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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping calling on people from the mainland and Taiwan to remember history together...

China's top legislator delivering a keynote address to a United Nations conference for speakers of Parliamentary bodies...

And Thai Authorities arresting the main suspect behind the recent Bangkok bombings...

In Business...China's manufacturing PMI contracts in August...

In Sports...China's women's Volleyball team claim a big win over Argentina....

And in Entertainment.... the curtain rises on the 72nd Venice Film Festival...

Top NewsXi meets with former KMT chairmanXi Jinping, in his capacity as general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called on people of the mainland and Taiwan together to remember history, unite to safeguard peace, and promote cross-Strait relations and national rejuvenation.

Xi Jinping made the remarks while meeting with Lien Chan, former chairman of Taiwan's ruling party, the Kuomintang.

A Taiwan delegation is in Beijing to attend events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Xi Jinping said the victory is "China's first complete victory against foreign invasion in modern times", to which both the CPC and the KMT made important contributions.

He added that the achievement was made through the struggle of the entire nation, including Chinese compatriots in Taiwan.

HK chief executive to attend V-Day commemorations in BeijingHong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying will lead a delegation to Beijing on Wednesday to attend the V-day commemorative activities.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government confirmed the news via its website on Tuesday.

At the invitation of the central government, the delegation comprises members from various sectors of the community, and the activities include a commemorative rally, military parade and a cultural gala.

Veterans of "Flying Tigers" recall flights over Hump during WWIIAnchor:

Former members of an American volunteer group, known as the "Flying Tigers," who assisted China during the war, have taken time to reflect on their experience during the War.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

reporter:

92-year-old Roy Dillon and 94-year-old Wes Ament are members of the "Flying Tigers", officially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force.

Since May 1942, the two veterans started to undertake flying missions over the Hump, above the Himalayan mountains.

The so-called "death route" was built to transport military supplies to China, after the last land route connecting southwest China's Yunnan and Myanmar was ruined by Japanese troops.

Dillon says the flying conditions were very difficult for them.

"The Japanese at one time had control of that (Myanmar), and that's why we had to move to fly these northern routes. And the C-47 didn't have the altitude capability or the climbing ability or the weight-carrying ability to fly these high altitudes."The "Flying Tigers" later used the more advanced transport plane, the C-46, with a higher loading capability. But the flying conditions in the high-altitude mountainous area and hazardous weather still made the flight a challenge for pilots.

Dillon flew over the Hump 174 times and for nearly 720 hours between 1944 and 1945. He lost a lot of companions during that period.

"From June to December of 1943, 153 airplanes crashed and 186 airmen lost their lives. Altogether during the war there were 1,300 airmen lost and over 500 airplanes lost."Wes Ament recalls that he started to fly the transport plane C-87 that was refitted from a B-24 bomber aircraft on Jan. 6, 1945 and had flown 185 hours in two months.

Ament and Dillon now live in the Calaveras County of California. Old age has prevented them from making a long journey to China, and thus they will not attend the Sept. 3 military parade in Beijing which marks the victory of World War II.

"We've already waited too long to be able to go over and participate in the celebration, but our hearts will be there."Dillon says as small as their contribution was, it is something that they are proud of.

"We were able to contribute to the victory over the Japanese during WWII. As little as it was, it was still something that I'm proud of and Wes is proud of. We consider it a privilege to be able to contribute to that."For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

U.S. veteran remembers cooperation between Chinese and Americans during WWIIA U.S. veteran says that both Americans and Chinese should remember the spirit of cooperation between the two sides during World War II.

Colonel John Easterbrook is the grandson of famous General Joseph Warren Stilwell.

"We have to remember what they fought and what they sacrificed for. We have to also remember the spirit of cooperation that existed during those years between the American people and the Chinese people in the face of unprovoked aggression. We must never let history forget what so many gave up so much for."Easterbrook says his grandfather sacrificed much to help the Chinese people fight against Japanese aggression.

He adds that his grandfather used to keep diaries during the war, and that he could truly feel the hardship and cruelty of those battles while reading those words.

Easterbrook has received an invitation letter from China to attend the military parade on Thursday in Beijing.

He says that even though he cannot attend the event, he'll pay close attention to the parade, especially the veterans, since they should be remembered and honored.

