新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2013/10/23

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Rebecca Hume with you on this Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening,
A large explosion rips through an office building in the city of Xi’an.
Chinese Premier and Indian Prime Minister vow to resolve border disputes and enhance economic ties.
Families of Manila hostage victims call for a real apology.
Business, Soaring property prices in China strengthen control expectations.
Sports, Football Chelsea beat Shalke to go top of group E in the Champions League.
Entertainments, Premiere of Marvel's new superhero movie Thor: The Dark World opens in London.
Plus Special reports goes to the ongoing Shanghai International Arts Festival to take a look at the musicians trying to reach a wider audience.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 4 degrees Celsius.　Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 16.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 15, cloudy sky continues tomorrow, with a high of 20.
Lhasa will be clear tonight, minus 1 degrees the low, sunny tomorrow with a high of 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 30.
Kabul, sunny, 22.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 22.
Canberra, sunny, 17.
Brisbane, sunny, 31.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 28.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Blast rips through office building in Xi'an
 
A huge blast has ripped through an office building in Xi'an, causing an unknown number of casualties.
The blast is reported to have happened in a film animation studio in the Beilin District.
Parts of the building's walls have collapsed.
A dozen of cars parked near the building have also been damaged.
 
 
China, India capable of managing border disputes: Premier
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have vowed to resolve border disputes and enhance economic ties.
Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that the two governments were capable of managing border disputes.
"China and India are two old civilizations. Our two peoples have the wisdom and our two governments have the ability to manage our disputes along the border so that it won't affect the overall interests of our bilateral relations."
Li's comments were echoed by visiting India Prime Minister.
"Premier Li and I have agreed that peace and tranquility on our borders must remain the foundation for growth of the India-China relationship, even as we move forward the negotiations toward a fair, reasonable and mutual acceptable settlement to the India-China boundary question."
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers after meeting on Wednesday.
They also agreed to cooperate through an existing mechanism between experts in the two countries.
Manmohan Singh arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a three-day official visit to China.
This is the second time that Li and Singh have met since May.
 
 
Families of Manila hostage victims call for real apology
 
Anchor
Families of the victims in a deadly Manila hostage crisis in 2010 are calling for real apology and respect from the Philippine side.
It comes after the City Council of Manila passed a resolution, authorizing the city government to issue an official apology for the incident which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.
Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Xie Zhijian is the family member of one of the victims.
"This is a major development. We are calling on the Philippine government to take the responsibility in the most reasonable fashion. We accept apology issued by anyone who can represent the Philippine government. We are not asking for a specific way of doing this. I think what we need is basic respect."
Local media is reporting the Mayor of Manila, former President Joseph Estrata, is going to hand-deliver the apology.
In passing the resolution, Manila's city council has stated the apology will bring closure to the incident.
It's unclear if the formal apology will open up any legal avenues for the families of the victims and the survivors when it comes to compensation.
Some Hong Kong residents say the apology on this level is not enough.
"Not good enough I think. It should be the president to represent his country, not the head of a city."
While the government of the Philippines has expressed its regret for the incident, it's never issued a formal apology.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has said the Philippine government will not apologize for the incident.
Speaking on the sidelines of last month's APEC Summit in Bali, Philippine Aquino III says issuing a formal apology would be admitting fault in connection with the deadly incident.
In August of 2010, a recently-fired police officer took a bus full of Hong Kong tourists hostage for 12-hours in downtown Manila, demanding his job back.
The gunman then began slaughtering the hostages during an attempt by Philippine special forces to bring the crisis to an end, in an event shown around the world on live television.
The hostage-taker was eventually shot and killed in the final assault on the bus.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Chinese, US police shut down child porn websites
 
