新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/08/05

 Rebecca Hume with you on this Monday, August 5th, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
China halts all New Zealand dairy imports over wide tainted reports
US extends embassy closures amid attack threat
Aussie Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sets date for national elections
Business
July non-manufacturing PMI rises to 54.1%
Sports
Sun Yang wins third gold at Barcelona, named Best Male Swimmer
Entertainments
Peter Capaldi is revealed as the 12th Doctor Who
Plus
Special reports take a look at Barcelona FC bringing a new football workshop to Palestine
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today, with a high of 32 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see thundershowers tonight with a low of 23.
In Shanghai, it will see thundershowers today, 38 the high, and it will be clear tonight, the low of 30 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 10 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 33.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 33.
And in North America
New York, overcast, with a high of 26 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 28
Houston, thundershowers, 34.
Honolulu, sunny, 30.
Toronto, moderate rain, 21
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 32 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China halts all New Zealand dairy imports over wide tainted reports
 
Anchor:
Chinese authorities have halted all imports of New Zealand milk powders from Australia and New Zealand.
It comes as China's top quality watchdog names importers of potentially tainted products from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra.
Those four importers include China's largest beverage producer Wahaha and children's nutrition company Dumex.
Liu Peizhi is the Vice Minister of the administration.
"You must ascertain the true situation, analyze the causes, and take swift measures to halt sales and recall all food that contains the contaminated material as soon as possible."
Tim Groser, New Zealand's Trade Minister, says the move is "appropriate".
"The authorities in China, in my opinion absolutely appropriately, have stopped all imports of New Zealand milk powders from Australia and New Zealand. It's better to do blanket protection for your people and then wind it back when we, our authorities, are in a position to give them the confidence and advice that they need before doing that."
The companies involved here in China have issued recalls of their products.
It comes amid reports whey protein produced by Fonterra in May 2012 was found to contain clostridium botulinum, which can cause highly toxic food poisoning.
The protein is used in a range of products, including infant milk powder.
Fonterra is New Zealand's biggest exporter, it sells over 370-thousand tons of infant formula each year to China.
For more on this we're joined live on the line with Mike Bastian, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
Questions:
1. Consumer confidence in domestic products took a hit after the milk scandal in 2008, with more Chinese parents switching to imported baby formula.
How is this latest news going to effect consumer confidence here in China?
2. Chinese authorities have long called for tighter supervision over dairy products.
Do you expect now even tighter safety measures for dairy products and in what ways?
3. China is the largest importer of New Zealand dairy products and most of China's dairy imports also come from New Zealand.
Will there be any impact on dairy product trading between the two countries?
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
 
 
US extends embassies closure amid attack threat
 
The United States has closed 21 of it's embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa, a day after US authorities warn of an al-Qaeda attack.
Embassies closed on Sunday include Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Dhaka.
State department in Washington says US diplomatic missions in Algiers, Kabul and Baghdad are also closed.
Closures are expected to last for up to a week as a precautionary measure.
It is also being reported heavy military is surrounding the US embassy in Yemen's capital of Sanaa following the closure of the US embassy there.
Meanwhile, U.S. state department has issued a global travel warning to US citizens about the threat of an attack.
The alert is expected to last until the end of this month.
US says the alert follows intercepted electronic communications among senior operatives of al-Qaeda.
General Martin Dempsey is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"It is an al-Qaeda affiliated threat. Yes, it is of the al-Qaeda branch. The intent is to attack Western, not just US interests. It is more specific and we are taking it seriously, which I think you'd expect us to do. Yes, there is a significant threat stream and we're reacting to it."
The US says the potential for an attack is particularly acute in the Middle East and North Africa, with also possible threats on the Arabian Peninsula.
Officials are pointing specifically to Yemen, the home of al-Qaeda's offshoot.
Britain, France and Germany have also announced they will close their offices in Yemen for at least two days.
 
