Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in St. Petersberg, Russia for the start of the G20 summit later today.

US President Barack Obama is expressing hope Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to change his position when it comes to Syria.

Pakistan's Prime Minister has conviened an emergency meeting of his cabinet to deal with the escallating criminal violence in the port city of Karachi.

Business... service sector activity here in China has hit a 5-month high.

Sports... Zheng Jie and her Indian partner have made it to the women's doubles semi-finals at the US Open.

Entertainment... Scarlett Johanson's new film has recieved a tepid response at the Venice Film Festival.

First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will see slight rain today, with a high of 23 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be cloudy tonight with a low of 17.

In Shanghai, it will be overcast today, 28 the high, and it will be rainy tonight, the low of 22 degrees Celsius.

Lhasa will have slight rain in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have showers with a low of 10 degree Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, 33.

Kabul, sunny, with a high of 31.

And in North America

New York, sunny, with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, sunny , highs of 28

Houston, thundershowers, 34.

Honolulu, sunny, 31.

Toronto, overcast, 24

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires, overcast, 15.

And Rio de Janeiro will see moderate rain with highs of 22 degrees Celsius.

 

 

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Please do keep in touch we always like to hear your comments and feedback on the show.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Call in about the G20 summit

 

Anchor

Maintaining strong and sustainable growth is expected to be one of the main talking points at the G20 summit, which kicks off later today in St. Petersberg, Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the city.

Host Russia has outlined a strategic agenda to try to ignite a new cycle of economic growth through the creation of quality jobs and investment.

Xi Jinping is on-record saying China supports the promotion of closer partnerships among G20 members and the strengthening of macro-economic policy coordination.

For more on the G20 summit, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King spoke earlier with Professor John Kirton, co-director of the University of Toronto's G20 research group.

( pik callin)

Professor John Kirton, co-director of the University of Toronto's G20 research group, speaking with CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King.

 

 

Obama says hopeful on cooperation with Putin in Syria

 

US President Barack Obama says he's "hopeful" Russian President Vladimir Putin will change his position on Syria.

"Do I hold out hope that Mr Putin will change his position on some of these issues? I am always hopeful and I will continue to engage him because I think that international action will be much more effective and ultimately we can end deaths much more rapidly if Russia takes a different approach to these problems."

Obama has made the comment at a meeting in Stockholm with leaders of Nordic countries ahead of his trip to St. Petersberg, Russia for the G20 summit.

For his part, Russian President Putin has signalled he won't rule out supporting military action in Syria if it's authorized by the UN Security Council.

However, Putin is also suggesting the evidence against Bashar Al-Assad's government in connection with an alleged chemical weapons attack in Damascus is far from convincing.

In response to Putin's comments, the Chinese government has released a statement, saying all sides should wait for the results of the UN investigation into the alleged attack, which reportedly left hundreds dead.

Meanwhile, back in the US, Obama has won the backing from the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee for the use of force in Syria.

The panel has voted 10-7 to pass the resolution.

The vote clears the way for a full Senate vote.

This is likely to take place next week.

The resolution gives President Barack Obama 90 days to carry out a limited military mission against Syria.

It also forbids US troops from ground combat operations.

The vote has been bipartisan both for and against, pointing to a division among lawmakers in both the Republican and Democrat camps.

The resolution, if passed by the Democratically-controlled Senate, will still have to move through the House of Represenatives.

 

 

Interview with China's former ambassador to Iran Hua Liming on the situation in Syria

 

For more on the situation in Syria, we spoke earlier with Hua Liming, China's former ambassador to Iran.

(callin with Hua)

That is Hua Liming, China's former ambassador to Iran.

 

 

Call in with ICRC

 

Fighting among rebel forces and government troops is continuing in and around Damascus, creating more and more refugees.

For more on the plight of the civilian population in Syria, CRI's Su Yi spoke earlier with Rima Kamal, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria.

(callin with ICRC)

Rima Kamal, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria, speaking with CRI's Su Yi.

 

 

Pakistani PM chairs crisis meeting as Karachi violence escalates

 

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is calling for more effective crisis management in his country.

This comes as the law and order situation in Pakistan's southern port city Karachi spirals out of control.

