The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Rebecca Hume with you on this Tuesday, October 15th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
China and UK pledge to expand financial ties.
Iranian nuclear talks resume in Geneva.
At least 60 killed in Philippine earthquake.
Business, China to raise prices for gas-fired power generation.
Sports, in Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers beat St. Louis 3-0 in the National League Championship.
Entertainment, the Wolverine' to be screened on the Chinese mainland.
Plus as the East Asian Games draws to a close special reports finds out how hosting the games has left Tianjin with a legacy of success.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 3 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 18.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be overcast tonight, with a low of 15, also overcast tomorrow, with a high of 19.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 6 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 31.
Kabul, sunny, 24.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 28.
Canberra, sunny, 23.
Brisbane, overcast, 26.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 20.
Top News
China and UK pledge to expand financial ties
Anchor
The Chinese and British government have pledged to expand their financial ties and signed almost 60 trade and economic agreements in Beijing.
That pledge has been made during UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne's visit to China.
Su Yi has more.
Reporter
China and Britain have announced plans aimed at making London the main centre for Chinese financial business overseas.
China will give London-based investors the right to buy up to 80 billion yuan, or 13 billion US dollars worth of mainland stocks, bonds and money market instruments.
George Osborne says he will loosen regulations to allow the move.
"The internationalisation of the renminbi (RMB), the use of London as the pre-eminent centre outside of China and Hong Kong for that business is a huge boon for British financial services for Britain as a centre of global finance and that is something which of course is all about involvement in the Chinese economy."
The agreement, announced by Britain and China in a joint statement on Tuesday, falls under the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor plan, or the RQFII.
This is the first time the RQFII has expanded outside of Hong Kong to give investors more avenues to invest yuan and more incentives to hold the currency.
In return, the British government has agreed to start talks to allow Chinese banks to set up wholesale units in the United Kingdom.
Under the agreement, London and Beijing will also allow for the yuan to be traded against sterling directly, as opposed to going through the dollar, thereby markedly reducing transaction costs.
At the same time, China and the UK have signed an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation.
Under the deal, the Chinese General Nuclear Power Group is expected to team up with France's EDF for a new plant in Britain.
Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai,
"China is now actively promoting reforms and opening up in the financial sector. We are pushing forward market-oriented exchange rate and interest rate reforms, as well as changes in capital account convertibility. We have lowered the criteria set for capitals entering the financial sector. It will bring new opportunities to help UK firms open up business here in China."
Ma also says China hopes bilateral trade with the UK can reach a target of 100-billion-US dollars by 2015.
Earlier, Osborne announced the UK would simplify visa application rules for Chinese visitors.
The deals come against the backdrop of a volatile world economic outlook as London is pushing to place the British economy on a firmer footing.
The annual dialogue between China and UK was initiated in 2008.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
London promotion website launched in China
Anchor:
Mayor of London Boris Johnson is on a six-day visit to China.
He has launched London.cn, an official Chinese-language website for London, in a bid to set up a platform targeting Chinese students and tourists.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Report:
Gordon Innes, is CEO of London & Partners, an official promotional organization for London.
He says with the number of Chinese visitors and students increasing, they came up with the idea to launch the official Chinese-language website for London.
"We've seen a very significant growth in Chinese visitors to London, particularly since London Olympics 2012. So in the last year alone, we see 38% increase in Chinese visitors coming into London. We have also seen a very significant growth in Chinese students coming to London. Increasingly, Chinese are able to send their Children abroad for education and looking to do that to get international experience."
Gordon Innes, says the official website can be used to communicate with Chinese audiences effectively.
The site highlights why London is a great place to visit and why London is a good place for Chinese students to study.
For example, Chinese students can find information regarding London Universities.
"It(the website) provides the information on the Universities in London. It provides information on the courses you can study. London is well known among Chinese students for its business, engineering. Increasingly, we've seen a lot of Chinese students studying creative arts."
Aside from students, the website targets Chinese tourists and tour operators.
"The information they gain is about how you can book your trip to make it easy to come to London. But also about fantastic offer that's available what you can do when you get to London. "
Gordon says when the Mayor of London launched the website, a competition was also launched.
Netizens who registered with the website can win a bicycle bought over by the mayor from London.
"We will be auctioning the bike giving it away in a competition to people who register on our website and take a look at whether they would like to study in or visit London."
