The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Paul James with you on this Wednesday, September 25, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
The death toll from yesterday's massive earthquake in Pakistan has surpassed 200.
Kenya is now in a 3-day period of mourning following the conclusion of the deadly 4-day standoff inside a mall in Nairobi.
The political wheels are in high-gear ahead of a planned meeting in New York on Thursday connected to Iran's nuclear issues.
In Business, reports are suggesting Alibaba may be shifting its planned IPO out of Hong Kong and into New York.
In Sports, Team USA has staged a sailing comeback worthy of its own 'sea shanty' in the America's Cup.
In Entertainment, pop legend Cher has released a new studio album.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 10 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 26.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 19, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 25.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 7 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 18.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia.
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 35.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 25.
Canberra, rainy, 16.
Brisbane, sunny, 33.
And finally, Perth will have rain with a high of 19.
Top News
Death toll rise to over 200 after 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits SW Pakistan
Anchor:
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have sent messages of condolence to their respective counterparts in Pakistan in the wake of Tuesday's powerful earthquake.
The death toll in the country has already surpassed 200.
Local officials in the province of Balochistan say close to 400 others have been hurt in the 7.7-magnitude quake.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
The earthquake hit at 4:30pm local time on Tuesday in south-central Pakistan.
The quake was strong enough to be felt across most of Pakistan.
"I was working on my computer in the office. Suddenly I felt tremors, my table and computer started shaking. I thought I was feeling dizziness but I soon found out they were tremors. I immediately left and came down for safety."
The force of the earthquake has also created a new island off the coast of Pakistan.
Authorities are warning the casualty figures are likely to rise, as it's difficult to gain access to the rural areas near the epicenter.
The region has also been hit by a series of strong aftershocks.
The epicenter of the quake in the Arawan region is home to around 120-thousand people, most of whom live along a river running through the area.
The Pakistani government has dispatched military personnel to the region to help with the search and rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government says it has not received any reports of Chinese casualties.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"China highly concerns the situation in Pakistan after the earthquake, and expresses deep condolences to the victims and sincere solicitude to the bereaved families and the injured. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have expressed their concerns to their Pakistani counterparts through telephone calls separately. The Chinese Government will provide emergency aid to Pakistan if needed. "
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
Now for more on the earthquake, we're joined live on the line by the Director of Pakistan's Meteorological department, Mohammad Hanif.
…
That was Mohammad Hanif, Director of Pakistan's Meteorological Department.
Kenyan President says militants "defeated"
Anchor：
A 3-day period of mourning is underway in Kenya, following the deadly 4-day siege of the Westgate Mall in the capital, Nairobi.
The standoff came to an end on Tuesday after Kenyan forces finally took control of the mall, but not before close to 70 people were killed in the attack.
CRI's Hu Jia has more.
Reporter:
"We have ashamed and defeated our attackers"
This message by Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta comes as relief to residents in Nairobi, after four days of attacks at a shopping mall in the capital.
In a televised address to the country, Kenyatta announced they had defeated the attackers believed to be Al-shabaab.
"Five terrorists were killed with gunfire. Eleven suspects are in custody in connection with the attack These cowards will meet justice, as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are."
But as the rescue operation comes to an end, more work lies ahead.
"Towards the tail end of the operation three floors of the Westgate Mall collapsed and there are several bodies still trapped in the rubble including the terrorists."
More than 60 civilians lost their lives in the attack.
Many families have identified the bodies of their relatives, but for some like Alfred Musyoki the search is still on.
"We have been looking for her since Saturday but we have not yet seen her. We have gone to the red-cross desk but her name does not appear. Her name is Anne Mbinya Mutua and she used to work as a house girl near Westgate"
Meantime forensic experts are working to identify the nationalities of the terrorists.
Somali-based Al-Shabaab launched the attack on Saturday.
The al-Qaeda linked group claims the attack as a response to Kenya's support of the African Union assault on the terrorist group in southern Somalia.
For CRI, I am Hu Jia.
Top UN official calls for UN member countries to set the stage for the new development agenda
The 68th session of the UN General Assembly is now heading into its 2nd day in New York.
Speaking to the opening session on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says remarkable achievements have been made toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
At the same time, Ban Ki-moon says it's time for the world to set new goals.