The prime minister has brought together his cabinet, along with law-enforcement agencies in the city, to come up with a plan to calm the situation.

Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

"Action needs to be taken against criminals and terrorists. You can call it whatever you want. All I will say is that there will be specific and targeted action - wherever there are extortionists, wherever there are target killers, wherever there are those involved in kidnapping for ransom, wherever there are terrorists."

At least 13 people have been killed in the latest round of violence in Karachi through Wednesday.

So far over 18-hundred people have been killed in violent acts in Karachi this year.

The city of Karachi is a major hub for imports into Pakistan.

It's also home to major crime syndicates who try to control the flow of goods and people through the city.

 

 

IMF approves 6.7 billion-USD loan to Pakistan

 

In an effort to shore up Pakistan's tattered economy, the International Monetary Fund has approved a 6.7 billion US-dollar loan to the country.

The loan will be paid out over 3-years, starting with the release of 540 million US dollars.

The new loans come with conditions.

The Pakistani government is obliged to bring in reforms to increase growth, bring down its budget deficit and improve its rate of tax collection.

Pakistan already owes the IMF nearly 5-billion US dollars in previous loans.

The Pakistani economy has beeng growing by an average of 3-percent, which is considered too slow to support its rapidly growing population.

Pakistan ran a budget deficit of around 9-percent of GDP last year.

 

 

German president visits massacre site, where hundreds died in Nazi-occupied France

 

German President Joachim Gauck has become the first head of state from his country to visit Oradour-sur-Glane in France.

This is the site where 642 people were murdered by Nazi troops during the end of the German occupation in June 1944.

On June 10th, 1944, an armoured SS division forced hundreds of civilians into barns and a church, blocked the doors, and set the buildings on fire.

Among the 642 people killed included over 200 children.

German President Joachim Gauck.

"The crimes here were perpetrated by soldiers under German command. Therefore it's for any German a difficult task to come here."

The visit by Gauck is meant to underscore French-German post-war reconciliation.

Meanwhile, a prosecutor in Dortmund expects to determine by the end of the year whether there is enough evidence against the suspects who are still alive to file charges against them.

 

 

China rebuts Philippine accusation over Huangyan Island

 

The Chinese government is denying accusations by the Philippines that Chinese workers have begun fortifying Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.

"what the Philippine side said is not true. Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory. China's public service vessels have conducted routine patrols in the waters of the island so as to safeguard both sovereignty and public order in the waters. This is China's justified right, and it is beyond reproach."

The Philippine military alleges some 30 concrete blocks have been set up on the northern part of Huangyan Island, which it contends could be the foundation for a structure.

Wu Shicun, Dean of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, contends the Philippines is deliberately sensationalizing the issue.

"That is because the Philippines is recently planning to fortify an improved infrastructures on the nine islands it has taken from Nansha. So they are accusing China of doing this first, and then they can do whatever they want."

High ranking officials from countries surrounding the South China Sea are set to gather for talks in the city of Hangzhou later this month.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

U.S. stocks extended gains Wednesday as the upbeat Beige Book by the Federal Reserve underpinned the market.

At the same time, U.S. mortgage applications are up 1.3 percent from the week earlier.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied over 0.6 percent.

The S&P 500 gained 0.8 percent.

The Nasdaq surged 1 percent.

In Canada, the S&P/ASX gained 0.1 percent.

European stock markets closed slightly higher after a volatile session on Wednesday.

Traders in Europe spent the day keeping tabs on what US lawmakers were doing when it comes to the situation in Syria.

When the market closed,

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent.

Germany's DAX gained 0.2 percent while the CAC 40 in France closed 0.2 percent higher as well.

 

 

U.S. Fed report shows "modest to moderate" growth through late August

 

The latest regional research report by the US central bank shows the country's economy has grown at a modest to moderate pace in July and August.

The Fed's latest Beige Book is reporting modest expansion has been seen in the areas of manufacturing, consumer spending and services activity.

It also says residential real estate sales have seen moderate growth.

The Beige Book comes out two weeks ahead of the Fed's next policy meeting.

Expectations are the Fed will start to scale back its asset purchases program at that meeting.

 

 

HSBC: China's service PMI rises to five-month high

 

New data shows the service sector here in China has seen a five-month high in growth through August.

