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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have taken time to mark the 2nd annual Martyrs Day today at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

A series of explosions have taken place across a county in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi.

Russia's Parliament gives the green-light for Russian forces to take part in the fighting in Syria.

In Business... Chinese authorities making it easier for first-time home buyers through lower down payments.

In Sports... China preparing for India in the quarter-finals of the FIBA Asian Basketball Championships.

And in Entertainment... a film adaptation of a popular Chinese theatre production hits the screens today.

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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Top NewsChina marks Martyrs' Day at Tian'anmen SquareChinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders have attended a ceremony at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing this Wednesday to honor and remember China's dead national heroes on this, Martyrs' Day.

Veterans, family members of certain martyrs, as well as people from different walks of life, also gathered at the Square to mark this country's second Martyrs' Day.

It comes on the eve of National Day.

Martyrs, as defined by the government, are "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times."There are around 20 million people in China the government has officially listed as martyrs.

Blasts heard in south China countyAt least three people are dead following a series of blasts which hit Liucheng County in Guangxi this afternoon.

13 others have been hurt in the explosions.

Initial reports suggest the explosions have taken place across 13 different sites in the Liucheng county area.

Local authorities are suggesting it could be bombings through express delivery packages.

Pictures circulating online show a building half-collapsed in a blast.

Authorities are not saying at this point whether they believe it could be a terror attack.

Xi Completes Fruitful Visit to the USAnchor:

China's ambassador to the United States has taken time to reflect on the results of Chinese President Xi Jinping's now-concluded trip to the United States.

CRI's XYee has more.

Reporter:

President Xi Jinping's time in the United States has seen signings of numerous business and political agreements.

During his first stop in Seattle last week, Xi Jinping met with Chinese and US business leaders, making stops at a Boeing factory as well as at Microsoft headquarters.

A number of business-to-business agreements were signed as part of the Chinese President's time in Seattle.

From there, he then flew to Washington DC for meetings with US President Barack Obama.

They issued a joint presidential statement on climate change, along with a list of 49 agreements between the two nations covering a number of key areas.

Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, says the agreements are indicative of the current state of Sino-US ties.

"All these agreements, added together, demonstrate that the two sides are expanding and deepening their cooperation, as well as growing their trust in each other. This is the most significant achievement. "Among the political agreements, the two sides are promising a transparent channel of communication when it comes to malicious cyber-activities.

They also agreed that neither country will knowingly support or conduct the theft of intellectual property through the internet.

Bilateral agreements covering different areas such as trade, energy, culture, technology, agriculture, aviation and infrastructure have also been signed.

Ambassador Cui Tiankai says the inter-personal relationship between Xi Jinping and Barack Obama, who met on numerous occasions before this visit, have also gone a long way in making the relationship easier for the two sides.

"I think the two presidents have already formed a very effective communication channel. Their conversations are open and comprehensive. They discussed many strategic issues constructively. This means that both President Xi and President Obama are committed to developing and strengthening Sino-US ties."The push toward inter-personal ties also extended beyond the political realm.

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan took time to visit a Seattle-area high school.

Peng Liyuan also toured the US National Zoo in Washington with US First Lady Michelle Obama.

Cui Tiankai says he believes its smaller, more personal connections which should help give people in the US a better understanding of the Chinese people.

"I think this comprehensively introduced to the American people the culture and history of China, as well as what the Chinese people are thinking. It showed what our "Chinese dream" means, and what our expectations are for Sino-US relations. At the same time, this helped people in China better understand what the Americans are thinking. My impression of the visit was that both peoples want more constructive cooperation."Over the weekend, President Xi Jinping also traveled to New York to address the UN General Assembly.

There he's announced Chinese plans to help fight global poverty, as well as plans to contribute 8-thousand Chinese troops to a US peacekeeping standby force.

He also presided over a South-South cooperation round table and a women's affairs summit, co-hosted by China and the UN.

Peng Liyuan, who is currently a UN Goodwill Ambassador, also took part in a series of UN-sponsored events.

