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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Trade, cyber security, and fighting graft are expected to be high on the agenda when the Chinese and US presidents meet next week...

The US is an increasingly important destination for Chinese investment...

And a powerful earthquake off the coast of Chile prompts tsunami alerts over a wide area of the south pacific...

In Business...Chinese authorities say they are not concerned about capital outflows...

In Sports...a new coach for the Chinese national women's football team...

And in Entertainment...a festival in the UK based on the American TV show Friends....

TopChina Willing to Work with the US in Cyber SpaceAnchor:

A set of topics, including trade, cyber security and anti-graft are expected to top the list at the upcoming meeting between the presidents of China and the United States.

CRI's Wang Wei has more.

Reporter:

US President Barack Obama says his meeting with President Xi will be "useful" and generate "a lot of outcomes" in areas including energy, climate change and investment.

He made the remark after the White House confirmed that the Chinese President will be hosted at the White House for a state dinner on September 25.

President Obama also said that cyber security will be one of the biggest topics to be discussed with President Xi.

In response, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang says China is always willing to cooperate with the US on setting international Internet standards to fight against cybercrime.

He again stressed China's commitment to crack down on Internet hacking.

"The Chinese government resolutely opposes and cracks down on any kind of internet hacking activities. Whoever is carrying out hacking attacks or business espionage in China is violating the country's law and will be punished by law."According to President Obama, the US goal is to have China "as a partner in helping to maintain a set of international rules and norms that benefit everybody".

Moreover, law enforcement cooperation in fighting trans-national crime is expected to be on the agenda during President Xi's US visit.

Zheng says China is willing to collaborate with the US in this field.

"Both China and U.S. recognize that they need to strengthen international cooperation to fight trans-national crimes, and this is in the interests of both sides, and is needed by both. We will continue to strengthen cracking down on trans-national crimes on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, including cooperation on fighting corruption and hunting for those who have fled abroad, and for recovering ill-gotten gains."The move will be an impetus for China's ongoing campaign against graft.

The official also notes that economy and trade will also be important issues during President Xi's visit.

He further reveals that the President will start his tour from the west coast city of Seattle, where he is expected to meet with delegations from Microsoft, Facebook, and others.

Shu Guozeng, an official from China's Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, says several agreements on the business front are to be expected during President Xi's visit.

"We will reach important consensus in the fields of trade, energy, culture, climate change, environmental protection, finance, science and technology, agriculture, law enforcement, military airspace defence, and infrastructure. We will sign on a series of influential co-operative agreements."President Xi Jinping will kick off his first state visit to the United States on September 22.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.

Updated China ODI data shows more impressive growthAnchor:

New stats show that the United States has become the third largest destination of Chinese investment.

The number is in a report examing China's outbound direct investment in 2014.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

reporter:

According to the report, China's foreign direct investment reached 123 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, a 14 percent annual increase.

Zhang Xiangchen, the International Trade Deputy Representative from the Ministry of Commerce, says the numbers also indicate a continuous increase of Chinese investment into the United States.

"As of the end of 2014, China has set up three thousand enterprises in the United States, with investment of $65 billion US dollars. The outbound direct investment stock was 38 billion, accounting for 58% of the total investment stock. The United States has become China's third-largest destination for foreign investment, after Hong Kong and Australia."The official notes that as the two countries are currently negotiating on the Bilateral Investment Treaty, the number is expected to further grow.

"During the new round of negotiations, representatives from both China and the United States have exchanged and evaluated the updated negative list. From our perspective, though the negotiation is still in process, both sides have already made substantive improvements. The US Security Review has been concerned over the Chinese government and enterprises. We will urge the US to simplify procedures, add more transparency in the process, and reduce unnecessary troubles and barriers for Chinese companies to invest in the US."According to the Zhang, the BIT marks an important step in opening China's economy to U.S. investment by eliminating market barriers, and leveling the playing field for American workers and businesses.

And on the other hand, Zhang Xiangchen says it could be a boost for Chinese investors wanting to explore the U.S. markets.

When it comes to whether to invest in the US, Chinese enterprises think more about the long-term development of the company itself. It is a strategic decision concerning many factors. The host country's macroeconomic policies, including interest rate policies are certainly under their consideration. However, what company's eventually do is to think from the perspective of the global industrial layout, consider what their business needs, and then find their own appropriate development opportunities.

