新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2013/08/16

 Friday, August 16th, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
The UN Security Council has issued a new call for restraint in Egypt amid the civil unrest there which has left over 600 dead.
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has been meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in an effort to try to move the peace process forward.
A series of powerful earthquakes have rattled New Zealand's capital, Wellington.
In Business, the Chinese government is reportedly mulling plans to consolidate this country's infant formula industry.
In sports, Li Na is now into the semi-finals of the Cincinatti Masters.
In entertainment, American rock band Lincoln Park has put on a show in Hong Kong.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will have thundershowers tonight with a low of 26 degrees Celsius.　Tomorrow cloudy with a high temperature of 36.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 28,　cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 35.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 11 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, thundershowers, with a high of 27.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 24.
Canberra, rainy, 14.
Brisbane, sunny, 24.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 19.
 
 
Top News
 
 
U.N. Security Council urges end to violence in Egypt
 
U.N. Security Council has issued a new call for an end to the violence in Egypt.
The call comes after a police crack down on protest camps which had been supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
The 15-member Security Council has held a close-door session about Egypt on Thursday.
Argentine U.N. Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval.
"The members, first of all, expressed their sympathy to the victims and regretted the loss of lives. The view of council members is that it is important to end violence in Egypt, that the parties exercise maximum restraint. And there was a common desire on the need to stop violence and to advance national reconciliation."
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called for U.N. Security Council to convene after - what he describes - as a massacre in Egypt.
U.S. President Barack Obama has also condemned the Egyptian government's crackdown.
The US has called off a joint military exercise with Egypt next month.
Official death toll now stands at 638 with over 3-thousand wounded.
Clashes have continued for a second day in the port city of Alexandria, despite the interim government declaring a month-long state of emergency.
3 people have been reportedly killed and 50 others wounded in the clashes in Egypt's second largest city.
A night-time curfew is still in place in 14 provinces.
 
 
UN Chief and Israeli President Commit to Peace Efforts
 
Anchor:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has met with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, issuing another call for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
The top UN official says direct negotiations remain the single most creditable path towards a solution.
Ban Ki-moon is calling both sides to avoid any action that would risk undermining the negotiations.
"Both sides need to sustain an environment conducive for the peace process to move forward. People need to see improvements on the ground, including economic progress for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and ...security for Israelis and Palestinians."
The Israeli and Palestinian sides restarted direct negotiations in total secrecy Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Peres says the fact no information from the meeting has been leaked is good news.
"The first meeting between the two parties apparently was not too bad. And I do believe that all organization, all of us, should give priorities to this peace. And I do hope that it will be continued. There are difficulties, but to make the future a hopeless future is mistaken, because peace is a real need for both parties. None of us has an alternative."
Peres is calling on the international community to give both sides 9-months to have quiet negotiations.
Ban Ki-moon has also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Prior to the talks, a first batch of 26 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel as a goodwill sugesture.
However, the recent announcement of more settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has overshadowed peace talks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Palestinians have shown goodwill to reach peace. I hope Israel can also show their goodwill to stop settlement building and release all the Palestinian prisoners."
Ban Ki-moon says he hopes the peace process would advance smoothly.
He says the United Nations will spare no effort to try to help contribute to the peace process.
For CRI, this is Cao Yuwei.
 
 
S. Korea proposes talks on reunions of separated families
 
South Korea has formally proposed working-level talks next week with North Korea about the potential resumption of family reunions.
The concept was floated on Thursday by South Korean President Park Geun-hye during her Independence Day speech.
Park has called on North Korea to begin allowing the family reunions again during the Chuseok festival, which falls on September 19th.
Family reunions were one of the cornerstones of the attempt to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula over the first decade of the 21st century.
However, the reunions were cut off amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula in 2010.
Thousands of Korean families were cut off from one-another at the conclusion of the fighting in the Korean war in 1953.
 