The renowned Chinese signer also visited the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, where she announced the opening of a Chinese chapter of the school.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

China Arrests Two Japanese nationals for SpyingThe Chinese government has confirmed a pair of Japanese nationals have been arrested in China on suspicion of spying.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei has made the confirmation following earlier reports by the Japanese government, who say the two have been detained separately in Zhejiang and Liaoning.

"The legal basis of the arrest is that these two people engaged in spying in China. If there's anything in common for these two people, it's that both of them engaged in spying in China. The arrest of the individuals is lawful. The Chinese authorities will deal with this case according to the law."Details connected to the specific allegations against the two suspects, both said to be men, have not been released by either side.

Chinese FM Meets with British Foreign SecretaryChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

This comes ahead of Xi Jinping's planned trip to the UK in October.

As part of his meeting with Hammond, Wang Yi says Xi Jinping's trip to the UK is a top priority for China's foreign policy work through the remainder of this year.

For his part, Hammond says he hopes the visit will expand cooperation in economics, trade, finance, investment, infrastructure, as well as international and regional affairs.

Senior U.S. envoy to visit ChinaU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to make stops in China, as well as Japan and South Korea this coming week.

Blinken is due to arrive in Beijing on October 8th to meet with Chinese government officials.

It's a follow-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. last week.

The US State Department says Blinken's time will be to "discuss the next steps" in areas for cooperation on global challenges.

He will also make a stop in Shanghai as part of his time in China.

Ahead of his China visit, Blinken will first travel to Japan and then to South Korea.

Chinese Government Supports Railway Companies' cooperation with IndonesiaThe Chinese government is not yet confirming reports suggesting a Chinese bid has won the right to create a 5-billion US dollar rail link in Indonesia.

Reports out of Japan today suggest the Chinese bid has been chosen over that of a Japanese bid to create a 150-kilometer rail link between Jakarta and the city of Bandung.

While not confirming the reports, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei does say it would make sense for Indonesia to make China its choice.

"China a lot of experience in the construction and operation of high speed railways. China also has clear advantages how to operate them and finance them. We also have experience in technology transfers and mechanical engineering. We support all Chinese rail companies to enter into co-operation with Indonesia."Chinese and Japanese firms have been battling for months to earn the right to build the new link.

The Indonesian government has yet to comment on the reports of the Chinese bid winning the rights.

Typhoon Dujuan brings downpours to E. ChinaFormer Typhoon Dujuan is still causing flooding and other problems as it burns itself out over Zhejiang.

The storm, which was once classified as a Super Typhoon just two days ago, is now just a low pressure system.

However, Dujuan has dumped heavy rains on the city of Ningbo over the past 24-hours, cutting off 10 provincial highways and roads around the city.

Primary and middle schools were closed across Ningbo today as a precaution.

At the same time, 36 reservoirs and 29 rivers across Zhejiang are listed above warning levels.

The storm is also affecting the cities of Wenzhou and Lishui in Zhejiang.

China to Launch New Food Safety Laws on Oct 1Anchor:

A new set of food safety laws are set to take effect across China as of October 1st.

They will include tougher punishment for producers of unsafe foods, as well as the creation of a tracking system to allow consumers to trace origins of their food.

CRI's Victor Ning has more.

Reporter:

The new food safety laws will force food producers and vendors to set up electronic tracking systems so consumers can trace-back where their food has come from.

This will be done by allowing people to simply scan QR codes on the foods they buy.

"To provide vegetables that consumers feel safe buying, we will now provide QR codes on all of our produce. Buyers can find out about the items' origins, description and quality standards. It's basically establishing an identification system for food."Luo Yunbo, Dean of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, says the new step will make it much easier for regulators to trace back problems through the food chain during food recalls.

"The tracking feature increases the responsibilities of food producers and suppliers when it comes to food safety. If a problem occurs at any stage during production or supply chain process, we can now accurately identify who is responsible, as well as limit potential damage. The laws require producers and supplies to establish systems using information technology, which will make it much more effective."The new changes to the food safety laws also have tougher legal ramifications for unsafe food production, including higher fines, as well as a life-time ban for serious offenders.

