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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping's address to the UN General Assembly draws widespread praise...

China set to increase its participation in UN peacekeeping work...

And former UK Foreign Minister David Milliband calling on the United States to do more to solve Europe's refugee crisis...

In Business.... the China Securities Regulatory Commission issuing heavy fines for illegal stock trading...

In Sports.... China's Guangzhou Evergrande will play Japan's Gamba Osaka in the AFC semifinals...

In entertainment..... Chinese star Huang Lei produces a safety video for tourists in New Zealand...

All of that coming up in the next hour.

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topChina to Increase Participation in UN Peacekeeping: FMChina has pledged that it will increase its participation in the United Nations peacekeeping operations and make new contributions to world peace.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei made the remarks after Chinese President Xi Jinping's announced on Monday a string of measures in support of UN peacekeeping missions.

Hong says the proposals made by President Xi fully demonstrate China's commitment to its responsibility for safeguarding world peace and its support to UN peacekeeping operations.

"Since its participation in the UN's first peacekeeping operation in 1990, China has dispatched over 30,000 peacekeepers to 29 peacekeeping missions. Currently 3,100 Chinese peacekeepers are working in ten mission areas, safeguarding and restoring peace and stability and protecting people's safety and property there. They have won high praises from both the UN and the countries where they are stationed."Addressing a peacekeeping summit at the United Nations on Monday, President Xi says China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability standby system, set up a permanent peacekeeping police force and build an 8,000-member peacekeeping standby troop.

The country will also train 2000 foreign peacekeepers and carry out 10 mine-sweeping assistance programs in the next 5 years.

President Xi also says that China will deploy its first helicopter detachment in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.

On top of these contributions, the Chinese President says that in the next five years, China will provide 100 million U.S. dollars in peacekeeping aid for Africa to establish a standby force and capacity for immediate response to crises.

Hong Lei says China will continue to practice multilateralism, increase its participation in UN peacekeeping operations and make new contributions to world peace.

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 reports.

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.

Kerry: U.S.-China warm friendship strengthened by cooperating on tackling challengesU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has highlighted the friendship between the peoples of the United States and China in a congratulatory message to China on the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Kerry wished the people of China "a joyous celebration, and peace and prosperity over the coming year."Kerry also spoke highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the U.S. last week, saying it has shown the great progress of bilateral relations achieved through cooperation.

The top U.S. diplomat said all the major challenges facing the world can benefit from the cooperation of the United States and China.

Typhoon Dujuan brings heavy rains to east China provinceTyphoon Dujuan has brought heavy rains to the coastal province of Fujian, flooding urban areas and trapping residents at home.

Local meteorological department says more than 200 millimeters of rain fell in just 24 hours in some parts of the province.

The provincial flood control headquarters issued an alert.

Some houses in low-lying areas were flooded with water up to one meter deep.

Police and other rescuers were also dispatched to reinforced dams on river banks to prevent flooding.

Xu Ye, deputy instructor of the Dongying Village Border Police Station, said they found some loopholes during their patrol.

"While we were on patrol, we found that some wharfs had been damaged by the flood, so we organized some of the young villagers to reinforce them to minimize the losses for fishermen."Typhoon Dujuan is the 21st typhoon of the year.

It made landfall in Fujian on Tuesday morning. It has since weakened to a tropical depression and moved inland.

Women Allegedly Abusing Adopted Son Goes on Trial in NanjingA woman suspected of abusing her adopted son has gone on trial in Nanjing.

The foster mother of a 9-year-old boy Li Zhengqin was arrested earlier in April on charges of child abuse after photos of severe scars and bruising all over the boy's body sparked outrage online.

Despite this, some legal experts say that the question of whether the mother should be convicted of child abuse remains a controversial one.

Professor from China University of Political Science and Law Ruan Qilin explains some of the legal standards regarding a conviction of child abuse.

"The conviction of child abuse by the mother not only requires the evidence of beating the child, but also her continual and regular torture towards the victim both physically and mentally with the intention of abuse. Hitting the kid occasionally during her normal discipline can't be regarded as abuse."Another controversial issue surrounds the question of how to asses the extent of the boy's injuries.

Prosecutors have alleged that Li's deliberate beating resulted in injuries to the victim, which constitutes the crime of intentional injury.

The trial is expected to continue at a later date.