 
Series of powerful quakes rock New Zealand
 
New Zealand's capital has been rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes.
The first hit just after 2:30pm local time this Friday.
Measuring a 6.6 on the Richter Scale, the quake hit at a shallow depth of just 8 kilometers in the far north of New Zealand's South Island.
It was strong enough to shake office buildings in downtown Wellington, sending people scattering out to the streets.
"We weren't sure what to do, we sort of ran out in the end, it's kept on going and going and I'm not sure whether that building's safe or not."
"We went under the doorway and it didn't stop and thought like, kind of scary."
Air and rail services have been suspended while officials check the tracks and runways for damage.
The region has also been hit by a series of aftershocks.
No injuries or major damage has been reported.
However, seismic analysts in New Zealand are warning the region stands a good chance of being hit with another earthquake over a magnitude-6 in the next 24-hours.
The same area was hit by a pair of strong earthquakes in July, forcing the closure of Wellington's downtown core for 2 days while crews inspected buildings for seismic damage.
 
 
17, killed, 135 wounded in car bomb in southern Beirut
 
Death toll from a car bombing in the Lebanese capital Beirut has risen to 22.
Over 200 others have been injured in the massive blast.
Witnesses and emergency officials many others are still trapped inside damaged buildings.
A Sunni Muslim group dubbed the Brigades of Aisha has claimed responsibility in an online video.
The group is also threatening to launch further attacks.
Lebanese officials, the UN Security Council and Turkey are condemning the blast.
Sectarian tensions have been heating up in Lebanon over the intervention of Shi'te Muslim Hezbollah against the Sunni rebels fighting Syria's civil war.
Lebanon's Sunni Muslims mostly support the rebels in Syria.
The Shi'ites largely support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The tensions have led to growing frustration among many in Lebanon.
"Concerning the blast that happened yesterday, we are so disgusted because what are the people guilty of? They are seeing how to make a living and look after their children... They do not need to be tortured more and to face explosions. We, as people, are so tired here. Enough, enough from both sides, we want it to end."
The blast in Beiruit comes a month after a car bomb wounded more than 50 people in the same district of the Lebanese capital.
Back in June, Hezbollah helped spearhead the recapture of the strategic town of Qusair for the Syrian government.
 
 
Renewed Terrorism for the US
 
Despite the Obama administration taking proactive action against terrorism in locations in the Middle East and other parts of the world, a growing number of analysts are warning the administration it can't lose focus about the potential for home-grown terrorism.
To that end, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Doctor James Piazza, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Penn State University.
…
Doctor James Piazza, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Pennsylvania State University, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
 
 
Protect Personal Information Online
 
Anchor:
Internet security experts here in China are warning people to enhance the safety of their information online, given that more and more people are choosing to bank and shop online.
CRI's Stuart Wiggin has more.
Reporter:
The internet already plays an important role in people's daily life, but it has become a double-edged sword. People can use the convenience of the internet to obtain information and conduct transactions of various kinds, but at the same time criminals can take advantage of the web in order to conduct fraudulent activities or commit online crimes.
Many internet users believe that their computers are safe if they install some form of anti-virus software.
"In order to protect my personal privacy, I have installed genuine anti-virus software. Every week I would check whether my computer has been infected by a virus."
In addition, other internet users say they try to avoid logging their personal information on the internet in case internet companies take advantage of it.
However, Sui Jin, manager of Beijing Zhiheng Lianmeng Co. Ltd, an internet security company, has his say.
"Installing anti-virus software is a simple way for self-protection. But anti-virus software can only prevent the system from crashing rather than resisting Trojan horse viruses or internet remote attacks on the computer."
Sui adds that in cyberspace, there are several factors threatening personal information; hackers being the most obvious one.
"Hacker attacks are rampant in the global cyberspace. Some attacks are carried out by individuals, while some are organized by institutions to fulfill certain tasks, mostly targeting nations and organizations. With regards to normal internet users, hackers prefer to target a user's personal information and online property."
With personal data being a hot commodity on the black market, the importance of network security cannot be underestimated.
Sui states that the internet has changed the lives and habits of those that use it, but internet users lack awareness when it comes to internet security. What they should do is to focus more on the security awareness.
"Take online payment services for instance, users input passwords to log in; but these passwords are often their birth dates or the numbers they often use. They are easily cracked by certain forms of software. These users need to change their passwords often. In addition, users shouldn't open websites they are not familiar with, because some of them include malicious programs, which could easily make your computers a target for remote attacks."
Sui adds that legislation related to internet management and protection of personal information lags behind. Government and internet companies should realize their responsibilities towards helping internet users know which websites are secure from the millions of websites available online and disseminate information related to internet security awareness.
For CRI, I am Stuart Wiggin.
 