The HSBC Service Purchasing Managers' Index has come in at 52.8 for August.

This is up from July's reading of 51.3.

The new stats come a day after the Chinese government released its official non-manufacturing PMI, which fell to 53.9 in August from 54.1 percent for July.

Service industry accounts for about 45 percent of the economy.

It's also the largest employer in China.

 

 

Shanghai Free Trade Zone to Debut on September 27

 

Internal sources have disclosed that September 27th has been set as the official date for the opening of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The same source has also revealed Ai Baojun, the deputy major of Shanghai, has been tapped to head of the new free trade zone.

Ai will also reportedly continue serving as the city's deputy mayor.

It's also being reported the central government is likely to designate a vice-premier to work with Ai Baojun to help manage the FTZ.

 

 

Morning Call-In with Cao Can Bright Food approaches Israel's Tnuva Food

 

Anchor

China's Bright Food Group has approached Israel's Tnuva Food Industries for a potential acquisition.

This is the latest move in the Shanghai-government backed dairy and food producer's global expansion strategy.

Bright Food recently took a majority stake in several overseas companies, including British cereal maker Weetabix and Australia's Manassen Foods.

Tnuva is the largest dairy manufacturer in Israel.

For more on the potential acquisition, we're joined live on the line with Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

Questions:

1. What are the advantages of Israel as a source of dairy products compared to other countries?

2. Apax is the current holder of majority shares in Tnuva having acquired it in 2007 for over $1billion – in what region would the offer need to be to kick start negotiations?

3. Chinese consumers have traditionally looked to New Zealand as a reliable dairy-source, a reputation recently dispelled. How do you think consumers would respond to dairy imports from Israel if the acquisition goes ahead?

4. In 2010, Bright Food set ambitious targets of doubling revenue to $14 billion in just five years – is the company on track to achieve this?

Back Anchor:

Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.

 

 

Samsung unveils smartwatch to power Galaxy Note sales

 

Samsung has unveiled a new smartwatch.

The new gadget is meant to be a compliment to Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphone.

The new smartwatch can make calls, display messages, record videos and snap photos.

The smartwatch has been unveiled at the Berlin IFA consumer electronics show.

"Galaxy gear? Well, it's great! I think something was going to open the new category of wearable computers. I think they did it three years ago with the first Galaxy, now with the watch I think it's going to be huge."

The smartwatch features a 4 centimeter screen and a basic camera.

The watch has up to 70 dedicated applications.

"The watch is very impressive. It is elegant, smart,and above all - it can do everything. It is a potential, open device and that is a good thing. It remains to be seen what the customers and the users think of it. But I think the potential is huge. It is bit like Google glass but on the wrist."

The new Samsung smartwatch will retail for 299-US dollars.

It will go on sale later this month.

 

 

U.S. launches patent probe into flash memory chips in laptops, gaming devices

 

Authorities in the United States have launched a new batch of patent infringement investigations into flash memory chips and electronic consumer goods made by Asian companies.

7 companies in Asia are reportedly involved in the flash memory chip probe initiated by the US International Trade Commission.

Chinese IT firm Acer and Japanese firm Nintendo are among them.

At the same time, the ITC has launched a similar probe into consumer electronics products produced in East Asia.

AmTran in Taiwan, LG in South Korea and Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic in Japan are being probed.

The products at issue include smartphone handsets, tablet computers, eReaders, smartTVs and gaming consoles that have methods for establishing point-to-point communication links.

 

 

Much tougher rules for EU's shadow-banking sector proposed

 

The European Commission is calling for tighter rules to tackle the excessive financial risks in shadow-banking in Europe.

Peter Vanden Houte is a senior Eurozone economist with Internationale Nederlanden Group.

"There's a tight balance between on the one hand trying to protect investors and on the other hand to make it easier for companies to finance themselves."

Shadow banking refers to financing channels less supervised other than banks, such as hedge funds and derivatives trading.

Shadow banking in Europe is estimated to be worth over 30-trillion US dollars.

In the European Union, money market funds are mainly based in France, Ireland and Luxembourg.

The European Commission is reportedly hoping to add transparency to the industry by levying financial transaction taxes and adopting capital charges.