 
New Iranian president Hasan Rouhani speaks of moderation and reconciliation with the West
 
Iran's parliament has inaugurated Hassan Rouhani as the country's President.
Rouhani is promising a government of "prudence and hope" representing all Iranians.
"The respected people of Iran voted positively for moderation and distancing from extremism, the thinking and executing core of the government will be based on moderation and wisdom. Moderation means balance between aspirations and reality, and the preference of national interest above those of the party."
Rouhani, who is a moderate cleric won a landslide victory in the June 14th presidential elections, was endorsed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier on Saturday.
In his inauguration speech, Rouhani continued his call for dialogue with the West, while asking foreign powers to respect Iran in its negotiations.
The United States has said it can be a "willing partner" of Iran, if Rouhani seeks to resolve nuclear disagreements.
Iran is currently under United Nations sanctions, as well as unilateral Western oil and banking sanctions because of its nuclear programs.
 
 
Israel adds 9 West Bank settlements on national priority list as peace talks resumed only recently
 
The Israeli cabinet has approved 91 Jewish settlements onto a national priority funding list.
This includes nine settlements in the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
"Today we will pass a law, not a law, but a government decision for an updated national priority list of communities. In this list, we will determine which additional communities are entitled to receive a national priority."
The decision to put nine more West Bank settlements on the list may hinder recently-renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Peace talks between the two sides were halted in 2010 over Israel's settlement construction.
Israeli and Palestinians negotiators only resumed peace talks this past Tuesday, after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry maneuvered for months to get the two sides back onto the negotiation table.
Earlier, both sides agreed the next round of talks would be held in Israel in the second week of August.
 
 
Kevin Rudd set date for Aussie national elections
 
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has set the date for the country's national elections.
Rudd says the elections will be held on September 7th.
The election will take place just over two months after Rudd returned home as Prime Minister, after toppling Julia Gillard in a party-room vote late June.
"This afternoon I visited the Governor-General and her excellency has accepted my advice an election be held on Saturday the 7th of September. The time has come for the Australian people to decide on our nation's future because they are the ones who we in this parliament are elected to serve."
Rudd's Labor government currently holds 71 seats, the opposition 72, with one Green and six independent cross benchers.
　　
With Julia Gillard as prime minister, the polls suggested an electoral wipe-out for Labor.
But the latest polls suggest that Rudd has lifted Labor's support to give the government a chance of victory.
 
 
First companion robot heads to ISS
 
Anchor
The International Space Station will soon have another guest.
This time it is a talking robot coming from Japan.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Meet Mirata, a tiny talking robot.
Mirata's counterpart Kirobo is now on an historic mission into the space.
Mirata says "it's one small step for me, a giant leap for robots".
Kirobo is now onboard an un-manned space cargo transporter heading to the ISS, while Mirata, stays on Earth.
The name Kirobo derives from the Japanese words "Hope" and "Robot," while Mirata comes from the word "Future."
While conventional robots in space have usually been tasked with maintenance or mechanical operations, Kirobo's mission is to be a companion to Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata onboard the International Space Station.
Tomotaka Takahashi is the robot creator at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology.
"Space is such a faraway and extreme environment - the most (challenging) part of it is to make a highly reliable robot, one that is stable."
The robonauts are capable of recognising human voices and speech, have pre-programmed responses and actions to questions, while they can also create verbal responses based on previous conversations.
Kirobo is also equipped with a facial recognition camera, as well as a camera that is capable of recording images.
The project's general manager at Toyota, Fuminori Kataoka, says the Japanese heart of conversation, of listening and responding occasionally with "uh-huh"s　and "ahem"s, are what makes a difference in making a conversation come to life.
"When you communicate with one another with the feeling of compassion, there will be a response, something comes back. I believe Mr. Wakata (Koichi Wakata, Japanese astronaut) strongly feels the same way too, and as someone who holds the trust of many people, I'm hopeful they will be able to communicate well."
Kirobo is awaiting the real astronuant Wakata's arrival at the International Space Station, this November.
Keeping an astronaut company for months will be no small task, but it will be a step forward in realizing Kirobo and Mirata's dream: "to create a future where humans and robots can be friends and live together."
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Severe drought causes crop damage, water shortage in Southern China
 