Anchor
Four transnational child pornography websites have been shut down and more than 250 suspects arrested in a joint operation undertaken by Chinese and foreign police.
The move involves police from 15 other countries as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
As CRI's Marc Cavigli reports.
Reporter:
The move is joint initiative by Chinese authorities and the U.S police.
Last year, "Zhengjiutianshi" or "to rescue angels," one of the child porn websites, was spotted by U.S authorities and reported to China's Ministry of Public Security.
Videos, pictures and texts in the website amounted to four Terra-bytes, which normally takes 48.5 days to download.
Since the operation began in April, more than 180 suspects have been arrested for running child pornography websites on the Chinese mainland, 60 of which are in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
U.S police have also shut down websites involved and arrested two suspects.
Suspects overseas are under investigation in accordance with local laws and regulations.
Russell Hunt, is a legal counselor from the FBI's Beijing Office, he praised China's efforts in the joint operation.
"What is absolutely undisputed and what I want you all to understand is that, our case in the United States would not have been advanced or futhered but for cooperation with the MPS. So at least from the FBI's perspective, what we're most happy about is not only to address a significant criminal issue, but we're telling the criminal elements that operate across national boundaries that we're gonna work together now."
Chen Zhimin, deputy minister of China's Ministry of Public Security, says further cooperation is needed in fighting transnational illegality.
"Law enforcement agencies should report criminal signs and evidences to the countries or regions related so as to make it easier to hunt criminals. By conducting joint operations, we hope that we could better understand each other's legal regulations and procedures and therefore, create better environment for future cooperation. "
Chinese police have established cooperation with their counterparts in 83 countries and regions.
Chinese police liaison officers have also been sent to embassies and consulates in 23 countries, including the U.S, United Kingdom and Russia, to beef up cooperation.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
 
 
Aus PM says fires part of life in Australia, not a result of climate change
 
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has rejected arguments that the wildfires affecting parts of New South Wales is a result of climate change.
He says fire is a part of the Australian experience.
"It has been since humans were on this continent. The Aboriginal people managed the landscape through various forms of fire-stick farming. Took us a long time to figure out that our landscape needed to be managed and at times burnt."
His comments come as firefighters continue to battle dozens of wildfires in Australia's most populous state.
Australian fire officials say the threat to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney "has been averted" for the day.
Local Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says residents should be able to return to their homes later on Wednesday.
But Mr Fitzsimmons has warned the crisis is not yet over, he says fresh challenges lie ahead in the coming days.
"I won't rest easy until I know things have settled right down over the next 24 hours or so, and we start seeing some really good further consolidation of control lines and bringing these fires more under control."
State authorities have advised residents in the Blue Mountains to leave their homes earlier Wednesday morning.
A total of 71 fires are burning across the state, 29 of which are uncontained.
 
 
Parties work towards 'Geneva II' talks amid doubts
 
Anchor:
A full-court press is underway to try get a new conference together to try to find a solution to the lingering civil war in Syria.
CRI's Li Jing has the details.
Report:
A leading UN official says the organization is working hard toward establishing an international conference on Syria by mid-November.
At the same time, US Secretary of State John Kerry has also been making the rounds in an attempt to try to drum up support for another international conference in Geneva this coming month.
Kerry has met with diplomats from 10 different countries in London.
Following the meetings, the US Secreatary of State says there is general consensus the fighting in Syria shows no signs of coming to an end without help, suggesting the country itself could be in jeopardy.
"Members of this support group came together and all agreed that it is imperative that we try to get to the negotiating table and try to save the lives and to save the existence of the state of Syria itself."
But at the same time, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is questioning the legitimacy of the Syrian opposition.
Assad also says the factors needed to make the proposed peace conference in Geneva a reality currently don't exist.
The main opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Coalition, is scheduled to meet next week in Istanbul to decide whether to take part in the Geneva talks.
Many in the Syrian opposition are hesitant to be part of the talks, as the group has long-demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad give up his power before any transition process can take place in Syria.
Assad has so-far refused that notion.
At the same time, Sigrid Kaag, the head of the team charged with destroying Syria's chemical weapons, says the Damascus government has so far "fully cooperated" with the mission.
"There is continuous strong cooperation which the (UN) secretary-general and the director-general of the OPCW have also confirmed in recent statement, and we build on this, because we have one shared goal, which is elimination of the (chemical weapons) program, which is a benefit to all, particularly the Syrian people."
The Syrian government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention earlier this month, and has been allowing international teams to destroy the country's stockpiles.
That process is expected to be finished by the middle of next year.
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
 