"A new development agenda must be as inspiring as the MDGs, while going further. It must be universal, with ending poverty as its top priority, sustainable development at its core, and governance as its glue. It must find expression in a single set of goals."
Ban Ki-moon is also warning of the threat posed by climate change.
He says the poorest and most vulnerable are the first to suffer and most likely to suffer the most.
Ban Ki-moon is calling on the world's leaders to attend a Climate Summit next year at the UN Headquarters.
Iranian president says ice beginning to break with West; Israel rebuffs Iran's nuclear promise
Iran's President has been putting on the "charm offensive" as part of his time in New York at the UN General Assembly.
Speaking to CNN, Hassan Rouhani says he feels the "ice is already beginning to break" in his country's ties with the United States and its allies.
As part of the interview, Rouhani has revealed there have been "some talks" to try to arrange a meeting between himself and US President Barack Obama.
However, the White House is suggesting a meeting between the two would be "too complicated" for the Iranian side at this point-in-time.
Rouhani has been trying to strike a conciliatory tone as part of his time in New York, telling CNN he brings peace and friendship from the Iranian people to the United States.
The Iran's former lead nuclear negotiator has told the UN General Assembly Iran wants "constructive engagement" with other countries when it comes to Iran's nuclear programs.
"Nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions."
The Iranian government has long-insisted its nuclear programs are for civilian purposes only.
However, the Israeli government is taking a dim view of the pledge.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Israel would welcome a genuine diplomatic solution that truly dismantles Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. But we will not be fooled by half-measures that merely provide a smokescreen for Iran's continual pursuit of nuclear weapons. And the world should not be fooled either."
The new Iranian administration has already committed to a new round of talks with the so-called P5+1 in connection with its nuclear programs.
Obama signals direct engagement with Iran on its nuke program
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has been signaling a breakthrough could be made with Iran in connection with its nuclear program.
Obama has made the suggestion during his speech to the UN General Assembly.
"We are encouraged that President Rouhani received from the Iranian people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course. Given President Rouhani's stated commitment to reach an agreement, I am directing John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government, in close co-operation with the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China. The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested."
Obama says the US does not have any designs on regime change in Iran.
He also says he respects the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy.
Iran's Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday.
China supports talks to resolve Iran nuclear issue
The Chinese government has confirmed foreign minister Wang Yi is set to attend a meeting connected to the Iranian nuclear issue on Thursday in New York.
The Chinese side, along with the 4-other permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, are set to meet before holding separate talks with the Iranian side.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"The six countries should re-launch talks with Iran and seek a pragmatic and win-win resolution. It should also settle the issue on a long-term basis. We support talks from all sides to build mutual trust."
The discussions come amid a renewed pledge by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani this week that Iran will enter into a new round of nuclear negotiations without pre-conditions.
China opposes to intervention in Hong Kong
The Chinese government is lashing out at comments made by a senior US official in connection with Hong Kong.
The US consul-general to Hong Kong, Clifford Hart, is being quoted as saying he praises Hong Kong's rule of law and looks forward to "genuine democratic suffrage."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"Hong Kong's political development is a internal affair of Hong Kong and China. The Chinese government opposes to any intervention from other countries. We hope the words of some countries match their actions and contribute to Hong Kong's stability."
Hong Kong is currently governed under the "one-country, two-systems" design negotiated with the UK ahead of the return of the city to China in 1997.
Under Hong Kong's Basic Law, half of the seats in the Legislative Council are elected to office by registered electors in different geographical regions of the city.
The other half are elected by a select group of civic leaders, most of whom are leading businessmen and women.
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is elected by a group of 12-hundred member election committee.
Chengdu hosts the 12th WCEC
The World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention has opened in Sichuan's capital Chengdu.
This is the first time in 12-years the annual convention has been held on the mainland.
Almost half of the 3-thousand people taking part have investments in China.
China's top political advisor, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference addressed the opening ceremony.
"I hope we can seize the opportunity of the restructuring of the world economy and expand Chinese entrepreneurs' influence. We should also take full advantages of domestic and international networks which are built by Chinese all over the world, regardless of their nationalities."
The World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention was founded by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1990.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Markets here in Asian ended on a mixed trading day.
Stocks here on the mainland ended on the downside amid concerns about a possible US government shutdown and the impending approach to the country's debt ceiling.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4 percent
The Shenzhen Component Index dropped 0.6 percent.
