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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese president has delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly to wrap up his visit to the United States...

Typhoon Dujuan has struck the Chinese mainland, bringing powerful winds and rain to several southeastern provinces...

and the presidents of the US and Russia discuss the Syrian Civil war...

In Business...three major Chinese telecoms improve their data plans...

In Sports...Team China remains undefeated at the Asian Championships basketball tournament, with the next game starting in about 30 minutes...

And in Entertainment...a Chinese star films a driving safety video for tourists in New Zealand...

TopChinese President Xi Jinping Addresses UN General AssemblyAnchor:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has wrapped up his stay in the United States.

Ahead of his return to China, he has addressed the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Stating China's stance on the international order and the country's resolution to pursue peaceful development, President Xi also announced major actions to support the UN and its peacekeeping mission.

CRI's He Fei reports from New York.

Reporter:

The Seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly kicks off its annual high-level debate early this morning at the UN headquarters in New York. Member States of the UN have taken the opportunity to address to the world their concerns on core international issues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has made his first speech at the UN General Assembly, saying that China will never give up its pursuit of peaceful development.

"China will continue to participate in building world peace. We are committed to peaceful development. No matter how the international landscape may evolve and how strong it may become, China will never pursue hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence."He says all countries are equals, no matter big or small, rich or poor. And a partnership should be built in which countries treat each other as equals, engage in mutual consultation and show mutual understanding.

"The principle of sovereign equality underpins the UN Charter. The future of the world must be shaped by all countries. The principle of sovereignty means that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries are inviolable and their internal affairs are not subjected to interference. It also means that all countries' right to independently choose social systems and development paths should be upheld, and that all countries' endeavors to promote economic and social development and improve their people's lives should be respected. "While addressing the General Assembly, President Xi Jinping also announced a decision to establish a 10-year, 1 billion US dollar China-UN peace and development fund to support the UN's work.

"I wish to announce that China will join the new UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System and has thus decided to take the lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and build a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops. I also wish to announce that China will provide a total of 100 million of free military assistance to the African Union in the next five years to support the establishment of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis."In regards of the international order, the Chinese President has stressed the country's determination to stay committed to the path of development through cooperation.

"China was the first country to put its signature on the UN Charter. We will continue to uphold the international order and system underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China will continue to stand together with other developing countries, especially African countries, in the international governance system. China's vote in the United Nations will always belong to the developing countries."In addition to Chinese President Xi Jinping, other state leaders such as US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have all addressed to the General Assembly.

The general debate session will last for about 6 days.

For CRI, I'm He Fei in New York.

Wrap-up of President Xi's UN VisitFor more on President Xi's activities in New York, we spoke earlier with our UN correspondent Su Yi.

…Back Anchor:

That is our UN correspondent Su Yi.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at UN is widely spoken high ofAnchor:

UN officials and observers have spoken highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech on international peacekeeping missions and of China's commitment to those UN missions.

CRI's Zhao Jianfu brings the details.

Reporter:

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, says the UN is extremely pleased with China's contribution to international peacekeeping.

"We were very pleased to hear of the contributions that China has announced, notably to peacekeeping, to help peace keepers in Africa through the African Union, and its generous donation to the peace building and development fund. These donations are very much appreciated. China has already been a contributor to UN peace keeping missions. We think this adding contribution is very tremendous. We are extremely pleased."In his speech, President Xi Jinping announced a one-billion-U.S. dollar "peace and development" fund to support the work of the United Nations over the next ten years.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says as a member of the UN Security Council, China pays high attention to the UN and the international order.

He also puts forward that the speech helps to make China's development strategy clear, which is of great significance.

"His speech has been very substantive and deeply influential to the whole world. As it is known to all, being a major power, China is developing so some countries are worried about how China's role in the future. Therefore I think his speech would have soundly impressed the small and middle powers across the world."President Xi also announced a series of initiatives to support developing countries at a South-South cooperation roundtable co-hosted by China and the UN.

The move to support and promote South-South cooperation is hailed by Alexander Gusev, director of Russia's Institute for Strategic Planning.

"When we mention South-South cooperation, we have to see the great and positive role that China is playing in that. On one hand, China is our good neighbor. On the other hand, China can always make its great concepts come true. So what President Xi Jinping mentioned is very important for us."President Xi is calling on countries worldwide to build a new model of international relations with the core of win-win cooperation, to create an international community of common destiny.

