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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping awarding medals to 30 Chinese and foreign veterans along with civilians.

President Xi meeting leaders of Egypt, Pakistan and South Korea ahead of the Victory Parade...

And a fire in an apartment building in Paris killing 8 people....

In Business...50 leading Chinese brokerages pledging 100 billion yuan to back up stock purchases...

In Sports...An update from the US Open....

And in Entertainment.... The Venice Film Festival opens....

TopChinese president honors WWII veteransChinese President Xi Jinping has awarded medals to 30 Chinese and foreign veterans along with civilians who fought for China during World War II, ahead of the country's grand V-Day celebrations.

Addressing the veterans, President Xi highlighted that no matter how close or far one was from the frontline, their participation in the war was valued.

"No matter if you fought on the frontline or in the back, no matter if you were a soldier of if you provided assistance, those who participated in the war against Japanese aggression are all war heroes and heroes of the nation."The ceremony comes on the eve of the actual anniversary, which will be marked with a grand military parade in Beijing.

President Xi meets leaders of Egypt, Pakistan, SKoreaChinese President Xi Jinping has meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain and South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Beijing.

Sisi says he is glad to attend China's V-Day celebrations on behalf of the Egyptian people. Egypt values its partnership with China and is excited about cooperating in the Belt and Road regional trade and infrastructure initiative.

The two leaders have witnessed the signing of a number of deals in areas including industrial capacity and finance between China and Egypt.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart have also vowed further cooperation on international issues.

President Xi says China will keep in close contact with Pakistan on cooperation in industrial zones.

All three leaders are in the Chinese capital ahead of the military parade marking the victory of Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression during WWII.

30 world leaders are set to attend the military parade on Thursday.

First batch of armament formation on way to attend paradeThe first batch of the armament formation has left its training base and started its journey by train to attend the V-day military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

The formation, consisting of various kinds of 107 armaments, began gathering at the base in the early morning, and the first batch of 33 caterpillar armaments started their journey to Changping Railway Station on the outskirts of Beijing.

A special tank lane has been built for the caterpillar armaments to drive out of the training base.

The batch contains 33 caterpillar armaments, including 16 self-propelled howitzers, 16 anti-aircraft artillery vehicles and one caterpillar ambulance.

V-Day Parade Casts Influence WorldwideAnchor:

With the V-Day parade just around the corner, China's role in World War II has become a topic of discussion around the world.

CRI's Qi Zhi reports.

Reporter:

Rolando Lopez Almo worked as Cuba's ambassador to China some 30-years ago.

He says the Cuban people are well-aware of the contributions made by the Chinese people during the war.

"The Chinese people did quite good according to their possibilities. And it should be remembered that the main suffering in Asia was done to the Chinese people, and the resistance of the Chinese people, they are resilient, their will to defeat foreign aggression, must always be remembered."Mikhail Delyagin, a Russian scholar who has been studying China since the 1990s, says the role of Chinese troops was invaluable.

"At that time, the Chinese army held back most of the Japanese forces. China was a main battlefield, and Chinese forces fought the war aggressively. The Chinese soldiers fought persistently not only on domestic territory, but also in certain territories in Southeast Asia. Without China, the War against Axis forces would never have succeeded."The parade this Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's War Against Japanese Aggression is a first-of-its-kind in China.

An estimated 35-million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed in Japan's occupation of China.

Svetlana Zhurova, deputy chief of the Russian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, says the parade is a reminder of history.

"We have the responsibility to remember history, so that the wrong side of history will not be repeated, especially when there are some people trying to do that. The complicated international situation leads to misunderstanding and conflicts. Both Russia and China are among the most influential powers in the world. It is imperative that by the military parade, we remind people of history and past sacrifice, which are undeniable facts."Some 30 heads of state will attend the commemorations, including the parade in Tian'anmen Square.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye will be among those on the rostrum at Tian'anmen.

Srikanth Kondapalli, an Indian professor of Chinese Studies, says the parade holds a dual-purpose.

"This parade is going to be keenly watched in the international community, partly because there are these revivals of these memories, Number One. Number two, this also indicates the influence of China in the international system"At the same time, Sino-Indian researcher Jagannath Panda says the rest of the world shouldn't view the parade as a threat.