Statistics showed in the first 8 month of the year that China's investment in the U.S. totaled more than 4.4 billion U.S. dollars, up nearly 36 percent from the same period last year.

For CRI, I'm Niu Hongling.

Chinese-invested U.S. high-speed rail project to start in 2016The first high-speed railway project in the United States with Chinese investment is expected to kick off as early as next September.

The 370-kilometer-long railway will connect Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California.

US company Xpress West and China Railway International USA will jointly build and operate the rail.

China Railway International is registered by a Chinese consortium led by national railway operator China Railway.

China-U.S. ties solid for years: PowellAnchor:

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the relationship between China and the U.S. has been sound and solid for many years.

During an interview with CCTV, he also said he is deeply impressed with the enormous changes that have taken place in China over the years.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and a retired four-star general in the United States Army, says he agrees with the view that China and the U.S. can create a new pattern of power politics to avoid rivalry.

He made this comment in Washington DC ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the United States this month.

"It has always been complex. There are many areas in which we have great cooperation such as we've seen recently on the Iran nuclear agreement where the United States worked with China to get that agreement along with Russia and the European Nations. We also have seen important agreement recently on climate change with China and the United States coming into alignment on the need to do something about it."He points out, even though there are occasional disagreements with respect to trade, the trading relationship between the two countries has been significant and enormously beneficial to both sides.

With regards to the "rebalance to Asia" or "pivot to Asia" policy initiated by President Obama in 2011, general Powell said he disapproved the use of the word "containment" as the United States can't contain China nor should the United States think it can contain China.

"I think it's quite possible for our two nations and the other nations in the region, all of us, have to come together and understand that the region is best served by peace and by stability and by open dialogue."With China having become the second largest economy in the world, Powell says the two sides should make their best diplomatic efforts to solve differences.

Having visited China many times in recent decades, Powell says he was deeply impressed with the enormous changes that have taken place in China over the years.

"I have seen colors explode. I have seen the entrepreneurial spirit that was always within Chinese spirit, within the Chinese soul, explode to create that kind of economic miracle that we have seen in the last 40 years."As the world's two largest economies, the U.S. and China are increasingly economically interdependent.

Trade volume of the two countries hit 550 billion U.S. dollars last year and the combined economies account for about 40 percent of recent global GDP growth.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

Chinese and American College Students Meet in ShanghaiAnchor:

Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to the US next week, a new push is on to try to promote inter-personal ties.

To that end, CRI has sponsored an event in Shanghai to bring together college students from the US and China. The event has been dubbed the "University to the World."Reporter:

"Actually I can see a lot of students are really involved in their studies and not as normal Chinese students imagine that parties and drugs and all that life.""You know it's not easy for young people to find good job, to have a good career development in Shanghai, because you need to be very competitive, you need to do internships and you need to have good relations.""I'd like to reply the question to that student which is why do you care if other people think you are weird. Do what you want."From campus life to bilateral relations, ten Chinese and American students from Fudan University, Jiaotong University and New York University Shanghai have come together for a heated discussion before an audience of 300 at NYU.

Public Affairs Section Chief at US Consulate General in Shanghai, Brian Gibel stresses academic exchanges are the dynamic force for positive transformation as they build mutual understanding.

"I think tonight was a good example of how important it is for Chinese people and Americans to come together on a people-to-people level, not just government-to-government. You have to go and see for yourself to really understand what a country is like. So we surely welcome Xi Jinping's visit to the United States and we look forward to US and China deepening their relations and moving forward in their global agenda."He noted that currently, 275,000 Chinese are studying in the United States, more than twice as many as Indians which is second on the list. He also observed that through programmes like Fullbright, and President Obama's a hundred thousand-strong, the numbers and diversity of Americans who are coming to China has also been on an unprecedented increase.

Chancellor of New York University Shanghai, Yu Lizhong said through frequent exchanges, people might see they have more common grounds than they have realized and people have individual characteristics rather than just one stereotype. He believed college education has a big role to play.

"So how to learn from different culture and how to work together is a big topic in the age of globalized world. I really hope the live dialogue between Chinese students and American students can help us understand the culture, different culture."The dialogue is also aired live online to NEWS Plus followers on social media platforms such as wechat, sina microblog, and sohu APP.

A similar dialogue between Chinese and American students from Middlebury College, Communication University of China, Renmin University and University of International Relations will be held in Beijing one week later. On the same day, President Xi Jinping will start his official state visit to the US.