Porcelain Relics Help Identify Warship Sunk in first Sino-Japanese WarA sunken warship discovered last year in the Yellow Sea has now been confirmed as Chinese cruiser Zhiyuan sunk by the Japanese navy during the first Sino-Japanese War 121 years ago.

The 50-meter-long vessel was found ten nautical miles southwest of Dandong Port in northeast China's Liaoning Province, during an underwater exploration for port construction last year.

More than 100 pieces of relic fragments have been salvaged since archeologists began underwater investigation in August.

Zhou Chunshui, head of the archeological team, said the two Chinese characters "Zhiyuan" were later identified in the middle of a fragmented round porcelain plate after archeologists put the pieces together.

"The discovery of the plate provided a definite proof for the identification of Zhiyuan Warship. The characters 'Zhiyuan' written on the plate was the seal script, an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. We could prove that was Zhiyuan Warship before, but this plate is more directly to identify the warship."The Zhiyuan was one of four warships in the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty imperial marine forces, which were defeated by the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Yellow Sea in 1894.

Li Ka-shing responds to "withdrawal" reportsCompanies of Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing have denied reports saying they will withdraw from the mainland.

Later Li's Cheung Kong Property Holdings Limited and CK Hutchison Holdings Limited released a statement to clarify the viewpoints.

The statement said Li Ka-shing has not reduced his holdings nor reaped any proceeds, therefore there is no truth in the 'withdrawal' accusations.

It notes that Li believes that the Chinese government is dedicated to deepening economic reforms and openness.

US Should Shoulder More Responsibility in Taking in Refugees: Former UK MinisterHead of the International Rescue Committee is calling for the US to make greater efforts to help Syrian refugee resettlement.

David Miliband made the remarks at a meeting with a US senate foreign relations panel.

The former UK Foreign Secretary said that what the US has done does not match up with its global leadership role.

"So far, just over 1,800 Syrians have been admitted and with the greatest respect -- the respect of someone who is a visitor to your country even though I work here now but not yet a citizen -- I would say this 1,800 figure is not fitting for the global leadership role the United States has played over a very long period in refugee resettlement."Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama has said that his administration will take in at least 10-thosuand Syrian refugees over the next year.

It is the first specific commitment the United States has made toward increasing its acceptance of refugees from the war-torn country.

However, some refugee advocates and Congressmen said the number is far from enough.

Nancy Linborg, President of the US Institute of Peace, said more countries should be included in the solution to the crisis.

"We need to ensure that not only does the U.S. continue its commitment but that we get a larger collection of countries to help shoulder that burden. It consistently falls on a small number of countries. We need to expand that number of people who are -- the number of countries that are -- providing assistance."So far, 4 million people have fled Syria since the civil war broke out four years ago, prompting a massive refugee influx into Europe.

According to the International Organization for Migration, a record number of half a million people have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe this year.

Refugees Flee into Europe through Croatia despite Poor WeatherThousands of people are continuing to cross into Croatia in spite of heavy rain and worsening weather conditions.

Refugees and migrants escaping from the Syrian civil war are trying to make their way into the European Union.

One of them is Mazem who said the difficult journey is still the best choice for their children.

"There is a war and terror. We came to here and we hope to reach Germany. For a much (better) future for our babies and children."Croatia is sending migrants north across its own border with Hungary, which in turn sends them to Austria.

However, the growing number of migrants is putting heavy pressure on the border.

According to the Croatian Interior Ministry, nearly 80-thousand refugees have entered the country since September 15.

Obama Hosts Violent Extremism MeetingAnchor:

US President Barack Obama has chaired a gathering of world leaders to discuss counter-terrorism and the fight against ISIS.

At the meeting at the United Nations, he admitted that defeating the group will take time, but said that ultimately the militants would lose because they offered nothing but suffering and death.

CRI's Kate Fisher reports from the United Nations in New York.

ReporterFlanked by the leaders of Nigeria and Iraq – two countries on the frontline of the fight against violent Islamic extremism – US president Barack Obama was clear about the size of the challenge:

"There are going to be successes and there are going to be setbacks. This is not a conventional battle. This is a long-term campaign -- not only against this particular network, but against its ideology."The US led coalition against ISIS has grown to some 60 nations, with President Obama announcing the newest members as Nigeria, Tunisia and Malaysia. He also praised the armed services from the nearly two dozen nations who are now contributing to the military campaign.