Beijing prepared for 40,000-plus audience on parade dayBeijing has increased the number of seats on Tiananmen Square to host an audience of 40,000 people for the Victory Day parade on September 3.

The seats have been designed to ensure comfort and can be adjusted based on individual preferences.

Fifty thousand square meters of waterproof tarps are being used to cover the seats before the parade.

Staff member Yu Zhi says two 360-square-meter screens are being installed on the square to improve the audience's experience.

"We used 3,600 pixels per square meter for the 60th National Day. This time it is 10,000 pixels."Beijing has prepared 46,000 viewer's gift bags for the parade audience members and will place them under the seats on Tuesday.

The bags comprise 10 items including bottled water, sun visors, raincoats and tissues.

Japan exhibits original document of WWII Instrument of SurrenderJapan has launched an exhibition of the original document of its surrender to the Allied Forces in World War II, the first show of this kind in 20 years.

The Instrument of Surrender was signed on U.S. warship USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945.

It says that Japan proclaimed "unconditional surrender" to the Allied Powers which include the United States, China, Britain and Soviet Union.

The exhibition started on Monday at the diplomatic documents museum of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

It will last until Sept. 12.

Part IV – International AssistanceAnchor:

We now continue our series on the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression ahead of the 70th anniversary this week.

In part four of our series, we look back at the mutual help the allies gave one-another as they battled the Axis forces.

CRI's Xiao Yi with more.

Reporter:

For much of the time, China was fighting alone in the early stage of the war, similar to what Britain did at first. Appeasement lingered. And there had been a lack of genuine understanding of the true brutal nature of fascism as a global menace.

The world stood by when a number of countries fell to enemy hands one after another, including China, and when the joint global ambition of the trilateral Axis to carve up the world was first known.

Stood by ……until things changed when German, Italian and Japanese troops advanced to more warfronts – the Soviet Union and North Africa on the western theatre and Pearl Harbor and Southeast on the orient. The world now saw a real common threat and a shared responsibility to fight back, jointly.

The American Volunteer Group, popularly known as Flying Tigers, was the only defensive force in the sky of China between 1941 and 1942, to ensure material supplies of desperate needs in defiance of Japan's superior air power.

The Flying Tigers destroyed nearly 300 Japanese aircrafts, with the loss of 26 crew members and 73 aircrafts. As Daune Schultz, author of "the Maverick War", wrote, "(男声,For a time, the Flying Tigers provided the only victories against the Japanese anywhere in the Far East. The handful of men had shown that the Japanese were not invincible."91-year-old J. V. Vinyard is proud that he took part in the operation.

"(And) my assistance to the Chinese was one of my greatest moments of my life that I will never forget it."The US also provided massive aid in form of aircrafts, guns, medicines, and military instructors. After 1941, assistance from the US and its engagement in the Pacific War dramatically improved the situation in China.

Earlier between 1937 and 1941, when Japanese troops rampaged across half of the Chinese territory, the Soviet Union offered help and even fought shoulder to shoulder with China, to resist the invaders' blitzkrieg and shatter their dream of annihilating China within three months.

In May this year, President Xi Jinping awarded 18 representatives of Russian veterans with commemorative medals.(Act 3, President Xi, in Chinese)"I would like to extend my sincere regards and high respects to the Russian veterans who made great contribution to the victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance and the world's anti-Fascist war."Between 1937 and 1941, about 5,000 military experts were sent to China. Moscow also offered loans, as well as industrial and military assistance to rebuild the battered Chinese army. The Soviet Volunteer Air Force joined the war from the very beginning. They carried out air operations over Nanking and the central city of Wuhan. They even flew across Japanese-occupied areas and launched bomb attacks on the Japanese airbase in Taiwan. The Squadron destroyed and damaged almost 1,200 Japanese jets with the loss of 236 crewmembers.

It was a hard time for Shudlo Taras Georgievich and fellow pilots. The 88-year-old veteran also recalls the help provided by Chinese people at that time.

"Local Chinese helped us a lot. It's fair to say that they were supporting us with marvelous devotion, although they were actually very poor at the time."Some international organizations and individuals also came in support of China's tough struggle.

One of them is Canadian Physician Dr. Norman Bethune, who came in 1938 and joined the Eighth Route Army. He went to frontlines for emergency operations and assisted in training Chinese doctors and nurses.