 
Prolong Period of Paying Pension coming under heat debate
 
Anchor:
A new proposal to extend the amount of time before people can collect their pensions here in China is sparking heated debate.
Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
Authorities here in China are considering extending the number of years people have to pay into the pension system before they can collect.
Currently people have to pay into the pension system for 15-years before they can begin drawing back some of the funds.
Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of Human Resources and Social Security, says the current system needs to be changed.
"The big picture is that China is no longer in the time of continuous sufficient labor force supply. Last year, China's new labor force for the first time saw a decline. This is undeniable a signal. It means that we have to begin saving labor resource, and ensure they
are better used."
The latest statistics show the labor force here in China declined by some 3.5-million people last year.
On top of the potential changes to the pension payment program, authorities are also considering extending the current retirement ages.
"We do hope that people can keep paying for pension during their working age. If so, he can collect a lot more pension than those who have paid for shorter period. We also hope that citizens, if affordable, can continue paying after the compulsory 15 years. "
A report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences estimates provincial pension plans across the country are running a 77-billion yuan shortfall.
An extension of the pension payment program could add an additional 20-billion yuan into the system every year.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
China tourism industry tries to fend off image of smog country
 
Anchor:
Amid rising air pollution levels in many parts of China, the country's tourism industry is trying hard to fend off its negative impact.
Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
During a time when the rest of the world's interest in the second biggest economy has swelled, it has failed to match the average global growth rate in foreign tourists.
Some local tourism authorities recognize the problem and are leading the way in changing their strategy to attract foreign tourists, particularly those from Europe and North America.
But Maciek Pielok, a tourist from Poland, isn't bowled over by the "Beautiful China" branding:
"China is beautiful, that's what we saw for the last four days, yet I find it a little bit general, because there have been a lot of beautiful places we've been to. I guess that you can even call it 'Epic China' or the oldest country in the world, something like that."
The tourism authority in Shandong Province, the birthplace of Confucius and Tsingtao beer, has enlisted Google, Inc. to act as a digital consultant in stretching its advertising reach.
Following Shandong's example, some Chinese provincial and local governments are connecting with potential visitors abroad.
Alastair Morrison is a Beijing-based expert in tourism destination marketing and development. He has been a long-time observer of China's tourism industry:
"There was a lot of negative publicity about China earlier in the year--about February, March, the fog. Then, there was the situation, I think, the situation in Korea, as well. So there was a number of public-relations or publicity issues that perhaps at that time caused people to think twice about coming to China. But my point when I talked about this issue was that there's a bigger issue that China is not doing its destination marketing or it's marketing of China as a country as effectively as other countries are doing."
The global branding campaign with the "Beautiful China" logo is being criticized for being particularly unconvincing, Morrison says:
"It could be interpreted in different ways, you could use it, but to say it's beautiful? People are going to say: well, look at the city here, is it beautiful? Is it pollution free? How do the people live in it? Is it clean, right? So, I think right now, that's not a branding that fits China, and also, it's very bland. It's been used by many other places in the world."
According to the World Tourism Organization, whose data is based on national sources, the average growth rate in overnight visitors worldwide was 2.8 percent from 2008 to 2012. The average growth rate in China was 2.1 percent.
The tourism bosses in China will be hoping that the message will get across to others as they look to book their trips abroad for 2014.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Asian Stocks 
 
Asian stocks fell for the first time in five days while the yen strengthened and commodities slid as Chinese money-market rates surged.
Chinese shares extended losses Wednesday as sentiment remained cautious ahead of the key policy meeting next month.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 1.3 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.2 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down 1.4 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei share average suffered its biggest decline in three weeks on Wednesday.
It was hit by the dollar's tumble against the yen on heightened expectations the Federal Reserve will keep its stimulus in place until early next year.
Nikkei dropped 2.0 percent.
South Korean shares closed down 1.0 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index shed 0.2 percent.
And Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.3 percent.
 