For CRI, I'm Wu You in Shanghai.

Japan's upper house committee passes controversial security bills amid chaosA special committee under the upper house of the Japanese Diet has passed controversial security bills despite constant demonstrations against the measures involving thousands of protesters across the country.

The passage of the bills caught the opposition by surprise and caused chaos in the chamber on Thursday afternoon.

Upper House committee chairman Yoshitada Konoike was surrounded by lawmakers as he forced a vote on the legislation.

As soon as he took a seat, opposition lawmakers surrounded him, trying to block his approving the legislation while ruling lawmakers tried to block the opposition from doing so.

Footage showed lawmakers shouting and scuffling as they surrounded the chairman.

One lawmaker repeatedly clambered on top of the scrum.

The passage came without a final debate on the bills, paving way for the chamber's plenary session to vote on them.

The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured the majority in the upper house, meaning that the government-backed bills would be approved in the upcoming plenary as early as Thursday.

The bills, if enacted, will allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to engage in armed conflicts overseas, even if Japan is not under attack.

However, the Japanese war-renouncing Constitution bans the SDF from using forces abroad.

8.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Chile, Triggering Tsumani FearsOne million people in Chile are affected by evacuation orders after an earthquake along the country's northern coast on Wednesday evening. So far 5 deaths have been confirmed, and one person is listed as missing.

The quake with a magnitude of 8.3 was followed by four aftershocks, all above magnitiude-6.

Local authorities issued a tsunami warning for the nation's entire coastline following the initial quake.

No major damage was reported immediately after the quake.

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet says the country's military is involved in monitoring and assessing the situation.

"There is a very high probability that tomorrow, I will head to the region. We will determine the exact regions as we receive more specific information in order to speak to high authorities and also to go to some of the areas that have been affected to see what support the residents need."The tremor rocked buildings in areas as far as the capital Santiago.

High tides and waves were reported along the Chilean coast.

The US Geological Survey said the epicenter was out at sea, about 70 km northwest of the town of Illapel and nearly 250 km from Santiago.

Other countries and regions have also issued tsunami advisories, including parts of South America, Hawaii, California, French Polynesia, and New Zealand.

Callin on the impact of the Chilian EarthquakeAnchor:

For more on the impact of the earthquake, our reporter Victor Ning spoke with Doctor Yuan Ye with the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

Burkina Faso's presidential guard declares coupBurkina Faso's presidential guard, the former security team for ex-President Blaise Compaore, has seized power in the country.

In a televised broadcast, the guard has claimed that the transition government is not a democratic government and it was working to ensure a specific individual was installed as the president.

The situation remains tense after Wednesday's arrest of interim President Michel Kafando and his Prime Minister by soldiers of the presidential guard.

Gun shots were heard Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

A security source says that Burkina Faso's former President Jean Baptise Ouedraogo has initiated a dialogue.

The UN Security Council, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States, along with the governments of France and the U.S., have condemned the move by the presidential guard.

Migrants Clash with Hungarian Police, UN Voices ConcernAnchor:

Hungarian police clashed with migrants and refugees on Wednesday at the Hungary -Serbia border, firing water cannons and tear gas at them. The violence broke out one day after Hungary closed its border with Serbia to stop the influx of migrants. CRI's Victor Ning has more.

Reporter:

The violence broke out after hundreds of migrants broke through a razor-wire border fence. The migrants threw plastic water bottles at the police who intervened. The police targeted the crowd with tear gas.

Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesperson for the Hungarian government, said he did not believe the migrants were peaceful refugees.

"Do you believe that armed refugees would be attacking a police line and trying to come and enter our country? I don't believe so."Riot police were seen beating migrants and refugees with truncheons. Two people were seriously injured. Between 200 and 300 people sought medical help.

According to a medical official in Serbia, many migrants suffered cuts, bruises and burns or eye problems. Zoltan Czeh, a Serbian doctor who was at the site of the clash, described the scene.

"They fired four tear gas grenades immediately into the ambulance car and four more outside of it. There was no one there but us, and about 15 patients around us. They were aiming at us. After 15 minutes we saw the injuries. Head injuries mostly. And also lungs from tear gas."Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his feelings over the recent events.