"Behind this big event, China wants to pass a message that China is a big power today, that the military has already been a powerful military today, the army has become a strong army today. But it's not for all those negative reasons. The PLA wants to participate in the peace-loving, peacemaking efforts. And that is the positive signal it wants to give the world using the 70th commemoration parade."Commemoration activities are scheduled to start at 10am tomorrow.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to deliver a speech before the military parade begins.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

Foreign Guests Invited to Join China's V-Day Parade CelebrationsAnchor:

Many foreign guests have been invited to join tomorrow's V-Day parade including family members of an American "Flying Tigers" veteran along with the son of a Japanese fighter who joined the Chinese army in the resistance war.

Our reporter Wang Wei has more.

Reporter:

Ted Stevens, a late pilot of the Flying Tigers, also known as the American Volunteer Group, served in China during WWII to help the Chinese fight Japanese aggressors.

His wife Catherine Stevens recalls her husband describing members of the flying tigers as 'the greatest generation'.

"In an interview, my husband was asked about the war. He said, 'those of us who served in World War II have been called the "greatest generation." Those of us in China answered the call to serve in what we called "the forgotten war". There are few of us who left who live through the dark period of history, but as we see the heroism and bravery of those who served in our armed forces today, we know that they are truly the greatest generation.'

Between August 1941 and July 1942, the Flying Tigers played a key role in China's victory over Japanese forces.

The pilots of the Flying Tigers were all former members of the U.S. Army Air, Navy or Marine Corps.

They resigned from their U.S. military commissions in order to serve in China.

Catherine Stevens says that part of their history is also being shared in US memorials.

"Part of that is what is happening in our memorials such as the World War II Museum in New Orleans. And part of that museum, which he and his great friend senator Dan Inoue of Hawaii helped, and they call it their passing the torch to future generations and hope that they can learn more about the terrible war that happened here in China."At the same time, Tsutsui Kenji, the son of a Japanese fighter who joined the Chinese army during China's war against Japanese aggression, expressed his feelings on attending the military parade on September 3.

"It's my honor to participate in the military parade tomorrow. As for the absence of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from the event, I think it's the Japanese government's decision, probably in view of many factors including the domestic political consideration."Kenji's father joined the Japanese army and was sent to in Nanjing, the then capital of China in 1940 to become a flying instructor.

Finally, he joined China's Eighth Route Army and became one of its Japanese fighters.

China's V-Day parade marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the victory of the anti-Fascist War.

For CRI, I am Wang Wei.

VJ Day Series: Part V – To Record and Reflect on HistoryAnchor:

We now continue our series on the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

As human life, people come and go. Aging affects their ability to memorize and recall what they have experienced. Normal on normal occasions, but critical when reflecting on history as a lesson to learn, especially when there're systematical efforts to whitewash or deny the real past.

Today, in our final report, Xiaoyi finds out the efforts to gather evidence of Japanese troops' atrocities during World War Two.

Reporter:

Did Japan "invade" China in the 1930's and 40's or their troops merely "entered" China? Did the Nanjing Massacre really happen, followed by rampant rapes? Did Japan colonize some countries they occupied or just liberate them from colonial rule? Did they force women to be "sex slaves" for their troops? Did the Japanese army conduct germ warfare in World War Two?

There's a long list of questions like these, and almost each of them has a so-called "neutralized term", such as "enter" instead of "invade" and "comfort women" versus "military sex slaves", all with hidden intent.

Hence the counter measures to collect ironclad evidence; a tough job.

Shanghai Jiaotong University has just published evidence from the Tokyo Trial held by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East nearly 70 years ago.This collection, including 50 volumes in Japanese and 3 volumes of indexes in Chinese,serves as proof of Japan's WWII atrocities. The book is the second published by the University after its previous work on the proceedings of the Tokyo Trial published two years ago.Both of them are regarded as precious basic files detailing Japan's war crimes.The Tokyo Trial from 1946 to 1948 charged 28 Japanese military and political leaders with Class A war crimes.

Professor Liu Tong, from the Center for the Tokyo Trial Studies of Jiaotong University, says it's a meticulous work that requires a high degree of specificity.

"In order to fight against Japanese right-wing groups, you have to present something more convincing to refute them. Those academic results must derive from original historical data."In July, over 1000 privately-owned historical documents recording Japanese war crimes went on display in Beijing. These include books, newspapers, military currencies, wartime savings bonds, photos and archives, mostly in Japanese language.They are part of personal collections from Hsu Po Yih, a Taiwan artist and philanthropist.