 
Soaring property prices strengthen control expectations
 
Housing price hikes are again touching a nerve among the general public here in China.
According to the China Securities Journal, the faster-than-expected price growth has heighten expectations for new control measures.
Analysts are suggest that the fourth quarter of 2013 is likely to be a window of opportunity for major cities to rein in property prices.
They could roll out intensive measures to refine their property control.
Meanwhile, the central government could also introduce new control measures.
According to data by the National Bureau of Statistics, only Wenzhou saw a year-on-year decline in new home prices in the major cities nationwide, and only two cities -- Wenzhou and Haikou -- saw falls in existing home prices.
New home prices in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen in particular, soared over 20 percent year on year.
Government measures currently in place have seemingly failed to hold back the runaway prices.
These include restrictions on multiple home purchases, higher down payments for purchases of a second home, and tentative trials of a property tax in Shanghai and Chongqing.
Analysts say despite the lack of clarity on exactly what kind of policy will be initiated, measures currently in place are likely to remain in effect and even be upgraded.
They also say the market is looking to policy changes that will be introduced in the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, which will be held in November.
 
 
Starbucks is criticized for high prices in China
 
Anchor
Starbucks is coming under fire here in China.
This time it's complaints about how much the coffee chain is charging.
New analysis has found the company is charging close to 30-percent more for some of its products here in China than it does in certain markets in the United States.
As an example, a medium-sized latte will cost you 27-yuan here in China.
In the city of Chicago, the same coffee would cost you the equivilant of 20-yuan.
The same beverage would only cost you just over 14.5-yuan in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai.
Starbucks says its prices vary by market because of different costs, including labor, commodities, real estate and infrastructure investment.
The Seattle-based company raised its prices twice here in China last year.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal China Market Research in Shanghai.
…
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal China Market Research in Shanghai.
 
 
Apple tipped for further market dominance as new products unveiled
 
Apple has unveiled its new products, just weeks ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Scott Kessler is an Equities analyst,
"Apple now has kind of recast itself as a company that's going to release new products ahead of the holiday shopping season to ensure that when people walk into Apple stores, they can know that they have the newest and best products that Apple has to offer, and I think that means a lot."
The announcement comes as the company faces growing competition from rival gadget-makers.
The iPad's market share has been eroding compared with cheaper rivals running Google's Android operating system.
Apple also refreshed its entire laptop computer line up with faster and lighter models and announced that its long-awaited Mac Pro will be available in December.
 
 
Tech giant unveils its first tablet computer to take on Apple's iPads
 
Technology giant Nokia introduced its first tablet computer on Wednesday, hours ahead of Apple's expected presentation of its new products.
Nathan Day, is a blogger for US-based PC and tablet blog Slashgear:
"Today obviously is going to be a big day for the tablet market in general, but I think Nokia has definitely got a leg up on what they announced for their capabilities, just in the business environment and the connectivity that they have offered in the Lumia 2520."
The new device will use Microsoft's Windows system and comes as Microsoft aims to complete its 7.4 billion US dollars deal to buy Nokia's phone business and patent rights.
The deal is expected to close early next year.
Nokia, a Finnish company, has seen its mobile phone business unravel since Apple revolutionised the way people use handsets with the 2007 introduction of the iPhone.
Microsoft, meanwhile, is struggling amid declines in sales of traditional personal computers in favour of smartphones and tablets - the latter market again dominated by Apple.
By contrast, iPads and most other tablets make cellular access optional, with their cheapest models capable of using Wi-Fi only for Internet access.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Blast rips through office building in Xi'an
 
A huge blast has ripped through an office building in Xi'an, causing an unknown number of casualties.
The blast is reported to have happened in a film animation studio in the Beilin District.
Parts of the building's walls have collapsed.
A dozen of cars parked near the building have also been damaged.
 
 
China, India capable of managing border disputes: Premier
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have vowed to resolve border disputes and enhance economic ties.
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers after meeting on Wednesday.
They also agreed to cooperate through an existing mechanism between experts in the two countries.
Manmohan Singh arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a three-day official visit to China.
This is the second time that Li and Singh have met since May.
 