Zhang Yong, head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, says the tougher new laws cover a number of areas.

"Under the new rules, licenses will be revoked for any producers who is found using toxic or harmful additives. They will also face a fine up to 30-times the value of their products. Anyone found guilty of criminal acts due to violations of the food safety laws will be given a lifetime ban. Criminal convictions will ban people from performing food inspections, as well as holding management roles in food production and supply companies. This will apply to food inspectors who have been let go for providing falsified safety reports."The new laws are also meant to make government officials more accountable.

Any official found negligent in a food-safety incident could face removal from their position.

The new legislations are designed to address a growing number of food safety violations in China in recent years.

With the increasing popularity of online shopping, the new laws also require third-party food vendors to implement real-name registrations of their food suppliers.

If consumers are unable to obtain compensation for unsafe food products from the original producers, the third-party vendors will be held responsible for reimbursing the consumers.

For CRI, I am Victor Ning.

Perspectives of 'One Road, One Belt' from West ScholarsA new book, entitled "From the Silk Road to A World Landbridge" has been unveiled at a ceremony at Renmin University in Beijing.

The book is being touted as the first full-length analysis of the Chinese government's current "Silk Road" policies.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, one of the co-authors of the book, says their analysis goes beyond the ancient "Silk Road" concept.

"The Silk Road is from China to Europe, central Asia. It's limited to this ancient Silk Road. But if you just extended it and apply the concept to every part of the world, you have a world land bridge. It's just using the example of the Silk Road to apply the same conception to other region of the world, and then you will have a world land bridge."William Jones, the other co-author of the book, says while the "Silk Road" concept has obvious benefits, he says their analysis also suggests the Chinese goverment should also be moving to assure other countries that Chinese hegemony is not part of the plan.

"The key there is the cultural aspect of the Silk Road Policy must create this dialogue of cultures. So people will feel they are maintaining their own independent cultures as they are moving forward together with China and together with other nations. Because this direction is also beneficial for them, that they will need economic development, their populations get a higher lever standard of living, they become much richer and more prosperous."The "Belt and Road" initiative is one of the Chinese government's main foreign policy initatives.

Its concept was first suggested by Chinese President Xi Jinping in late 2013.

G7 to allocate 1.8 Billion to Deal with Refugee CrisisThe G7 group of industrialized countries, along with a number of other countries in Europe and the Gulf States, have announced plans to allocate an extra 1.8-billion US dollars to help UN agencies deal with the current influx of refugees in Europe.

The money will mostly go to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the World Health Organization.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says this is just the first in a series of steps needed to cope with the migrant situation.

"This is why we're doing one thing tonight. We support the aid organisations but that must not been we neglect the other aspects. And after this meeting which has just come to an end we're going to dedicate ourselves and look at the situation in Syria and look at how we can come to a process to diffuse the crisis."The announcement of additional funds follows a growing number of calls from the UN General Assembly in New York for help in coping with the worst migrant crisis in Europe since World War II.

Additionally, the Japanese government has announced plans on its own to spend 1.5-billion US dollars to help cope with the situation.

Around half of that money will be directed specifically toward helping refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Obama Hosts Violent Extremism MeetingAnchor:

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

As part of the session at the United Nations, Obama has admitted defeating the group will take time.

Our Kate Fisher has more from the United Nations in New York.

Reporter:

Flanked 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 YorkRussian upper house grants Putin right to send troops to SyriaThe upper house of the Russian parliament has granted President Vladimir Putin approval to send Russian armed forces to Syria.

This follows a formal request to lawmakers by Putin earlier this Wednesday.

Under the agreement, the Russian parliament has only authorized the use of Russian air-power in Syria to fight the Islamic State.

A time frame for the Russian mission in Syria has not been outlined.

The Russian government, a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been pressing for more intervention in Syria to bring the over-4-year conflict in that country to an end.