 
Wechat, Weibo vs. SMS
 
Anchor:
With online applications such as WeChat and Weibo home to hundreds of millions of users, industry insiders are offering up advice on how traditional telecom companies can deal with the increasing competition.
CRI's Xu Fei has more.
Reporter:
Tencent's Wechat has become a major tool for instant communication.
Statistics show that the number of WeChat users has already exceeded 300 million.
But according to analyst Lu Jingyu, who works for i-Research Consulting Group, a leading company focusing on in-depth research related to China's internet industry, SMS messages will not be quickly replaced by Over-The-Top services such as Wechat or Weibo private messaging.
"The short messaging service will not disappear in the short term since a large amount of the population is still using it. But in the future, along with the number of rising smartphone users and the development of mobile Internet, I think more and more people will switch to this Over-The-Top service.
.
An Over-The-Top or OTT application is any app or service that provides a product over the Internet and bypasses traditional distribution networks.
As such OTT services become available, Lu Jingyu proposes two ways by which telecommunications companies can tackle the present challenge.
The telecommunications companies may try to invent a competitive instant messaging service of their own. The other way is to cooperate with OTT service providers. But the disadvantage in the first solution lies in the fact that the telecom companies are unfamiliar with making Internet-related products; so their products might not give the users the same comfortable experiences when it's put to use. "
In fact, the popular messaging App -- WeChat is not just conquering user but turning rivals into partners.
China Unicom in Guangdong province and WeChat's owner Tencent are introducing the first joint SIM card.
Users can enjoy both WeChat's new services and discounts from China Unicom.
A marketing manager with China Mobile Guangxi Branch surnamed Su explains his thinking on the ways in which his company can cope with the challenges it now faces.
"The telecommunications companies should explore a specialized and profitable corner of the market to attract customers. This way, the telecommunications companies can cope with the challenges posed by the new WeChat and Weibo private messaging systems. Business innovation is the direction that the three telecom giants should work towards. Innovative development can increase their value."
For CRI, this is Xu Fei.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Asian Stock
 
Asian markets rode a roller-coaster on Friday, with India's rupee hitting a record low, while the Renminbi has hit an all-time high.
At the same time, Chinese stocks were rattled by a trading error.
Chinese shares went on a wild ride, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 1 percent before surging as much as 5.6 percent before giving up all the gains.
The rough ride has been caused by system problems at Everbright Securities.
In addition, the Chinese yuan is now trading at 6.1115 per dollar after touching a record high of 6.1090 against the US dollar.
When the market closed,
The Shanghai Composite shed 0.65 percent.
The Shenzhen Component gave up 0.7 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended flat.
Elsewhere,
Tokyo stocks ended down across the board with the Nikkei 225 tumbling 0.8 percent.
The South Korean market remained closed for the remainder of the trading week because of the Independence Day Holiday.
In Singapore, the Strait Times Index declined 1 percent.
In Sydney, the Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1 percent.
 
 
Corporate news of the week
 
Anchor:
A number of industry analysts are suggesting Chinese companies Huawei or Lenovo might be interested in picking up pieces of Blackberry, if the Canadian-based company does decide to break itself into smaller pieces for sale.
For more on this possibility, CRI's Rebecca Hume spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters, speaking with CRI's Rebecca Hume.
 
 
L'Oreal to buy Chinese skincare firm Magic Holdings
 
French cosmetics conglomerate L'Oreal is working on a deal to buy the Chinese skincare firm—Magic.
L'Oreal is hoping to purchase the Hong Kong-listed firm for about 843 million US dollars in cash.
This means L'Oreal will pay 80-cents US per share for the Chinese company.
That's a 25 percent premium on Magic's closing price from Wednesday.
The deal still needs approval from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
Based in Guangzhou, Magic is famous for its facial masks.
The company generated 200-million US dollars in revenues last year.
 