Former Brazilian Ambassador to the United States Rubens Barbosa says the call sends a positive message to the whole world.

"I think the speech on international cooperation expressed the call of duty to ease the regional tensions in the world, and send out the message to strengthen international cooperation with developing countries. I believe this is a are very positive message that China has sent to the world."President Xi arrived in New York on Sept. 26 for a series of UN summits and conferences upon the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the world body.

This follows his first state visit to the United States.

For CRI, I'm Zhao Jianfu.

Meeting on Iran deal sends "positive signal": Chinese FMOn the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, foreign ministers from Iran and the six powers have discussed the implementation of the comprehensive nuclear agreement reached in July.

The six powers include Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all parties to stick to their commitments, and to take everyone's interests into account when implementing the deal.

Wang noted that progress has been made since the deal was clinched, which also brought positive elements to the Middle East situation.

Wang said China has made a lot of efforts towards the redesign of Iran's heavy water Arak reactor and conducted effective communication with the United States and Iran.

He further pledged that China will continue to play a constructive role in the implementation of the deal.

Typhoon Dujuan makes landfall in east ChinaTyphoon Dujuan struck the Chinese mainland on Tuesday morning after lashing Taiwan, where it killed two, injured hundreds, and left hundreds of thousands without power or water.

The storm hit the coastal city of Putian just before 9 o'clock, packing winds of nearly 120 kilometers per hour.

The storm is now moving northwest at 20 km per hour.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts the Typhoon will reach Jiangxi Province Tuesday night.

The typhoon has also brought gales, torrential rain and high waves to Zhejiang Province.

Local authorities in Zhejiang have taken various precautions against the super typhoon.

Xie Dongyuan, a staff member of the frontier defense inspection station, explains.

"We are deployed to patrol in the prohibited areas of the dock and tell the staff members here to ensure that they are safe when working. If the harbor is locked, we will take charge of the prohibited areas of the port to make sure that nobody works around the harbor."Scenic spots in some districts in Wenzhou City have been closed.

Early on Monday night, Dujuan passed through Taiwan, bringing high winds and rain. Several domestic and international flights and trains were suspended as the storm approached.

In northeastern Yilan county, strong winds and rains overturned the vehicles and uprooted trees on street.

A local describes the scene when the typhoon hit the county.

"An iron sheet flew from somewhere else, whirling above the car and then (it) smashed the window."Local authorities in Taiwan said that the typhoon had left two people dead, 324 injured and six mountain climbers missing.

Over 700-thousand households are without electricity and 370-thousand are without water.

Former supreme court vice president expelled from PartyXi Xiaoming, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced the news on Tuesday.

He is suspected of taking bribes and has been put under investigation by prosecutors.

The former official has also been placed under "coercive measures," which may include summons by force, arrest, and other measures.

60 pct of high-emission vehicles removed from China's roadsOfficials with China's Ministry of Environmental protection say nearly 700-thousand high-emission vehicles across the nation were removed from the road between January and August of this year.

That represents 60 percent of this year's target -- leaving four months for officials to meet their goals for 2015.

According to a report released by the ministry, Tianjin Municipality has fulfilled its share ahead of schedule, while 13 provincial-level regions have fallen behind in the crackdown on polluting vehicles.

Hunan, Shandong, Hainan, and Fujian are among the provinces that have yet to reach 50 percent of this year's target for removing high-polluting vehicles, part of the national effort to improve air quality in China.

Putin, Obama meets for Syrian issueRussia and the United States have agreed to look for a diplomatic end to the Syrian civil war but continue to disagree over the future role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly for more than an hour.

This was the first face to face meeting between the two in a year.

After the meeting, President Putin said Russia is considering joining the airstrikes against the Islamic State conducted by the US and its allies.

"We were discussing with president Obama different aspects of the Syrian conflict resolution in general and particularly the fight against terrorist organizations in the territory of this country. As for Russian participation in this, so we are mulling over what we would really do extra in order to support those who are in the battlefield."During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Putin also insisted that it would be an "enormous mistake" to not work with the Assad regime in fighting against the terrorists inside Syria.