But he was clear that it would not be enough just to defeat them on the battlefield. He said ideologies are not defeated by guns but only by better ideas. But Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari stressed that his country still needed military aid:

"We certainly need to do more. We need to take military action combined with effective border security, intelligence collection and sharing and vigorous policy action. These alone may not suffice but they can certainly stem the tide and reverse the process of recruitment, movement and effective operation of foreign terrorist fighters and their associated radical extremists.'

The Iraqi leader – Haider al-Abadi – sitting next to Obama - also stressed that his country needed support in order to fight the threat on its doorstep.

"We cannot finance all these battles that we are seeking to win. We need your help, and the help of the international community in financing and the equipment of our soldiers. We need your support also to take care of the people who lost their loved ones."The meeting of more than 100 world leaders lasted several hours but what concrete difference it will make is unclear. Tomorrow Russia – who was not invited – will host a special UN Security Council meeting on the same issue –highlighting not just the huge challenge the world faces in defeating the threat of violent extremism but also the sharp differences which exist in how to tackle it.

For CRI, I'm Kate Fisher at the United Nations in New YorkUS confident in Afghan forces' ability to take on TalibanThe United States is expressing confidence in the ability of Afghan security forces to battle Taliban fighters and to regain control of the northern city of Kunduz.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a press conference that the US will continue to support the fight against Taliban in Afghanistan.

"But it does highlight the ongoing challenges the Afghan security forces are taking on every single day, the very dangerous situation that they face and their efforts, their own efforts, to try and take control of the country and we will continue to do everything we can to encourage them in this efforts."Taliban gunmen captured the key northern Afghan city of Kunduz on Monday.

The sudden fall of the city is a major blow to the government of President Ashraf Ghani. And it is also the first urban area taken by the Taliban since the 2001 US invasion ousted their regime.

The Afghan defence ministry on Tuesday claimed that the police headquarters and city prison had been retaken.

Ghani declared that Kunduz is under control.

"The problem is that the enemy uses people as human shields. The Afghan government is a responsible government and will not bomb the city. From hence, I order all security officials to, first of all, protect the lives of civilians."Earlier on Tuesday U.S. military planes hit Taliban positions on the outskirts of Kunduz in order to eliminate a threat to joint coalition-Afghan forces in the area.

Yemen's Aden Oil Refinery Resumes OperationsYemen's Aden refinery resumed operations on Tuesday after it had been shut down for more than five months, according to an industry source at the refinery.

Said Mohammed is the general manager of the company.

"The production cycle has started to churn again and God willing, the refinery will provide the local market with petroleum products and cooking gas (that are in short supply) as a result of the crisis in the market."The plant, in the southern port city of Aden, was shut this April due to the escalation of civil war. And Aden Refinery Company declared force majeure on its oil imports and exports in the same month.

Built in 1954, it is one of the oldest refineries in the Middle East. It normally produces 150-thousand barrels per day. Now it works at half of its processing capacity.

Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim Arab states launched a military campaign in Yemen this March against Iran-backed Houthi positions in the country.

VW brand CEO to discuss emissions scandal with European Commission for solutionsVolkswagen passenger cars brand Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess arrived in Brussels for talks with the European Commission to discuss the company's emissions scandal.

Europe's biggest carmaker has admitted to cheating in diesel emissions tests in the United States and manipulating them in Europe.

Diess will meet with European Commissioner for Industry Elzbieta Bienkowska to explain the company's plans in response to the scandal.

He said the most important thing is to inform the Commissioner about which measures they will taken to solve customers' problems.

"We have been working on various solutions, with a particular focus on our customers at the moment. We will probably approach our customers with a software revision and perhaps also slight engine modifications and suggest solutions over the coming months to be carried out on the vehicles."Bienkowska said the Commission expects that Volkswagen will collaborate fully with authorities in the investigation.

Volkswagen is under huge pressure to address the worst business crisis in its history.

The scandal has wiped more than a third off its market value, sent shock waves through the global car market and could harm Germany's economy.

Volkswagen announced plans on Tuesday to refit up to 11 million vehicles and overhaul its namesake brand following the scandal.

India showcases commitments to clean energy through solar parkAnchor:

India is aiming to demonstrate its commitment to clean energy through a solar power park that is now operational.

CRI's Fu Yu reports.

Reporter:

Located in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the solar park is said to be the largest one in Asia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious clean-energy targets including raising solar capacity fivefold to 100 gigawatts by 2022.

The state's Power and Finance Minister Saurabh Patel says Gujarat will be a major contributor to Modi's vision of an India driven by clean energy.