Dr. Bethune died of infection after an operation in late 1939. For decades, he has been a role model in China, for his value, dedication and integrity. His stories are included in school textbooks and there are hospitals named after him. The Bethune Museum in Canada is a must-go item for Chinese tourists.

Norman Bethune is one of the many foreign nationals who offered a helping hand for war-ravaged China. There were also doctors, educators, industrialists and journalists from around the world, including overseas Chinese, such as Singaporean businessman Tan KahKee. He organized campaigns to raise awareness of Japanese atrocities and donations to extend financial and material support. Many died when carrying out their missions in occupied areas or on transport routes, or at project sites, such as the China-Burma Highway – the only international supply line at the time.

3200 overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia came as drivers and mechanics. These people, referred as Nanyang Volunteers, worked in harsh conditions. More than 1000 of them died in Japanese air raids, or of diseases, or later executed by the Japanese after the fall of Burma, or Myanmar as the country is called today.

A monument has been set up along the road to commemorate the Nanyang transport volunteers who died along the road. Lin Xiaochang organized its construction.

"I said to myself I must set up a monument beside the Burma Road. It's a monument for more than 1,000 people who sacrificed themselves."Precious support indeed, for people knew they were helping the Chinese who were helping them, by pinning down over two-thirds of Japanese troops on Chinese soil.

Back Anchor:

CRI's Xiao Yi with Part Four of our series on the war.

Tomorrow, in our final report, we'll tell you what's being done to try to ensure that the War is never forgotten.

Chinese top legislator calls for upholding equality, promotion of rule of law at world parliamentarian conferenceAnchorChina's top legislator is calling for the international community to uphold equality and promote the rule of law.

The comments have been made at a World Conference of Speakers of Parliament currently being held at the UN Headquarters in New York.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

ReporterZhang Dejiang, chair of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, has put an emphasis on international equality and justice while addressing the three-day conference being held in the UN General Assembly hall.

"Countries, irrespective of their size, strength and wealth, are all equal members of the international community. They should abide by the international law and universally recognized basic norms governing international relations, respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs, and seek peaceful settlement of differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation."Zhand Dejiang is also calling for countries around the world to respect diversity when it comes to the social systems and development paths of individual countries.

"After a long period of exploration, Chinese people have found a development path that is suitable to their country's conditions and a set of institutional system with unique features has been set up. The development path and institutional system are fully capable of ensuring people to enjoy broader and more solid rights and freedom. They can effectively fine tune the political structure and rally resources on the most important issues. They can also effectively uphold national sovereignty as well as protect the security and development interests."At the same time, Zhang Dejiang has also announced a Chinese donation of 1.5 million U.S. dollars in cash to the conference's organizer, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, to further support its work.

The Geneva-based organization says it going to use the money to help lawmakers from developing countries better cope with the challenges they are facing.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also addressed the conference, rallying support from parliamentarians around the world to push forward the UN's sustainable development goals.

"People will look to you to hold your government accountable for achieving the goals and to write the laws and invest in the programs that will make them a reality."The international community is set to officially adopt the 17-point agenda at a key UN development summit to be held in New York later this September.

It's viewed as an upgrade and expansion of the Millennium Development Goals that will expire by the end of this year.

The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is organized by the IPU every five years and supported by the UN.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

Main suspect of Bangkok blast arrestedThe chief suspect in the deadly bombing attack at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok has been arrested at the Thai-Cambodian border.

Prime Minister Pra-yuth Chan-ocha described him as the main person behind the bombing but did not directly say he was suspected of actually planting the bomb.

Prayuth says they traced the man to Aran-ya-pra-thet district in Sa Kaeo, a major crossing point to Cambodia.

Thailand's police chief promises some 83,000 US dollars as a reward for providing tips to catch the suspect.

Thailand has so far issued four arrest warrants, including a 26-year-old Thai woman and a foreign man in his 40s.

The August 17 attack on a Bangkok Hindu shrine killed 20 people and injured more than 100.

Iran's policy on US remain unchangedMembers of Iran's powerful clerical body, the Experts Assembly held their biannual meeting on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, chairman of the Assembly, said in the opening speech that the members supported the historic comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and world powers but it did not change the Islamic Republic's policy toward the United States.