Down in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 0.1 percent
Elsewhere here in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.8 percent
South Korea's KOSPI lost just under 0.5%
The Straits Times Index in Singapore dropped 0.1 percent
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8 percent
Moody's warns of risk from U.S. debt ceiling
Moody's is warning a failure of the US debt ceiling negotiations will result in a more-negative outcome for the financial markets.
The rating's agency says the damage will be much more significant than any US government shutdown.
Moody's says if the U.S government were to default on its debt, it could roil the financial markets, damage businesses and consumer confidence.
The U.S Treasury is set to hit its 16.7-trillion US dollar debt limit around mid-October.
At the same time, the US Congress has under a week to pass a new budget to avoid a partial government shutdown.
House Republicans have already passed a budget plan, which would de-fund the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
However, the budget is unlikely to pass through the US Senate, and would be vetoed by the President if it did make it to him.
Alibaba IPO in New York as Hong Kong talks fail
It's being reported Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is planning to shift its initial public offering to New York.
Reports are suggesting talks with Hong Kong regulators have broken down over regulatory issues.
One report is suggesting Alibaba has engaged U.S. law firms to start working on its New York-based IPO.
It's also being reporting Alibaba is soon going to be hiring banks to manage the listing.
Officials with both Alibaba and the Hong Kong stock exchange have declined to comment.
Alibaba is being valued at 120-billion US dollars.
This would make it the third-biggest Internet company behind Google and Amazon.
The loss of the listing would represent a significant blow to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which has been battling for supremacy with the world's largest exchanges since taking control of the London Metal Exchange.
Smithfield shareholders approve of Shuanghui Takeover
Shareholders of US pork giant Smithfield have approved the company's sale to Chinese firm Shuanghui International Holdings.
Chen Si is the Vice President of the Bank of China, which is financing Shuanghui's purchase.
"4-billion US dollars are ready for transaction. We will soon transfer them to New York branch through agencies, and then starts the purchasing procedure. The procedure will take effect on September the 26th."
More than 96-percent of the votes cast at the Smithfield shareholders meeting have been in favor of the transaction.
Smithfield shareholder Chris Gwaltney，
"Well I think it's a growing company and …I think it's a great move on both companies."
Smithfield shareholders will get 34-US dollars per share in cash.
The company will continue to operate under its existing brand name as a subsidiary of Shuanghui International.
This should mark the biggest acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.
The deal is worth 7.1-billion US dollars.
It's expected to receive regulatory approval within the coming week.
China takes 12.5 percent stake in OAO Uralkali
China's state-run sovereign wealth fund has acquired a 12.5-percent stake in Russian-based Uralkali, one of the world's largest producers of potash.
A subsiduary of the China Investment Corporation has exchanged bonds it purchased last November for shares in Uralkali.
Chinese companies currently purchase around 20-billion US dollars a year worth of potash.
This accounts for around one-fifth of all global potash shipments.
The move to invest in a stake of Uralkali comes amid the increasing rise in agricultural production here in China.
Potash is the key component in chemical fertilizers.
Morning Call-In Sat Nav industry
Anchor:
New government analysis is suggesting this country's satellite navigation and location service industries are poised to become a 225-billion yuan a year industry by 2015.
This would represent a 3-fold increase over a 3-year time-frame.
As part of the targets, the Chinese-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System - China's homegrown GPS - is expected to generate 400 billion yuan worth of revenue by 2020.
The Chinese government is anticipating Beidou will have a user base by then of 800-million.
Currently, only around 230-thousand BeiDou terminals are being used by consumers.
For more on this, CRI's Rebecca Hume spoke earlier with Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
…
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai, speaking to CRI's Rebecca Hume.
Volkswagen opens new factory in Guangdong
Volkswagen has officially opened its new factory in Guangdong.
The plant has been set up in the city of Foshan in a partnership with Chinese firm FAW.
The operation is expected to churn out some 300-thousand new Gulf Volkswagon models per-year.
The facility is employing around 65-hundred people.
The opening of the factory is part of Volkswagon's broader plans to increase its production in China by 60-percent by 2018.
The company currently has a market share of 22-percent in China.
China is currently Volkswagen's largest market.
Around one-third of all Volkswagon products are sold in this country.
China Meat Produce price rises modest ahead of National Holidays
Farm produce prices in 36 major Chinese cities have risen only slightly this week ahead of the National Day holiday.