"We decided that in spite of the cost being high, Gujarat is the only state which can take the lead, because we had taken the lead in power reforms in a big way and we were successful. Ours was the only utility which had a surplus and the only state which was giving 24/7 power."The solar power produced in the state meets all of Gujarat's demand.

It has changed lives in the remote village of Charanka, where people were at the mercy of daylight and had no electricity after darkness fell.

Zaida, a young girl from the village, says the solar park has made all the difference.

"Everyone has work, everyone has light, people are getting water, good roads have been built - earlier we had none of this. The solar park has brought all these benefits."The surplus supply will be sold to India's national grid, from where it would be distributed to states with power shortages.

The solar park is attracting solar cell manufacturers, helping to drive down costs.

Chief Officer of the park Rajendra Mistri says that economies of scale will also make renewable energy more viable.

"We see that in future because the conventional fuels are depleting at a very high rate, the cost of the fuel price will go up and at the same time the cost of the power generation from the solar will go down. So in very near future we will see that there will be a price parity,"India plans to replicate the plant with similar projects across several other states, and is trying to seek out the developed world to share some of the extra costs of putting up projects that help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The sector is expected to generate 100 billion US dollars in revenue over the next five years.

For CRI, this is Fu Yu.

Waters in North New Zealand to Become Ocean SanctuariesWaters in the north of New Zealand are set to become one of the world's largest natural ocean reserves. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key made the announcement in a speech to United Nations on Monday.

The protected area is called the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. It expands at over 600-thousand square km, roughly the same size as France. Fishing and mining are banned in this area.

"The new sanctuary will preserve the home of a huge range of species, millions of seabirds, whales and dolphins, endangered turtles and thousands of species of fish and other marine life will be better protected. We'll also protect the ocean's floor, in what is one of the most geologically diverse areas in the world."However, the announcement has raised a few eyebrows in the seafood export industry, which is worth nearly 900-millon US dollars a year.

Meanwhile, mining companies are affected as well, as this move will prevent them gaining seabed prospecting rights.

Other marine protected areas recently announced include the Australian Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve and the Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve announced by the UK.

weatherBeijing has showers today with a high of 20 and low of 15 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will also have some showers today with a high of 28 and low of 24.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 27, tonight will see some clouds with a low of 20.

Lhasa will be cloudy today with a high of 22, still cloudy tonight with a low of 8.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will have sunshine with a high of 34.

Kabul will have slight rain with a high of 23.

Over to North America,New York will see heavy downpour with a high of 25.

Washington DC will have moderate rain, highs of 24.

Honolulu, cloudy, 28.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 16 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 18.

And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain with a high of 29 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina to Increase Participation in UN Peacekeeping: FMChina has pledged that it will increase its participation in the United Nations peacekeeping operations and make new contributions to world peace.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei made the remarks following Chinese President Xi Jinping's announcement on Monday of a string of measures in support of UN peacekeeping missions.

Hong says the proposals made by President Xi fully demonstrate China's commitment to its responsibility for safeguarding world peace and its support to UN peacekeeping operations.

Addressing a peacekeeping summit at the United Nations on Monday, President Xi says China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability standby system, set up a permanent peacekeeping police force and build an 8,000-member peacekeeping standby troop.

The country will also train 2000 foreign peacekeepers and carry out 10 mine-sweeping assistance programs in the next 5 years.

President Xi also says that China will deploy its first helicopter detachment in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.

Hong Lei says China will continue to practice multilateralism, increase its participation in UN peacekeeping operations and make new contributions to world peace.

China to build "sponge cities" to address urban waterloggingA campaign called "Sponge City" will see the construction of high-level sewer systems in Chinese cities, according to a statement released from the State Council, China's Cabinent.

This campaign aims to enable cites to better absorb rainstorms, like a sponge.

It helps sewer systems to drain rain water quickly and guide the water to collection facilities for recycling.

The campaign applies to cities' renovation work and new construction projects.

Heavy rain often results in floods in cities or even loss of life in China.

Nearly 80 people died after a rainstorm hit Beijing three years ago.

Death toll rises to 131 after airstrikes hit a wedding party in YemenThe death toll after airstrikes hit a wedding party in Yemen has risen to 131.

Yemeni security officials said on Tuesday that the Saudi-led coalition struck the wedding party by mistake in a village in Taiz province.

80 of the dead are women.

The high death toll would make it one of the deadliest incidents in the civil war.

A Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi rebels and their allies since March.

Belgium identifies 828 radical suspects: leaked reportBelgian authorities have identified 828 people suspected of being radical Islamists engaged in jihadist activities.

Belgian broadcaster RTL cited a leaked ministerial notice to say that 270 Belgian residents are currently fighting in Syria and Iraq and 129 people have returned.

Another 352 Belgian residents are suspected of intending to travel to a conflict zone.

RTL reported that the ministerial directive was sent out to local authorities, urging them to gather information about the named individuals, referred to as "foreign terrorist fighters".

A local newspaper said that on a per-capita basis, Belgium has for the past three years been the European country with the highest proportion of residents fighting in Syria and Iraq.

biz reportsAnchor:

Turning onto business news. First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe as well as a recap on the Chinese market.

Reporter:

U.S. stocks closed mixed Tuesday following the previous day's plunge, as the International Monetary Fund warned of slower economic growth for commodity exporters over the next two years.

In other markets, oil prices bounced back on Tuesday as U.S. consumer data came in better than expected.

The Consumer Confidence Index stands at 103.0 for September, well above market consensus of 96.0.

The promising data from the United States, a major crude consumer, helped boost the oil market.

At the same time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration will release last week's inventories data on Wednesday.

Traders have expected shrinking stockpiles in face of the decreasing rig number.

At the closing bell,Dow Jones rose 0.3 percent.

S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.

The Nasdaq was off 0.6 percent.

Meanwhile in Europe,Stock markets slid on Tuesday over uncertainty about global growth adding to heavy losses at the start of the week.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 slid 0.8 percent.

Germany's DAX closed down 0.4 percent.

France's CAC 40 decreased 0.3 percent.

Finally here in China,The 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, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.6 percent.

Heavy fines for unlawful stock salesThe China Securities Regulatory Commission has issued heavy fines for illegal stock trading.

The fines amount to 28 million yuan or around 4 million U.S. dollars.

The CSRC banned major shareholders from dumping their stocks from July to December, as it feared off loading could trigger further price falls.

However, some individuals and companies were still found to have flouted the ruling.

China identifies priority sectors for industrial upgradesChina has identified ten priority sectors for industrial upgrades.

The move is part of the country's "Made in China 2025" plan.

The list includes new information technologies, aerospace devices, ocean engineering, new energy vehicles, agricultural machines and biological medicine.

China has pledged to update the list every two years.

State Council Release Top-Level Design on Charging Facilities Construction for E-carsAccording to a plan being discussed by the State Council, China's Cabinent, buyers of new energy vehicles will get license plates without having to apply through the usual lottery system, starting from October 1,Meanwhile, the purchase tax on passenger vehicles with a displacement of less than 1.6 liters will be halved.

The state council also calls for building more charging facilities and unified standards so that all vehicles can use charging stations.

In September, the new energy vehicle index compiled by Wind, an information provider in China, increased 8.3 percent.

For more on the new energy vehicle, CRI's Sophie Williams spoke with Liu Baocheng, Associate Professor at the Business School of the University of International Business and Economics.

Back Anchor:

That was Liu Baocheng, Associate Professor at the Business School of the University of International Business and Economics speaking with CRI's Sophie Williams.

Construction of Laos segment of China-Singapore railway set for Nov. startA transnational railway linking China and Singapore is set to be constructed.

The construction of the segment in Laos will start in November.

The Laos section, over 400 kilometers long, will take 5 years to complete and cost around 7 billion U.S. dollars.

The Lao National Railway Enterprise will reportedly joint venture with the Chinese companies to develop, manage and operate the project.

Meantime, governments of China and Laos have agreed to directly contribute 40 percent of the total investment for the project.

Enterprises of both countries will source the remaining 60 percent.

The project will form part of a single rail network connecting Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province, and Singapore, via Laos, Thailand and Malaysia.

It has been designed to boost regional trade in goods and services as part of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

Beijing extends scope of tax refunds for international touristsBeijing has announced plans to extend the scope of tax refunds on purchases made by overseas visitors.

The minimum purchase for a value-added tax refund is 500 yuan in any one store in a single day.

The refund is valid when the purchase is made within 90 days before departure and if the products remain unused upon departure.

Some retail vendors say the move can bolster sales of items popular among foreign tourists.

"Tax refunding can attract more international visitors to buy our products and they will get more tax refunded, thus I can sell more."Tax refunding has long been an important way for countries worldwide to attract overseas tourists.