"The nuclear deal will under no circumstances alter the country's foreign policy. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the US its number one enemy. The crimes America has committed and is currently committing cannot be counted. It also pursues double standards and shows paradoxical behaviours. "The 86-seat chamber is charged with choosing or dismissing the nation's supreme leader, the highest-ranking official who has the final say on all state matters.

Another major task of the body is to monitor the performance of the Supreme Leader and institutions working directly under his supervision.

Members of the assembly are elected by people's direct vote every eight years.

The next election will be held in February 2016.

Migrants stage demonstration after train station in Budapest evacuatedHundreds of migrants have held a demonstration after police evacuated Budapest's main international train station where they were trying to travel to Western Europe.

A public tannoy announcement was made at the train station that no trains would be leaving or arriving "until further notice" and asking everyone to leave.

The announcement came after around 500 migrants tried to board the latest train to Vienna.

In August alone, 50,000 migrants entered Hungary, most of them seek to travel onwards to western European countries.

Hungary had previously insisted that EU rules prevent them from letting visa-less migrants travel onwards to the west.

In the meantime, police in the southern German city of Passau have detained suspected human traffickers after finding a number of Syrian refugees in a vehicle.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says at a news briefing that the responsibility of migrants and refugees entering Europe is the responsibility of the whole European Commission.

Impact of Migration Crisis on Free-movement in EUAnchor:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning of the possible return of border checks across Europe unless EU countries share the burden of refugees making their way into Europe.

CRI's Sandra Gathmann reports from Brussels.

Reporter:

Once inside the European Union, travel is easy…passport checks are airports are rare, and the roads are open….thanks to the so-called Schengen Treaty signed back in 1985 which only requires identity controls on Europe's external borders.

But the perks of free-movement may be under threat. There's been increase in the number of terror attacks by suspects who've dipped in and out of intelligence service radars as they move across, in, and out of the EU. A recent foiled attack on a train from Paris to Amsterdam was carried out by Ayoube El Khazzani - a 25 year old Moroccan national with a Spanish passport who boarded a train in Brussels carrying several weapons. He'd also been to Turkey and Syria but flew there from Germany.

The EU is fighting calls to put up border controls and passport checks on train services. Natascha Bertraud is a spokeswoman for the European Commission.

"It's very clear that the Schengen area is not and has never been the problem., Security checks on trains is perfectly allowed just as they are on airplanes but of course the EU not being a police force or intelligence service, security primarily remains a national prerogative and responsibility.

And that - is part of the problem. Without a centralized EU intelligence unit, people like Ayoub El Khazzani, or the Koachi brothers who carried out the attacks on the Paris-based Charlie Hebdo magazine last January, slip through the cracks.

A lack of frontiers have come under scrutiny thanks to the EU's migration crisis too. Asylum rules state that refugees must apply in the first European country they arrive in. But thousands of migrants landing in countries like Greece and Italy are moving upward, to countries like Germany where they get better benefits. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that if European countries don't sign up to share the burden of refugees - Schengen could be called into question. Pietro De Matteis is President of European Federalists Party. He says tighter border controls are not the answer.

"German interior minister mentioned we may need to suspend Schengen because of the current asylum seekers crisis. Clearly this is not a solution. Because asylum seekers, first of all have the right to come to Europe. And secondly by putting frontiers and controls across Europe its not going to stop them to come and seek a better future. "Along with the euro the achievement of a borderless EU has been one of Europe's proud achievements… both the migration crisis and threats of home grown terrorism are reviving calls for more integrated asylum policies, and more intelligence sharing…. If Schengen were to fail, it would undermine efforts to deepen the European Union on every level.

For CRI I'm Sandra Gathmann in Brussels130 Independent Mining Areas in China Funded to RelocateChina's top economic planner says a total of 130 independent industrial and mining areas in the country have been asked to relocate to protect neighboring residential buildings.

A special fund has been allocated to support the relocation work.

Zhou Jianping, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference yesterday that many districts or even cities were built based on the mining industry.

"First of all, these areas are away from the city center, lacking infrastructure. Second, as resources are diminishing, sustained industrial development is slowing. Third, being located away from the city center has given rise to many livelihood problems. We did not realize the importance of these facts in the past, especially the reasonable and scientific resource exploitation and its influence on the environment."Zhou adds that to solve the problems, not only infrastructure but also the development of sustainable industries will be supported. And safety measures will also be established, such as the repair of damaged houses in danger of collapsing.