This is compared to February, when food prices jumped 6-percent month on month ahead of the Spring Festival, pushing inflation up to a 10-month high of 3.2 percent.
Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows the average wholesale prices of eight aquatic products have risen by 1.6-percent week on week this past week.
At the same time, the price of eggs has only increased 0.7-percent week on week.
The price of meat products has also increased, with beef the biggest gainer.
However, beef prices have only increased 0.6-percent week on week.
At the same time, the wholesale prices of 18 different kinds of vegetables have dropped an average of 1.3-percent from a week earlier.
Food prices account for roughly one-third of the calculation of the CPI here in China.
Headline News
208 killed in SW Pakistan earthquake
The death toll from Tuesday's deadly earthquake in Pakistan has surpassed 200.
Local officials in the province of Balochistan say close to 400 others have been hurt in the 7.7-magnitude quake.
The earthquake hit at 4:30pm local time on Tuesday in south-central Pakistan.
Authorities are warning the casualty figures are likely to rise, as it's difficult to gain access to the rural areas near the epicenter of the quake.
Mexican storm death toll jumps to 130
A number of bodies have been recovered from a landslide in Mexico, pushing the official death toll from a pair of massive storms to 130.
The bodies have been recovered from a slide in the Pacific region of the state of Guerrero.
This is the state that was ravaged by tropical storm Manuel last week.
Soldiers are still cowering the area for the nearly 70 others still listed as missing.
Farmers sickened after drinking water from abandoned mine
A village in Guizhou has been hit with a case of arsenic poisoning.
Farmers living in a rural area, about 100-kilometers east of Guiyang resorted to piping water from a nearby abandoned mine during the summer drought.
On top of the 8 confirmed cases, 68 others are showing symptoms.
Doctors are now going door-to-door to check for any other cases.
None of those poisoned are said to be in a life-threatening situation.
Provincial authorities are now piping in clean water to the village from a nearby water plant.
Cambodian PM unveils 5-year strategy, vowing deep reforms
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has unveiled his new government's 5-year strategy, vowing to deepen reforms.
The new 5-year program includes promises to reduce poverty, while at the same time, pledging to increase competition.
The planned reforms also include dealing with corruption, land management and issues with the Cambodian legal system.
Meeting with his newly-formed Cabinet, Hun Sen has also warned its members his administration will not tolerate arrogant behavior or abuse of power among them.
Hun Sen was re-elected by parliament as Prime Minister on Tuesday through his party's majority.
Life in S. Philippine Zamboanga returning to normal: official
The Philippine government has issued a new statement, suggesting life is now starting to return to normal in the besieged southern city of Zamboanga.
A spokesperson for President Benigno Aquino III says close to 150 schools in the city have resumed classes.
However, around 60-percent of the schools across the city are still being used as emergency shelters for the local population.
The city of Zamboanga has been under siege for over 2-weeks, after militants began an insurgency after local authorities refused to allow their flag to be raised at City Hall.
Around 130-people have been killed in the fighting.
Newspaper Picks
Xinhua
"Mainland to open sea passenger-cargo route to Taiwan"
The Chinese mainland will open a sea passenger-cargo route to Taiwan to facilitate cross-Straits ferry service.
A ro-ro passenger-cargo vessel named "Cosco Star" will set sail from Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian Province to Kaohsiung next Monday.
The State Council Taiwan Affairs Office says the service will be offered once a week in the future.
Another ship will set sail from Pingtan in Fujian Province to Taipei twice a week starting October 9.
Xinhua
"China cleans up Internet for youth"
China is to tighten supervision of websites and cell phone applications to fight lewd content and aggressive remarks aimed at young people.
Dubbed "Green Web," the two-month action will start in late September and target online information deemed lewd, pornographic or violent as well as posts that reveal personal information about youngsters or carry defamatory or bullying remarks.
Online posts that flaunt wealth or showcase extreme obsession with celebrities will also be deleted.
Web operators are asked to voluntarily clean up the aforementioned harmful information while students, parents and social workers are encouraged to report questionable websites and online applications.
AFP
"Japanese poll: 1 in 3 desperate to be housewives"
A government survey has showed one in three young Japanese women wants to get married and be a full-time housewife, despite growing calls for increased female participation in the workforce.