Gordon says they hope Chinese web users will take a look at the website and have an opportunity to win the mayor's bicycle.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.
China, Vietnam pledge to handle problems properly
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is wrapping up his visit to Vietnam.
The two sides have issued a statement, reaffirming their commitment to further enhancing their "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership".
The statement also says the two sides will handle their problems "properly".
The two countries call each other "good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners" in the document.
Vietnam is the last stop of Li Keqiang's first Southeast Asia tour since taking office.
The trip has also taken him to Brunei and Thailand.
He attended a series of East Asian leaders' meetings in Brunei, elaborating the Chinese government's policy when it comes to promoting regional cooperation.
India PM to visit China
It's been confirmed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is set to visit China later this month.
It comes following Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India in May.
Chinese foreign ministry says the relations between the two sides have "strategic significance and global impact".
Iranian nuclear talks resumed in Geneva
Anchor
The Iranian government says it is hoping to move forward as it is sitting down with six world powers for talks connected to the country's nuclear program.
Alex Aucott has more.
Reporter:
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, are meeting in Geneva.
The talks are the first since the election of President Hassan Rouhani.
Rouhani, who is a former leading Iranian nuclear negotiator, is being viewed as a moderate who wants to re-set Iran's relationship with the US and its allies in an attempt to get economic sanctions against his country removed.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is a member of the negotiation team.
"The act of enrichment and continuing it will be our red line. On no condition will we let this right of Iran to be suspended, reduced or stopped. But on matters of dimensions of enrichment - the limits, the amounts and its form - we do not have a problem with negotiation."
Ahead of the talks, Iran has once-again turned down an offer to suspend its enrichment activities in exchange for an easing of sanctions on its petrochemical and mineral industries.
At the same time, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is expressing "cautious optimism" heading into this round of talks.
"I hope that in the course of that time there'll be an opportunity to really go into the detail and to explore the possibilities. We come here with cautious optimism, but a real sense of determination."
Meantime, the Israeli government has issued a statement, insisting the international community has to maintain pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It would be a historic mistake to lift the pressure now, just before the sanctions reach their goal. And particularly now we cannot give in and must keep up the pressure. We need to remember that international pressure is what led to the internal changes in Iran and brought them to a position of making any concessions at the negotiating table and this will bring them to really abandon their military nuclear program."
Netanyahu contends Iran is merely trying to buy time and trick the world into dropping the sanctions against it.
Israel continues to insist Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran has long-held that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian use only.
For CRI, I'm Alex Aucott.
At least 60 killed in Philippine earthquake
At least 60 people have been killed following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines.
The quake has caused severe damage in Bohol and the Cebu Islands, both popular tourist destinations in the central Philippines.
Officials say a number of low-rise buildings have collapsed, as well as damages to churches and tourist attractions.
A local villager recalled what happened.
"I was surprised when I saw people rushed out, but the wall collapsed on them."
At least 15 people have been killed in Cebu, around 400-km southeast of Manila and five in Bohol the quakes epicenter.
Local authorities have temporarily suspended sea travel in central Philippines, and some flights have been canceled due to the quake.
No tsunami warnings were issued after the quake.
Progress is being made to raise the debt ceiling: Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama says progress is being made in negotiations to raise the debt
ceiling.
Obama has been meeting with senior lawmakers from both Republican's and Democrat's.
"There has been some progress on the Senate side with Republicans recognizing it's not tenable, it's not smart, it's not good for the American people to let America default. There's been some progress in recognizing that we're not going to be able to completely bridge the differences between the parties all at once. And so it doesn't make sense in the meantime to try to use a shutdown or the threat of default as leverage in negotiations."
House Speaker John Boehner has also been holding separate meetings with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to see if the Republicans can generate enough support within the party itself.
Many in the conservative Tea Party caucus of the Republican party have expressed an unwillingness to make concessions.
They've been demanding the delay of Obamacare, which is set to come into effect at the beginning of next year.
Obama and the Democrats are refusing to budge on that issue.
The US government is going to lose its ability to pay its bills if the debt ceiling isn't increased by Thursday.
"I'm FINished with Fins" Shark Campaign to Reduce Shark Fin Demand
Anchor
"I'm Finished with Fins", a public awareness campaign against killing sharks for their fins, came to a close recently in Beijing.
The campaign which aims to raise awareness about the rapid decrease of sharks worldwide, has attracted hundreds of thousands of supporters, including Chinese celebrities and web users.