However, some are concerned about the plans, suggesting it may result in a credit crunch.

Diego Valiente is a finance sector analyst with the Center for European Policy Studies.

"The proposal of the commission may actually increase selection, the natural selection in this market. Therefore we may see even big dealers go out of the market."

Meanwhile, a global blueprint to clampdown on shadow banking is set to be discussed at the forthcoming G20 meeting in St. Petersberg, Russia.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

call in about the G20 summit

 

Anchor

Maintaining strong and sustainable growth is expected to be one of the main talking points at the G20 summit, which kicks off later today in St. Petersberg, Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the city.

Host Russia has outlined a strategic agenda to try to ignite a new cycle of economic growth through the creation of quality jobs and investment.

Xi Jinping is on-record saying China supports the promotion of closer partnerships among G20 members and the strengthening of macro-economic policy coordination.

 

 

U.S. Senate panel advances authorization for Syria strike

 

The U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee has passed a resolution to authorize a military strike against Syria.

The panel has voted 10-7 to pass the resolution.

The vote clears the way for a full Senate vote.

This is likely to take place next week.

The resolution gives President Barack Obama 90 days to carry out a limited military mission against Syria.

It also forbids US troops from ground combat operations.

The vote has been bipartisan both for and against, pointing to a division among lawmakers in both the Republican and Democrat camps.

The resolution, if passed by the Democratically-controlled Senate, will still have to move through the House of Represenatives.

 

 

13 dead as killing spree continues in Pakistan's Karachi

 

At least 13 people have been killed in spurratic violence in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi through Wednesday.

The violence began in the morning after a shootout among criminals and paramilitary troops which left three people dead.

From there, random and violent acts began breaking out in different parts of the city, including kidnappings and more shootings.

Police officers are among the dead.

The city of Karachi is a major hub for imports into Pakistan.

It's also home to major crime syndicates who try to control the flow of goods and people through the city.

 

 

HSBC: China's service PMI rises to five-month high

 

New data shows the service sector here in China has seen a five-month high in growth through August.

The HSBC Service Purchasing Managers' Index has come in at 52.8 for August.

This is up from July's reading of 51.3.

The new stats come a day after the Chinese government released its official non-manufacturing PMI, which fell to 53.9 in August from 54.1 percent for July.

Service industry accounts for about 45 percent of the economy.

It's also the largest employer in China.

 

 

U.S. Fed report shows "modest to moderate" growth through late August

 

The latest regional research report by the US central bank shows the country's economy has grown at a modest to moderate pace in July and August.

The Fed's latest Beige Book is reporting modest expansion has been seen in the areas of manufacturing, consumer spending and services activity.

It also says residential real estate sales have seen moderate growth.

The Beige Book comes out two weeks ahead of the Fed's next policy meeting.

Expectations are the Fed will start to scale back its asset purchases program at that meeting.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Yanzhao Metropolitan Daily

Former senior railway official pleads guilty

Summary:

A former senior railway official who was charged with taking bribes of over 24 million yuan has pleaded guilty.

Su Shunhu has not been sentenced yet.

The former deputy chief of the transport bureau under the then-ministry of railways is the highest-level former railway official to stand trial since former minister Liu Zhijun.

Liu received a suspended death sentence for accepting bribes and abusing power.

Beijing News

Party expels 2 provincial officials

Summary:

Two more senior officials have been expelled from the Communist Party and now face prosecution.

Both were accused of taking bribes, abuse of power, and other criminal offenses.

Wang Suyi and Li Daqiu served as senior officials in Inner Mongolia and Guangxi.

South China Metropolitan Daily

Doubts raised over blinded boy case

Summary:

Police have identified a family member as the key suspect in a case where the eyes of a 6-year-old boy were gouged out.

This has come as a surprise to many, including the suspect's neighbors and the boy's father.

They are questioning both the aunt's motive and the boy's failure to identify her as the attacker.

Beijing Times

National auditor didn't probe fees

Summary:

The National audit official has conceeded it hasn't carried out a thorough audit of the social subsistence fee in years.

The fees are paid to local family planning departments by families that violate China's one-child policy.