 
China to Promote M&As in Baby Formula Industry
 
A plan to promote mergers and acquisitions among domestic baby formula producers is reportedly now under consideration by the state council.
Internal sources have revealed the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is set to create a number of large baby formula conglomerates to compete on the international level.
Under the scheme, 3 to 5 companies will be established with annual sales targets of 5 billion yuan.
The same sources also say the number of baby formula producers here in China will be cut down to around 50.
The scheme will see the combined the market share of the top ten Chinese brands surpass 80-percent.
Currently China has 127 baby formula producers.
The sales of the top ten domestic brands make up around 45 percent of the market share.
 
 
China to probe IBM, Oracle, EMC for security concerns: paper
 
Media reports are suggesting the Ministry of Public Security and a cabinet-level research center here in China is preparing to probe IBM, Oracle and EMC over security issues.
The report follows revelations by former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden that the National Security Agency hacked into critical network infrastructure at universities on the mainland and in Hong Kong.
Regulators here in China have already started a slew of investigations into how foreign and domestic companies do business in the country.
 
 
China Kicks off Anti-monopoly Investigations on another Four Sectors
 
A number of new industries are set to face anti-monopoly investigations here in China.
The National Development and Reform Commission is reportedly set to probe the oil, telecommunication, automobile and banking sectors.
A senior official with the NDRC says these 4 sectors are being specifically targeted because they are closely related to people's livelihood.
The same official also notes centrally-run state-owned enterprises will not receive any preferential treatment compared to the probes of foreign-funded or private businesses.
 
 
Rio Tinto to cut 1,700 jobs at its Mongolian operation
 
Rio Tinto has announced its slashing 17-hundred jobs at one of its major mining operations in Mongolia.
The Anglo-Australian mining giant is slashing the jobs after is 5-billion US dollar expansion of it Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine was put on hold.
The Mongolian government is now requiring parliamentary approval for the expansion project.
The Mongolian parliament is currently in recess.
The Oyu Tolgoi project employs nearly 12-thousand staff.
The mine is expected to produce an average of 430-thousand tons of copper and 425-thousand ounces of gold every year for the next 20 years.
The massive mine is set to be one of the biggest drivers of Mongolia's economy this decade, generating up to one-third of the government's revenue by 2019.
 
 
China gold consumption rises amid falling price in first half 2013
 
Gold consumption here in China has hit 706 tons through the fist six months, representing an increase of 54 percent on an annualized basis.
Chen Tao is the Chief of the Shanghai Branch of China National Gold Group.
He says the sales volume of gold accessories is growing steadily year on year. Currently, the Chinese consumers are relatively rational and holding back towards the gold market.
The China Gold Association is reporting gold jewelry consumption is up 44-percent.
The purchase of gold bars is up 87 percent.
However, the industrial use of gold is down nearly 2 percent.
The same report also shows gold production here in China has reached 193 tons in the first half of the year.
That's a 9 percent increase year on year.
 
 
Euro-Zone Current Account Surplus Falls in June
 
The European Central Bank is reporting the surplus of the eurozone's current account has increased in June.
The surplus has come in at 17 billion euros this past month.
The eurozone had a trade surplus of 11.8 billion euros in June.
Official data in the eurozone shows its combined gross domestic product has increased 0.3 percent in the 2nd quarter.
Strong domestic demand in Germany and France has driven the rise in overall GDP.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
U.N. Security Council urges end to violence in Egypt
 
U.N. Security Council has issued a new call for an end to the violence in Egypt.
The call comes after a police crack down on protest camps which had been supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
The 15-member Security Council has held a close-door session about Egypt on Thursday.
Official death toll now stands at 638 with over 3-thousand wounded.
Clashes have continued for a second day in the port city of Alexandria, despite the interim government declaring a month-long state of emergency.
A night-time curfew is still in place in 14 provinces.
 