 
Aus PM says fires part of life in Australia, not a result of climate change
 
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has rejected arguments that the wildfires affecting parts of New South Wales is a result of climate change.
His comments come as firefighters continue to battle dozens of wildfires in Australia's most populous state.
Australian fire officials say the threat to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney "has been averted" for the day.
State authorities have advised residents in the Blue Mountains to leave their homes earlier Wednesday morning.
A total of 71 fires are burning across the state, 29 of which are uncontained.
 
 
China growth may slow down in Q4: NBS
 
China's National Bureau of Statistics says the country's economic growth may slow down in the fourth quarter.
The NBS made the comments in an article published on a magazine it runs.
The Chinese economy has just posted it's highest growth rate so far this year - 7.8 percent in the third quarter.
The National Bureau of Statistics also says there is no way for the authorities to roll out another round of stimulus measures, arguing the Chinese economy is not in a crisis.
The Chinese government rolled out a huge stimulus during the global financial crisis which has been criticized for pushing up inflation and assets price.
 
 
Quake-devastated Town Becomes China's Youngest City
 
Chinese central government has upgraded a northwestern county devastated by a strong earthquake three years ago to a city.
Yushu in Gansu Province has now become China's youngest city.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2010 left almost 2,700 people dead.
 
 
Chinese "gay wives" suffer emotional abuse
 
A recent survey is suggesting most Chinese women who unwittingly marry homosexual men are subject to emotional abuse from their spouses.
The year-long research carried out by renowned Chinese sexologist Zhang Beichuan shows 70 percent of the respondents have suffered long-term emotional abuse.
The survey also shows 90 percent of the women have developed symptoms of depression, with nearly half of them thinking about or trying to commit suicide.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China News Service
"Beijing to offer 70-thousands 'self-living houses'"
In the next two years, Beijing plans to supply 70-thousand houses which will be sold for 30-percent lower than market price.
The 'self-living commodity houses' cannot be transferred for 5-years, and 30-percent of the transaction revenues after that period will be handed to the city government.
Xinhua
"Chongqing to start 72-hour visa-free stays"
Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality will launch 72-hour visa-free stays for travelers from 45 countries, becoming the fifth city on the mainland to introduce the policy.
Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing will apply the visa-free policy to passengers from countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan.
To enjoy the policy, travelers should hold third country visas and have booked plane tickets leaving for a third country or region within 72 hours.
Australia Network News
"Gold found growing in eucalyptus trees in world-first CSIRO research"
Geoscientists in Perth have discovered gold particles in the leaves, twigs and bark of eucalyptus trees, claiming a "eureka" moment which could revolutionize gold mining.
CSIRO researchers believe the trees, sitting on top of gold deposits buried deep underground, suck up the gold in their search for moisture during times of drought.
Certain trees are believed to be bringing up gold from a depth of 3-meters, or the length of a 10-storey building.
It is estimated 500-trees growing over a gold deposit would only yield enough gold for a wedding ring.
The Telegraph
"In pain? Listen to music, says pharmacy"
A pharmacy is advising customers seeking pain relief to listen to music after a study found it can ease symptoms.
Four in ten people living with persistent pain told researchers their favorite songs helped them relax and feel better.
Pop music was found to be the most effective for 21 per cent of patients, followed by classical (17 per cent) and rock or indie (16 per cent).
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Musicians Seek to Go Global at Shanghai International Performing Arts Fair
 
Anchor:
At the ongoing Shanghai International Arts Festival, musicians both foreign and domestic are seeking opportunities to reach a wider audience.
CRI's Zhang Ru has more.
(bjh/report 1023 Zhangru music)
That's CRI's Zhang Ru reportinng at the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Chelsea beat Shalke to go top of group E in Champions League
 