Phone app to curb binge eatingAnchor:

A mobile phone app has been developed to stop people from binge-eating.

The app itself has been designed by a doctor trying to help his patients when they can't access one-on-one psychotherapy.

CRI's Luo Bin has more.

Reporter:

Emotional eaters are people who don't eat because they're hungry - they eat to try and escape depression, loneliness, fear, anxiety, anger and numerous other emotions.

According to the developer of this phone app, psychiatrist Roger Gould, the app is trying to interrupt that rush towards eating, with a series of easily answered short questions.

"You have an emotional part of your mind that reacts immediately and intensely with strong feelings. You have a rational part of your mind in which you can sort out those feelings and figure out what's real. Then you can figure out what to do. So this is a programme that actually helps a person gain confidence in their problem solving mind and become less fearful of their emotional mind."Gould says the app is trying to switch on people's problem solving capacity and it is more detailed and personalized than others which have preceded it.

Gould's former patient Leslie Lewis says the programme worked for her.

"It asks very basic questions. Like the first one I think is 'where are you right now?' Which is a great question because it grounded me into where am I actually right now and then, what is it, what's going on, what do you want to do? I want to eat an extra meal, I want to snack on something I don't think I should. And that was the thing, the answer I would most often press."However, cautions have been raised about the use of technology in place of one-to-one psychotherapy.

Dr. Eric Johnson-Sabine at London's Nightingale Hospital suggests no matter how sophisticated and personalized the app is, it's not capable of adapting sufficiently to tackle the unique problems of each patient.

"I think one of the problems with patients with overeating and obesity is that they are all lumped together and then it looks as though nothing works, when in fact certain things work for certain sub-groups and it's identifying which sub group that people are in and what works for them, that's important. Again to some extent I think that's an advantage a face to face consultation would have."But Johnson-Sabine believes there is a role for electronic psychotherapy.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

India sentences 5 to death in 2006 Mumbai serial train blastsAn Indian court has sentenced 5 men to death and 7 others to life in jail for the Mumbai train bombings from 2006.

The twelve were convicted earlier this month for their role in the bombings, which killed over 200 and left over 700 others hurt.

Former Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad chief K.P. Raghuvanshi says his team worked long-hours to make the case.

"The whole case went on for nine years. After a long trial of nine years, the court has announced the judgment of the case. Five bomb planters have been sentenced to death by hanging ... The court has recognized our entire team's investigation."A series of 7 pressure-cooker bombs went off on different trains in-succession over an 11-minute period during the afternoon rush-hour in Mumbai on July 11th of 2006.

A group with ties to Islamic terror organizations later claimed responsibility.

The bombings caused a serious setback in negotiations between India and Pakistan over the issue of Kashmir, as the Indian side has accused the Pakistani government of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

Japanese retailers woo Chinese tourists during Chinese National Day holiday shopping spreeRetailers in Japan are gearing for a rush of Chinese tourists heading there to shop during the Chinese National Day holiday.

Numerous promotions are being set up by Japanese retailers to try to court Chinese spending.

The upscale Tokyo shopping district of Ginza has transformed a part of one of its parking lots into a cosmetics sales area specifically targeting Chinese customers.

At the same time, duty-free shops in Japan, which are particularly popular among Chinese tourists, are also getting ready.

Satoru Shimura with the Duty-Free area in Ginza says they fully-expect a big surge in Chinese tourists this year.

"To welcome the Chinese National Day holiday, we have opened eight new stores this month. The number of Chinese consumers is expected to increase 30 percent during the golden week. So we have been fully prepared in advance."Around 220-thousand people from China visited Japan during last year's Chinese National Day holiday.

This is up some 84 percent from the previous year.

The latest stats show around 2.2 million people from China travelled to Japan through in the first half of this year.

WeatherBeijing will have light rain tonight with a low of 14 degrees Celsius; tomorrow sunny with a high of 20.

Shanghai, moderate rain tonight with a low of 24; tomorrow will see more rain with a high of 25.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 19; tomorrow, overcast, high of 21.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 8; it will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 23.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 32.