China now has over 450 independent industrial and mining areas. Among the 130 sites that urgently need relocation, 50 of them are distributed in northeast China.

Headline NewsXi meets with former KMT chairmanXi Jinping, in his capacity as general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called on people of the mainland and Taiwan together to remember history, unite to safeguard peace, and promote cross-Strait relations and national rejuvenation.

Xi Jinping made the remarks while meeting with Lien Chan, former chairman of Taiwan's ruling party, the Kuomintang.

A Taiwan delegation is in Beijing to attend events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Xi Jinping said the victory is "China's first complete victory against foreign invasion in modern times", to which both the CPC and the KMT made important contributions.

He added that the achievement was made through the struggle of the entire nation, including Chinese compatriots in Taiwan.

China inaugurates memorial for forced labors dead in JapanA memorial park commemorating an uprising by Chinese forced laborers during World War II has been inaugurated in Tianjin municipality.

A total of 986 Chinese were enslaved by Japanese soldiers and sent to a labor camp in Hanaoka mine in northeast Japan from July 1944 to June 1945.

Among them, 419 either died due to torture or were killed during the uprising on June 30, 1945, as they fought for their dignity and freedom.

During World War II, millions of Chinese were forced to work in mines and factories in northeast China and Japan. Many died from malnutrition, illness, physical abuse or were murdered by their captors.

The Japanese government still refuses to apologize to the victims.

Pilots reportedly fight in cockpit, budget airline punishedA cock-pit fight has resulted in punishment including 10 percent cut to a Chinese budget airline's flight hours starting Tuesday.

The civil aviation authority told China United Airlines (CUA) that it could not launch any new air routes or charter flights after a string of safety violations since June, including a fight between two pilots of this company.

The fight was made public by the aviation authority in a recent statement.

However, details of the incident were not revealed.

It is unclear how many people were onboard when the incident occurred.

CUA played down the incident, saying it was just "some physical contact", but did not escalate into a fight.

The airline added that those involved have been grounded for six months.

Japan abandons controversial logo for 2020 Tokyo OlympicsThe organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has decided to stop using its controversial logo amid scandal of plagiarism.

Kenjiro Sano, the logo designer, has been accused of plagiarism by Belgian designer Olivier Debie.

Some other designs by Sano were also found in suspicion of plagiarism.

The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee scheduled an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to address the issue.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

Time to check business news, first take a look at the closing numbers in Asian market on this Tuesday, joining us on the desk is CRI's Wang Mengzhen.

Reporter:

Thank you Spencer.

On Tuesday, all major benchmark indices in Asian stock market suffered losses.

Chinese shares slumped for a second straight day in the wake of weak PMI data.

We will have more on this shortly.

Despite the pessimistic net profit gains in the first half year, the Big Four state-owned commercial banks are among the very few winners today.

This while companies in the defense and military sectors led losses.

On Monday, the Chinese government has released a new notice, encouraging mergers, dividends and share repurchases for listed companies.

This is part of efforts to push forward reforms for state-owned enterprises and further stablize the volatile market.

At close:

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dipped 1.2 percent, standing just above 3200 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index fell 3.7 percent.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's NASDAQ style board of growth enterprises, tumbled 5.4 percent.

Hong Kong shares also closed lower today, with the Hang Seng Index down 2.2 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan shares's Nikkei fell 3.8 percent, as investors' sentiment is dampened by weak performances in other markets.

South Korea's KOSPI lost 1.4 percent.

Singapore's Straights Times dipped 1.3 percent.

And Finally Australia's ASX200 ended 2.1 percent lower.

Back to you, Spencer.

Manufacturing PMI Contracts in August; non-Manufacturing PMI Grows SlowerChina's manufacturing industry have continued their contraction in August.

Official figures for Chinese Manufacturing activity came in at 49.7, down from 50 in July.

This is the third retreat so far this year and also the lowest since August 2012.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 represents contraction.

Industry observers attribute the declining PMI to the phasing-out of traditional manufacturers and some seasonal factors.

At the same time, Caixin General China PMI, a replacement for the previous HSBC PMI figure, has tumbled to 47.3, hitting a new low.