A severe drought has affected China's southern provinces over recent weeks, causing drinking water shortages and damaging crops.
Over 1.3 million people in Hunan province are suffering from water shortages.
In the city of Hengyang, authorities say a total of 295 rivers have completely dried up, affecting over 200,000 hectares of farmland.
Zou Changchu is a local villager.
"The crops all look like they are ready to harvest and the color has turned golden. Actually, it is empty inside, without any rice."
The city has seen over 40 days of high temperatures without rainfall.
Local fire departments are delivering water to remote mountainous areas which have been severely affected by the drought.
A number of cities and towns are also preparing to create artificial rain to ease the drought.
High temperatures and drought have also affected other provinces and regions in southern China including Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou.
The national meteorological bureau says the southern part of the country will continue to see high temperatures in the following days, with the highest temperatures of 41 degree Celsius to hit some areas.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Market preview
 
Anchor
Let's get a preview of what's happening in the business world this week.
Here's CRI's Su Yi .
Reporter
A number of crucial events due throughout this week.
Continuing global themes are likely to centre around US tapering talk in response to Friday's disappointing jobs data, recent Chinese slowdown and forward guidance in the eurozone.
In the U.S., the US ISM non-manufacturing PMI figure is due today. The figure is hoped to provide an understanding of the strength of the services sector.
In the Eurozone, the German factory orders figure will be released on Tuesday and the industrial production figure is expected on Wednesday.
In the UK, the week begins strongly with the release of the services PMI figure today. Later in the week, the main event comes in the format of the Bank of England inflation report on Wednesday.
The central bank is going to address the issue of forward guidance regarding interest rates and the alternate methods to boost the economy.
The Canadian jobs data is due out on Friday, with the employment change and unemployment rates likely to portray further stability in the region.
An interesting week in Asia given the release of the latest BoJ monetary policy decision and statement along with the Chinese trade balance figure on Thursday.
Over in China, we are awaiting to the trade balance figure on Thursday
 
 
July non-manufacturing PMI rises to 54.1%
 
China has released July's figures for the country's non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index.
The figure saw a slight up-turn from the previous month.
July's PMI stood at 54.1 percent.
It is up from 53.9 percent for June.
A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates expansion.
The improving non-manufacturing figure is in line with China's manufacturing PMI.
The index rose in July to 50.3 percent from 50.1 percent in June.
Analysts say the slight increase indicated a good start for China's economy in the second half of the year.
A robust service sector is being reported as the main driving force for non-manufacturing activity.
China's non-manufacturing PMI is based on a survey of about 1,200 companies across 27 industries.
 
 
Major auction giants promote online services
 
Anchor
Both domestic and international auction houses have held online auctions of artworks in recent weeks.
Debates on the advantages and disadvantages of this form of auctioning are heating up.
CRI's Siqi has more.
Reporter
Christie's, the world's leading fine art auction house, launched two online auctions. The auctions sold Chinese works of art, including snuff bottles from a private New York Collection. When Christie's decided to hold an online auction in Asia, China's domestic auction giant, Poly International Auction Company, did the same, in the expectation of upgrading the current auction market.
But the question is, will buyers embrace online auctions? And how will the emergence of online auctions affect traditional auctions?
Art critic Zhu Xiaojun says that compared to traditional auctions, online auctions surpass the limitations of time and space. It enables people far away from the art to get to know and buy items more conveniently.
Zhu Xiaojun believes that online art auctions will be a future trend.
"It will become a trend in the art market because the Chinese economy now appreciates the transformation to e-commerce and e-branding; I believe its presence in the art market is inevitable."
In Beijing, some of the larger auction houses are already planning online auctions. Meanwhile, around one thousand artwork trading websites are entering this market.
However, that does not mean the online auction will totally replace the traditional auction, which maintains its own value that cannot be matched.
Li Dexin, a professional collector of inscriptions, has online bidding experience that spans almost ten years. About 30% of his collections are from online bids, with values ranging from hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.
Li Dexin says that he is conservative regarding online bidding for artworks due to the current Auction Law of China, which states that if the auction broker and consignor declare that they cannot assure the genuineness or quality of the item prior to the auction, they shall not be liable for assurance against defects.
This is also the reason why online bidding markets are crowded with middle-and-low end items.
Insiders also believe that perhaps an ideal approach is to make use of both the online and traditional approaches for auction so that the exhibition of the products can take place at the same time as the online bidding. This may indeed be a more appropriate form of artwork auction to consider for the future.
That was CRI's Siqi reporting.
 