"I was shocked to see how these refugees and migrants were treated. It's not acceptable."The latest event comes after Hungarian authorities closed the border with Serbia on Tuesday and began arresting those entering the country illegally. About 1,000 migrants camped out near the border on the Serbian side on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament held a plenary session to debate migration. The plenary is scheduled to vote on an emergency plan to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers from Italy, Greece and Hungary to other EU member states.

Before Hungary closed its border on Tuesday, more than 201,000 migrants had entered the country. On Wednesday morning, some migrants were reportedly walking from Serbia into neighboring Croatia.

For CRI, I am Victor NingBritain to accept refugees in coming days: Home SecretaryBritish Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that the first wave of Syrian refugees will arrive in Britain in the coming days.

In accordance with a new plan announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron last week, Britain will receive up to 20,000 refugees over the next five years.

May said in a statement at the House of Commons on Wednesday that the plans to welcome refugees are progressing at pace.

May reiterated that the British government didn't support the proposals of the relocation of 120,000 people already in Europe, or in a compulsory EU relocation scheme.

Three blasts in central Baghdad kill 12Some 15 people were killed when three bombs went off in mainly Shi'ite neighbourhoods in central Baghdad on Thursday.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they took place in areas often targeted by Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State group.

Terrorism and violence left more than 12,000 civilians dead and 23,000 others injured in 2014.

S. Korea, U.S. to hold high-level defense talks next week: SeoulHigh-level military officials between South Korea and the United States will hold defense talks next week.

South Korea's defense ministry says the eighth round of the Integrated Defense Dialogue will be held in Seoul for two days from Sept. 23The dialogue was launched in 2011.

Russian, Belarusian troops complete joint drillRussia and Belarus have completed a joint drill in western regions of Russia.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the drill mobilized 8,000 Russian troops and more than 1,000 Belarusian soldiers, as well as around 100 tanks and 80 aircraft.

The event focused on coordination of efforts to thwart armed insurgencies within the two countries.

WeatherBeijing is overcast tonight with a chance of showers, a low of 18 degrees Celsius; overcast to sunny tomorrow with a high of 28.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 21; tomorrow also cloudy with a high of 28.

Chongqing will see moderate rain tonight with a low of 20; still rainy tomorrow with a high of 21.

Lhasa will see showers tonight with a low of 9; cloudy to wet tomorrow with a high of 21.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 37.

Kabul, cloudy, 24.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will see slight rain with a high of 19.

Brisbane, also slight rain with a high of 22.

Perth, cloudy, 26.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be wet with a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsXi Meets US Biz Delegation ahead of US VisitChinese President Xi Jinping has met with several entrepreneurs and former officials from the United States in Beijing, just days ahead of his visit to the US.

Xi Jinping is due to depart next week for a trip to Seattle, Washington DC and New York, with a summit planned with US President Barack Obama on September 25.

The Chinese President said he hopes the visit will deepen understanding and friendship between the two countries.

Discussions are expected on international concerns, trade and economy as well as China's anti-graft campaign.

Japan's upper house committee passes controversial security billsA special committee under the upper house of the Japanese national Diet has passed controversial security bills despite constant demonstrations against the measures involving thousands of protesters across the country.

The passage came without a final debate on the bills, paving way for the chamber's plenary session to vote on the bills.

The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured the majority in the upper house, meaning that the government-backed bills would be approved in the upcoming plenary as early as Thursday.

The bills, if enacted, will allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to engage in armed conflicts overseas, even if Japan is not under attack.

8.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Chile, Triggering Tsumani FearsOne million people in Chile are affected by evacuation orders after an earthquake along the country's northern coast on Wednesday evening. So far 5 deaths have been confirmed, and one person is listed as missing.

Local authorities issued a tsunami warning for the nation's entire coastline following the initial quake with a magnitude of 8.3 in richer scale.

High tides and waves were reported along the Chilean coast.

Other countries and regions have also issued tsunami advisories, including parts of South America, Hawaii, California, French Polynesia, and New Zealand.

Annual Beijing human rights forum concludesThe annual Beijing Forum on Human Rights has concluded in the Chinese capital.

The two-day event, which focused on peace and development, attracted more than 100 officials and human rights experts from more than 30 countries and regions.

Their discussions centered on the relationship between the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the progress of human rights.

The annual event was first held in 2008.

China's top court stresses harsh penalties after Tianjin blastsThe Supreme People's Court has vowed to severely punish officials involved in crimes that endanger safety.