President Obama hinted at the possibility of co-operating with Russia in his UN speech.

He said the US is prepared to work with any nation including Russia and Iran, but that Assad must step down.

"I've said before and I will repeat there is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like ISIL, and the United States makes no apology for using our military as part of a broad coalition to go after them. We do so with a determination to ensure that there will never be a safe haven for terrorists who carry out these crimes. And we have demonstrated over more than a decade of relentless pursuit of Al Qaida, we will not be outlasted by extremists."After their meeting, a senior US official was quoted as saying that the United States does not view Russia's military buildup in Syria as necessarily destructive to a positive outcome in Syria.

The official also said the two presidents agreed that their militaries should communicate in order to avoid conflicts between them in the region.

The Syrian issue has been a core topic stressed by several leaders at the UN meeting, after the escalation of the migrant issue in Europe.

More than 250-thousand Syrians have been killed in the past four years, and 4 million others have fled the country.

Afghan forces launch counter-offensive to retake Kunduz cityAfghan security forces have launched a counter-offensive to retake Kunduz city and expel Taliban militants from the area in the country's north.

Government forces launched an offensive from five directions early Tuesday.

Security forces have so far recaptured Kunduz prison and the new provincial police station.

According to a NATO spokesman, U.S. military planes struck Taliban positions on the outskirts of the city.

Taliban militants launched a surprise attack and captured major parts of the strategically important Kunduz city on Monday morning.

The Taliban's new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, celebrated the Islamist militants' capture of Kunduz.

The city is the first provincial capital seized by the Taliban since the militants lost power in the US-led invasion in 2001.

Up to 130 people killed in suspected coalition air raid at Yemen wedding: UNAn air strike on a Yemeni wedding party has reportedly killed up to 130 civilians.

It's reported that the bridegroom has links with Houthi rebels in the country.

He was celebrating his marriage near the Red Sea port of Mocha, when missiles reportedly hit two tents.

However, the Saudi-led coalition targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen has denied responsibility.

The United Nations says the casualties include many women and children.

The incident is believed to be the single deadliest incident since the conflict in Yemen started.

Yingluck sues Thai Attorney-General for rice scheme prosecutionFormer Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has filed a criminal case in a court in Bangkok, to sue the country's Attorney-General over the handling of her prosecution for a rice-pledging scheme.

She claims the Attorney-General and others are guilty of a concerted effort to damage her reputation, and of negligence of duty.

"I've come here to exercise my rights in accordance with the legal process. I submitted the lawsuit against the Attorney-General and team members."Shiniwatra, who swept to election victory in 2011, was turned out of office last year after a court ruling that she had abused her power in the scheme.

The scheme involved buying rice from farmers at well above market prices.

The program racked up losses of more than 4 billion US dollars.

Her opponents said the scheme was riddled with corruption and that she did nothing to stop it, despite being aware of the problems.

The former PM has denied any wrong-doing.

German VW- Prosecutors Investigate Former VW CEO Martin WinterkornGerman prosecutors have opened an investigation against Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn.

Chief prosecutor Birgit Seel says it aims to find what his role was in the Volkswagen emission scandal.

"Based on public complaints which have been filed we have started an investigation into fraud allegations in relation to the VW emissions scandal. The complaints were against Dr. Martin Winterkorn, so the investigation will seek to determine whether reasonable suspicion exists against him or other employees with positions of responsibility at VW."Winterkorn denied any wrongdoing on his part and sincerely apologized for what happened.

"To make it very clear: manipulation at VW must never happen again. Ladies and gentlemen, many millions of people across the world trust our brands, our cars and our technologies. I am endlessly sorry that we betrayed the trust. I apologise profusely to our clients, to the authorities and the entire public for the wrongdoing."Winterkorn has been Volkswagen's CEO since 2007.

He resigned on Wednesday after Volkswagen admitted that 11 million diesel cars might have been involved in the emissions manipulation issue.

'Strong' Evidence Found for Liquid Water on Mars: NASAAnchor:

NASA has reported that they've found evidence that liquid water still flows on Mars, at least on a seasonable basis.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

NASA's planetary science director Jim Green announces that liquid water has been discovered on Mars under certain circumstances.