 
UN Chief and Israeli President Commit to Peace Efforts  
 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has met with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, issuing another call for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The top UN official says direct negotiations remain the single most creditable path towards a solution.
For his part, Peres is calling on the international community to give both sides 9-months to have quiet negotiations.
The Israeli and Palestinian sides restarted direct negotiations in total secrecy Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Ban Ki-moon has also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah earlier this week.
 
 
S. Korea proposes talks on reunions of separated families
 
South Korea has formally proposed working-level talks next week with North Korea about the potential resumption of family reunions.
The concept was floated on Thursday by South Korean President Park Geun-hye during her Independence Day speech.
Park has called on North Korea to begin allowing the family reunions again during the Chuseok festival, which falls on September 19th.
Family reunions were one of the cornerstones of the attempt to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula over the first decade of the 21st century.
However, the reunions were cut off amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula in 2010.
Thousands of Korean families were cut off from one-another at the conclusion of the fighting in the Korean war in 1953.
 
 
Series of powerful quakes rock New Zealand
 
New Zealand's capital has been rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes.
The first hit just after 2:30pm local time this Friday.
Measuring a 6.6 on the Richter Scale, the quake hit at a shallow depth of just 8 kilometers in the far north of New Zealand's South Island.
It was strong enough to shake office buildings in downtown Wellington, sending people scattering out to the streets.
The region has also been hit by a series of aftershocks.
No injuries or major damage has been reported.
 
 
China Kicks off Anti-monopoly Investigations on another Four Sectors
 
A number of new industries are set to face anti-monopoly investigations here in China.
The National Development and Reform Commission is reportedly set to probe the oil, telecommunication, automobile and banking sectors.
A senior official with the NDRC says these 4 sectors are being specifically targeted because they are closely related to people's livelihood.
The same official also notes centrally-run state-owned enterprises will not receive any preferential treatment compared to the probes of foreign-funded or private businesses.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Xinhua
"Violence against doctors on the rise: survey"
A sample survey shows violence against medical staff in Chinese hospitals has been on the rise in recent years.
The sample was released by the Chinese Hospital Association (CHA) on Thursday.
Unsatisfactory treatment, poor communication between patients and doctors, distorted media reports and hefty expenses were blamed for most of the assaults, while social conflicts, loss of trust and unbalanced demand and supply of medical resources underlie the rise in violence.
Meanwhile, medication side effects, product quality, no-fault medical behavior and damage caused by patients' personal conditions contributed to 50 percent of health care-related disputes.
In 2012, a man attacked employees at a local hospital in the city of Hefei in east China's Anhui Province, killing a head nurse and injuring four other people.
Nearly 40 percent of surveyed medical staff said they plan to give up the profession due to the increase in violence.
China Daily
"Three Gorges Dam water flow increase helps spawning"
An experiment to increase water flow from the Three Gorges Dam has helped fish to spawn and softened the negative impact of hydro plants on the ecosystem.
The experiment has been carried out by the Three Gorges Dam and Yangtze River Water Resources Commission to boost water flow since 2011.
The dam released water three times from April to June each year.
The committee found more fish spawning after the water discharge.
Data also found the quantity of fry in the lower reaches of the Three Gorges Dam has fallen dramatically since the reservoir began to store water.
Research by the institute showed that changes in water flow and water temperature were behind the dramatic drop in the number of fish.
The institute's report suggested the water level of the Three Gorges reservoir should be at least 157 meters so there would be sufficient water for spawning.
Fox News
"Unlike! Research links social networking to unhappiness"
Research has shown facebook could be spreading unhappiness through society as well as keeping people connected.
Psychologists claim the number one social networking site is strongly associated with declines in well-being.
Scientists found the more time people spent on Facebook over a two-week period, the worse they subsequently felt.
In contrast, talking to friends on the phone or meeting them in person led to greater levels of happiness.
Study leader Ethan Kross said "On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection, but rather than enhance well-being, we found that Facebook use predicts the opposite result -- it undermines it."
The researchers recruited 82 young adults, all of whom had smartphones and Facebook accounts.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Free online education
 