The SPC issued the statement in a circular on Wednesday, one month after the deadly explosions at the port of Tianjin.

There have been 165 confirmed deaths, but hundreds of people remain in hospital.

The SPC has also stressed harsh penalties for crimes like the trafficking of women and children, sexual assault, and terrorist attacks.

Biz reportsStocksAnchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers in Asia. Joining us is Victor Ning.

Reporter:

Chinese shares experienced a rollercoaster ride on Thursday following Wednesday's sharp rise, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 2.1 percent to end at 3,086 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index dropped 1.5 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises gained 0.4 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng Index moved down half of a percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares ended the trading day sharply higher tracing buoyant overnight European and U.S. markets ahead of a meeting on U.S. monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.

The Nikkei jumped 1.4 percent.

In South Korea, the KOSPI increased a fraction of a percent.

Singapore's Straights Times climbed nearly 1 percentAnd finally,Australia's ASX/200 also ended nearly 1 percent higherNo worries about capital outflow: Chinese regulatorChina's State Administration of Foreign Exchange is dismissing worries about huge capital outflows as the Federal Reserve decides whether to hike U.S. interest rates.

A statement issued on Thursday said the depreciation pressure on the Chinese yuan has been largely released and its value has almost stabilized.

Xiao Lian at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says there is limited impact on the Chinese market if the Fed increases its interest rate.

"It must have some influence, but not so big as people think. On one hand, China has nearly 4 trillion US dollars in foreign reserves. The central government could take measures to prevent a large capital outflow. On the other hand, China's economy is still on an upward trend. The Chinese currency is strong compared to other currencies. Therefore, China has the ability to handle the impact brought by a US rate hike."The Chinese yuan has substantially depreciated against the US dollar since August, when China reformed the exchange rate formation system to better reflect market development.

China's Aug. fiscal revenue rose slower, expenditure rose sharplyAnchor:

The Chinese government is warning of increasing fiscal pressures through the rest of this year.

This comes on the heels of new stats showing fiscal revenue growth through August has slowed, while spending has picked up.

New figures show government revenues increased by just over 6-percent year on year in August, hitting nearly 970 billion yuan.

This is down sharply from the 12.5-percent rise in July.

At the same time, government spending has jumped 26-percent to nearly 1.3 trillion yuan.

This has prompted authorities to announce a budget deficit of 2.3-percent of GDP for this year.

This is up from the previous target of 2.1 percent.

For more on the revenue situation in China, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke to Cao Can, CRI's financial Commentator.

China July Holdings of US Debt Fall by Most in Two YearsChina lowered its US debt holdings by 30 billion US dollars in July.

This is the largest decline in almost two years.

According to a report by the US Treasury Department, China's holdings of US treasuries dropped in July to just over 1.2 trillion US dollars.

Meanwhile, Japan, the second largest holder of US debt, saw its holdings increase by about 400 million to nearly 1.2 trillion US dollars.

Chinese, U.S. companies launch fund to promote energy efficient buildingsChinese and U.S. companies have launched a cooperative fund to promote energy conservation for buildings in China.

The fund will support the promotion of U.S. expertise in building energy efficiency in the Chinese market with innovative investment.

Chinese companies including China State Construction and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and U.S. firms Warburg Pincus and DOW Chemical, contributed to the fund.

Energy consumption from buildings accounts for half of total energy consumption in the United States.

That figure for China is about 37 percent, which might rise with China's ongoing urbanization.

China's ride-sharing company partners with Lyft to expand cross-border marketChinese ride-sharing company Didi Kuaidi has announced a strategic partnership with Lyft, a U.S.-based ride-hailing firm.

The Chinese company has made an investment of 100 million U.S. dollars in Lyft.

Under the partnership, the two companies will collaborate on technology and product development.

They will work together to enable people to use the Lyft app when they travel to China.

The same will be true to Didi's users who travel to the U.S.

Chinese investor group buys 65 pct stake of Turkish port terminalA joint venture set up by a Chinese consortium has bought a 65 percent share of Turkey's third largest container terminal.

Kumport Terminal is located at a gateway to the Black Sea and a strategic interchange between Europe and Asia.

It has maintained a compound annual growth rate of around 30 percent in container volume over the past five years.