The donation is also a response to All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, which started soliciting evidence from around the world since last year.

Federation Vice Chairman, Qiao Wei says those collections are of great significance.

"Through these documents, we could see that Chinese mainland and Taiwan are working together fighting against Japanese aggression. This means that we could overcome any problems as long as we unite together."Down south in Fujian Province, a recent exhibition features coastal defence in Fujian and Taiwan. One item is a pictorial made by Japanese Intelligence Department during the war, recording Japanese troops' killing, looting and raping in detail.

Fujian has also released an original video footage about the invasion of the province. The footage, shot by Japanese war correspondents back in 1941, encloses details of the attacks on Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and the Japanese troops' atrocities, such as raping and looting after they took the city of Fuzhou. It also reveals how Japanese troops looted fortunes in the two provinces to cut off the channel of assistance given by overseas Chinese.

The exhibition's co-organizer Jiang Binjian says the collections present irrefutable facts of history.

"Since Japanese right wing forces have been denying their history of invasion, I try to gather evidence of Japanese troops' atrocities especially coming from Japanese side, so as to truly unveil the historical facts, by using their own historical records."Japanese fighter jets bombed Fujian in more than 3100 sorties. 2.5 million people were displaced, that's nearly 20 percent of the then provincial population.

But Japanese right-ring politicians continue their denial of their history of war and atrocities, such as sex slaves of the army, the Nanjing Massacre and germ warfare.

In October last year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga rejected his predecessor, Yohei Kono's admission of coercion of "comfort women" during the war.

Lyu Yaodong, an expert with the Japanese Studies Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explains Japan's motivations.

"He's making attempt to set up a so-called 'correct view of history' via his own explanations on the international community. Such a 'view of history' is actually full of historical revisionism, meaning the denial of their history of aggression."Back in 1993, Kono made a statement acknowledging Japan's forceful recruitment of over 200 thousand young women from China, the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia and forced them to serve in military brothels during the War.

As counter measures against denial, China's State Archives Administration has publicized a series of 31 hand-written confessions from Japanese war criminals, about what they did in China. Up north, the City of Harbin has opened a new museum, exhibiting more than 5,000 pieces of evidence of Japan's secret chemical and biological warfare research conducted by its Army Unit 731. Between 1939 and 1943, the unit produced about 640 kilograms of bacteria, enough to destroy the entire human race if used.

New findings and new research results are on display in many other cities, including Nanjing. The message –China's willing to look forward and foster partnership with old adversaries, as in the case of Germany and its former enemies, but only when history is truly reflected upon as a mirror.

Back Anchor:

CRI's Xiao Yi with with our final report in our series on the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Suspect's Finger Prints Found on Bottle with Explosives: Thai PoliceThai police say the identification process of the second suspect thought to be involved in the Bangkok bombing last month is making progress.

Lieutenant General Prawuth Thavornsiri, spokesman of the Thai National Police, says the suspect's finger prints match those found on a bottle containing explosives.

"Today, the fingerprint result from forensic police can confirm that the man has his fingerprints on a bottle containing an explosive substance found in room number 414 at Poon-Anan apartment. So we can confirm that the man is involved in explosive materials, he could have brought the bomb out of this room or he could have brought the bomb to the crime scene."Thai authorities arrested the second suspect at the Thailand-Cambodia border on Tuesday. The police spokesman has labeled the foreign national "a main suspect." Another foreign national was arrested in Bangkok on Saturday.

Thai authorities say bomb-making materials and over 200 forged passports were found at the apartment where the first suspect was detained.

Police also raided another apartment on Sunday, where they found more bomb-making materials.

Thailand has so far issued 7 arrest warrants related to the deadly attack at Bangkok's Erawan shrine. The August 17th attack left 20 people dead, including 7 Chinese.

More than 120 people were injured in the attack.

Paris Apartment Fires Kill 8A fire in an apartment building in Paris has killed 8 people, including 2 children.

More than 100 firefighters have contained the fire in the city's 18th district which has injured four people.

Firefighters were called to the same building twice early on Wednesday. The second and much larger fire occurred two hours after firefighters put out a small fire.

While the causes of the fires have not been determined, the French interior ministry has said these clues indicate the fires could be the results of a "malicious act".

An eyewitness said it was a chaotic scene as the fires raged on.