 
Risk in local govt debt "well under control"
 
Top Chinese officials are suggesting the risk element of local government funding vehicles is well under control.
Shang Fulin, head of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, made the comments in a recent televison interview.
Shang believes the risk exposure of lending to local governments is small because most loans are long-term and contained by effective regulations and controls.
He warns of the possibility of defaults on some lending to local governments.
But he also assures the commission will classify lending and take various measures to manage it.
These measures include controlling the total loan amount, increasing asset-backed financing and establishing a long-term mechanism to push forward the optimization of the credit structure of local governments.
By the end of June, outstanding loans via local government funding vehicles stood at 9.7 trillion yuan.
It was up 6.2 percent year-on-year.
Last week China carried out a nationwide review of government debt.
The precise amount of regional and local government-related debt outstanding is unknown.
 
 
MOF to float 23.8b yuan in local govt bonds
 
The Ministry of Finance here in China is set to issue 23.8 billion yuan of five-year bonds on behalf of local governments.
It is the sixth of its kind this year.
The bonds will become tradable on August 9th.
The six local governments include Heilongjiang province, Xiamen city, Hunan province, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Tibet autonomous region and Qinghai province.
China is scheduled to sell local government bonds worth a combined total of 350 billion yuan in 2013.
It marks the most since 2009.
The move is said to meet growing expenditure demands.
 
 
Vodafone sues Telecom Italia for one billion euros
 
British telecoms provider Vodafone Group, is suing Telecom Italia for abusing its dominant position in Italy.
Vodafone is seeking damages of more than 1-billion euros.
Vodafone claims Telecom Italia committed a series of abuses from 2008 to 2013 "with the intention and effect of impeding growth in competition in the Italian fixed-line market".
Telecom Italia has rejected the claim.
Italy's competition authority fined Telecom Italia about 104 million euros for abusing its dominant market position back in May.
Telecom Italia has said it would appeal against the antitrust fine.
The company runs Italy's largest fixed-line telephone network.
23 percent of Vodafone Italy is owned by the British firm's U.S. partner Verizon Communications.
 
 
New York Times sells Boston Globe to Red Sox owner
 
The New York Times has reportedly agreed to sell The Boston Globe to the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team for $70 million in cash.
It is less than a tenth of what the New York Times paid.
The New York Times bought the newspaper for $1.1 billion back in 1993.
The sale also includes the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, as well as related digital properties of both papers, and a direct mail marketing company.
Newspapers across the U.S. have been hit by plunging advertising revenues and readers who increasingly prefer to get their news on smart phones and tablets.
New York Times has been selling off its business in TV and radio, regional papers, digital companies, and in sports ventures.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China halts all New Zealand dairy imports over wide tainted reports
 
Chinese authorities have halted all imports of New Zealand milk powders from Australia and New Zealand.
It comes as China's top quality watchdog names importers of potentially tainted products from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra.
Those four importers include China's largest beverage producer Wahaha and children's nutrition company Dumex.
The companies involved here in China have issued recalls of their products.
It comes amid reports whey protein produced by Fonterra in May 2012 was found to contain clostridium botulinum, which can cause highly toxic food poisoning.
The protein is used in a range of products, including infant milk powder.
Fonterra is New Zealand's biggest exporter, it sells over 370-thousand tons of infant formula each year to China.
 