So beginning with the Champion's League
Chelsea outclassed FC Schalke beating the German side three-nil and claim the top spot in group E.
Fernando Torres got off to a flying start during his 100th kick-off for the English side, he leaped for a header and scored in just the fifth minute.
For the rest of the half Chelsea came under considerable pressure, but they were able to absorb it with some excellent defending and take the one-nil lead into half time.
Torres the Spain international who's back in the starting lineup following a knee injury, struck again in the 69th minute when he raced clear to beat keeper Timo Hildebrand after earlier rattling the bar with another powerful header.
Eden Hazard made it 3-0 after running half the length of the field
Chelsea now have six points to go level with Schalke, but with a much better goal difference.
The blues' boss Jose Mourinho, who is searching for his third Champion's League title, began this year's campaign with a loss, but said he never let that bother him:
"Because of my experience I was not in hell after the first game and I am not in heaven today. I am calm, I know we have two matches at home and I know normally we are going to get enough points to qualify, but in this moment after six points we can think first about qualify, but after that maybe we can also think about finish first in the group. That's what we are going to try, but we were under pressure after the first game, after the second game we found a balance and today after this victory we are in a good position."
 
 
Arsenal come under pressure in Champions Leage group F after loss to Borussia Dortmund
 
It wasn't such a good night for fellow English Premiere League side Arsenal.
They lost two-nil to Borussia Dortmund - the German team who lost in the final last year.
The Gunners first conceded a goal after 16 minutes but Olivier Giroud managed to equalize just before the end of the first half.
The match had looked like it would end with a draw but Robert Lewandowski scored less than 10 minutes before the final whistle to claim victory for Dortmund.
Arsenal Boss, Arsen Wenger, said his side played naively against the Bundesliga team:
"Well I felt that we started a bit hesitant, which we didn't do against Naples. And after, we gave them confidence. Overall, I believe that our fluent football was not quick enough tonight but basically, it is what can happen sometimes when you play so many games and we were not at our best tonight."
In group F Borussia Dortmund are now in the lead on goal difference. They have six points from three games along with Arsenal and Napoli.
Asked by journalists of Arsenal's chances of making it through to the knockout phase, Wenger said it would be "tight and difficult, but possible."
 
 
Williams and Azarenka victorious at WTA tennis Championships in Istanbul
 
World number one Serena Williams defeated Angelique Kerber in straight sets victory at the WTA Championships.
The American looked in a league of her own as she took just over an hour to defeat the German 6-3 6-1 in her first round robin match in Istanbul.　
It took Williams just over an hour to thrash Kerber 6-3 6-1 hitting 31 winners in the process, as she kicked off her campaign for a fourth WTA Championship title in style.
As well as her amazing power Williams' consistency was also a feature of her game. She made just 11 unforced errors and won all 14 points when she came to the net.
With this result Williams moves immediately to the top of the Red Group, with two games left to play before the semi-finals.　　
Elsewhere Victoria Azarenka won in straight sets 7-6 6-2 against Sara Errani.
It wasn't plain sailing for the Belarusian world number two however.
Her Italian opponent twice served for the first set before Azarenka fought back to claim it in a tie breaker.　
Errani's play was hindered by an ankle injury in the second set andAzarenka took full advantage.
Looking far more confident, she rattled off the last four games in quick succession to make a winning start to the season-ending tournament.
 
 
Golf - Peter Hanson and Rory McIlroy renew rivalry at Shanghai BMW Masters
 
In golf,
The BMW Masters will tee off from tomorrow.
Peter Hanson and Rory McIlroy will be renewing their fierce battle last year when Hanson just got the better of the Northern Irishman:
"Yeah of course, this place is very special to me, not even it has a Swedish name. Mine and Rory's battle over the back nine last year, obviously very special for me to come out to the top and beat him when he was playing so good. And at the time he was the most dominant golfer in the world. So looking forward to it again, and hopefully we can show some good golf."
McIlroy has had a huge slump of form recently and is yet to win this season so this tournament is one of the last chances he will have to rectify that as the Race to Dubai's final Series gets under way.
The field's other big names include Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, and Lee Westwood.
 