"Today, we're revolutionizing our understanding of this planet. Our rovers are finding that there's a lot more humidity in the air that we ever imagined. As we ingest the soils they're moist. They're hydrated, full of water. These discoveries are very important but they were only part of the hydrological cycle on Mars that we're just now beginning to understand. "The finding could have major implications for the possibility of discovering the truth about life on the planet.

For his part, NASA's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld explains the discovery's significance.

"The more we observe Mars, the more information we are getting that it really is a fascinating planet. From the Curiosity Rover we now know that Mars once was a planet very much like Earth, with warm salty seas, with freshwater lakes, probably snow capped peaks, clouds and a water cycle, just like we are studying here on Earth with our Earth satellites, the water cycle here on Earth."He also notes Mar's abundance of perchlorate, a type of salt typically used as a propellant.

The evidence of flowing streams consists of dark, narrow streaks on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade during the rest of the year.

However, the source of the water still remains a mystery.

The existence of frozen water on Mars was confirmed by scientists back in 2008.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Public invited to name China's dark matter explorerIt's been announced that China's dark matter probe satellite will be named by the public.

Ideas are being accepted starting from today, with October 31st being the deadline for entries.

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer is scheduled to be launched by the end of this year.

It will be the first in a program consisting of five research satellites, and its development is supported by a national space science program.

Scientists believe dark matter exists based on the law of universal gravitation, but have never directly detected it.

WeatherBeijing is cloudy tonight with a low of 13 degrees Celsius; showers tomorrow with a high of 20.

Shanghai, moderate rain tonight with a low of 22; showers tomorrow with a high of 27.

Chongqing, cloudy tonight with a low of 20; light rain tomorrow with a high of 27.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of 9; sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.

Kabul, cloudy, 23.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 21.

Brisbane, sunny with a high of 26.

Perth, light rain, 26.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChinese president pledges support for UN peacekeepingChinese President Xi Jinping has announced a string of measures to back United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Xi Jinping made the remarks while addressing a peacekeeping summit at the UN headquarters on Monday.

He says China will take the lead to set up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and will build a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops.

The president adds that China will train 2,000 foreign peacekeepers and carry out 10 mine-sweeping assistance programs in the next five years.

He also calls on the international community to increase support for Africa.

Earlier, President Xi announced that in the next five years, China will provide a total of 100 million U.S. dollars of free military aid for the African Union.

Typhoon Dujuan makes landfall in east ChinaTyphoon Dujuan struck the Chinese mainland on Tuesday morning after lashing Taiwan, where it killed two, injured hundreds, and left hundreds of thousands without power or water.

The storm hit the coastal city of Putian, packing winds of nearly 120 kilometers per hour.

It has also brought gales, torrential rain and high waves to Zhejiang Province.

Local authorities in Zhejiang have taken various precautions against the super typhoon.

Afghan forces launch counter-offensive to retake Kunduz cityAfghan security forces have launched a counter-offensive to retake Kunduz city and expel Taliban militants from the area in the country's north.

Government forces launched an offensive from five directions early Tuesday.

Security forces have so far recaptured Kunduz prison and the new provincial police station.

U.S. military planes also struck Taliban positions on the outskirts of the city.

Taliban militants launched a surprise attack and captured major parts of the strategically important Kunduz city on Monday morning.

The city is the first provincial capital seized by the Taliban since the militants lost power in the US-led invasion in 2001.

IS claims killing of Italian national in BangladeshThe Islamic State group has claimed responsibility in the killing of an Italian national in Bangladesh.

The Italian woman, who worked for an international organization, was shot dead on Monday night while jogging in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan.

According to a group that monitors online threats by jihadists, IS issued an online statement to claim responsibility for the murder.

Police in Dhaka say they are checking the statement for authenticity.

A day into the murder, the United States has advised its citizens to limit their movement.

The UK had earlier issued a travel warning for its nationals.

Biz ReportsClosing numbers across the Asian marketsAnchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with closing numbers across the Asian markets. Here's Min Rui.

Reporter:

Chinese shares closed lower on Tuesday due to shrinking profits of industrial firms and lackluster performance in major Asian markets.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 2 percent. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.6 percent.

The decline has been blamed on a year-on-year fall of 8.8 percent in the profits of China's major industrial firms in August.