 
US extends embassies closure amid attack threat
 
The United States has closed 21 of it's embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa, a day after US authorities warn of an al-Qaeda attack.
Embassies closed on Sunday include Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Dhaka.
State department in Washington says US diplomatic missions in Algiers, Kabul and Baghdad are also closed.
Closures are expected to last for up to a week as a precautionary measure.
It is also being reported heavy military is surrounding the US embassy in Yemen's capital of Sanaa following the closure of the US embassy there.
 
 
Chinese police rescue baby allegedly sold by doctor
 
Police in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have rescued a newborn baby who was allegedly sold to human traffickers by a doctor.
Six suspects involved in the trafficking have been arrested.
Local authorities say the baby boy was sold for some 20-thousand yuan one day after his birth.
Local police say they are investigating five other similar cases reported in the same hospital.
 
 
July non-manufacturing PMI rises to 54.1%
 
China has released July's figures for the country's non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index.
The figure saw a slight up-turn from the previous month.
July's PMI stood at 54.1 percent.
It is up from 53.9 percent for June.
A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates expansion.
 
 
Dying US boy is best man at parents' wedding
 
A dying two-year-old boy in the United States has served as the best man at his parents' wedding.
Logan Stevenson has acute myeloid leukaemia.
Doctors have given the boy weeks to live.
Logan was held by his grandmother during the ceremony.
He himself held on to his favorite stuffed rabbit.
His mother says "this is our dream come true".
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Shanghai Daily
Summer drownings warning
Shanghai youth authorities are warning parents to keep a close eye on their children in summer, following a series of drowning accidents.
TV reports claim that between 30 to 50 children have died in drowning accidents in the past three months in the city.
China Daily
Young overseas Chinese attend root-seeking camp
Four thousand young Chinese born overseas have gathered in Beijing to revisit their roots.
The youngsters are from 55 countries and regions participating in a five-day "root-seeking summer camp".
Beijing News
Topping-out ceremony held for China's tallest building
A topping-out ceremony has been for China's tallest building, which remains under construction until its scheduled completion in 2015.
Construction workers placed the last beam on the main structure of the "Shanghai Tower".
The 125-story building, now 580 meters high, is scheduled to reach a final height of 632 meters upon completion in 2015.
Global Times
New legislation planned to boost Chinese readership
China's press and publication watchdog says that reading has been included as part of a national legislation plan.
The government says average literacy rates in the country are lower than those of developed countries. Improving literacy is a systematic effort and creating relevant regulations is necessary.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
FC Barcelona Brings Football Workshops to Palestine
 
Anchor
Spanish football club FC Barcelona, or Barca, has started its Middle East tour in Palestine.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter
In the West Bank city of Dura, over 24,000 audiences witnessed the special football workshops held by FC Barcelona players for 40 Palestinian children.
These Palestinian boys and girls, aged between 8 and 12, are from the Palestinian football academy. In the 30-minute training session, they followed the orders of the players to practice mastering football the Barca way.
The children could not contain their excitement at the intimate contact with their idols.
"I'm so happy to play football with them. Neymar is my favorite player. He plays very well."
Palestine is the first stop on Barca's "Peace Tour". Hassan Faraj, a member of the Palestinian Council of Youth and Sports, says it is a historic tour for the Palestinian people.
"When Barcelona comes here to support the peace, it means very important things for the people here under occupation. We feel there is a hope now and they can support the justice and they can support the peace here in the holy land. Until now we hope we can continue our struggle under occupation to reach the peace process. And we hope that by the next tour for Barcelona, the Palestinian people will be free and the occupation will be ended."
Meeting face to face with these football stars who were previously only seen on TV makes Palestinian fans crazy. Long before the team's visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem earlier that day, the excited Palestinian crowd had blocked the roads near the church. Some boys waited on the walls for hours just for a glimpse of their idols.
"They are very good players. I love Messi and Iniesta. I will say to them: welcome to Palestine."
An Arab fan has come from the northern Israeli city of Nazareth to support the "Peace Tour", especially the players' interactions with children.
"Very nice for them to be here. I hope they will be happy. They will make more things for the children, more than the big people."
Despite the ongoing occupation, the visit by Barca brings hope and inspiration to the Palestinian people, says the host of the training session.
"Today, FC Barcelona shows the whole world that we Palestinians are not alone, that we are together to fight for equality and fair play. Thank you for being here for supporting our message that football is for all!"
After the visit to Palestine, the FC Barcelona members will pay a visit to Israel on Sunday and interact with local Jewish and Arab children. All proceeds from the "Peace Tour" will be donated to the promotion of peace between Israelis and Palestinians through the values of sport.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Sun Yang wins third gold at Barcelona, named Best Male Swimmer
 
