from Zhao Tailong got the fans roaring and the team snatched 20 more points to end with a 60-47 victory.
Sun Tonglin, who was China's top performer with 13 points and 18 rebounds, credited the turnaround to better defence.
"We were very anxious after the first quarter saw us falling behind. We made quite a few errors. But the team didn't give up and tried to play strong the defence. The good defence work boosted our confidence and we gradually controlled the game."
Sun was one of the two active players from the Chinese Basketball Association taking part in the tournament.
The majority of the 12-member squad belong to the national team's youth division, since most A-listers didn't want to risk injury before their season.
China's head coach Fan Bin said the team will still need to maintain focus ahead of the upcoming matches.
"Our team is facing a difficult time. The players were only recently put together, so they have to work hard on their defence and fight for possessions of the ball. We can be modest with offence but we cannot afford to have a weak defence. Holding the opponents at bay is key."
The Chinese team is aiming to medal, after just missing the podium at the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong.
The team entered this years tournament at a low point, after a shattering loss to Chinese Taipei at the Asian Basketball Championship in August.
That was the first time in six years that the Chinese team failed to make the semifinals in that tournament.
Later tonight, the team will meet Chinese Hong Kong, before taking on tournament favorites Chinese Taipei, who had a 3-point win over South Korea in their opening game.
For CRI, I am Li Jing.
 
 
Houston Rockets defeat Pacers in Philippines first NBA game
 
In the NBA,
The Houston Rockets defeated the Indiana Pacers 116-96 in the Philippines first-ever NBA game yesterday.
The Rockets offense was firing on all cylinders and had the Pacers trying to catch up the entire game.
Dwight Howard and Chandler Parson punctuated Houston's early lead with big slams in the first half.
Jeremy Lin contributed off the bench, and helped Houston lock away the win after scoring off the fast break.
The two teams will face each other one more time in Taiwan on Sunday before heading back to the states.
 
 
Sebastian Vettel has a chance to make F1 history at Japanese Grand Prix
 
In formula one,
Tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka is Sebastian Vettel's chance to become the youngest quadruple world champion in Formula one history.
The Red Bull driver triumphed at the Japanese Grand Prix last year, and said it's a circuit he enjoys.
"All in all, I think it is a place where we love to race. On top of that, it is a fantastic atmosphere, crazy Japanese fans. And they are very passionate about us coming here. And I think all the drivers, we do get a lot of respect when we come here. And equally, a lot of support."
Vettel has a 77-point lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, so even if things don't pan out for him this weekend in Japan,he still has four other races to go.
 
 
Neymar injured during training
 
In football,
Brazil's striker Neymar was injured during training yesterday ahead of the team's international friendly against South Korea.
Word is the Barca player injured his hip and it is not clear if he will be able to play in tomorrow's match in Seoul.
Next week, Brazil is also scheduled to come to Beijing for a friendly with Zambia.
 
 
Eric Mina leads at China Masters
 
In golf,
American rookie Eric Mina leads with a four-under 68 after the opening round of Oneasia Tour's China Masters in Nanshan.
China's top-ranked player Liang Wen-chong struggled a bit on the first day and ended with a two-over par 74.
And in the LPGA,
South Korea's Ilhee Lee shot an opening seven under to take the lead at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
China's Feng Shanshan is tied for seventh with a four under.
 
 
Oakland and Detroit battle for AL division series title
 
In major league baseball,
The whole season is on the line for Detroit and Oakland who will go head to head in a decisive game five for the American League Division series title.
That game gets underway soon, at 8:07 this morning.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
American Music Awards Nominations revealed
 