The poll quizzed more than 3,000 people aged 15-39. It found over one third of unmarried women did not want to work when they settled down.
The survey also found that only a slightly higher proportion of women actively did not want to become dedicated home-makers (38 per cent), while the rest had no firm opinion either way.
However, potential husbands were on the whole less keen on the idea, with only one in five saying they wanted a future wife to stay at home all day.
Despite high levels of education, many women in Japan drop out of the workforce when they have children, and social pressures to play the homemaker remain strong.
Experts at home and abroad have argued that women could rescue Japan's underperforming economy if more of them went to work.
Special Reports
Overcapacity in the TV drama industry
Anchor:
Higher costs for actors, on top of the increasing demand for better quality, is said to be creating waves in this country's TV drama industry.
CRI's Li Dong explains.
Reporter:
At a film and television drama production base in Liaoning Province, several television series production teams are busy working. A starring actress says she is much occupied with work throughout the year.
"I've been very busy these past two years, especially this year. I am acting in 4 television programs, which have 90 episodes altogether."
Over 4.86 billion yuan of transactions were carried out at the 2013 Beijing International Movie and TV Expo held in Aug this year, as much as ten times that of the figure seen at the 2003 Expo.
"The net profit of a good TV drama may reach 150 percent."
Tan Xuan says a 20-episode television series generally costs tens of million of yuan to make. There is no need to purchase permanent assets, nor train professional staff. The only cost is to find a good screenplay and land a few first-line actors and actresses; after this, the producers won't need to worry about buyers. TV stations will buy the products because they depend on these shows to sell their advertisement time.
However, soaring remuneration rates are degrading the quality of TV drama. In 2011, the average pay for a top actor reached about 400 thousand to 600 thousand yuan per episode. In 2013, it was not rare to see actors at this level charging 1 million yuan per episode. On average, remuneration for actors and actress may account for more than half of the total cost of making a TV series.
What's more, the increasingly high fees charged by actors and actresses has led to the rising cost of television production as a whole, including the money paid to writers and directors.
The rising labor cost has resulted in the lowering of the quality of television drama output. And television stations are only buying high quality shows which they expect will have good ratings. So not all TV series in the market can break even, let alone make profit.
Zhao Yifang, general manager of Huace Media, a television production company says a market reshuffle is on the way.
"The market may be polarized. There may be some exquisite television shows while sub-quality programs will lose yet more market share. Their sales will face more difficulties."
For CRI I am Li Dong.
Sports
Oracle Team USA draws level with New Zealand in America's cup
In sailing,
This year's America's Cup is quickly turning into the stuff of sailing legend.
Oracle Team USA drew level with challenger Emirates Team New Zealand after winning both races yesterday.
The teams are now tied at 8-8, forcing an extra decider race.
Oracle clawed its way back after being down 8-1 at one point. Few thought such a comeback was possible, including Emirates Dean Barker.
"Yeah I know, it was just an absolute shocker, you know we are trying to make a bit of a play to try and mix it up a bit, but just got ourselves in a really, really bad spot and yeah, just bad option."
Oracle's skipper Jimmy Spithill has been doing a masterful job on these last few races. He overtook the kiwis in race 18, to win by an easy 54 second margin.
"Mate it's the most exciting day of all our lives and we wouldn't want to be anywhere else, mate bring on tomorrow"
What has turned into the longest America's Cup in history will be decided by one final race on San Francisco Bay later tonight… if the weather cooperates.
Detroit is through to the playoffs after beating the Twins
In Major League Baseball,
The Detroit Tigers secured their playoff berth after a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
The Baltimore Orioles had their playoff hopes dashed after being defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2. The killing stroke came in the form of a 10th inning run by Toronto's Mark DeRosa.
The Tampa Bay Rays rolled over the New York Yankees with a 7-0 victory. Tampa has a one game lead over Cleveland for the top wild card with five left to play.
St. Louis beat the Washington Nationals 2-0, taking one step closer to the NL Central title.
Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha had two outs in the ninth inning, but lost a chance at a no-hit when Ryan Zimmerman hit an infield single.
Shaq invests in the Sacramento Kings
In NBA news,
The Sacramento Kings are now being called Shaqramento, after Shaquuille O'Neal bought a minority stake in the team.
Shaq said he plans on having a direct influence on the players and the way the team is run, rather than being a silent investor.