Zhang Ru has the details.
Reporter:
Following WildAid's "When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can, Too" campaign, which was led by retied NBA star, Yao Ming, "I'm FINished" continues to raise awareness about the damage that shark hunting for the sole purpose of meeting the demand for shark fin soup is a practice that is killing the ocean and should be socially unacceptable.
The campaign launched three weeks ago in Shanghai, with the opening event, titled "Happy Family," being hosted by five cast-members from the wildly popular Chinese television show, "Happy Camp." The five hosts also posted their portraits, in which each person had a hand over his or her mouth in protest of eating shark fin soup, across social media platforms.
"Happy Camp" host, Du Haitao, says a total of 100 celebrities joined the campaign by posting photos of their mouths covered with their hands on microblog accounts during the past three weeks.
"We five members of 'Happy Family' have called for 100 celebrities to take part in the campaign. But the 100 people don't just represent themselves; they can influence their hundreds of thousands of fans."
At a ceremony held in Beijing marking the conclusion of the campaign, Zi Wen, chief representative of WildAid in China, announced that more than 360,000 people have participated in the campaign, pledging not to consume sharp fin soup.
"The biggest problem sharks are facing is human beings. Our demand for shark fin soup is leading to the extinction of sharks. Although the activity is coming to an end, our efforts to protect sharks will continue."
Hao Yi is one of the 360,000 people taking part in the protest. Influenced by her idols who took part in the campaign, she pledged not to consume shark fin soup by posting her picture with the iconic hand-over-mouth gesture. This picture earned her the "most innovative" award, offered by WildAid.
"I think spreading social awareness takes time. I just treat it as part of my everyday life. One day, you will find that what you're doing is not a trifle because you can influence those around you. You may influence only one person, but this person will influence another. This way, more and more people will take part in acting for the greater good."
For China Now, this is Zhang Ru.
Man sentenced to 6 years in jail for Beijing airport blast
The man who set off explosives at the Beijing Capital International Airport in July has been sentenced to six years in jail for endangering public safety.
The wheelchair-bound man, Ji Zhongxing, injured himself after setting off a homemade explosive device outside the airport's Terminal 3 arrivals exit in July.
A police officer at the scene suffered minor injuries in the explosion.
The court says it is giving a minor sentence as Ji warned people to stay away from him at the scene of the blast and confessed his crimes.
Before the blast, Ji had been petitioning for years about the alleged unjust treatment that resulted in his paralysis.
His lawyer, Li Xiaoyuan, says his client had not deliberately meant to detonate the bomb.
"The airport bombing would not have happened if he had not been beaten to the point of being paralysed eight years ago. The bombing only happened when he was forced into a dead end."
Ji did not appeal in court and said he would consider the appeals process further.
Based on the country's criminal law, anyone who endangers public security without causing serious consequences will face a jail time no less than three years, but no more than ten years.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Asian equity markets outside of China rose on Tuesday after U.S. lawmakers hinted at the possibility that a bipartisan U.S. budget deal could be announced soon.
But most Chinese stocks fell, sending the benchmark index to its first loss in three days, as declines for financial and consumer-discretionary companies overshadowed gains for health-care shares.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index dropped 0.7 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng added half a percent.
Elsewhere in Asian, Tokyo stocks ended slightly higher, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 rising 0.3 percent.
South Korea's KOSPI jumped one percent.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also jumped one percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index lost half a percent.
China to raise prices for gas-fired power generation
China is set to raise the on-grid prices paid to power generators that use natural gas.
It all part of a bid to encourage the use of cleaner forms of energy and address the impact of possible supply shortages.
The country's top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, say recent natural gas price hikes raised generation costs and power prices needed to be adjusted accordingly.
Specific power price changes are to be determined "soon" on a provincial level.
The announcement also confirmed that on-grid coal-fired power prices have been cut in order to reflect falling coal prices.
China May Allow Foreign Firms to Sell Shares in Free-Trade Zone
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Chinese authorities may allow foreign companies registered in the Shanghai free-trade zone to raise capital by selling shares.
The report has cited two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
At present China maintains a tight grip on its stock markets and doesn't allow foreign companies to issue shares in the world's second-largest economy.
Authorities are now working on a proposal that would enable qualified foreign companies to sell shares on a designated trading platform to be set up in the Shanghai FTZ.