"Very tough. People screaming from windows, people screaming from windows. That hurt. They were screaming for help, actually. At then they jumped. They jumped. I looked away, but it's hard to imagine what it was like."French President Francois Hollande has said authorities are doing everything they can to investigate the incidents.

US gives airfields to AfghanistanAnchor:

Airfields built by United States forces during the war in Afghanistan are now in the process of being handed over to the Afghan government.

Observers say this move could potentially transform one of the world's poorest countries into an aviation trading hub.

CRI's Huang Shan has more.

Reporter:

As the NATO mission winds down toward the end of next year, US Major General Todd Semonite stated that some US airfields will be given to the government of Afghanistan.

Major General Semonite claims that bases in the areas of: Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat and Kandahar have the potential to boost the economy of Afghanistan.

"Mez Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat and Kandahar have always been at the intersection of basically the ring road and major avenues coming into the country, so those three nodes are very popular. They have a lot of interest in the private sector already. We think that those would really, really flourish."The eight airfields are worth an estimated two billion US dollars and are scattered around the landlocked and mountainous land of Afghanistan.

Director of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan, Army Colonel Tom Tickner, said that most of the airfields are in operational condition and only some would need a bit of investment for improvement.

Military teams are upgrading them ahead of an international road show organized by the Afghan and US governments due to be held in Dubai next month.

Chair of airport development project Mohammad Daud Sultanzoy is optimistic of what this will do for the country.

"These airports will serve as land bridges that will connect both Afghanistan internally and connect Afghanistan to south Asia and central Asia, so the land bridge vision will be fulfilled."After 36 years of conflict, the economy in Afghanistan is still in a state of serious disrepair.

Bases that fuelled local economies have closed, and those remaining no longer employ locals.

The World Bank projects a 2.5 percent growth this year for Afghanistan which observers say is not enough to create jobs for a young and increasingly restless population.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

Obama Tours Alaska to Highlight Climate ChangeUS President Barack Obama is currently in Alaska to highlight the damaging effects of global warming.

On Tuesday, Obama went on a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park. The tour took the president to the 19.3 km-long Bear Glacier, which has receded more than 3 km over the last 15 years.

Obama said the trip was aimed at calling attention to the implications of climate change on global development.

"One of the things we have been trying to highlight during this trip is the changing nature of the Arctic, probably as a consequence of climate change. There is a whole series of strategic implications, economic national security. One of the things we have to think about is how to maintain our capabilities when it comes to maritime issues and commerce"The White House will use the images from Obama's trip to engage Americans on environmental issues. On Monday, Obama addressed the attendees of an international climate change conference in Anchorage, which was hosted by the US State Department.

Obama's visit to Alaska has been seen as an attempt to build momentum for the upcoming climate change talks in Paris this December. A new international climate-change treaty covering the post 2020 period will be under negotiation during the meeting.

Obama's 3-day tour of Alaska will conclude on Wednesday with a stop in the town of Kotzebue, near the Arctic Circle.

Australian Defence Minister Visits IndiaAustralian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews met with India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Tuesday. Andrews has been in India since Monday, for a four-day visit to the South Asian country.

Andrews published an opinion piece in Indian newspaper The Hindu on Tuesday, highlighting the need to develop and strengthen the relationship between Australia and India.

In 2014, Narendra Modi visited Australia, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so in 28 years.

Trade between the two countries stands at around $15 billion a year.

In an official media release on the visit, Andrews wrote the trip was meant to "advance Australia-India defense cooperation." According to the release, his itinerary also includes meetings with Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and Prime Minister Modi.

781 Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast781 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast on Tuesday. An Italian Navy ship and a private vessel from an international NGO rescued the migrants in a number of search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

The migrants were later transferred to a Norwegian patrol vessel, which was part of a European maritime border control mission.

Erling Olstad, Commanding Officer of the vessel named the "Siem Pilot", said some of those rescued were very small children.

"The migrants we take on board, that could be small children. We have a kid on board who is just seven months old and another kid is three years old, and everyone who is a parent themselves that can make a large impression when you see small children in the same situation, time by time in different SAR operations and you know that your children have the same age at home."The Norwegian ship later embarked for the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 18 degrees Celsius; a mix of sunshine and cloud tomorrow with a high of 30.

Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 24, tomorrow also cloudy with a high of 32.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 26, tomorrow also overcast with a high of 34.

Lhasa will expect showers tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow overcast to wet with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 37.

Kabul, also cloudy, 26.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be rainy with a high of 18.