The former NBA great is also going to be involved in the construction of the NBA's first indoor-outdoor arena.
"This new arena will be state of the art. It will be the greatest arena in the country. It will be the first cashless arena. For those of you who don't know what that means - as long as you've got a phone, you can get in. On the phone it will tell you where the best concession stand is. Tell you where the bathroom with the smallest line is at. It will tell you everything."
The situation is ironic, since Shaq spent his seasons with the Lakers doing his best to demolish the Kings on the court.
Sacramento fans also recall the time he called the team the Sacramento Queens.
Morton knocks Celtic out in the Scottish League Cup
In football,
Morton knocked a stunned Celtic out of the running for the Scottish league cup after winning 1-0.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, Imrie scored from the spot in extra time to win.
The Scottish League Cup was the one domestic trophy Celtic boss Neil Lennon had yet to win, and now he will be forced to try again next year.
31-year-old striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay on a little longer with Paris Saint-Germain, after extending his contract through 2016.
"Finally I can plan for my future and to finish my career in this big club that is becoming even bigger every day that goes and the same ambition like me, dream big and I am dreaming also big, seeing pictures where, hopefully, I will make history also with the club."
The Swede was signed over from AC Milan before the start of last season, and became the league's top goal scorer with 30.
And in the Asian Football Confederation Cup,
Syrian club Al Qadsia reached the semifinals on away goals after a 2-2 draw with Al Shorta.
Al Qadsia will face Al Faisaly in the semifinals. Also penultimate round are Al Kuwait and East Bengal.
Caroline Wozniacki through to fourth round at Pan Pacific Open
In tennis,
Caroline Wozniacki cruised past her third round opponent Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard is through to the quarterfinals after upsetting sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic in two sets.
For the men,
Australia's Bernard Tomic got through his first round at the Thailand Open after Croatia's Ivo Karlovic retired with an injury.
Later, third seed Milos Raonic will face Marinko Matosevic of Australia.
Orlando Cruz talks ahead of his fight with Orlando Salido
In boxing,
No. 1 featherweight contender Orlando Cruz held an open workout ahead of his October bout with Mexico's Orlando Salido.
The Puerto Rican has a record of 20-2-1 with 10 knockouts, and the upcoming match will be his first shot at a world title.
His opponent is two-time featherweight champion Orlando Siri Salido, who will enter the ring with a record of 39-12-2 and 27 knockouts.
"I am ready. Orlando (Salido) is a very good boxer, he is very strong. But I am very hungry for the victory, for the glory. For representation of my community, LBGTT and Puerto Rico."
Cruz is also well-known for becoming boxing's first openly gay fighter.
All Blacks look ahead to weekend's clash with Pumas
In rugby,
New Zealand and Argentina are getting ready for this weekend's rugby championship clash.
The All Blacks ran through their first full training session after arriving in Argentina for the match.
They haven’t announced his starting 15.
Richie McCaw will likely be out with an injury, but Piri Weepu has been called back into the squad.
The All Blacks are undefeated after four matches, including a 28 to 13 victory over the Pumas two weeks ago.
Winger Ben Smith says the group has found a smooth momentum.
"I am really enjoying the structures that are in place and it's good as a winger because you know it's been good the people inside have done a lot of work and then it makes your job as a winger a lot easier so I think the game plan we are working really suits this team."
In last year's corresponding fixture, the all blacks thrashed the pumas 54-14.
But flanker Liam Messam warned that home court advantage can potentially lift a team to a new level of intensity.
"Yeah they are a total different team when they come here, and it's going to be another awesome atmosphere, it's going to be a hostile atmosphere as it was last year, so we know they really lift when they get home so we are under no illusions that it's going to be a tough one."
Argentina's head coach Santiago Phelan announced that he will step down as national coach at the end of the championship.
Alois Kankovsky wins second stage of Tour of China II
In cycling,
Czech rider Alois Kankovsky broke ahead in a sprint finish in Yueyang to win the second stage of the Tour of China II.
Twenty-one-year old Daniel Klemme still retains the yellow jersey after his win in the opening stage.
But Kankovsky's sprint finish allowed him to close in on the leader's overall time.
Stage three will feature a 132.8 kilometer ride from Xiangyang Laohekou to Xiangyang Gucheng.
Entertainment
Cher releases new album
And some very exciting news for you as Cher has released a new album.