The proposed platform is likely to serve as a test for the Shanghai Stock Exchange's international board, which would allow foreign companies to sell shares via initial public offerings ahead of listings in China.
Q&A on is inflation a new risk for China's economy?
Anchor:
Despite the rise in China's consumer prices to a seven-month high in September, economists say inflation doesn't pose a risk for the world's second-largest economy.
The CPI rose 3.1 percent in September, well above expectations for a 2.8 percent rise.
The outlook for China's economy was called into question again this weekend after trade data showed exports unexpectedly contracted by 0.3 percent in September.
Macro-economic data due out on October 18th, including third quarter GDP and industrial production, will provide further insights into the health of the economy.
For more on the macroeconomics situation in China, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Mark Hughes, Executive Business Editor of China Daily.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Mark Hughes, Executive Business Editor of China Daily.
Nobel-winning economist sounds alarm over 'bubbly' global housing prices
One of three US economists awarded this year's Nobel Prize for economics for research into market prices and asset bubbles, has expressed alarm at the rapid rise in global housing prices.
Robert Shiller, who shared the prize with Eugene Fama and Lars Peter Hansen, says the U.S Federal Reserve's economic stimulus and growing market speculation is creating a "bubbly" property boom.
Shiller and other economists warn that prices in some markets have risen too far, too fast because of the Fed's ultra-easy monetary policy.
Shiller's work led him to suggest in 2005 that the U.S housing market was overheating.
In June this year, he pointed to a potential new housing bubble in some of America's largest cities.
China, Brazil, India, Australia, Norway and Belgium, among other countries, are witnessing similar price rises.
Greece plans to roll over 4.5-billion euros of bonds
Greece plans to roll over 4.5 billion euros of bonds to cover some of its fiscal gap.
Greek government has a debt of around 240 billion euros to European Union and International Monetary Fund since it was excluded from the bond markets in 2010.
The government is scheduled to be financed by the current bailout program until the second half of 2014 when it returns to bond markets.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of Eurogroup, said Eurogroup will provide support to Greece until the end of program.
"We hope to be able to take stock of the outcome of the current review for Greece at our meeting in December or January, including any financing gap until the end of program next year. Greece's needs beyond next year will be evaluated in 2014. As stated last year, the Eurogroup is committed to providing adequate support as long as Greece meets the program condition,"
The IMF and Greece estimate that the country faces a funding gap of nearly 11 billion euros for 2014-15.
Headline News
China and UK pledge close financial ties
The Chinese and British government have pledged to expand their financial ties and signed almost 60 trade and economic agreements in Beijing.
That pledge has been made during UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne's visit to China.
China and Britain have announced plans aimed at making London the main centre for Chinese financial business overseas.
China will give London-based investors the right to buy up to 80 billion yuan, or 13 billion US dollars worth of mainland stocks, bonds and money market instruments.
China, Vietnam pledge to handle problems properly
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is wrapping up his visit to Vietnam.
The two sides have issued a statement, reaffirming their commitment to further enhancing their "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership".
The statement also says the two sides will handle their problems "properly".
The two countries call each other "good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners" in the document.
Vietnam is the last stop of Li Keqiang's first Southeast Asia tour since taking office.
The trip has also taken him to Brunei and Thailand.
He attended a series of East Asian leaders' meetings in Brunei, elaborating the Chinese government's policy when it comes to promoting regional cooperation.
Iranian nuclear talks resumed in Geneva
Negotiators from Iran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, are meeting in Geneva over Iran's nuclear issue.
The talks are the first since the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Chinese foreign ministry has issued a statement, calling for "feasible solution" regarding the Iranian nuclear issue.
Rouhani, who is a former leading Iranian nuclear negotiator, is being viewed as a moderate who wants to re-set Iran's relationship with the US and its allies in an attempt to get economic sanctions against his country removed.
EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton has expressed her "cautious optimism" heading into this round of talks.
Afghan bomb kills Logar governor in mosque
The governor of Afghanistan's Logar province has been killed in a blast at a local mosque, during prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
Arsala Jamal was standing at the front of the mosque greeting worshippers when a bomb hidden under a table detonated.
Jamal's spokesman says at least 15 people were injured, and several are said to be in a critical condition.
No one has claimed responsibility yet.
China confirms new human H7N9 infection
China has confirmed a new human H7N9 avian influenza case in Zhejiang.