Business activity in China's non-manufacturing sector has also expanded in a slightly slower pace.

Official PMI for non-manufacturing sector fell to 53.4 from 53.9 in July.

Non-manufacturing PMI tracks business activities in the service and construction sectors.

China lowers down payment requirements for second homesChinese authorities have lowered the down payment ratio for second home purchases as of today.

The minimum down payments for second home purchases is being lowered from 30 to 20 percent.

In addition, authorities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are now allowed to adjust their own minimum down payment ratio on 2nd homes.

Hu Jinghui, vice president for a major real estate agency, says second property purchases are more important than buying new houses in major cities.

"Upgrading to another home is special in that it involves both buyers and sellers, especially in the second-hand housing markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where 70 percent of transactions are triggered by this need. From the perspective of developing an active market, upgrading has a bigger significance than the first property."Right now, only people who have fully paid-off the mortgages on their first homes will be able to qualify for the lower down payment.

Five Chinese State-owned Commercial Banks See Slower Growth in H1Anchor:

The first-half results of all 5 of China's main state-run banking giants have now all been calculated.

Among them, only Bank of Communications and the Bank of China have profit increases toward two-percent.

Communications' first-half profits are up 1.5-percent.

Bank of China's profits gained 1.7-percent.

However, the other three main players didn't fare nearly as well.

ICBC and China Construction Bank's profits failed to crack 1-percent growth, while Agricultural Bank had the worst first-half, with profits only growing 0.5-percent.

Mounting bad loans are being pointed to as one of the major concerns, with the non-performing loan ratio for all of China's commercial banking sector hitting 1.5 percent.

For more on what's happening with China's state-run banking giants, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

Back Anchor:

Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures, speaking with CRI's Paul James.

China launches special fund for China-LatAm production capacity cooperationChina has announced the operation of a special fund for promoting China-Latin America cooperation in production capacity starting from today.

The special fund has a 10-billion U.S. dollar scale in its first phase.

It is set to invest in a number of fields ranging from manufacturing, high-tech industries to infrastructure finance.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced plans to establish the special fund during his visit to Latin America in May.

Li Keqiang also proposed the joint construction of 3 passages for logistics, electric power and information infrastructure.

Macau GDP plunges 26 percent in Q2Official stats from Macau suggest its economy has shrank by 26 percent in the second quarter of this year.

This is said to be the sharpest contraction since 2011.

Among all sectors, gaming service revenue plunged over 40 percent year on year from March to June, while exports and related tourism services dropped over 20 percent.

In the first quarter, Macau's GDP also fell 24.5 percent.

The ongoing anti-corruption campaign launched by the Chinese government since last year is pointed as the major reason for the plunge.

However, Macau's investment has grown by 3.2 percent in the second quarter; while both its private and government consumption expenditure remained stable.

Alibaba Eyes Valet services market in ChinaAlibaba is now providing a top-end valet service for Chinese customers in its group purchase site Juhuasan.

Customers who order a 2000-yuan or package at its site can enjoy a one-time service by Gary Williams, principal of a British valet training school named Butler Institute.

Williams has served the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and members of Britain's royal family before.

The promotion event also applies to three orders made in Beijing, Shanghai or Hangzhou.

Right now, valet services market in China are still in their infancy stage, but the demand is growing. SportsChinese Women's Volleyball Claim Victory in JapanIn Women's Volleyball action:

China is steam-rolling its competition in the FIVB Women's World Cup in Okayama, Japan.

In today's match against Argentina, China pulled out a victory with their winning scores of, 25-14, 25-15 and 25-20.

The Chinese women's team will move on in their roster to play the Dominican Republic on Friday.

If they claim another win Friday, the team will be propelled to face off against Russia on Saturday.

Twelve teams are playing a round robin format in this World Cup with the top two finishers to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Womens US Open CoverageIn women's tennis:

Serena Williams began her bid to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam by moving into the second round of the US Open on Monday.

Williams bested her opponent, 86th-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia, due to an injury sustained by Diatchenko.

After the first two sets with the American leading 6-0, 2-0, Diatchenko resigned from the game.

The match lasted only 27 minutes and Williams won 32 of the 37 points they played.

Willaims gave comment on how she felt empowered by playing in New York.