Companies related to coal, cement and aircraft manufacturing were among the biggest losers.

Shares were also weighed on by other Asian markets where huge sell-offs dragged down major indices, including Hong Kong's Hang Seng which slid 3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei plunged 4 percent following declines in overseas markets, as concerns over the global economic slowdown smothered investor sentiment.

Every industry category on the main section lost ground.

In South Korea, the market was closed for a holiday.

Singapore's Straits Times Index shed a fraction of a percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 lost 3.7 percent.

Three telecoms will launch the "no clearance of the remained traffic data" serviceChina's top three major telecom operators will launch rollover data services on October 1st, meaning unused data at the end of the month will no longer just disappear.

The operators will launch the service to all subscribers automatically.

Since May of this year, the three major operators have tested this kind of service within certain businesses and through a traffic data donation service.

In July, China's Department of Telecommunication Development urged telecom operators to launch data rollover plans to all the subscribers.

The authority also urged telecom companies to lower Internet prices and elevate connection speeds.

Life insurance pricing mechanism liberalizedThe insurance regulator in China has fully liberalized pricing for life insurance products, aiming to encourage more market-driven competition among insurers.

The policy, taking effect next month, allows insurers to set up their own interest rate for dividend-paying life insurance products, which previously ware capped by the regulator at around 2.5 percent.

The regulator has already liberalized interest rates for term and universal life insurance products.

Industry analysts say the move will likely increase the operating costs for life insurers as competition will lead to higher interest rates for the products.

Official number shows total premiums within the country's life insurance sector reached 620 billion yuan, or nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars, in the first seven months of the year.

China signs RMB business MoU with ZambiaChina's central bank has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on renminbi clearing with the Bank of Zambia.

Following the memorandum, China will soon designate a renminbi clearing bank in Zambia.

The move will facilitate cross-border transactions using the Chinese currency and boost bilateral trade and investment.

Zambia has been active in promoting the use of renminbi in cross-border trade and investment.

China to deliver 500 new-energy buses to ThailandChinese bus maker BONLUCK will deliver 500 new energy buses to Thailand by the end of this year.

The gas buses were ordered by a Bangkok bus company in a 50-million dollar deal signed in 2014.

The buses are designed to carry a maximum of 100 passengers each.

The Jiangxi-based company has been exploring new markets outside China.

A deal to export 100 buses to Turkmenistan in Central Asia was signed earlier this year.

Free trade zone's successes and potentialToday marks the 2-year anniversary of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The zone is designed as a testing ground for deregulation and market-opening reforms here in China.

If successful, the FTZ format is expected to be rolled out nationwide.

By September, 26-thousand new companies had been set up in the zone, with nearly 20 percent of these being foreign-funded ventures.

The proportion of companies involving overseas capital is increasing steadily.

In April, the zone officially quadrupled in size, with officials pledging to strive for an ever-greater level of openness.

For more on the achievements and the future of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, CRI's Spencer Musick earlier spoke with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

…Back Anchor:

That was Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

IMF warns of slower economic growth for commodities exportersThe International Monetary Fund has warned of slower economic growth for commodity exporters over the next two years, against the background of falling commodities prices.

According to IMF research, countries exporting oil and other energy products may be affected twice as bad as other nations.

The IMF economists say exchange rate flexibility can help support the commodity exporters to offset the impact from the falling prices.

But it also points out the reduced commodity-based fiscal revenues and slower potential growth will constrain their scope in deploying fiscal policy to counter the price drops.

India cuts lending rate by 50 basis pointsIndia's central bank has cut its short-term lending rate by 50 basis points, reaching a four-year low.

The move will allow commercial banks to lower their own lending rates for personal, automobile, housing and commercial loans.

The Indian central bank governor has been under pressure from the finance ministry as well as the industry to cut interest rates to spur the economic recovery, as inflation is running at record lows.

Yahoo to spin off Alibaba stake despite tax questionYahoo has notified US regulators that it is proceeding with plans to spin off its multi-billion-dollar stake in Alibaba despite the unanswered question of what the tax bill could be.

Yahoo's board of directors has authorized the company to pursue the transaction "as previously disclosed, and says the completion of the spin-off will not be conditioned upon receipt of a favorable ruling from the IRS.