The nominations for this year's American Music Awards were announced overnight.
Newcomers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are emerging as the top runners.
The duo is up for an impressive six awards, including artist, new artist and single of the year for "Thrift Shop."
(Thrift Shop)
The pair will be going head to head with industry heavyweights Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Bruno Mars for artist of the year.
Over in the rap corner, they will need to beat Jay Z to clench either favorite artist-rap/hip-hop and favorite album-rap/hip-hop for their platinum-selling debut "The Heist".
Meanwhile, Swift and Timberlake have five nominations each, while Robin Thicke, with Rihanna and Florida Georgia Line are trailing behind at four each.
Amongst the confirmed performers are Imagine Dragon and Miley Cyrus.
(Miley Cyrus)
The announcements were made by Kelly Clarkson and will.i.am, who didn't miss a chance to advertise his services as a producer to this year's nominees.
"I would like to work with, in no particular order, Taylor and Bruno and Macklemore. I like working. No matter what style it is. Hip hop, pop, Samba, Bossa Nova, blues, I ain't did country yet, but I'm trying to mess with some country."
The AMAs will air live in the US on ABC from the Nokia Theatre L.A on 24th November.
 
 
Gravity screens at London Film Festival
 
Alfonso Cuaron's acclaimed space thriller Gravity is showing at the 57th London Film Festival.
The director and star Sandra Bullock tred the red carpet following the film's spectacular performance at the North American box office.
The Warner Bros. flick debuted with a theatre taking of over $55 million (USD), making the biggest October opening ever and the biggest openings for both Bullock and Clooney.
Industry veteran Bullock has not been knocked dizzy by the influx of frenzied praise garnered by the film.
"I appreciate every time I am in a movie that people don't hate you in (laughs), I tell you it's more times that people dislike your work than they like it and it's better than the alternative as Alfonso Cuaron says. It's nicer to be appreciated, but it's going to be short lived. We'll enjoy this moment and then I'll do something that everyone hates again and it will even it out and we'll be back to normal."
Meanwhile, Director Cuaron is pleased that his years of hard work has given some joy to his audience.
"Well again, the important thing is that the film is being well received, through all this time working, four and half years working basically in a cave, putting together the film, finally you throw it to the audience and the audience is responding and that's very pleasing."
"Gravity" is opening across the world through this month and into November.
 
 
Chinese artist awarded the Nicholas Roerich Medal
 
Chinese painter Pan Yikui is receiving the International Nicholas Roerich medal for his work.
The Gansu native specialises in rustic portrature.
The award is in recognition of the crucial contribution his work has done in advancing cultural exchange between China and Russia.
Pan, who is chief of the association for Chinese artists in Russia, is the first Chinese national to receive the award.
The medal was created in 2003 in honor of early 20th century Russian painter, philosopher and social activist Nicholas Roerich.
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Roerich championed the preservation of "cultural heritage" , prompting the formation of the Roerich Convention, the partial contents of which were inscribed into the United Nations Charter.
 
 
Banksy begins unofficial New York residency
 
Banksy is back on the streets.
Denouncing his own commercial success, the secretive graffiti artist is taking up an unofficial residency on the streets of New York.
Entitled Better Out Than In, Banksy's public art show promises "elaborate graffiti, large scale street sculpture, video installations and substandard performance art".
Banksy has been keeping his promise, delivering two pieces of street art earlier in the week, sending fans into a frenzy.
One depicted a dog next to a fire extinguisher and another depicted a bandaged heart shaped balloon, which was defaced in less than 24 hours.
Whilst the artist published photos of the works online, the locations were with held, with the word being spread online by those who spot the graffitis.
Speaking exclusively to the Village by email, Banksy says that he started out painting on the streets because the art establishment would not accept him.
Despite having millions paid for his work by the likes of Brad Pitt, Banksy says that he wants to return to making art for arts sake and without a price tag.
 
 
 
That's all we have time for on the show as well.
Recapping our top headlines....
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has taken part in a series of meetings with East Asian officials to try to push for better cooperation in the region.
The White House appears to be reacting positively to a new offer from the Republicans to push forward the debt ceiling for a few weeks.
Libya's Prime Minister is back on the job after being briefly kidnapped amid the political upheaval in that country.
In Business.... the Chinese government has signed a massive currency swap agreement with the European Union.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing, hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together!