"You know, it's kind of awesome that this is the last Grand Slam of the year, because if it were in a different country I think I would still love it, but it's not the same as being an American playing in New York, playing for that ultimate goal."Next for Williams is a second round match against Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.

Williams is trying to become the first player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a season since Steffi Graf in 1988.

Also noteworthy, Chinese tennis star Wang Qiang will be hitting the US open courts to face off with Maria Sakkari tonight at 11pm Beijing time.

Rafael Nadal Advances in US OpenIn men's tennis:

Rafael Nadal managed to win his first US Open match since 2013, despite dropping a set along the way.

Nadal, who has collected two of his 14 Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows, moved into the second round with a 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Borna Coric of Croatia.

Nadal commented on his victory after the game.

"I played again more aggressive. Finally was important victory for me. Happy the way that I played when I was, you know, physically good."The eighth-seeded Nadal missed last year's US Open because of a right wrist injury.

In 2010 and 2013 Nadal had won the tournament.

His 18-year-old opponent Borna Coric is ranked 33 in the world and is the youngest member of the ATP's top 50.

This victory for Nadal follows a loss he sustained against Boric last year.

Taiwan's Chen Wei-Yin loses to Tampa BayTaiwan pitcher Chen Wei-Yin and the Baltimore Orioles faced the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on Monday night.

Chen struck out Kiermaier and Rene Rivera on his way to a 1-2-3 inning in the third.

The Chinese Pitcher was also able to get Joey Butler to ground out back to the box for the first out of the fourth inning.

It would be Beckham to make the 3rd home run for the Rays in the sixth inning putting the score at 6-3.

Chen allowed five runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings and was tagged with the loss.

"Yes, sometimes you try to do something different to help the team. For today's game, I think my performance is not about that, I just didn't perform well."The final score of the game would be 6-3 Tampa Bay.

This marks the Orioles fifth straight loss.

Trump visits the Barclay's TournamentIn news from the PGA Tournament:

A special guest came out Sunday to view the PGA Tour at the Barclays.

Jim Herman who had been playing in the group in front of Tiger Woods last week, found that today he had a different crowd of onlookers.

Donald Trump and supports came out to Plainfield to view Herman play his holes.

The Republican presidential frontrunner marched along the ropes on the back nine with fans giving handshakes and taking selfies.

During the event Trump was seens promoting his campaign, except when he stopped the crowd and his security detail as Herman and Pat Perez stood over their shots.

Both Herman and Perez commented that they had enjoyed having The Donald watch their game.

Latin America Sports NewsTurning to some interesting news out of Latin America:

Rio de janero completed its first Olympic venue for the year this Monday.

The venue will be used as a center for the bicycle sport known as BMX.

The BMX arena is located at the Deodoro Olympic Park which is the Games' second largest venue cluster.

Officials say the track covers an area of around 4000 square meters, according to Rio2016.com.

The center will form part of the so-called X-Park along with the mountain bike and canoe slalom courses.

Another six Olympic venues are expected to be completed this year at Barra Olympic Park, according to organizers.

In other News, Mexico will host the FIBA Americas Championship.

The 2015 Americas Championship will be a pre-Olympic competition for men's teams and will kick-off on Monday in Mexico City.

The tournament will be held in Mexico City's Sports Palace from Aug. 31 to Sept. 12.

Jamaica Hopes IAAF will bring TourismIn news from the IAAF:

Officials from Jamaica expect the country's "illustrious" performance in the 15th IAAF world championships in Beijing will result in greater international popularity.

In the world championships which concluded on Sunday, athletes from the tiny Caribbean island garnered seven gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze.

Prime minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson-Miller expects her country's athletic accomplishment will turn into the inspiration for national development.

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Wykeham McNeill also believes that Jamaica's performance at world championships will impact the country's international popularity.

In 2014, the Jamaican government approved the conditional waiving of visa requirements for Chinese nationals traveling to Jamaica for tourism purposes within periods of 30 days or less.

Entertainment72nd Venice Film Festival to Raise the CurtainThe 72nd Venice Film Festival will raise the curtain tomorrow, and runs until September 12th.

British 3D biographical disaster film 'Everest' will be the opening film of the festival.

Chinese director Guan Hu's action comedy film 'Mr.Six' has been announced as the closing night film, in an out-of-competition screening.