Brisbane, also wet, 24.

Perth, cloudy, 21.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have slight rain with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChinese president honors WWII veteransPresident Xi Jinping has granted commemorative medals to 30 Chinese and foreign veterans along with civilians who fought for China during World War II, ahead of the country's V-Day celebrations.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

Some of the late veterans were represented by their relatives.

Xi meets Pakistani counterpart, Egypt President SisiChinese President Xi Jinping has met with more foreign leaders in Beijing set to attend the V-Day celebrations tomorrow.

Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain pledged further cooperation between the two countries on international issues during their meeting today.

Xi Jinping has also welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

He suggested that China and Egypt should continue to make joint efforts in multilateral arenas such as the United Nations to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 160The death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions has increased to 160.

13 other people are still listed as missing three weeks after the blasts.

The dead include 96 firefighters, 11 policemen and 53 civilians. The missing include eight firefighters and five civilians.

Hundreds more remain in hospital.

Fire in Paris suburbs leaves eight deadA fire in the northern suburbs of Paris has left eight people dead, including two children.

Four others have been injured.

The fire broke out in an apartment building on Wednesday morning.

Local media reported that it started on the ground floor before spreading into the stairwell.

100 firefighters have been mobilized to fight the fire.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also rushed to the site, saying an investigation is under way and it's too early to determine the cause of the fire.

French President Francois Hollande has vowed to fully investigate the cause of the fatal blaze.

Biz reportsClosing Numbers of Asian Stock MarketsAnchor:

Turning now to business news.

First a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets to close out this Wednesday evening.

Joining me on the desk is CRI's Min RuiReporter:

Chinese stocks fell for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index reversing sharp early losses before closing 0.2 percent lower.

The index slipped more than 4 percent right after the opening bell, indicating deepening downward pressure on the Chinese economy.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index dipped over one percent.

Winners outnumbered losers in the two bourses at the close.

Shares in the Internet sector, banks and food security led the gains, while oil stocks were among the biggest losers.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country's largest commercial bank, surged by the 10 percent daily limit for the first time since 2008.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Sang index fell 1.2 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,The Japanese Nikkei lost 0.4 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI closed with narrow gains.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index finished slightly higher on the day.

Finally, Australian ASX 200 added a fraction of a percent.

Back to you Sophie.

CSRC Fines Three Online Brokerages for ViolationsChina Securities Regulatory Commission is fining three leading online brokerages for securities violations.

These companies include Hundsun Technologies, Mecrt Corp. and Hithink RoyalFlush Information Network Co.

The regulator also issued warnings and separate fines to these firms' managers and chairmen.

Authorities will also seize the illegal gains of these companies, estimated at around 150 million yuan, or some 24 million U.S. dollors.

$16b added by 50 brokerages to support shaky market50 leading Chinese brokerages have pledged a total of 100 billion yuan, or some 16 billion U.S. dollars to back up stock purchases.

China Securities Finance Corporation, or CSF, is the main government rescuer amid the rout.

It will manage the capital on their behalf and invest in equities or funds underlying the country's blue chip stocks.

These brokerages include CITIC Securities, Haitong Securities and Guotai Junan Securities.

Analysts believe that the move will inject fresh blood into the A-share market.

The move came after 21 major securities firms first announced on July 4 that they would spend no less than 120 billion yuan, or 15 percent of their total net assets, on exchange traded funds tracking the performance of blue-chips.

The government has launched a string of supportive measures, as the market nosedived from a year-long bull.

Nasdaq to sell surveillance technology to China :WSJIt is being reported that Nasdaq OMX Group will supply market surveillance technology to a Chinese securities exchange and a number of mainland financial firms.

Nasdaq says it will launch its SMARTS Trade Surveillance system for domestic Chinese brokerages early next year.

However, the company declined to name the exchange, citing client confidentiality.

China in recent months has stepped up scrutiny of its financial industry.

Authorities have probed four senior executives at CITIC Securities, China's biggest brokerage, for stock market violations including insider trading, as well as a China Securities Regulatory Commission official and a journalist.

Police also investigated malicious short selling in July, as the country fought to contain market sell-off.

5 measures for Asian countries to see off economic turbulence: LagardeThe International Monetary Fund recommended on Wednesday a spate of policies for Asian countries to ensure they can face current economic turbulence.

Speaking at conference on financing in Jakarta, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde listed five measures that should be undertaken, including reining in excessive credit growth.