Early in September, the Internal Revenue Service refused to promise that the Internet pioneer's plan for spinning off its Alibaba holdings will sidestep US taxes.

The IRS declined a request for a preliminary ruling that the spin-off satisfies requirements for avoiding taxes on the multi-billion-dollar stake in Alibaba.

SportsAsian championships: China vs. QatarBeginning with basketball action from the Asian Championships,Hosts China remain undefeated at the tournament after a 90-72 victory over Lebanon.

Yi Jianlian proved his worth as the team's pillar with his consistent performance.

Yi had a team high 19 points and 5 rebounds.

Five other Chinese players also scored doubled digits.

The first four teams in the quarterfinals were decided earlier by results in the other group. The teams are Iran, Japan, the Philippines, India.

China is playing its last opponent in the group of 12 Qatar. Both teams have secured a place in the quarterfinals but this game will determine rankings, thus determining the next opponent for each team.

The game is in its first quarter and it is (UPDATE SCORE)Ning Zetao, Fu Yuanhui make finals at Swimming World CupIn swimming,Ning Zetao has made it into the final of the men's 50 meter butterfly at the FINA Swimming World Cup being held in Beijing.

He qualified from fourth place in the preliminaries, clocking 24.54 seconds.

It is the only event the swimmer is competing in at the world cup.

Ning says for him, the world cup is more a training session than a competition. He is trying to maintain his form while preparing for the Military World Games next month.

The free-style specialist is the first Asian swimmer to win a gold medal in the men's 100 meter free at a world championships, doing so in Kezan, Russia last month.

In other action,Women's 50 meter backstroke winner in Kezan Fu Yuanhui is in the final of this event at the world cup.

Fu is also competing in 50 meter butterfly.

Sun Yang is out of action due to an injury.

UEFA Champions League previewIn football,Teams are making final preparations for their UEFA Champions League games early tomorrow morning.

Barcelona, without Messi, will host Germany's Leverkusen in Group E.

Barca coach Luis Enrique admits it will be hard without Messi against a team with such good defense, but they will find an alternative.

"Both for us and for the team this constitutes a big challenge. To be able to remain competitive without our best player. But it is a very attractive challenge and I am sure we will be up to the circumstances. To try to substitute a player like Messi is an impossible task. We will not pretend we are able to do that, but we will continue trusting our defensive and attacking strategies with a different cast."Barcelona was held to a one-all draw by Roma in their opening game, while Leverkusen overcame Borisov 4-1.

In group F,Bayern Munich will be looking to take control of their home game against Dinamo Zagreb.

Victory will give Bayern a three-point advantage at the top of the table, regardless of what happens in the other game between Arsenal and Olympiacos in London.

In Group G,Jose Mourinho's Chelsea visit Porto, the club that he led all the way to the champions league title back in 2004.

Premier League defending champions Chelsea are off to a staggering start this season, recording two losses and one draw so far in the domestic league.

Mourinho says it is natural to lose in football but his team must be consistent to win.

" To be a winner you don't need to win all the time because in football you lose, you cannot win all the time. But to be a winner you must have a strong mentality every game, every day. And in this moment I don't have 'untouchables'. I have very good players, I have players that I like very, very much. I like my squad, I like their qualities as players, I like their human qualities... very, very good group of guys - that's a privilege to work with such a group that you like so much"Chelsea will have to get the ball past arguably the world's best goalkeeper Iker Casillas who left Real Madrid to join Porto this summer.

Ronaldo to set up 30 football schools in ChinaIn other football news,Brazilian legend Ronaldo has announced his plans to open 30 football schools in China.

He made the announcement at the unveiling ceremony of one of his schools in Brazil.

Ronaldo intends to train young Chinese players with his unique method.

Ronaldo says he sees China's long lasting interest and its great potential for the development of football, which is the other reason that prompted his decision other than business factors.

The majority of these schools will be set up in the three biggest Chinese cities Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

They will become part of the Ronaldo Academy, which has already expanded across Brazil and in the United States.

President of the Academy Carlos Wizard Martins wants to establish partnerships with local elementary and middle schools for exchange programs.

Ronaldo and Martins will unveil the first school in Beijing in November.