More than 50 countries and regions have adopted VAT refunds, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Brazil and Thailand.

Overseas withdrawal of cash to be cappedChina is set to cap overseas cash withdrawals annually for China UnionPay users starting from Thursday.

The move aims to tighten possible financial risks and illegal activities including money laundering.

Users will be limited to withdrawing a total of 50-thousand yuan or nearly 8-thousand U.S. dollars, outside the Chinese mainland from October to December.

They will also be subject to an annual cap of 100-thousand yuan equivalent from next year.

Meanwhile, authorities impose a current daily withdrawal cap of 10-thousand yuan equivalent per card.

SportsGuangzhou Evergrande Plays Japan's Gamba Osaka in ACL semifinalIn soccer news:

Guangzhou Evergrande will play Japan's Gamba Osaka in the first leg of the 2015 Asian Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

The Chinese team comfortably beat Japan's Kashiwa Reysol in the quarterfinals.

But Evergrande coach Luiz Scolari believes Gamba, the 2008 Asian champions, will be a tougher opponent.

The game will be kicking-off at 8pm Beijing time.

China remains undefeated in FIBA Asia ChampionshipIn basketball news:

China continues to be undefeated as they beat Qatar 89-65 at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Tuesday.

China is currently on top of group F.

China will play against India in Thursday's quarterfinalsQatar will move on to face Japan.

Petra Kvitova Advances at Wuhan OpenIn tennis news:

Defending champion Petra Kvitova beat Daria Gavrilova of Russia 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to advance to the third round of the Wuhan Open on Tuesday.

The winner of the inaugural title a year ago, Petra Kvitova was pushed hard by Daria Gavrilova.

The 21-year-old Russian-born Australian had beaten Maria Sharapova earlier this year and was seen as a threat to Kvitova.

But in the games serving, Kvitova was able to pull off a win.

The Czech will now face 15th-seeded Roberta Vinci in the third round.

Simona Halep advances at Wuhan Openand in more Wuhan Open News:

The final match of Tuesday saw top-seeded Simona Halep beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-1.

They had met five times before and everytime Simona Halep came out on top.

In the match, Pavlyuchenkova started stong but soon caved in.

Next up for the Romanian Halep is a meeting with Briton's Johanna Konta.

Haas F1 hires Romain Grojean as lead driverand in F1 racing news:

New US-based Formula One team Haas F1 has unveiled Romain Grosjean as their lead driver at news conference on Tuesday.

Founder Gene Haas initially talked of hiring an American driver for his new Formula One team.

Instead he picked the 29-year-old Frenchman who has raced with Lotus for five years.

Grosjean has competed in 78 Formula One races and has 10 podium finishes.

Haas's Team Principle Guenther Steiner stated that his team believes they found the right drive.

We spoke to quite a few drivers and in the end I spoke technical people of what they think of Romain and how he develops a car because we have got a steep mountain to climb here. We are a new team - an old new team - so we needed somebody who knows what he doing and I think in the end we found the right guy.

Haas F1 will make its official debut at the Australian Grand Prix on April 3rd.

Tonga beats Namibia in Rugby World CupIn Rugby news:

Tonga held off Namibia to earn a 35-21 win at Rugby World Cup on Tuesday.

The defeat took Namibia's tournament-record run to 17 consecutive losses.

Namibia just couldn't handle Tonga in the scrum and missed too many tackles.

Wales preps for Fiji in Rugby World CupAnd in more Rugby news:

Wales made three injury-enforced changes to its depleted back division, and kept the same pack for the Rugby World Cup game against Fiji on Thursday.

Full-back Matthew Morgan, centre Tyler Morgan and winger Alex Cuthbert were brought into a Wales' back line that lost Scott Williams and Hallam Amos to tournament-ending injuries.

Williams and Amos became the fifth and sixth Welsh backs ruled out of the World Cup this month.

Full-back Liam Williams is also unavailable to play against Fiji because of a head injury received against playing England.

Welsh captain Sam Warburton explained that despite injuries and fatigue, his team is motivated.

"You know, in the changing room and on the bus it was awesome, the celebrations and stuff. But then, players we've been talking to each other then, you're like, 'Definitely can't let this slip now against Fiji - we've done all this hard work now.' And it's not just the week of the England game, it's going back three, four months.

Despite just a five-day turnaround, Wales coach Warren Gatland chose the same set of forwards from the grueling match at Twickenham.