The FINA World Championships have drawn to a close after a thrilling final day of competition yesterday.
One of the most dramatic victories of the night was when China's Sun Yang won his 3rd gold medal in the 1500 meter freestyle.
The 22-year old became only the second man ever to complete a treble in that event at a world championship.
On Saturday, American Katie Ledecky won her fourth gold medal and set her second world record after winning the 800m freestyle.
That victory also made her the first woman to win gold in the three freestyle middle-long-distance events.
Sun and Ledecky were awarded this year's Best Male and Female Swimmer awards for their incredible performances at this year's championships.
Also over the weekend,
Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho won his third consecutive world championship in the mens 50m freestyle.
Chad Le Clos of South Africa took gold in the 100m butterfly.
Jeanette Ottesen Gray of Denmark won the womens 50m butterfly. And China's Lu Ying came in right on her heels for second.
And America's Missy Franklin won the womens 200m backstroke.
Female swimmers shined at this year's championships in Barcelona, writing a total of six new world records.
 
 
Poor weather forced early end to day four at the Ashes
 
Australia's Ashes hopes are hanging by a thread after poor weather brought an early end to day four of the third test at Old Trafford.
Australia's batsmen were trying to build their lead when umpires deemed conditions too dangerous for play.
At the time, Australia was 7-172 with an overall lead of 331. Michael Clarke was 30 and Ryan Harris had yet to score.
The Australian side was understandably frustrated by the call, but English wicket keeper Matt Prior backed up the umpires decision.
"It was dark, it certainly was getting dark. It's up to the umpires when we come off. They control the game and certainly from two three overs there at the end the light had dropped. You can always tell when the flood lights come, when they're aiding natural light you can tell and when it drops below that, when you're out in the middle it does make a massive difference."
David Warner did most of the runscoring for Australia. Warner rejoined the team for the third test after being suspended for punching English player Joe Root in a bar during the ICC Champions..
Ironically, Warner was caught out to Joe Root yesterday, but the Australian batsman had a good sense of humor about it.
"Yeah, hooked another one to Rooty (Joe Root). (laughs) Of all the people on the field it's quite comical. I'll just wait to read Twitter a bit later."
Australia's only chance at staying alive in this series will be to bowl England out in the final day at Old Trafford.
Also in international cricket, South Africa won the three-match Tenty20 International series against Sri Lanka with a 22-run victory yesterday.
 
 
Tiger Woods coasts his way to eighth win at Firestone
 
Tiger Woods has coasted his way to a big victory at the Bridgeton Invitational.
The world no. one pared 16 holes on Sunday for an even-par 70, easily beating defending champ Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson by seven strokes.
That was Wood's eighth win at Firestone, a golf course he's historically played well on.
"I've always liked golf courses that are straightforward, classic golf courses and this is certainly one of them and it's always fit my eye - ever since I first came here it's just one of those venues. I've had a few courses like that on Tour that fit my eye and this is one of them."
That victory also meant Wood's 79th career PGA Tour win. To put it in perspective, that's three behind all time great Sam Snead's record of 82.
That win sets Tiger up as one of the clear favorites for next week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
In the LPGA,
Stacey Lewis has triumphed at the Ricoh Womens British Open. The American finished with an even-par 72 after capping the finishing round with beautiful back-to-back birdies.
Inbee Park fell far short of the glory she had hoped to attain by winning what would have been her fourth straight major. Park finished 14 shots behind, good enough for a tie in 42nd place.
 