The acquisition has been made by a firm jointly established by the subsidiaries of COSCO Pacific, China Merchants Holdings and an affiliate with the China Investment Corporation.

COSCO Pacific is a subsidiary of China COSCO Holdings, the country's largest shipper.

Turkey is a strategic location along the Belt and Road, an infrastructure and trade network proposed by China.

The deal is worth 940 million US dollars.

SportsBruno Bini named as new coach for Chinese women's teamBeginning with football action here in China,France's Bruno Bini has been named the new head coach for China's women's team.

Sixty-year-old Bini succeeds former coach Hao Wei who offered to resign after leading China into the last eight of the women's world cup in June.

Bini will be officially presented tomorrow in the northeastern Chinese city of Weinan where China will play Spain in a friendly.

Bini is the third foreign coach hired for the Chinese women's team.

He led the French women's team to fourth place at the 2011 world cup and the London Olympic Games.

Football recapInto other football newsDejan Damjanovi?'s hat trick gave Beijing Guo'an a 3-1 home win over Changchun Yatai in a make-up game in the Chinese Super League.

Guo'an clinched the much needed three points and remain undefeated at home so far this season.

They are at fourth place with 47 points, seven down on leaders Guangzhou Evergrande with five games remaining in the season.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou Evergrande will meet Japan's Gamba Osaka in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

Osaka eliminated South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai 3-2.

Evergrande will host Osaka in the first leg at the end of this month.

Dubai club Al Ahli and Soudi Arabia's Al Hilal will fight for another ticket to the final.

Over in the UEFA Champions League,Defending champions Barcelona were held at an 1-all draw by Roma in Group E.

Lionel Messi digged deep but failed to impress in his 100th Champions League game.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Borisov 4-1 in the other Group E match.

In Group F, Bayern Munich kicked off their Champions League campaign with a glorious 3-0 away victory against Greek champions Olympiakos.

All three goals came in the second half. Thomas Mueller scored twice and Mario Goetze added another.

Coach Pep Guardiola thinks his side did very well and is happy about the outcome.

"I'm very pleased that I manage this team. I know that it is not easy to win here; after all, Atletico (Madrid), Juventus and Malmo have been defeated (by Olympiakos). We took full advantage of the chances we had. I'm very pleased with the entire team. We made the first step, a very basic step, now we must focus on what lies ahead."Also in this group, Dinamo Zagreb downed Arsenal 2-1.

Chelsea eased to a 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Group G.

Coach Jose Mourinho admitted it was very important following a poor start to the domestic league.

"I can imagine for all of us to wake up tomorrow after a defeat to go to Cobham (chelsea training ground) again to train again after a defeat, two days before a derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how difficult it would be for everyone to wake up tomorrow after another defeat. So the victory is very, very important. Very important."And it was a 2-all draw between Dynamo Kiev and Porto.

Lin Dan out of South Korea Open, Chen Long in quarter-finalsIn badminton,Winner of last week's Japan Open Lin Dan was dealt a straight-sets defeat by local favorite Son Wan Ho in the second round at the South Korea Open.

Son surged with a 7-0 run in the first set to take it 21-10.

Another 6-0 run from Son when both players were at 15 points in the second set saw the South Korean player win the set and match.

In other action,World number one Chen Long won the Chinese derby against Wang Zhengming 21-14, 21-17 to reach the quarter-finals.

Chen and Son will meet in their next match.

More action from earlier,Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin bounced a Dutch pair in three sets in mixed doubles,And Yu Yang/Wang Xiaoli defeated a Thai pair in women's doubles.

Neil Robertson out of Shanghai Masters, Mark Selby pulls outIn snooker,"The Magician" Shaun Murphy saved four match points to turn the table against Peter Ebdon 5-4 in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters.

Murphy's opponent in the next round is Mark Davis.

One of the hottest favorites Neil Robertson had no such grit as Murphy's and conceded his first match point to Jamie Cope who took it 5-4.

Cope will meet Mark Williams.

Another favorite and world number one Mark Selby has pulled out from the championship after his father-in-law died.

Lithuania, Serbia join France, Spain in Eurobasket last fourIn basketball,Serbia edged the Czech Republic 89-75 to reach the semi-finals of the Eurobasket championship.

They will face triple champions Lithuania who rallied to a 95-85 victory over Italy in overtime.

Lithuanian guard Mantas Kalnietis and his team are up for the challenge.