The 35-year-old patient is in critical condition.
It is the second case reported in the province in half a year.
China has confirmed 134 cases infected with H7N9 flu so far.
The death toll remains at 45.
Newspaper Picks
China News Service
"Beijing cracks down on fortune-telling at tourist sites"
Beijing on Monday launched a campaign to crack down on fortune tellers gathered around several scenic spots, including Yonghegong (Lama Temple).
The west gate of the Lama Temple is often crowded with visitors from home and abroad, but has also lured a number of illegal fortune telling shops.
Law enforcement personnel have removed the shop signs of these businesses, and warned the shop owners not to provide such services any more.
An official said fortune-telling is not a licensed business operation. And these profit-driven businessmen just want to trick people out of their money.
Other tourist spots in Beijing like the White Cloud Temple and the Imperial College are also covered by the campaign.
Shanghai Daily
"Dad donates 400,000 yuan to keep smartphones out of hands of school's students"
The father of a student at Chongqing Railway Middle School in southwest decided to donate some 400,000 yuan to buy traditional cell phones without "smart" functions for each student at the school, since he thinks smartphones harm students' eyesight, cervical vertebra and memory.
Each cell phone is worth 100 yuan with simple functions such as making phone calls, sending short messages.
The father bought a smartphone worth more than 2,000 yuan for his son last year, and his son turned to be obsessed with the phone within two months. He likened the behavior of his son to addiction and replaced the smartphone with a traditional cell phone during summer vacation.
He said he found his son's attitude improved a lot. His son was more willing to communicate with family members now. Therefore, he texted the cell phone donation suggestion to the schoolmaster.
The Guardian
"Study links low birthweight to air pollution and traffic"
A large European study has showed babies born to mothers who live in areas with air pollution and dense traffic are more likely to have a low birthweight and smaller head circumference.
The researchers found that babies were smaller even in areas with relatively low levels of air pollution.
For every increase of 5 micrograms per cubic metre in exposure to fine particulate matter during pregnancy, the risk of low birthweight in the baby rose by 18%.
Although they cannot establish from this research that air pollution is the cause of low birthweight, the authors of the study, believe the link is strong enough to demand action.
Low birthweight in babies is a concern, because it often predicts poorer health as children and later as adults. A small head circumference could indicate problems with neurodevelopment.
AFP
"No known impact from mobile phones on health: France"
France's safety watchdog on Tuesday said it was standing by existing recommendations for mobile phones, wifi and relay antennas, saying their emissions had "no demonstrated impact" on health.
The National Agency for Health, Food and Environmental Safety said that, in lab tests, electromagnetic emissions had had a "biological" effect on cells.
But it saw no grounds for recommending any changes to existing laws as there was "no demonstrated impact" on health.
It said, though, it would make a recommendation that children and big users of mobile phones limit their exposure to the devices.
Special Reports
Economical hosting the big legacy of Tianjin East Asian Games by Haipeng
anchor
The 2013 Tianjin East Asian Games are drawing to a close today,
As the games wind down, CRI's Ding Lulu finds out how hosting the games has left Tianjin with a legacy of success.
Reporter:
The 10-day East Asian Games has been a chronicle of great athletic feats and amazing success stories.
Besides the grand gathering of some of the best athletes in East Asia, spectators were also impressed by the 23 state of the art venues that hosted those gatherings.
Meng Xiandong is Director of Policy and Regulations at the Tianjin General Administration of Sports.
He explained that though the cost of building those facilities was astonishing, they didn't strain the government's pocket.
"At the time, the government only set aside a total of 100 million Yuan for the construction of the venues. We made up the rest by introducing the policy called exchange of land at equal values. That has helped to pool another 1.4 billion Yuan that were needed."
Meng said the sports administration has sold most of its properties, land and facilities in the downtown center in exchange for some undervalued but considerably bigger land in the city's outskirts.
Since the planned construction of sports venues were part of the city's overall urban planning, it was followed by huge land development interest and investments.
Dismissing doubts that the facilities could turn into white elephants, Meng said one misunderstands the core of the exchange program to have such worries.
"Where did the old training bases go? They were all moved to the Tuanbo Sports New Town. So the new sport industry park is not simply a consortium of venues, it is also home to Tianjin's all sport teams, their training base with the most comprehensive logicists and sports research and development support."