'Mr.Six'stars Feng Xiaogang, Kris Wu, and Li Yifeng, which is scheduled to kick off Chinese market on December 24th.

US master director and screenwriter Brian De Palma will be honored with Glory to the Filmmaker Award, and a documentary film of him will be displayed at this year's festival as well.

Twenty-one films are chosen for the main competition, including '11 Minutes', 'A Bigger Splash', and a China-France collaborated film 'Behemoth'.

Venice International Film festival is the world's oldest festival, founded in 1932.

Netflix to End Deal with Distributor EpixUS video service provider Netflix has announced to end its deal with distributor Epix, which means thousands of favorites including Hunger Games and Transformers will become unavailable on the service.

According to reports, the deal, with an estimated one billion US dollars, is set to run out at the end of this month.

Earlier this year, Netfilx also revealed an ambitious plan to enter the Chinese market, but without a local partner.

Its streaming service would face strong competition from local rivals including Tencent and Alibaba, if this plan comes to fruition.

At this year's Emmy awards, Netflix has earned 34 nominations, while Amazon won 12, and Yahoo came in with one.

Nickelodeon to Bring 'The SpongeBob' to BroadwayNickelodeon has announced plans to produce the world premiere of 'The SpongeBob Musical' bound for the Chicago stage.

Though the musical is based on the famous cartoon series, the music is no kiddie stuff.

Grammy awards winning singer John Legend will write songs for the musical.

Musicians like David Bowie, Plain White T's, The Flaming Lips, and Lady Antebellum will provide original music for the show as well.

American playwright and theatre director Tina Landau is going to helm the show, and US composer Tom Kitt of 'Next To Normal' will serve as musical supervisor.

And the cast list will be announced soon.

Producers call the show "a celebration of unbridled hope, unexpected heroes, and pure theatrical invention".

SpongeBob is not the first kids' material that makes the leap to stage: 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' and 'Annie' both have been turned into stage plays before.

'The SpongeBob Musical 'is scheduled to be staged next June 7th at Chicago's Oriental theater.

Rihanna Launches New Fragrance Ri RiUS superstar Rihanna has launched her new fragrance named Ri Ri at Macy department store in downtown Brooklyn.

Her feverish fans screamed inside the packed store, singing her lyrics and dancing wildly as one of her hit songs blasted from the speakers.

Rihanna says there are two more fragrances still to be released, and Ri Ri is the first of the trilogy.

The 27-year-old also says she's excited to have a decade-long career in music, and that her new album is going really well.

"We have recorded a lot of songs and I can't wait to finish and put it out. I can't believe it's 10 years already, but we definitely have to celebrate this year. There are a few things I have in mind, so you'll have waited on that, but don't think I'm forgetting because this means a lot to me that I made it to 10 years."This year, Rihanna released three singles, including the Top 5 hit "FourFiveSecond".

The eight time Grammy Award winning singer made her debut in 2005, with the album 'Music of the Sun'.

G.E.M Performs at the "Top of Europe"Chinese pop singer Deng Ziqi, also known by her stage name G.E.M, has performed at the so-called "top of Europe."The 24-year-old talent has put on an energetic music show at the height of some 3,500 meters at Jungfrau, marking the first Chinese artist to perform at Swiss Alps.

During the show, G.E.M featured her hit songs over the years, including 'Someday I'll Fly', and also covers a new song 'New Heartbeat 'from the upcoming album.

She says it is a fantastic experience to bring Chinese music to Jungfrau, which likes a dream come true.

G.E.M was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong when she was four.

The singer firstly caught the public eyes with her debut and award-winning song 'Where Did You Go'.

She gained more popularity after competing in a famous Chinese singing competition - "I am a singer."G.E.M's concert is part of the series cultural events initiated by China and Switzerland, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Jungfrau is one of UNESCO's world heritage sites, welcomed over 850 thousands visitors last year, with most visitors came from China, South Korea, and India.

That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Chinese President Xi Jinping calling on people from the mainland and Taiwan to remember history together...

China's top legislator delivering a keynote address to a United Nations conference for speakers of Parliamentary bodies...

And Thai Authorities arresting the main suspect behind the recent Bangkok bombings...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, I'm Spencer Musick in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together...