"One, strengthening defences with prudent fiscal policy. Two, reigning in excessive credit growth. Three, and that is very relevant for the governors of central banks here, align the exchange rate to act as a shock absorber. Four, maintaining adequate foreign exchange reserves, and fifth, building up regulatory and supervisory over sight for the financial sector and making sure that this fully budgeted and can actually implement its task."She also pointed out, despite the ructions caused by the China crisis, Asian economies were doing "pretty well" and that government and monetary authorities in Asia were ready to act when necessary.

[BJH/SOUNDBITES/0902 Christine Lagarde 2 (English)] "We are all feeling the impact of China's rebalancing and moving towards a revised business model. We are facing Japan's continued slow growth changing a bit but still and of course we are all experiencing falling commodity prices and on the top of it we are all expecting the prospect of higher interest rates and the volatility that will inevitably result there from."Lagarde urged Asian countries to promote a deep financial system, moving away from the traditional banking practices of deposit taking on one hand and commercial lending on the other.

She said authorities must constantly remain vigilant when there are new innovative financial products that provide attractive returns.

Lagarde is in Indonesia for a two-day visit.

China's Manufacturing Contracts, Inspiring Pro-growth PoliciesAnchor:

Despite the latest stats showing contraction in China's manufacturing sector, Chinese authorities say they are still seeing positive signs out of the current economy.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

Reporter:

Manufacturing PMI, the official gauge of factory activity in China, slipped into contraction territory for the third time this year in August.

The official reading has come in at 49.7, down from an even-50 for July.

50 is the line between contraction and expansion.

Ning Jizhe, vice-Chair of the National Development and Reform Commission, says despite the shift into contraction, the PMI is still showing signs it will improve in the future.

"Yes, I have seen the data on the manufacturing PMI, and it has gone from 50 to 49 and something. But this is a small margin of fluctuation. The PMI index is composed of many categories. But we think there are many signs that it will improve in the future. It will improve in the future."Observers are attributing the declining PMI mostly to the phasing-out of traditional manufacturing, as well as bad weather, the air pollution controls put in around Beijing ahead of the parade, as well as low commodity prices.

Meanwhile, the service sector is also showing signs of cooling.

However, the PMI for the non-manufacturing sector still remains well above the 50-level, even though it dipped half-a-percent to 53.4 in August from 53.9 in July.

He Weiwen with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University says part of the slight decline can be put on the volatility of the Chinese stock markets.

"I think the important factor is the performance of the financial sector. The stock market performance in the first half of this year was exceptionally well so this upgraded the growth rate of GDP by half a percentage point for the first half of this year. But since the stock market bust in the previous two months, the non-manufacturing sector thus performed badly."The Chinese stock market began their decline in mid-June after a bullish first-half.

Shanghai has plunged nearly 40-percent since the volatility first began.

To shore up the market, China's central bank last week cut its benchmark interest rates for the fifth time since November.

In the latest move, the government is encouraging listed companies to merge and restructure, pay cash dividends, and buy back their own shares in an effort to encourage investors to hold stocks for the long term.

He Weiwen says more stimulus measures may still be needed to promote structural reforms, rather than simply bailing out the markets in the short-term.

"All the measures regarding the fiscal and monetary are not enough, as has been proved in the past few months. So the government will continue to push up the real economy the development, to encourage the mass innovation and to encourage the development of the hi-tech industry and so on."China's GDP expanded 7-percent year on year in the first half of this year.

This is still in-line with the Chinese government's full-year target of 'around' 7-percent.

Both the IMF and Goldman Sachs are predicting full-year growth in China to come in at around 6.8-percent.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

SportsUS Open updateStarting things off with tennis action from the US Open,Third seed Andy Murray has defeated Nick Kyrgios in the most-anticipated match in the first round.

Murray was only briefly troubled by Kyrgios' explosive shots before he sealed victory in four sets.

Murray said he anticipated a very tough match, going up against such a powerful opponent.

"He's a very powerful guy. He goes for unpredictable shots. You don't know exactly what to expect each point. A lot of the time I felt like I was just reacting and ended up having to do quite a bit of defending and running because of that. But against him you're going to have to play that way at times."For Kyrgios' part, he said the defeat had nothing to do with the incident involving Stan Wawrinka.

Wawrinka has also put it behind him and cruised past his South Korean challenger in straight sets.