 
Chinese lifter wins men's 62 kg at World Weightlifting Championships
 
At the World Weightlifting Championships in Poland,
Chinese lifter Chen Lijun performed a miraculous lift to beat Olympic champion Kim Un Guk, of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and win gold in the men's 62-kilogram category.
The 20-year-old, who failed in his first two attempts to clear 173kg in the clean-and-jerk, lifted 175kg in the third and final attempt, to end with 321kg in total--one kilogram more than Kim.
Chen finished the snatch competition with 146kg, four kilograms less than Kim's result but the Korean performed worse than expected in the clean-and-jerk,
only lifting 170kg and giving Chen a chance to overtake him in total.
Oscar Mosquera of Colombia won the bronze with a total of 316kg.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Thor: The Dark World Premieres in London
 
Cast and crew came out to celebrate the premiere of Marvel's new superhero movie Thor: The Dark World in London.
Actors Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Tom Hiddleston all reprise their roles in the sequel and were on hand opening night.
Hemsworth, who portrays the Norse god Thor, opened up about stepping back into the role.
"It's daunting walking into any film, it's the same kind of pressure that applies. There was a slight sense of familiarity with this the third time around, but the challenge is to not repeat what you've already done and I think we managed to do that."
Hiddleston, who stars as Thor's evil brother Loki, spoke about his character's popularity despite Loki's evil nature.
"Yes I am surprised. I never expected it, in my wildest expectations, that he'd be so popular. As a child I loved bad guys, I'm not in any way saying I've got close to these performances, but I loved Jack Nicholson when he played The Joker for Tim Burton, I loved Alan Rickman in 'Die Hard.' They were sort of...they epitomized elegance and charm and their villainy was always entertaining, so I wanted to bring that to the character. Anyway, I never expected it, it's just really a huge compliment, so I feel really grateful for it."
Hiddleston received the loudest applause from fans during the event.
This is Hemsworth and Hiddleston's third time portraying the feuding brothers. Both appeared in the original Thor movie and subsequent Avengers film.
Thor: The Dark World will be opening worldwide throughout November.
 
 
Joss Whedon Not Signed on for Third Avengers
 
In related news writer and director of the Avengers Joss Whedon has not yet signed on to be a part of the inevitable 3rd installment in the series.
The head of Marvel Studios has revealed Whedon's focus in on the first sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron and he has not been approached yet about a second sequel.
The sequel to 2012 original film will see everyone's favorite superheroes teaming up to fight the robotic villain Ultron.
Actress Elizabeth Olsen has recently signed on to join the cast as the Scarlet Witch with Aaron Taylor-Johnson expected to be play her brother in the film Quicksilver.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is expected to smash into theaters at the end of spring in 2015.
 
 
Netflix May Begin Producing Original Films
 
Movie streaming service Netflix is reportedly looking into producing its own original movies.
The website has already successfully jumped into producing its own televisions series including the award-winning House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey, and female prison drams Orange is the New Black.
They are also responsible for resuscitating the critically acclaimed series Arrested Development.
Now the site says they are looking into commissioning several feature films.
It's possible we may see a feature-length Arrested Development film sometime soon as series creator Mitch Hurwitz claims a movie is in the future.
The opportunity seems too perfect to be coincidence.
Netflix has reportedly surpassed 40-million subscribers to its streaming service and hopes to break convention when it comes to distributing films through its service.
 
 
Singer Lana Del Rey Struggling for New Album Material
 
Somber singer Lana Del Rey has admitted she's having trouble writing and envisioning her next album.
The "Summertime Sadness" singer says she "doesn't really hear" a follow-up to her 2012 debut album Born To Die.
Del Rey quips her muse is annoyingly fickle and only visits her occasionally.
The award winning musician appeared on the soundtrack to filmmaker Baz Luhrman's film The Great Gatsby earlier this year.
Her song Summertime Sadness was also recently remixed with singer Cedric Gervais.
 
 
Royal Family Superfans Camp Out for Prince George's Christening
 
Royal family superfans are camping out beside St. James' Palace to show their support for little baby Prince George, who will soon be christened.
Many of these royal family nuts have dressed from head-to-toe in UK colors and camped several nights waiting for the big day.
While it seems everyone's having a grand ol time camping out with tea and crumpets, many are hoping the weather stays clear and the rain stays away.
 
 
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
A large explosion rips through an office building in the city of Xi’an。
Chinese Premier and Indian Prime Minister vow to resolve border disputes and enhance economic ties.
Families of Manila hostage victims call for a real apology。
Business，Soaring property prices in China strengthen control expectations.