 
World's top badminton players are in Guangzhou for the World Championships
 
The 2013 Badminton World Championships get underway in Guangzhou later today.
About 400 of the world's top players representing five continents will take part in the prestigious tournament.
Today's events include the opening rounds of mens singles, womens doubles, and mixed doubles.
Play will begin later this morning at 10.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Entertainment TV star is returning for a second time to host the Academy Awards, adds Oscar clips
 
Comic and daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres has been picked to host the Academy Awards for a second time.
(Oscar Clips)
The movie awards show will air on ABC on March 2nd.
With DeGeneres, the producers went for a star that Hollywood and television viewers were familiar and comfortable with.
Critics seem to have good things to say about the host, after a 2007 gig, The Associated Press wrote that "like her, the evening was easygoing, comfortable and relatively unsurprising."
DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy Award for her last gig.
Her daytime talk show has won 45 Daytime Emmys during a decade on the air.
The Oscars, with 40.3 million viewers this year, is very often the year's most-watched television event after the Super Bowl.
 
 
Batman vs Superman: Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin up for Bruce Wayne role?
 
Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin are among a list of actors who are reportedly being sought to play Batman.
Warner Bros is said to have drawn up a shortlist of stars to take on the role of Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Batman vs Superman project.
Gosling is the youngest actor on the supposed list at 32, followed by British star Matthew Goode.
True Blood star Joe Manganiello - who narrowly missed out on playing Clark Kent in Man of Steel - is also said to be in contention for Batman.
Sources have also claimed that Josh Brolin is the "frontrunner" to play the role, while The Hobbit's Richard Armitage and Pacific Rim's Max Martini have also been mentioned.
The studio is also said to be seeking an actor in his mid-40s to play a "grizzled" version of Batman in the film.
Batman vs Superman is scheduled for release in 2015, with a possible shoot to begin in early 2014.
 
 
Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi revealed as 12th Doctor
 
Actor Peter Capaldi has been announced as the new star of BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.
(Doctor Who Clip)
The 55-year-old Glasgow-born star will be the 12th actor to play the Doctor, replacing outgoing lead Matt Smith.
Capaldi is best known for his role as foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC series 'The Thick of It'.
It is not the first time Capaldi has appeared on the show - he played Roman merchant Caecilius in 2008 Doctor Who adventure The Fires of Pompeii.
At 55, he is the same age as William Hartnell when he was cast in the role as the first Doctor in 1963.
Steven Moffat, the show's lead writer and executive producer say that Capaldi has been cast after a secret audition at his house.
Capaldi will film his first scenes on the series this autumn.
 
 
Highlights from Eason Chan's sold out show Eason's Life Concert 2013
 
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan has wrapped up his highly anticipated concert, saying he will be taking a break from touring and will next focus on bringing his own creativity to his music.
Completing 23 shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum, the award-winning "King of Asian Pop" was thankful for the support his fans has shown him.
Stars such as actress Zhang Ziyi and singer Jacky Cheung, were spotted in the audience at previous shows.
"Honestly, the atmosphere from the last few shows has already been amazing. The audience is great. And tonight, everyone was already on their feet early on. They didn't sit down. That made me feel especially touched. I knew today was our last show so I didn't feel particularly sad. I'm very happy, very grateful for everyone who came to the show."
Chan says he will spend the next few years figuring out what he wants to achieve musically, and gain more control over his own music.
Chan's recent sell out concert tour which has just ended, was a major success.