14 lawyers have jointly submitted a letter requesting the National Audit Office supervise local governments in collecting and spending the social subsistence fees.

Shanghai Daily

Customs confiscate currency

Summary:

Customs officers have discovered 400-thousand euros in cash a Chinese woman's luggage at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai after she arrived from France.

The foreign currency limit is 5-thousand US dollars.

Passengers have to apply for permission to bring in extra cash.

Close to 200 cases of currency smuggling have been dealt with so far this year.

Global Times

Kashi economic zone plans approved

Summary:

Plans for building an economic zone in Kashi in Xinjiang have been approved by the State Council.

The zone is under construction and is expected to take shape soon.

China Daily

Chinese writers claim Apple owes them compensation

Summary:

The dispute between Apple and a group of Chinese writers has hit the courts for a 2nd time.

11 writers claim the company sold their books without consent.

Apple's attorney contends its subsidiary iTunes is in charge of the China App Store and should be responsible for compensating the writers.

 

 

Sports

 

 

National Games puts a lot of pressure on young athletes

 

Anchor

China's national games began in 1959 as a way to promote sports and fitness throughout the country.

Since then, the games have developed into China's "mini-Olympics", where winning gold is considered paramount.

CRI's Jordan Lee has been talking with athletes in Shenyang to see how they are handling the pressure to medal.

Reporter

The National games only come around once every four years, and for many of the competitors, it's the highest level of competition they'll ever reach in their athletic careers.

For others with Olympic dreams, the National games is a kind of test stage where their performance will be closely evaluated by coaches and provincial officials who have the power to decide which athletes will represent China at the Olympics.

Either way, the pressure to perform well is immense.

17-year-old Beijing diver Xu Pei Yan (许佩妍) was really nervous ahead of her debut at the national games this year.

"The national games is only once every four years, so it is quite a big deal for us."

It was also the first national games for Luo Ying (罗瑛) a diver from Hunan.

"This competition is different than any other, after all you only get one chance every four years. It's also very formal, so it is natural to feel excited."

Yang Yi, a 22-year-old Taekwondo athlete for Liaoning, feels the pressure of competing in front of his home crowd.

"I was born in Liaoning so I think it is a rare opportunity for me to play in my hometown. I really want to do my best. But, of course, I can't control the results. The only thing I can do is doing my best and leaving no regret."

Winning a national title is also a significant achievement for officials, because a gold medal is credited to the respective provincial sports bureau.

For this reason, some say that medaling at the national games is more important than winning an Olympic gold.

But 27-year-old swimmer Liu wei jia of Liaoning (刘维佳) disagrees. This year is Liu's third appearance at the national games, where he competes in mens breastroke and butterfly events.

"The pressure isn't greater at the Naitonal Games. I represent my hometown here while I represent my country at the Olympics. Only after I do well at the National Games and then I can join the national squad. So I will focus on this game instead of thinking too much about the Olympics."

Liu competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, but was not included in the delegations for the Beijing or London Olympics.

Whether driven by the incentive to win or by the fear of losing, some athletes turn to doping.

By the end of August, China's anti-doping agency had caught a total of 20 athletes who tested positive for banned substances.

Agency director He Zhenwen told Xinhua that there has historically been a link between the national games and a rise in positive doping tests.

Sports minister Liu Peng said at a press conference before the games that a lot of the problem has to do with officials attitudes.

Liu said, "The officials of each delegation must not be obsessed with winning medals."

For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee

 

 

Sun Yang dominates, Ye Shiwen rebounds in National Games' pool

 

During the ongoing National Games in Shenyang,

Swimming star Sun Yang has taken gold in the men's 400-meter freestyle.

Hao Yun of Hebei came in second, while Henan's Li Yunqi finished third.

---

Double Olympic champion Ye Shiwen has earned a gold for Zhejiang.

The 17-year-old has taken the title in the 400-meter medley.

---

Zhejiang swimmer Wang Shun has broken the national record in the men's 400-meter medley, clocking the 3rd fastest time in the world this year.

--

In the women's 4X100m free relay, Shanghai finished first.

Liaoning and Beijing came in second and third.

---

In judo action,

Olympic and world champion Tong Wen has won a National Games title.