Tianjin has also won the right to host the 13th National Games, the country's highest-level sports event in 2017.
Meng said the Sports New Town and more importantly, its management and supporting personnel will prove to be a huge asset by the time the event opens.
The city is also aiming higher as a host city to sports event, Meng made that goal clear with a Chinese proverb.
"Building the nest first and then you can hope to attract the phoenix. Once the facilities are in place, we will be confident to host more high-level sports events and add new functions to the venues."
The phoenix may be still on the way, but Meng said Tianjin is determined to make its mark on the sports map where the host city tells the story of smart successes.
For CRI, I am Ding Lulu.
Sports
Dodgers Beat Cardinals in Game three of NLCS
In Major League Baseball..
Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched SEVEN scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-0 win over St. Louis in the third game of the National League Championship Series.
In doing so the South Korean cut the Cardinals' lead to 2-1 to keep the Dodgers hopes of making it through to the next round alive.
Cardinals Manager, Mike Matheny, said they were almost hopeless against a player at the top of his game:
"He's (Hyun-Jin Ryu) thrown a couple of good games against us. Threw the ball well today and didn't make a lot of mistakes. We couldn't get anything going. We would get one opportunity and aggressive base running play ends up taking us out of the inning. But he controlled the counts, controlled the plate, did what he wanted to against us."
Los Angeles signed the left-handed pitcher, for 36 million US Dollars in a six-year deal in December - making him the first player to move straight from Korea's top league to the majors.
Ryu said the fear of being knocked out at this stage helped him to get into the zone for this game:
"Well, all I was thinking about was the fact that we're down 2-0 and I just told myself that this could potentially be the last start I ever pitch here this year. So I focused on from the very first pitch. I just zoomed in and fortunately I was able to get a good result out of the game."
The Dodgers will have a chance to bring the score level in the best-of-seven series when they host Game 4 on Tuesday night in the US.
Chinese Superleague and Asian Cup Qualifiers update
Moving on for those of you who aren't into baseball there is plenty of football tonight.
In the Chinese Superleague, - this year's league winners - Guangzhou Evergrand – kicked off against Liaoning Hongun about 10 minutes ago. The score in that game is currently ….
AND in about 13 minutes the Chinese national side will take on Indonesia in the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
China Started their 2015 qualifying campaign poorly with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia who currently top the group. But the team took three points from their next game with a one-nil victory over Iraq.
And China should also have this game in the bag after defeating Indonesia in their last FIVE meetings, though the two sides haven't faced each other for almost a decade, so maybe Indonesia could turn up with a few surprises.
Kicking off at the same time Hong Kong are playing against the United Arab Emirates in Group E…
In group A Singapore vs Syria is already 18 minutes in. The two sides have lost both of their matches so far and the score is currently goalless.
World Cup Qualifiers Europe and South America
Moving to Europe and the next round of UEFA qualifiers are due to begin from about midnight Beijing time.
Perhaps the biggest game of the night will be England vs Poland which is taking place precisely 40-years after the Poles kicked England out of the World Cup for the first time ever.
The English national stadium is packed out with 18,000 Polish fans turning up in the hope that they can make a repeat of 1973.
AND
Over in Latin America Mexico are set for a showdown with Costa Rica though their fate is not entirely in their hands.
Unless they defeat Costa Rica and Honduras lose to Jamaica, the playoffs will beckon.
Mexico manager, Victor Manuel Vucetich, said the team have been guilty of too much arrogance and tough talk and now need to prove themselves on the pitch:
"It is obvious that sometimes one can think even because of the situations with the press, which is the most critical part, that the players have always been at a certain level, but there can be drop offs in games, but we know we are sometimes guilty of arrogance. This is the time for reflection and to demonstrate on the field that's where it should be won, as it should."
Costa Rica and USA both qualified for Brazil 2014 last Friday
British racing driver Sean Edwards killed in Porche crash in Australia
British racing driver Sean Edwards has been killed in a crash in Australia.
The 26-year-old was a passenger in a Porche which hit the barriers during a private test session.
He is currently leading in the Porche Supercup championship.
The Briton was the son of Guy Edwards who famously stopped his car mid-race to pull Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari at the Nurberg ring in 1976.
He had recently played his father in Ron Howard's movie 'RUSH' which focused on the Rivalry between Lauda and James Hunt in the 1976 season.