Kabul, cloudy, 25.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 23.

Brisbane, rainy with a high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChina marks Martyrs' Day at Tian'anmen SquareChinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders have attended a ceremony at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing this Wednesday to honor and remember China's dead national heroes on this, Martyrs' Day.

Veterans, family members of certain martyrs, as well as people from different walks of life, also gathered at the Square to mark this country's second Martyrs' Day.

It comes on the eve of National Day.

Martyrs, as defined by the government, are "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times."There are around 20 million people in China the government has officially listed as martyrs.

Blasts heard in south China countyAt least three people are dead following a series of blasts which hit Liucheng County in Guangxi this afternoon.

13 others have been hurt in the explosions.

Initial reports suggest the explosions have taken place across 13 different sites in the Liucheng county area.

Local authorities are suggesting it could be bombings through express delivery packages.

Pictures circulating online show a building half-collapsed in a blast.

Authorities are not saying at this point whether they believe it could be a terror attack.

Funds appropriated to repair Tianjin apartmentsThe local government in Tianjin says that the first round of financing has been appropriated for repairs to apartments damaged in the Port explosions in July.

All the apartments have been appraised.

The homeowners will be offered compensation based on the severity of the damage.

Under an agreement worked out among municipal authorities and a coalition of property developers, residents in the blast area can either sell their homes to the alliance of property developers or have the government renovate them free of charge.

So far, 36 households have returned to their homes after renovation.

No lottery for license plates for e-vehiclesThe State Council has announced a new set of initiatives to further promote the purchase of new-energy vehicles.

Under the new plans, taxes on the purchase of vehicles with engines of 1.6-litres or below will be cut in-half as of tomorrow until the end the end of next year.

At the same time, new-energy vehicle buyers in cities across China which have license-plate lottery systems will not have to go through the lottery.

Beijing already has an existing lottery-exemption policy in-place.

Under the new State Council directives, high-pollution vehicles which don't meet emission standards are going to be pulled off the roads by the end of next year.

Local governments, public institutions and bus companies are also being told to put a priority on the purchase of new-energy vehicles.

U.S. airstrike kills Afghan Taliban shadow governor near Kunduz cityA Taliban shadow governor in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz has been killed in a US airstrike.

Mawlawi Salam has been killed along with 16 others.

It comes 2-days after the Taliban took full control of the provincial capital, Kunduz City.

Thousands of Afghan security forces are preparing to retake the city.

At the same time, U.S. forces have conducted several airstrikes on Taliban positions on the outskirts of the strategically important city.

Biz ReportsAnchor:

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

Here's Victor Ning.

Reporter:

Most benchmark indexes in Asia saw gains today.

Chinese shares closed mostly higher ahead of the week-long national holiday, which starts tomorrow.

Vehicle-relates shares rose today amid new government support measures for new-energy vehicles.

Shares related to national defense and the military industry also rose today.

The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.5-percent to finish just above the 3-thousand point mark.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.4 percent.

Bucking the trend, the ChiNext Index for growth enterprises, lost nearly 0.8 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.4 percent today.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei advanced 2.7 percent as a surprise downturn in Japanese industrial production may push the Bank of Japan toward further monetary easing.

South Korea's KOSPI was up 1.1 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index increased 0.1 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 surged 2.1 percent.

China lowers down payment requirement for first home buyersChinese authorities have cut the minimum down payment ratio to 25 percent for first home buyers borrowing from commercial banks.

The changes will only apply to cities which don't have their own home-purchase restrictions.

Currently, the national minimum down payment for first home-buyers is 30 percent.

Chinese authorities have already reduced downpayments for second home buyers to 20-percent in most cities, provided they've fully paid-off their first home purchase.

Two major Joint Ventures fined by Ministry of CommerceThe Chinese Ministry of Commerce has slapped a series of fines on a number of different companies for breaching the country's anti-trust law.