Anchor:
With rising academic fees and people's busy schedules, more and more people are shiting toward online learning programs, many of which are being offered for free.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
Mythology may be the study of age-old cultures, but this classroom is anything but ancient.
Around 54,000 students around the world are currently taking this course in Greek and Roman mythology. In the studio, there's a camera, recording equipment, computers and technical staff to help Struck, the instructor, to record lectures and conduct live question and answer sessions with students.
The internet-based courses are known as massive, open, online classes or MOOC for short. People around the world are signing up for similar classes in their millions.
MOOCs are barely a year old, but they caught on quickly because they're generally free and save time for people hoping to learn a new subject. Students can go through the material when they have time, and there are online class chat message boards for student discussions.
In the Netherlands, one of MOOCs mythology students Fausia Abdoel says online courses make things easier than they would be in the classroom.
"It's already an online course. People are behind a computer, and they are talking to each other way more easily I have noticed than people do in, during lectures."
But as students don't earn academic credits through MOOC classes and aren't even considered official attendees at the academic institutions, the reason people enroll are often varied.
Struck, the instructor of this course admits that even though he misses the personal interaction of traditional teaching, the benefit is that a greater number of people are able to learn something new.
"What we're here to do as academics is to find out new knowledge and to spread it abroad as widely as we possibly can."
While MOOCs may not be the best form of education, for students who just want well-taught basic courses online learning certainly fits the bill. Having access to prestigious professors without the $50,000 (USD) price tag is changing what it means to get an education.
Currently, China's Peking University has started cooperation with MOOC since May this year, becoming the first Asian University on this open class platform.
Ensuring that where ever you are in the world, a decent education isn't too far away.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Li Na into quarter finals in Cincinatti
 
In tennis action from the Cincinatti Masters...
Chinese 5th seed Li Na is into the semi-finals.
Li Na downing German 9th seed Angelique Kerber in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
She was then supposed to play 4th seed Agniszka Radwanska in the quarter finals after she rolled over Russian Elena Vesnina 6-love, 6-2.
However, Radwanska has pulled out of the tournament to attend the funeral of her grandfather back in Poland.
Li Na will have to wait to see whether she'll play either top seed Serena Williams or unseeded Romanian Simona Halep.
Halep upsetting Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Thursday.
Williams is into the quarter finals after hammering German Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-1.
In the other bracket, it's Italian Roberta Vinci set to take on Jelena Jankovic, while Belerussian Victoria Azarenka will take on Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.
On the men's side,
David Ferrer's tournament in Cincinatti has come to a surprising end.
The 3rd seeded Spainyard has been ousted in straight sets by Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-4.
Tursunov is now set to take on Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter finals, after he powered past Spain's Feliciano Lopez in 3-sets.
In other action on the men's side, it was top seed Novak Djokovic destroying qualifier David Goffin of Belgium 6-2, 6-love.
2nd seeded Andy Murray made quick work of France's Julian Benneteau 6-2, 6-2.
4th seed Raphael Nadal needed three sets to get past hard-hitting Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych are also through.
Berdych hammering Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-love.
Federer making it into the quarters after battling back from a set down to defeat 11th seeded German Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
"Yeah I mean look I had to dig deep and really believe that I can still turn it around after being down 6-1 3-1, it was difficult times for me, not very funny to be honest, now looking back I'm like wow I can't believe I pulled it out but those are the matches I really think I need right now, you know change of surface, all the struggles I've had of late, you know disappointment of Wimbledon so it's a great way to fight back and give me confidence right now."
Last week's finalist, 12th seed Canadian Milos Raonic, has seen his tournament come to an end, going down to American John Isner in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
And in Women's Doubles action.
The Chinese duo of Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei are into the quarter finals after dumping Chan Hao-Ching and her partner from Slovakia 6-3, 6-2.
3rd seeded Peng and Hsieh are set to battle 2nd seeded Russian duo Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the next round.
 