This is the 67-year-old Queen of pop's first studio album for 12 years.
It is entitled "Closer to the Truth" and features two tracks penned by fellow US star Pink, along with a blast of high energy club tracks in the same line as her 1999 hit "Believe."
Also for the special edition, she rescued Diane Warren's ballad, "you haven't seen the Last of Me", which featured in her 2011 film "Burlesque", a track that she called her best ever song.
Quite something from someone, who has had a decade long span of hits in the billboard top 100 in the US.
Asked why she had taken so long to record any new material, she said simply that it hadn't occurred to her
"It just didn't occur to me. It wasn't even like a burning thing, I didn't even think that people would be interested. I mean, I didn't actually think about it. It just wasn't anything that I thought, 'Oh, I've got to do this.' I've been doing this for so many years that it just -- I thought, probably, I'd done my best work already."
I can see this doing quite well.
Sarah Michel Geller speaks of new TV Show with Robin Williams
Sarah Michel Geller is set to star in a brand new TV series, which will debut on Thursday on CBS.
The comedy, from producer David E. Kelley of "Ally McBeal", is about an advertising firm run by Gellar and her brilliant-yet-eccentric father played by Robin Williams.
The 32-year-old actress said her priority is not to spend as much time with her children as possible, so she has to really believe in something before she will accept working on it.
She said though that she has had the most fun in her career working on this show giving particular praise to her co-star.
"I could talk about Robin Williams, do you have an hour?" says Gellar. "If I talked about of him the way I want to people would think I made him up. I mean you have this man who is truly one of the top 10 greatest all-time standup comics ever and he's also a Julliard trained, Academy award-winning actor. He's also one of the kindest human beings I've ever met."
The Buffy the Vampire actress, who played the role from 1997 to 2003, has also been asked of her chances of reprising that role… But she says her along with the rest of the cast are a little long in the tooth.
"I don't know if you know this, but I am a wee bit older now than I was when I did that show and so I think Buffy would have to like literally have a wooden walker that she then stakes the vampires with and Robin has this joke about how the vampires are actually going to be putting in their fangs because it's going to be like denture fangs because we're all getting older."
New Batman TV show in the works
In that light... Warner Brothers has a TV show in the works called Gotham.
The project is to be produced by the Mentalist's Bruno Heller and will explore the origin stories of characters in the Batman universe.
The project is said to have a lot of potential as writers can develop characters such as Commissioner Gordon as well as look at the villans like the Joker, the Penguin, the scarecrow...
Muppets donated to American History Museum
The family of Jim Henson, creator of children's television show, "The Muppets" has donated more than 20 puppets and props to the National Museum of American History on Tuesday.
Henson's daughter, Cheryl, signed over puppets on her father's birthday.
Among the donations was Miss Piggy, who will finally be joining her love, Kermit the Frog, who was donated previously.
"I think it is really marvelous that we're celebrating my dad on his birthday and donating these characters to the nation's great American History Museum. I think it's extraordinary to have his characters represented as American culture. That is just the coolest thing. So, happy birthday! To my dad."
The newest donation also includes Fozzie Bear, Rowlf the piano-playing dog, Scooter and the Swedish Chef.
Chinese graffiti artist DALeast becoming internationally famous
Chinese Graffiti artist DALeast has exploded onto the international street scene and is fast becoming one of the biggest names in world graffiti art.
Currently in London over the past two years, he has also sprayed his designs onto buildings in New York, Cape Town, Melborne.
Working at lightening speed, he typically draws huge animals which are broken into small pieces at the middle.
He builds up contrasting layers of colour and shade to create awe inspiring 3D imagery.
He started his art in Wuhan, central China's most-populated city and says he likes to paint based on personal introspective issues rather than any grander statements.
He says he has concerned that Chinese artists try too often to copy their western contemporizes and he hopes he can inspire them to believe in their own creativity.
That's it for this edition of the BJH
A quick recap of the headlines BEFORE WE GO...
The death toll from yesterday's massive earthquake in Pakistan has surpassed 200.
Kenya is now in a 3-day period of mourning following the conclusion of the deadly 4-day standoff inside a mall in Nairobi.
The political wheels are in high-gear ahead of a planned meeting in New York on Thursday connected to Iran's nuclear issues.
In Business, reports are suggesting Alibaba may be shifting its planned IPO out of Hong Kong and into New York. |