On the women's side,The only Chinese player remaining in singles action Wang Qiang has reached the second round, getting past Maria Sakkari in straight sets 7-5, 6-2. .

Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki all went through in straight sets.

Sixth seed and French Open finalist Lucie Safarova is out.

Basketball Asian championships previewIn basketball,Chinese mainland team are playing Chinese Taipei in women's basketball Asian Championship.

China have just suffered a one-point defeat over Japan to put an end to their three-game winning streak.

A spot in the semi-final is already guaranteed. China will likely meet South Korea again.

Over on the men's side,China are preparing for the championship in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo.

Coach Gong Luming says Guo Ailun needs to do more to adapt and learn how to perform after his return to the national team.

Several players are recovering from injuries, including Yi Jianlian and Li Gen.

The men's Asian championship begins later this month. China's first opponents are Singapore.

David de Gea trains with national team after deal with Real Madrid falls throughIn football,David de Gea has rejoined the Spanish national squad after his transfer to Real Madrid fell through.

Real Madrid are blaming Manchester United for the delay in handing the transfer paperwork.

It put de Gea in a dilemma between extending his contract with Man. United, or sitting out the contract and the rest of the season until next January.

Real Madrid had promised de Gea a compensation of 10 million euros if they failed to acquire the goalkeeper before the summer transfer window shuts.

It remains to be seen what Real's next step will be.

De Gea did not speak to media upon his arrival in Madrid.

He will now be working with the national team for the upcoming matches against Slovakia and Macedonia in the World Cup qualifiers later this week.

Rio gears up for Olympic GamesOrganizers are gearing up for next year's Olympic Games in Rio.

The Beach Volleyball Rio Open is getting underway on the Copacabana beach as a test event for the Games.

Meanwhile, organizers have promised to introduce viral testing in the polluted Guanabara bay where the Olympic sailing and surfing events are to take place.

President of the Rio organizing committee Carlos Nuzman says the quality of waters at Olympic venues is a key priority.

"The health of the athletes is our number one point that we are working (on), and we work very closely with the state of government (to test Rio's water for bacterial and viral infections) and we keep the researchers permanent, to not have any claim (of illness) during the games. And I have no doubt we will do this (at) the sailing competition in Guanabara Bay and without any problems. We had with these 300 (competitors at test events), more than 350 athletes, that (were) without problems."Nuzman's team are still looking into how best to carry out the tests.

If the tests come back positive for viruses, organizers will opt for the best way to clean up the waters rather than switching venues.

Several athletes have already fallen ill after competing in a test event last month.

Venue construction underway in Peyong Chang for winter gamesOver in South Korea, the construction of venues for the 2018 winter games is underway in the host city of Pyeong Chang.

Twelve venues are being renovated and constructed, 6 of which are brand new.

The work is about one third through and is expected to be completed in another two years.

Several test events will be held as early as June next year.

Tokyo scrapes logo for 2020 winter gamesElsewhere, the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have announced their decision to scrap the logo designed for the summer games over plagiarism allegations.

CEO of the organizing committee Toshiro Muto says they support designer Kenjiro Sano on his claims of originality but had to withdraw the logo following a drop in public support.

"We have an understanding that the design shows enough evidence of being different and, as Mr. Sano suggested, it is recognised an original and the design committee has agreed with this assessment. However, at the same time, when the issue has been expanded upon this far without gaining an understanding from the general public, we find this to be a problem."A Belgian designer sued the International Olympic Committee over the logo's similarities to his design of an emblem after it was unveiled in July.

Chinese sailor to set sail for trans-arctic journeyChinese adventurer Guo Chuan is in the Russian port city of Murmansk, ready to set sail on a trans-arctic journey with an international crew.

Guo and his six crew members will sail aboard the trimaran "Qingdao China" across the northeast sea route of the Arctic Ocean.

Guo says the boat will be entirely powered by wind as they aim to increase the public's awareness of environmental protection.

"The boat is completely environmentally-friendly and wind powered. So as you saw, the officials of the Russia's Northern Sea Route Administration were astonished after knowing we will sail only by wind power. "Guo and his team are due to set sail tomorrow on the journey which takes around two weeks and finishes at the Bering Strait.

Fifty-year-old Guo Chuan is the first Chinese sailor to circumnavigate the world solo. He completed the global journey in the same boat in 2013.