Among them, Microsoft and its Chinese Partner BesTV, have been fined 200-thousand yuan each for failing to go through anti-trust approvals before announcing their partnership in 2013.

Microsoft and BesTV formed a venture to sell the Xbox in China.

At the same time, Canadian-based Bombardier and China Railway Rolling Stock's local unit in Nanjing have been fined 150-thousand yuan each for announcing a partnership before obtaining full government approvals.

The Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group has also been hit with a 200-thousand yuan for the same reason.

State Council Release Top-Level Design on Charging Facilities Construction for E-carsAnchor:

The State Council has announced a new set of initiatives to further promote the purchase of new-energy vehicles.

Under the new plans, taxes on the purchase of vehicles with engines of 1.6-litres or below will be cut in-half as of tomorrow until the end the end of next year.

At the same time, new-energy vehicle buyers in cities across China which have license-plate lottery systems will not have to go through the lottery.

Beijing already has an existing lottery-exemption policy in-place.

Under the new State Council directives, high-pollution vehicles which don't meet emission standards are going to be pulled off the roads by the end of next year.

Local governments, public institutions and bus companies are also being told to put a priority on the purchase of new-energy vehicles.

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

Tesla's 7-seater new SUV model debutsTesla has debuted the first of its long-awaited Model X electric SUV.

Equipped with three rows and seven seats, the Model X features the so-called "falcon-wing" doors on both sides.

Tesla chief Elon Musk.

"It's important to show that any type of car can go electric. We showed that you can make a compelling sports car with the Roadster and that can go electric. And we showed that you can do it with a sedan and now we're going to show that you can do it with an SUV."Around 25-thousand pre-orders for the new SUV have already been made.

Delivery may take upward of a year to complete.

The price for the all-wheel drive Model X could be as high as 144-thousand US dollars.

However, no exact price has been released so far.

Xiaomi probed for misleading consumers under the new lawChinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has fallen investigation for an alleged violation of the latest amendments to China's advertising law.

In its latest promotion, Xiaomi has reportedly been using phrases, including "the best," to describe its products online.

As of September, changes to the advertising law ban companies from using superlative adjectives in their promotions.

A statement from Beijing's municipal commerce regulator suggests evidence has been found on Xiaomi's website of the violation.

This, after receiving information from a whistleblower.

Xiaomi has yet to comment on the report.

Apple Music Now Available in ChinaApple's new Music service is now available in China as of today.

It features millions of Chinese songs in its catalog, as well as a wide range of international artists.

Apple Music will provide a 3-month free membership before users will be charged 10 yuan per month for the service.

Apple is also offering a family plan at 15 yuan per month for up to 6 family members.

The prices are less than one-sixth of those in the U.S. market.

Apple Music was first introduced in more than 100 countries and regions in June.

At the same time, iTunes Movies and iBooks are now also available in China.

SportsChina remains undefeated in FIBA Asia ChampionshipIn basketball,An off-night tonight at the FIBA Asian Championships, as all the teams prepare for the quarter-finals.

China comes into the quarters at the top of Group F.

The Chinese squad comes into the elimination round with a perfect record, downing Qatar 89-65 last night.

China will be up against India in the quarter-finals.

Should China get past India, they'll face the winner from the other quarter-final tomorrow between Iran and South Korea.

The top bracket has Japan taking on Qatar in one quarter-final, while the Philippines takes on Lebanon.

The winner of this tournament gets an automatic berth in next year's Olympics in Rio.

Sharapova decides to withdraw from tennis WTA ChinaDefending champion Maria Sharapova has decided to pull out of the forthcoming WTA event here in Beijing due to injury.

Sharapova injured herself while in-action earlier this week at the Wuhan Open, forcing her to withdraw from that tournament.

Sharapova has been haunted by injuries this year, forcing her to withdraw from the US Open, among other events.

ACL, CFA cup previewFrom the AFC Champions League,Guangzhou Evergrande is set to battle Japan's Gamba Osaka in the first leg of their Asian Champions League semifinal tonight in Guangzhou.