Benat Intxausti wins tour of Beijing
In Cycling,
Benat Intxausti of Movistar has been crowned the winner of 2013 tour of Beijing.
The Spaniard finished safely within the bunch in the 117km final stage for a comfortable victory.
The 27-year-old thanked his team for all their hard work after the race, where the last stage was won by Luka Mezgec of Argos-Shimano.
The Slovenian broke away on the last stage for his first World Tour victory.
Having already finished second on the first stage he outsprinted Nacer Bouhanni and Moreno Hofland to the finish line outside Beijing's iconic Birdsnest Stadium.
Entertainment
The Wolverine' to be screened in Chinese mainland
Actor Hugh Jackman has attended a press conference for his movie "The Wolverine" in Beijing.
Just back from a tour at the Great Wall the Australian actor greeted the press in Chinese.
"Hello everyone, I am Hugh Jackman. I am very glad to come to China. I love you."
The 45-year old actor also talked about his experience playing Wolverine and also being a father of two.
"Wolverine is like a great old friend to me. I have been playing Wolverine for 14 years. And I have children now who I was playing Wolverine before they were born. They are thirteen and eight. And I am generally pretty calm at home as a father. And I think I don't ever have to get anything more than calm. It's just occasionally I was showing them the Wolverine face and they were a little afraid."
"The Wolverine" is set to be screened on the Chinese mainland on Thursday.
Taiwanese girl band S.H.E performs at the Hong Kong Coliseum
Taiwanese pop group, S.H.E, has wrapped up three performances at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
The S.H.E 2gether 4ever tour that kicked off in Taipei in June, has taken the pop trio to Malaysia, Macau, and China.
At the Hong Kong stop of the tour on Monday, members Selina, Hebe, and Ella didn't let the exhaustions of touring get to them.
They performed some of their biggest hits, as well as songs in Cantonese for the Hong Kong fans.
S.H.E is mandarin pop's best-selling girl band.
Since forming in 2001, the group has released more than 10 studio albums.
Its members have also found success in television, both as presenters and actresses.
This is the first time that S.H.E has performed in Hong Kong since its member Selina's explosion accident in 2010.
The next stops of the S.H.E tour are Singapore, Indonesia and other cities in China.
'Mamma Mia!' beats 'Harry Potter' to Amazon best-selling DVD
Mamma Mia! has been named the best-selling DVD on British e-commerce website Amazon, during the sites 15 year history.
The Abba inspired musical beat Potter finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 into second place.
However, the eighth instalment in the Potter series is the fastest-selling DVD of all time.
Amazon.co.uk said "Mamma Mia!" captured the hearts of the UK's film enthusiasts even though the singing may not always have been of the highest quality.
Sitcom spin-off 'The Inbetweeners Movie' surprisingly came in at number three on the best-selling list.
Pixar's 'Toy Story 3' and the BBC's landmark series 'Planet Earth' rounded out the top five.
The most-streamed movie via LoveFilm between 2009 and today was Despicable Me.
Cult drama 'Lost' was the most-streamed TV show over the five-year period.
Bill Murray Signing on to Cameron Crowe Film
Actor comedian Bill Murray is in talks to join director Cameron Crowe's next film.
Crowe, who is known for films such as Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, is working on the untitled film in Hawaii.
So far the new movie stars Hangover actor Bradley Cooper as a military contractor on a secret mission where he meets air force pilot Emma Stone, from Easy A.
No word yet on what Murray's role would be, but the actor is reportedly in final talks with the filmmaker.
Actors Rachel McAdams, Danny McBride, and Alec Baldwin have also signed on to the project.
The new Cameron Crowe film is expected to hit screens sometime next year.
Disney World to Add Avatar Inspired Attractions
Disney World in Orlando, Florida is working on a new attraction based on the world from filmmaker James Cameron's film Avatar.
The new addition to the park is expected to open in 2017.
Concept art shows families walking and riding through the fictional planet of Pandora, which includes floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests, and soaring Banshees.
Several images released by Disney display the Tree of Life as a massive centerpiece tying together the whole experience.
The development of the new Avatar attraction will be an extension to Disney's Animal Kingdom.
It will also feature several forms of nightlife entertainment.
A quick recap of headlines before we go，
China and UK pledge to expand financial ties．
Iranian nuclear talks resume in Geneva．
At least 60 killed in Philippine earthquake．
Business，China to raise prices for gas-fired power generation．
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