"We're looking forward and we understand that Serbia did not lose in this championship so they're going to be favorites in that game. But we showed a big heart all championship, so definitely we're going to be ready for a strong game, for a tough game. And it's going to be a different style because the Italians play more offense and Serbians, what they're doing really good, they're playing strong, tough defense. So it's going to be a big fight."France and Spain have earlier made it into the tournament's last four. They will repeat their semi-final clash two years ago when the French side prevailed in overtime.

Los Angeles among five finalists to host 2024 Summer OlympicsPresident of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach has confirmed 5 cities as candidates to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

"The IOC is welcoming five outstanding cities to a very strong competition about hosting the Olympic Games 2024. This five cities are Budapest (Hungary), Hamburg (Germany), Los Angeles (United States of America), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy)."The host city will be selected by the IOC in 2017.

Selection and financing procedures by the International Olympic Committee have been eased through this round.

This comes on the heels of numerous cities dropping out to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, leaving only Almaty and Beijing in the running.

Beijing won the bid in July.

EntertainmentLv Yitao to Direct CCTV Spring Festival Evening Gala 2016It's been reported that director Lv Yitao from China Central Television (CCTV) has been selected to be the chief director of Spring Festival Evening Gala in 2016.

Lv Yitao is set to become the youngest chief director of the Spring Festival Evening Gala ever.

After graduating from Communication University of China in 2000, Lv started to work as a journalist and production director at CCTV2. He was the production director, chief editor and chief director of many programs of CCTV.

Lv was the executive director of the Spring Festival Evening Gala in 2012, and the chief director of the Lantern Festival Evening Gala in 2014.

Friends Fest takes place in LondonIt's been over 20 years since sitcom Friends was first aired but the show is still popular.

Comedy Central UK which still airs reruns of the show has launched a festival in which fans of the show can enter the Friends world.

FriendsFest features a full scale replica of Monica's apartment, exhibition of original props and a Central Perk inspired café. Other attractions include a replica of the fountain from the show's opening titles and a blow dry salon which offers 'the Rachel' hairstyles.

Friends ran for 10 years from 1994 to 2004. According to Comedy Central UK, 5.9 million viewers still tune in every month to watch the reruns of their favourite episodes.

FriendsFest runs in London until September 20thCharlie's Angels reboot in the worksThere's set to be another reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pitch Perfect 2's Elizabeth Banks is on board to direct and produce an update of the 1970s action adventures.

Sony are now searching for a writer to work on a new plot for the crime fighting ladies.

The original TV series featured Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Cheryl Ladd, Kate Jackson and Tanya Roberts. It was then brought to movie screens with two films featuring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore in the 2000s.

No further details as to cast and release date have been announced yet.

The Rolling Stones set to record new album next yearKeith Richards says The Rolling Stones are planning to make a new record next year after they wrap up their tour of South America.

The Stones guitarist talked about their plans to record their first studio album since their 2005 record 'A Bigger Bang' during an interview with iHeartRadio in New York on Tuesday.

The new album would mark the longest interval between new records by the Stones.

Meanwhile, Keith Richards is releasing a new solo album titled "Crosseyed Heart" on Friday. It's his first solo album in 20 years.

The band wrapped up their North American tour this summer and will kick off their South America tour in early 2016.

Lionel Richie announces Las Vegas residencyLionel Richie has announced a four month residency in Las Vegas which is set to begin in April next year.

The legendary musician will perform his "Lionel Richie – All the Hits" show at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

He says he came to the decision to launch a residency after speaking to his son Miles.

"I asked him, 'So Miles, what do you think about Vegas? Should I do it?' He goes, 'Oh my God, dad. We are going to have the great time. WE are going to have the greatest time,'"He says the show will include hits such as "Hello" "All Night Long" and "Dancing on the Ceiling".

2016 will be a good year for Richie as he's set to be honored by The Recording Academy as its Musicares person of the year. He will be honored during a ceremony on February 13.

Richie's residency will take place next year during April, May, September and October.

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

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

Trade, cyber security, and fighting graft are expected to be high on the agenda when the Chinese and US presidents meet next week...

The US is an increasingly important destination for Chinese investment...

And a powerful earthquake off the coast of Chile prompts tsunami alerts over a wide area of the south pacific...

In Business...Chinese authorities say they are not concerned about capital outflows...

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