That will get underway at 8pm Beijing time.

There are also a pair of games tonight in China Football Association Cup action,Shanghai Shenhua is up against Beijing Beikong, while Shandong Luneng will battle Jiangsu Sainty.

Both matches are just getting underway (7:45pm)Shandong will be desperate for a win after going down to Shanghai SIPG 1-nil in its last CFA Cup match.

Luneng currently sit 4th in the Chinese Super League Standings.

Only the top 2 teams from the Super League qualify for next year's Asian Champions League.

However, the winner of the CFA Cup also gets into next year's Champions league.

UEFA champions league recapIn UEFA champions league action,Arsenal has dropped its 2nd-in-a-row, going down 3-2 to visiting Olympiakos Piraeus.

Following their 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their opening match, Arsenal's advancement to the group stage of the Champions League is now in-question.

In other Champions League action.

Bayern Munich hammered Dinamo Zagreb 5-0.

Bayern head coach Pep Guardiola says most of his guys played very well.

"We didn't give them many opportunities during the game. Douglas was a king on the pitch and Coman is playing better in every match. But also Lewandoswki, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze, they were brilliant tonight. Everyone was very good in this match. The reality is you don't have many opportunities in the Champions League so you have to take every chance you have. "In other action:

Barcelona edged Bayer Leverkusen 2-1.

Porto took a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

Barysau beat Rome 3-2.

Lyon went down to Valencia 1-nil.

Zenit St. Petersburg beat Gent 2-1.

And it was Dynamo Kyiv blanking Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-nil.

Spanish football looks for new sponsor, after bank ends 8-year dealThe Spanish football League (LFP) is going to need a new sponsor for the coming season.

BBVA bank has announced it is withdrawing its sponsorship of La Liga at the end of the current campaign.

The decision by the bank marks the end of a relationship it had maintained with the Spanish Football League since the 2008-09 season.

Rugby World Cup previewFrom the Rugby World Cup,A night off on the schedule tonight.

This follows Tonga's 35-19 win over Namibia last night in the only match from the Rugby World Cup on Tuesday.

Tomorrow will see Wales taking on Fiji, while France will battle Canada.

However, most rugby fans are looking toward Saturday's line-up, which will see England taking on Australia in a critical match-up.

England's Geoff Parling says they're determined coming into Saturday, particularly off their 28-25 defeat to Wales in their last match.

"Trust me mate the hunger is unbelievable. We've been building towards this World Cup for a long, long time. We know we probably threw away an opportunity last weekend, we do not want to repeat that. We are, this is the game of our lives."Australia currently sit atop Group A with 9 points, same as Wales.

England currently sit 3rd with 6-points, so a victory Saturday over Australia will be critical for England if they hope to advance into the quarter-finals.

MLB resultsIn baseball,The LA Dodgers have secured their 3rd-straight National League West title, downing the San Francisco Giants 4-0 this morning.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw tossed a one-hitter, striking out 13 in leading his club to victory.

The Dodgers will be taking on the NL East Champion New York Mets in the first round of the NL playoffs.

Meanwhile, a pair of key playoff-effecting games in both the NL and AL were postponed earlier today because of bad weather on the US east coast.

The game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals had to be postponed because of rain.

The Pirates still have an outside shot of catching the Cards for tops in the NL Central, even though St. Louis' magic number to clinch is down to 2, meaning any Pittsburg loss, combined with a St. Louis win will give the Cardinals the NL Central title.

Pittsburgh and St. Louis will play a double-header tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays' chance to clinch the American League East title was also delayed because of rain in Baltimore.

However, their shot at winning the AL East was bolstered after the New York Yankees went down to Boston 10-4 this morning.

This means another Yankees loss or a Toronto win will give the Blue Jays the AL East title.

The Blue Jays will play Baltimore in a double-header tomorrow, with a chance to not-only secure the AL East penant, but also put themselves into a position for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they advance to the World Series.

This, after Kansas City lost 4-2 this morning to the Chicago White Sox.