Wales is going for their third consecutive Pool A win.

England preparing for Australia in Crucial Rugby World Cup Matchand:

England trained in Bagshot ahead of their crucial 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A clash against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

Englands heading into their Pool A encounter against Australia needing a win.

Australia are currently top of Pool A, following their 65-3 win over Uruguay on Sunday.

England are third with six points.

Englands attack coach Mike Catt stated that he is aware of Australia's talent, but remains optimistic.

"For both sides to be honest, Australia have come on leaps and bounds with their scrum and their set-piece. They are a massively dangerous side as we all know. But let's not take away what we've achieved over the Six Nations and how capable we are of scoring tries as wellThe tournament hosts know another defeat would end their title hopes.

England have won the last two matches between the sides at TwickenhamEntertainmentHuang Lei Safety Video Released in ChinaA five minute video on driving safety 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 Chinese tourists.

10th Rome Film Festival Unveils LineupThe 10th Rome Film Festival is announced to be mostly a celebration, as this year's edition will not give out any prizes or awards.

Artistic director of the festival, Antonio Monda, explains this decision.

"I wanted, and this is a decision I made and that I stand by, I hope it isn't controversial, I wanted to get rid of the judges, of the competition, of the host, of the awards with the exception of the people's choice award. I wanted to get rid of everything that detracts from the feeling of celebration."This significant change of nature means the Roman event will no longer being a competition, but a celebration that gives priority to the quality of movies selected.

Antonio Monda also unveils the lineup of this year's event, with Jude Law and Wes Anderson on this list.

"The second evening we have the stars. Jude Law will be here to talk about his films and also the films that he loves. Then we have Wes Anderson and Donna Tartt together, Donna Tartt is not in the cinema industry, she is a great writer, winner of a Pulitzer prize. She will talk about why she loves Pasolini and other great Italian Directors and Wes Anderson will talk about why he loves De Sica."The upcoming American biographical political drama, 'Truth' will open the festival.

This year's Rome Film Festival runs from October 16th to 24th in the Italian capital.

Simon Helberg to Release Directorial Debut in UK'The Big Bang Theory' star, Simon Helberg, is set to release his directorial debut in UK, a romantic comedy named 'We'll Never Have Paris'.

The 34-year-old actor gained fame through his performance in the popular sit com as super geek Howard.

Co-directed with his wife, Helberg also wrote and stars in the film.

The actor says the comedy is based on his real life tale.

"It's based on the story of me and my now wife and the disastrous break-up that preceded our even more catastrophic proposal. So this is that story, that time in our life and I guess that it seems like a lot of people have a similar kind of experience - a quarter-life crisis moment although I haven't really found one that plunges this deep into the pit of self-destruction, so I think I hold the gold medal for that."'We'll Never Have Paris' is a comedy of errors about a guy who cheats on his girlfriend and his noble efforts to win her back.

'We'll Never Have Paris' has a limited release and through video on demand on January 22nd in US, and it is scheduled to be released in UK on October 9th.

Giorgio Armani to Launch New BookLegendary fashion designer Giorgio Armani has announced the launch of a book that gives a look-back on his life.

Rather than an autobiography, the 81-year-old fashion icon says the book is about his memories and sensations that needed to be set free.

The launch of the book is also in line with the celebration of his fashion house Armani's 40 years anniversary.

Vogue international editor Suzy Menkes was at the launch to present the book.

"Gather together what I feel about Armani after 40 years and when I read the book I realized, it's very personal a lot of what he's written, it isn't just a book saying, 'and that was the first time that I met a Hollywood film star' it's far deeper than that, so I think it's very interesting."Armani's book is under publishing this week in both English and Italian.

Sam Smith Bond song on course to hit number 1Sam Smith's James Bond theme song is set to become the first song in 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.

weatherBeijing has showers today with a high of 20 and low of 15 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will also have some showers today with a high of 28 and low of 24.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 27, tonight will see some clouds with a low of 20.

Lhasa will be cloudy today with a high of 22, still cloudy tonight with a low of 8.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will have sunshine with a high of 34.

Kabul will have slight rain with a high of 23.

Over to North America,New York will see heavy downpour with a high of 25.

Washington DC will have moderate rain, highs of 24.

Honolulu, cloudy, 28.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 16 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 18.

And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain with a high of 29 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping's address to the UN General Assembly draws widespread praise...

China set to increase its participation in UN peacekeeping work...

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