---

And in Rugby,

It is being reported the Beijing women's rugby sevens team could be stripped of its silver medal for match-throwing.

The Beijing squad has already admitted to "inappropriate" behavior, after giving up in the final after becoming frustrated by the refereeing.

 

 

Wawrinka, Youzhny and Murray move into quarter-finals

 

In tennis...

Chinese double's specialist Zheng Jie and her Indian partner Sania Mirza have moved into the semi-finals of the Women's double's event after downing the Chinese duo of Peng Shuai and Hsieh Suwei from Taiwan 6-4, 7-6.

Zheng and Mirza are now set to take on the Australian duo of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.

---

Quarter final action is underway on the Men's Single's draw this morning.

In a bit of an upset, 8th seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet is through to the semi-finals after getting past Spain's David Ferrer in a 5-set marathon.

Gasquet took the first two sets 6-3, 6-1.

Ferrer fought back, evening the match at two sets a piece.

However, Gasquet outlasted the Spainyard in the 3-hour-40-minute marathon, taking the final set 6-3.

Gasquet is set to take on the winner of the match currently underway between 2nd seeded Raphael Nadal and his 19th seeded compatriot Tommy Robredo.

UPDATE SCORE

---

Tomorrow's men's action will see top seed Novak Djokovic battling 21st seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny, while defending champion Andy Murray will take on Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

Wawrinka is into the quarter-finals after a 4-set victory over 5th seeded Tomas Berdych.

(soundbite English 0905 Wawrinka)

"Yeah, that's for sure my best year. Today I was playing really good tennis.　As I said before the tournament, I think I play my best tennis ever. I had one or two first round.　Tough mentally, especially to get the confidence back. But today I was really confident with my game, and I was playing really good.　I think my best match against Tomas. It's never easy to play him, but I did a good job.　I was feeling really better than him."

---

On the women's singles side,

Unseeded Italian Flavia Panetta is into the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time ever after dumping her 10th seeded Italian compatriot Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1.

The world number-86 Panetta is set to take on the winner of the current match between 2nd seed Victoria Azarenka and unseeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

UPDATE SCORE

 

 

Eurobasket 2013 opens

 

This year's European Basketball Championships is underway.

Group A action saw the UK getting past Israel in overtime 75-71.

It was Ukraine nipping Belgium 58-57.

And Germany upset France 80-74.

France's Tony Parker with 18 points in the loss.

---

In Group B...

Serbia opened its tournament with a 63-56 win over Lithuania.

It was Montenegro holding off Macedonia 81-80.

And it was Latvia over Bosnia 86-75.

---

Over in Group C...

It was Georgia all over Poland 84-67.

Spain dominated Croatia 68-40.

And it was hosts Slovenia holding off the Czech Republic 62-60.

---

And in Group D...

Italy upset Russia 76-69.

It was Greece all over Sweden 79-51.

And Finland surprised Turkey 61-55.

---

Round Robin group action continues today in Slovenia.

 

 

Omega European Masters is set to open in Crans-Montana

 

In golf...

The European Tour's oldest winner and its youngest competitor are amongst the field for this week's Omega European Masters tournament in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

49-year old Miguel Angel Jimenez is in the field.

He won last year's Hong Kong Open to become the oldest winner on tour.

Also in the field will be 13-year old Ye Wo-cheng from Guangzhou.

The teenager entered the record books as the youngest person ever to enter a professional golf event last year at the China Open at the tender age of 12.

Miguel Angel Jimenez says he's not a fan of the move to allow Ye Wo-cheng in the tournament.

"Honestly, it's nice to see that golf is interesting at any age, but to me, a 13 year old competing with professionals, I think it's a little bit too young. People want to have stars too early and 13 years old is a kid. A kid has to be playing with kids, not 30 years old average (players).

Richie Ramsey is the event's defending champion.

Both the PGA and LPGA tours are off this weekend.

 

 

Usain Bolt plans to retire if he achieves success at 2016 Olympics

 

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has announced he plans to retire if he achieves success at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

"In Rio, I think if I am in great shape I go there and do what I have to do I think it would be a good time to retire on top and has been dominated for so long."

The 25-year-old Jamaican, who holds the world record in the 100 and 200 metres, has expressed an interest in trying his hand at soccer.