This gives Toronto a 1.5-games advantage over KC for the best record in the American League.

Entertainment'Goodbye Mr. Loser' premieres in China todayChinese comedy "Goodbye Mr Loser" has hit theatres today.

The movie, adapted from a stage performance of the same name, is the story of a middle-aged man who is magically returned to his teenage body while drunk at the wedding of his first love.

The film, directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, stars comedians Shen Teng and Ma Li.

"Goodbye, Mr. Loser" is one of the biggest stage hits produced by Mahua FunAge, a privately-owned theater company.

Producers of the film are expecting big things, given the stage play's popularity.

Milan Expo comes to ShanghaiOrganizers of this year's Milan World Expo have opened an exhibition at the former World Expo site in Shanghai.

It will allow people in Shanghai an opportunity to take a virtual tour of the expo in Italy.

Over 100 national pavilions at the Milan Expo will be shown through holographic projections.

A 4D movie, "Panda's Dream," which is being screened at the China Pavilion in Milan, will also be available for people to see in Shanghai.

The event at the World Expo site in Shanghai will be open until November 18th.

Tickets cost only cost 60-yuan.

Lady Gaga chosen as Billboard's woman of the yearLady Gaga has been named Billboard's "Woman of the Year."Gaga, who won a Grammy for her collaboration with Tony Bennett last year for the album "Cheek to Cheek" has been chosen by Billboard as its "Woman of the Year" not only for her success on the charts, but also for her philanthropy and commitment to inspire others.

The American pop star will be honored at Billboard's "Women in Music" event in New York on December 11th.

Lada Gaga's latest foray into the entertainment world will see her star in the FX-produced series "American Horror Story: Hotel," which is premiering on October 7th.

"Home Alone" to return to theaters for 25th anniversaryThe wildly-popular American film "Home Alone" is being put back in a select number of US theaters in November to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary.

The movie, about an 8-year-old who manages to thwart a pair of burglars after being mistakenly left home alone, is going to be screened in over a dozen Chicago-area theaters for 3-days in November.

The movie, written and directed by late-Chicago-area native John Hughes, was released in the United States on November 16th, 1990.

"Home Alone" grossed more than 476-million US dollars worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films ever at the time.

It also shot a young Macualey Culkin to fame.

Paul Walker's Daughter Sues Porsche Over CrashThe daughter of late-actor Paul Walker has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Porsche, claiming the car her father was in when he was killed had numerous design flaws.

16-year old Meadow Rain Walker is said to be suing for unspecified damages.

Celebrity website TMZ, which claims to have seen the filing, says her suit claims defects in the Porsche Carrera GT kept him trapped in the vehicle after the crash.

TMZ says suit also claims the vehicle lacked a proper stability control system, as well as safeguards to protect passengers and stop it from catching fire after a crash.

Porsche has so far not commented on the suit.

40-year old Paul Walker died in a single-vehicle crash in Santa Clarita, California while heading home after a day of shooting for the latest "Fast and Furious" film.

The film was eventually finished without Walker through the help of his brothers, who acted as stand-ins for the late actor.

Orlando Bloom visits migrant campHollywood actor Orlando Bloom has taken time to visit a migrant transit camp in Macedonia in his role as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

The "Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" star has taken time to talk and play with children as he toured the camp, which is located on Macedonia's southern border with Greece.

Thousands of migrants, many of them Syrian refugees, have been trying to make their way into Europe through perilous boat journeys into Greece.

This has sparked an outpouring of support among celebrities hoping to draw attention to the situation.

WeatherBeijing will have light rain tonight with a low of 14 degrees Celsius; tomorrow sunny with a high of 20.

Shanghai, moderate rain tonight with a low of 24; tomorrow will see more rain with a high of 25.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 19; tomorrow, overcast, high of 21.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 8; it will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 23.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 32.

Kabul, cloudy, 25.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 23.

Brisbane, rainy with a high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

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

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

Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have taken time to mark the 2nd annual Martyrs Day today at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

A series of explosions have taken place across a county in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi.

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