 
Tsonga to miss US Open due to injury
 
French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has announced he's pulling out of the forthcoming US Open because of injury.
The world number-8 has been struggling with a knee injury.
Tsonga has been out of action since the 2nd round of Wimbledon.
He made it into the quarterfinals of the US Open two years ago.
 
 
USTA announces massive overhaul of US Open venue
 
Rain delays at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open tennis tournament will be no more by 2017.
The US Tennis Association has announced plans to put a roof over the US Open championship stadium.
The USTA is also planning major renovations to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.　
Dave Haggerty is the USTA Chair.
"Our strategic vision that you'll see today, when completed will have a couple of new stadiums, it will have a better fan experience. We'll have wider walkways so that people can get around. And, yes, as you've heard, there will be a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium. "
The construction will cost about 100 million US dollars.
The U.S. Open will the last of the four major tournaments to go under cover.
The main stadiums at Wimbledon and the Australian Open already have roofs.
Roland Garros is also being refit with roofs for the French Open.
 
 
Wyndham into round 2, Solheim Cup teeing off
 
In golf,
Round 2 of The Wyndham Championship is set to get underway in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Chris Stroud and Ross Fisher share the first round lead after carding 6-under 64's in the first round.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia sits in 2nd at 5-under.
Garcia hit 17 greens in regulation during his bogey-free round.
The Spaniard is trying to become the first player since Sam Snead in the 1950s to win the tournament in consecutive years.
On the women's side,
The Solheim Cup is set to get underway later on this evening in the US state of Colorado.
The event is the LPGA's version of the Ryder Cup, pitting the best in Europe against the top American golfers.
The US team is the defending champion.
 
 
NFL pre-season action
 
There were 4 games last night in pre-season action from the National Football League.
Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick went 9 for 10, surpassing 100-yards passing, to help lead the Eagles over the Carolina Panthers 14-9.
Nick Foles, who's competing with Vick for the starting QB position, went 6 for 8, including running in a touchdown for the Eagles.
Elsewhere, it was Jay Culter only completing 4 receptions in 5 attempts.
However, the Bears ground game was spectacular in helping Chicago get past San Diego 33-28.
It was Cleveland hammering Detroit 24-3.
And it was Baltimore pivot Joe Flacco going 7 for 9 for 119-yards passing in leading the defending Superbowl Champion Baltimore Ravens over Atlanta 27-23.
 
 
The World Athletics Championships in Moscow on the sixth day
 
A new IAAF Championships record has been set at the World Athletics Championships taking place in Mosow.
Ukrainian high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko has set a new world championships record with his gold-medal winning leap of 2.41 meters.
Bondarenko took a shot at breaking the nearly 2-decades old world record of 2.45-meters.
However, he failed to make 2.46 meters, despite three attempts.
China's Zhang Guowei took ninth in the event with 2.29 meters.
"I was not satisfied with the record. I think I can do it better than I did in the preliminary match . I didn't play my best due to my poor run-up."
Meanwhile,
Several countries have clinched their first world championship golds on day six.
Caterine Ibarguen earned Colombia its first gold after winning in the womens triple jump with a 14.85 meters leap.
Trinidad and Tobago's Jehue Gordon has claimed the first world championship gold for his country in 16 years, winning the 400 meter hurdles.
Gordon edging out American Michael Tinsley by one one-hundredth of a second.
"I'm going to give my coach a big nice hug. I'm going to give my medical team a big nice hug. And my family, I'm going to thank them for being there. I'm happy not only for myself, but for my country."
Olympic bronze medalist Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic has taken gold in the womens 400 meter hurdles.
Sweden's Abeba Aregawi has triumphed in the women's 1500 meters.
Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi has powered to a third consecutive world title in the 3000 metres steeplechase.
The United States still leads the medal count with 14 in total, including 4 golds.
Kenya and Russia is the second and the third respectively.
China is in 18th place, with 1 silver and 2 bronzes.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Linkin Park 's world tour in Hong Kong
 
US Nu-metal outfit Linkin Park rocked Hong Kong last night, stopping over on their "Living Things" World Tour.
The Grammy winning artists treated fans to a mix of classic hits such as "Numb" as well as new tracks from their latest album, Living Things.
The band, who formed back in 1996, played to a mammoth crowd spanning different generations, a testimony to their lasting resonance with music fans.
Hong Kong was also chosen to host the 9th Linkin Park Underground Summit this year, allowing the fan community to gather, meet their idols and revel in all things Linkin Park.
Some attendees had even travelled to Hong Kong from the mainland and across Asia especially for the occasion.
The band continues their Asia tour in Taipei tomorrow.
 