　　

Talking to reporters about European football, the Man-U fan was asked about the recent transfer of Marouane Fellaini from Everton to Manchester United.

"I would not say I am a big fan earlier because he was against my side.But now he is part of Manchester United so I got to appreciate his talent more so I am definitely looking forward to see him in the upcoming games in the season."

Bolt flirted with the idea of becoming a footballer before deciding on athletics.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Venice Film Fest; Scarlett Johansson Film Receives Tepid Review; Banned Korean Film Screened

 

The premiere of US actress Scarlett Johansson's new film Under the Skin has received a mixed bag of reviews and a tepid reception at the 70th Venice Film Festival.

Apparently following a polite clatter of applause half the audience began to jeer and boo the film.

Variety magazine, an entertainment-trade publication, described the film as, 'undeniably ambitious but ultimately a silly tale of an alien on the prowl.'

Under the Skin is in competition for the coveted Golden Lion Award at the festival.

Meanwhile, Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk shocked audiences with his new film Moebius about a sociopathic loan shark.

The film, which has been banned in the director's home country of South Korea, features all sorts of masochistic and violent behavior.

The lack of dialogue throughout Kim's disturbing piece reportedly intensified the experience for audience, with many people having to leave the theater.

Moebius is not 1 of the 20 films vying for the Golden Lion this year.

Popular Italian actor Antonio Albanese and award-winning filmmaker Gianni Amelio have promoted their new film The Intrepid at the festival.

In the film, Albanese plays a temp worker who fills in for people who can't make it to work meaning each day is a different job for the character.

The film is part of the Golden Lion competition.

 

 

Musician Neil Young Set to Role Out New Revolutionary Music Service 'Pono'

 

Legendary Canadian crooner Neil Young has revealed his new music service Pono is almost ready to roll out.

( young clip)

Pono has the potential to revolutionize the music industry as it would allow users to download high-resolution songs that sound like their original recordings.

In a world of mp3 files and streaming services like Spotify, Pono is the first of its kind as it would offer dramatically improved sound in a consumer manageable package.

Mp3 files are notorious for sacrificing quality and integrity of an original recording in order to make the song more compact and able to fit on a device such as an ipod.

Not only will Pono release an online library of songs, but they'll also manufacture a line of portable players and digital-to-analog conversion technology.

It is unclear as to who will manufacture the device though Young has been in talks with British-based company Meridian Audio.

The only problem is how big of a musical library Pono will be able to offer, but they have struck a deal with Warner Music Group meaning a substantial number of artists are likely to appear when Pono is released.

Analysts believe Pono could rival iTunes.

 

 

Cumberbatch Star Wars Rumors Quashed

 

A representative for Sherlock-actor Benedict Cumberbatch has denied rumors the actor will be appearing in filmmaker JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Wars Episode 7.

Cumberbatch was speculated to be the villain in the upcoming Disney film.

Rumors likely stemmed from Abrams and the actor's work together in this year's Star Trek Into Darkness film.

Cumberbatch lent his voice as Smaug the dragon for the upcoming Hobbit movie this holiday season and recently appeared as wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange in the film The Fifth Estate.

He may also be appearing in a film adaptation of author David Grann's nonfiction book The Lost City of Z which hypothesizes South America may have been inhabited by much more sophisticated ancient civilizations than currently thought.

He also has dropped out of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's horror film Crimson Peak which is expected to begin shooting in the UK in 2015.

Original Star Wars trilogy cast members including Mark Hammil, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fischer are expected to reprise their iconic roles in the new Star Wars installment.

 

 

Cameron Commends Cuaron's Film 'Gravity'

 

Filmmaker and adventurer James Cameron has opened up about director Alfonso Cuaron's new film Gravity calling it the best space film ever made.

The film's trailer is an edge of your seat nailbiter as actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney struggle to stay attached to their spacestation high above Earth as space debris smashes it to bits.

Cameron admits he was floored by the film, claiming it has the best space photography he has ever seen.

He also confesses he has been waiting to see a movie such as Gravity for years.

To fulfill Cuaron's intense filmmaking style the filmmaker had to experiment with cutting edge technology to achieve his vision.