Guo is attempting to set a new record of continuous sailing in the Arctic Ocean.

EntertainmentVenice Film Festival OpensThe annual Venice Film Festival has officially opened.

The 72nd edition of the event opened with Baltasar Kormakur's thriller "Everest," which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright, Emily Watson and Jason Clarke.

The film was based on the 1996 disaster on the world's highest mountain.

Alberto Barbera, artistic director of this year festival, said it was not an easy job to select the opener.

"The opening night is quite different from the others and we have a sort of different audience as well - not cinefiles, not professionals, not film critics, not film buffs - they are more representative of cultural institutions, politicians, people like that. So we need to find a film which is at the same time spectacular with a lot of emotion, good characters, so the audience can relate to. So it's not easy, it's a balance."Previous years' openers included 'Birdman' and 'Gravity', both of which received many allocades in the following award seasons.

21 films have been chosen for the main competition, including Tom Hooper's 'The Danish Girl', starring Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne as one of the first known people to undergo a sex change operation.

Drake Doremus' "Equals", a romantic science fiction starring Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult, also competes as does "Beasts of No Nation", a war drama with Idris Elba.

China-France collaboration 'Behemoth' is also in the competition ring.

This year's jury is presidented by director Alfonso Cuarón, including veteran Chinese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

Chinese director Guan Hu's latest film "Mr. Six", or "Lao Pao'er" in Chinese, will close the festival.

'Mr. Six' stars acclaimed director Feng Xiaogang and raising actor Wu Yifan.

As the oldest film festival in the world, the event will run until September 12th this year.

'Macbeth' Releases First Official TrailerThe first official trailer for history epic 'Macbeth' has been released.

The trailer follows the Scottish general's bloody journey to the throne under the influence of his ambitious wife who encourages him to take any necessary measures.

Adapted from Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the film was directed by Justin Kurzel.

It stars Michael Fassbender as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as his wife.

The film has received critical acclaim after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

'Macbeth' will open in US theatres on December 4.

James Foley to direct 'Fifty Shades' sequel"House of Cards" director James Foley is set to be directing the much anticipated sequel to "Fifty Shades of Grey."Rumors have been circulating for around two weeks but his involvement hasn't been confirmed until now.

The project has been looking for a director over the past several months since Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed the first film in the trilogy, announced that she would not be returning.

The first movie was a rousing success grossing almost 570 million US dollars worldwide.

The second part of the racy film franchise is set to be based off the book 'Fifty Shades Darker' written by EL James, who penned the entire trilogy.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, the two main stars, will return for their roles.

Production will begin in the first quarter of 2016.

"Fifty Shades Darker" has a release date penned for February 10th, 2017.

Justin Bieber on Track to His First-ever UK No. 1 SingleJustin Bieber is back in shape now with his new single on track to top the UK chart for the very first time.

'What Do You Mean' is already the quickest song to top the iTunes charts after release, surpassing One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' by five minutes.

It came as no surprise since the singer spent 30 days counting down to the song's release, with stars like Mark Wahlberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Usher and Ariana Grande all joining in the promotion.

The Canadian pop star gave an emotional performance at the MTV Video Music Awards over the weekend.

The 22-year-old singer broke into tears after performing the new single on stage.

'What Do You Mean' is now leading this week's tally on the UK chart, pushing last week's No. 1 'Fight Song' to the second place.

If the momentum keeps up, Bieber could score his first-ever UK No.1 single.

His best result so far is No. 2 for the song 'Boyfriend,' released in 2012.

Max Beeley Joins 'Homeland' Season 5British actor Max Beesley is set to appear as a regular in season five of spy drama 'Homeland'.

Beesley was spotted in a trailer for the new season last week.

However, his exact role was unclear.

News site The Wrap reports that Beesley will play an ex-Royal Marine who works uncomfortably under Carrie Mathison as a private security contractor.

44-year-old Beesley is most famous for his role in 'Hotel Babylon' as well as 'Suits'.

In the fifth season, Mathison, an ex-CIA agent left the war-torn Middle East for Germany where she works for a private security firm.

However, a data breach incident occurred leaving the CIA field operative in danger.

'Homeland' will return to Showtime on October 4th in the US.

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

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping awarding medals to 30 Chinese and foreign veterans along with civilians.

President Xi meeting leaders of Egypt, Pakistan and SKorea ahead of the Victory Parade...

And a fire in an apartment building in Paris killing 8 people....

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