England's Billy Vunipola exits world cup with injuryIn rugby,England's number 8 Billy Vunipola has pulled out of the world cup with a knee injury sustained in a 28-25 defeat by Wales.

The 22-year-old is to be replaced by 37-year-old veteran Nick Easter.

England coach Andy Farrell believes Easter can fill in the void.

"We know what kind of a player Billy is and what he brings to the team. I thought he was excellent in the game against Wales, and unfortunately he just got caught under a maul and these things happen. He's gone home with our best wishes and hopefully we'll see him back very soon. But it gives the opportunity for Nick Easter to come back into the squad - an experienced guy who has been there and done that before. He's been involved in some big games in World Cups before and been successful."Hosts England take on Australia for their fate this weekend. They could become the first sole host of the tournament to exit at the pool stage if they lose.

EntertainmentHuang Lei safety video released in ChinaA five minute video on driving safely in New Zealand featuring Chinese TV star Huang Lei has been released in China.

The star of Chinese TV show "Dad, where are we going?" has taken part in a Mandarin language video informing visitors to New Zealand to remain cautious and safe when driving in the country.

The New Zealand government has welcomed the video and says the star's social media presence will help spread the message of safe driving to his followers.

The video was filmed during his trip to New Zealand in June. In the video Huang Lei reminds drivers to drive on the left side of the road and to pull off the road completely to take photographs.

The video follows several serious fatal accidents involving foreign drivers.

Sam Smith Bond song on course to hit number 1Sam Smith's James Bond theme song is set to become the first in franchise history to hit the number one spot in the UK charts.

The song titled 'Writing's on the Wall' is currently heading the charts selling twice the amount of copies as Justin Bieber's 'What do You Mean' which has now been shifted to second place.

The best performing Bond songs have been Adele's 'Skyfall' and Duran Duran's 'A View to Kill'. Both songs hit number two on the charts at the time of their release.

Smith had earlier said during an interview on BBC Radio 1 that he thought the song wasn't a 'number one friendly song'.

'Writing's on the Wall' has received mixed reviews online with some users calling the song iconic while others saying it's not good enough for a Bond song.

Matt Damon preparing to release 'The MartianMatt Daemon is preparing to release his latest film The Martian in which he plays an action hero who relies on his brains.

His character is an astronaut stuck on Mars while people on Earth are attempting to bring him back home. It's based on a novel by Andrew Weir.

Damon says he's happy to play a hero who relies on his brains.

"When I talk to Drew (Goddard) about doing the movie he said he wanted it to be a love letter to science. And I think it is, it celebrates smart people that do this creative stuff and it's just a very uplifting, optimistic movie,"The film is directed by Ridley Scott who has worked on space movies before. Damon says he enjoyed working with him.

"He's got his kind of gruff persona, but that's more fun than anything. 'Why are we shooting right now,' you know but he's got the same crew that he works with all the time and they love them. They would lay down in traffic for him.　So it's a fun environment to work in.""The Martian" opens in U.S. theaters on October 2.

Vin Diesel says Furious franchise will finish with trilogyFast and Furious actor Vin Diesel says the franchise will have one more trilogy before finishing.

This year's Fast and Furious 7 film became an instant hit grossing $1.5 billion dollars at the global box office.

Vin Diesel acts as a producer and also stars in the movies. He confirmed earlier this year that Furious 8 will be released in 2017 however it was revealed last week that the movie does not currently have a director.

Diesel gave fans an update on Monday on his Facebook page telling them that he will deliver one final trilogy. He also said that he had been mapping out the future of the saga and the direction it will take.

WeatherBeijing is cloudy tonight with a low of 13 degrees Celsius; showers tomorrow with a high of 20.

Shanghai, moderate rain tonight with a low of 22; showers tomorrow with a high of 27.

Chongqing, cloudy tonight with a low of 20; light rain tomorrow with a high of 27.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of 9; sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.

Kabul, cloudy, 23.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 21.

Brisbane, sunny with a high of 26.

Perth, light rain, 26.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

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

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

The Chinese president has delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly to wrap up his visit to the United States...

Typhoon Dujuan has struck the Chinese mainland, bringing powerful winds and rain to several southeastern provinces...

and the presidents of the US and Russia discuss the Syrian Civil war...

In Business...three major Chinese telecoms improve their data plans...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, I'm 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...