 
Bruce Springsteen announces new tour dates
 
Bruce Springsteen confirmed a brand new set of tour dates!
The Boss and his E Street Band will be heading to Australia and New Zealand early next year.
Springsteen completed a marathon 128 show world tour earlier this year.
Springsteen's manager said that the decision to return to Australia was down to the crowd making it the "very best and most satisfying" gigs.
The Boss has reportedly been plotting to made way back to Victoria ever since he wrapped up his show their at the end of March.
This time round, Springsteen and his band will spend a month playing at a wider selection of venues around the two countries.
The tour is set to kick off in Perth on 7th February next year and wrap up on March 1st in Auckland.
 
 
Moby hits out at Robin Thicke
 
Whilst the song might be the hit of the summer, the accompanying music video has attracted endless controversy.
Electronic artist Moby has hit out at Robin Thicke for the now infamous "Blurred Lines" video.
Directed by veteran Diane Martel, the uncensored version of the video features naked girls being courted by Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell.
Moby says he is far from impressed.
"I have no issue with nudity. I do, maybe it's because I was raised by feminist and progressive hippies, but I do take issue with like middle-aged guys in suits being fond on by naked women. There's something, it's just like, the precedent for that is not wonderful."
The 47 year old adds that the video seems to embody a pop trend.
" I really believe that like the world would be a better place if men were barred from politics. But it's sort of been baffling to me that misogyny sort of came back into popular culture."
Moby's comments were made during a promotional drill for his latest studio album, "Innocents".
The record features collaborations with the likes of Cold Specks, Skylar Grey and Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips.
"Innocnents" hits record stores on 1st October.
 
 
Shanghai Ballet Company's Jane Eyre wows London
 
Shanghai Ballet Company's imagining of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is wowing London.
The show, which premiered in China last November, made its international debut in London's Coliseum this week to a crowd of over 2000.
The creators of the show were keen to bring their fresh take on the British classic to a British audience.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has praised the show as a "fantastic example" of how China and the UK are "growing closer" through cultural exchange.
Critics have praised the show's eclectic use of music, daring composition and powerful exposition of the characters of Rochester and Bertha.
The special five show run wraps up this Sunday.
 
 
That 70s Show star Lisa Robin Kelly dies
 
Lisa Robin Kelly, former star of cult comedy That '70s Show has passed away aged 43.
The actress played Laurie, the elder sister of Eric Forman, in the hit show.
Kelly died in her sleep at a rehab clinic in California where she had been receiving treatment.
The cause of her death remains unclear.
Kelly's agent issued a statement saying that the actress had voluntarily checked herself into the facility earlier in the week to seek treatment for addiction.
Recent years had been a trial for the TV star who had troubles with the law for DUI and assault.
That 70s Show co-star Danny Masterson paid tribute to Kelly via Twitter, lamenting the "terrible, awful" news.
 
 
Shailene Woodley to donate hair to charity
 
Divergent star Shailene Woodley has announced that she will be cutting off her hair and donating it to charity.
The actress is set to play a teenage cancer patient in upcoming film The Fault in Our Stars, adapted from John Green's number 1 best seller of the same name
The Josh Boone directed project will also feature Woodley's Divergent co-star Ansel Elgort as an ex-basketball player and amputee.
Woodley will be donating her hair to the charity Children with Hair Loss, which makes wigs for children.
The young starlet says she feel honoured to be able to make a difference to someone in need and will be joined by her mother who has pledged to do the same.
"The Fault in Our Stars" being shooting this month and will also feature Jurassic Park actress Laura Dern.
The film is scheduled for release some time next year.