Welcome to a special edition of the Beijing Hour, live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang saying that the government remains confident about meeting its economic goals for the year...

A top UN official lauding China's donation to help UN Women...

And 10 people reported dead and 20 injured after a shooting rampage at a community college in the US state of Oregon...

In Business.... an update on the markets to close out the day in Europe and the United States..

In Sports.... China booking a semifinal meeting with defending champion Iran at the FIBA Asia Championship...

And in the second half of our program, we will bring you a holiday edition of People in the Know...

All of that coming up in the next hour.

A reminder as always there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour.

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You can also visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top NewsChina able to meet economic goals this year: premierChinese Premier Li Keqiang says the government remains confident about meeting its economic goals for the year.

Speaking at a ceremony ahead of National Day at the Great Hall of the People, Li Keqiang says a series of regulations have been put in place to ensure China's economy continues to move in a positive direction.

At the same time, he says the government remains committed to helping individuals create a better life for themselves in China.

"People's wellbeing is the scale we use to measure the effectiveness of our reforms and development. The government has to do everything it can to increase employment. We also need to open up more ways to raise household incomes. The government has to take steps to ensure that children from poor families will no longer have to drop out of school, ordinary citizens won't become bankrupt by serious illnesses and young people, full of dreams, help create innovations or start their own business. We can't deprive people of these opportunities because of unnecessary formalities."The comments have been made as part of a reception attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese top leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Around 11-hundred people from China and abroad have also attended the event.

Chinese premier congratulates Singapore's Lee on re-electionChinese Premier Li Keqiang has congratulated his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on his re-election as the country's prime minister.

In a message, Li says that China and Singapore are close and friendly neighbors.

He notes that pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has deepened and scored significant achievements since the two countries established diplomatic ties 25 years ago.

He adds the Chinese government highly values the development of friendly cooperation with Singapore, and that China is willing to continue its close cooperation with the country and further promote bilateral relations.

China's donation to help promote UN WOMEN's work: officialAn official advisor from UN WOMEN says China's donation will help the organization to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.

Josephine Odera, the senior advisor at the UN WOMEN Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, made the remarks after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at Sunday's Global Leader's Meeting on Gender's Equality and Women's Empowerment that China will donate 10 million U.S. dollars to the organization.

Odera says President's Xi's ideas are in line with the strategic considerations of UN WOMEN.

"The president of China addressed the United Nations. We were particularly delighted at UN WOMEN because he brought up very clearly some of our strategic concerns regarding gender equality and women's empowerment. He mentioned, for example, that we must strive for women's development in tandem with the social and economic development. This, in fact, is one of our strategic areas."Odera adds that the message delivered in President Xi's speech shares the belief of UN WOMEN that women's rights must be fully protected so that they can find their position in the society and make contributions to the country.

"And perhaps even added to that was the acknowledgment by the president that we cannot go far economically if we don't have women who are developed, who are participating in the social economic development of nations. So that is a very important message, and that is one that UN WOMEN fully subscribes to."She notes that large numbers of women are living in poverty across the world, thus more efforts must be made, and more resources are needed to help those women who are vulnerable.

Odera also hoped that more Chinese women can help boost women's development.

Top Chinese political advisor delivers proposal at 60th anniversary of Xinjiang's autonomyChina's top political advisor has said that long-term stability and security is the top priority in Xinjiang, stressing counterterrorism as the focus of the current work.

Yu Zhengsheng has made the call at a ceremony in the regional capital, Urumqi, to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"All missions in Xinjiang, including economic growth, improvement of people's livelihoods, reform and opening up, ethnic and religious work and party building, must revolve around the objective of maintaining peace and stability in Xinjiang. We need to keep this formidable challenge in mind as we make the fight against terrorism a top priority. But while fighting terrorism, we also need to try to resolve deep-rooted issues in Xinjiang in a down-to-earth manner to lay the foundations for peace and stability."Yu Zhensheng says part of the 'down-to-earth' approach is creating a society in Xinjiang which is not built on ethnic divides.

"We need to enhance communication among different ethnic groups in Xinjiang. We should be trying to build the region into a community which embraces ethnic diversity and unity. Ethnic groups in Xinjiang should embrace one another like the seeds in of a pomegranate."As part of the ceremony in Urumqi, a note of congratulations from the central government has been delivered by Chinese vice-Premier Liu Yandong.

Xinjiang, in China's northwest, is home to a majority ethnic Uyghur population.

However, its population of some 30-million people also includes ethnic Han, Mongolians and Kazakhs, among others.

Modern Kazakh Horse WhisperersAnchor:

Today we bring you the second installment of our special series on life in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region.

Altay Prefecture lies at the feet of the Altay mountain range's southern slope, north of Xinjiang.

The 118,000-square-meter area hosts only 640,000 residents, with half of them belonging to China's Kazakh ethnic minority.

For centuries, Kazakhs have kept the tradition of herding. Although many of them have settled down, the rapid integration into the modern world has not melted away their nomadic traditions.

From living a nomadic life to settling down on farms miles away from Altay City, Muratbek Kykysha, a horse trainer and a herder, tells us his life story.

Let's follow CRI's reporter Guo Yan as she introduces us to the Kazakh horse rider.

Reporter:

Bowled down by a dashing horse, the trainer jumped up at once and rushed to his target, trying to catch the horse with a long rope.

Having missed the chance for a couple of times, he finally haltered the horse.

Waking up early in the morning, the man starts his day by feeding his horses and training them.

Muratbek caressed the neck of his horse while murmuring to it, seemingly talking with his little fellow which he had just tamed.

The 28-year-old has a sun tanned face and a stunning smile.

He is now a staff member of the Golden Triangle Cattle and Sheep Cooperative.

Most of the time he works as a horse trainer on a farm of the cooperative.

Muratbek introduces his horse and explains the secret of taming it.

"This horse is from Mongolia. We have trained it for two years. To harness the horse, first locate your target. Make sure which one you want to catch and rope it. After you get the horse, hold tight to its ears and then saddle it. It's better to train the horse when it's a foal. It's tough to train when it's grown. "As a tradition, Kazakhs race horses on many important occasions like wedding and festivals.

Muratbek is proud of his previous record of horse racing and hopes his little fellow can finish well in the coming race.

"From 2013, I have been training two horses especially for racing. One is a three-year-old foal, and another is older. They won the second and third places, respectively, in horse races. I was awarded 2000 yuan to 3000 yuan in the game. It's actually not a big sum. But I don't race for money. I just love it. "He adds the method of training a horse for racing is different. (03:45)"For example, I got the horse in August. In the first two months, I took it on daily training courses. And the horse was not allowed to drink too much water or eat too much grass. Every morning, I take it out and let it run for an hour. And then feed it some water and food. I usually let it walk around in the afternoon and let it run for two to three kilometers in the evening. After two months of intensive training, it could compete in a horse race. You do your best and trust the rest to luck."Muratbek says he feels his heart beating fast when he hears the horse neighing on the race course.

He recalled an exciting moment during a game in 2014.

"When the horse walked onto the track, I almost had my heart in my mouth. It ranked the third in a game during a wedding ceremony. The family of the bridegroom held the event. Around fifty to sixty horses ran together. It was about twenty to thirty kilometers. The winner won a camel, and the runner-up won a sheep."Apart from the breathtaking moment, for Muratbek, training or racing horses is also dangerous.

Yet he has already become used to the game for the brave.

"The hardest part is trying to catch the horses. I have to catch them one by one. When you try to catch a horse with a rope, the horse will drag you. You have to hold on tight. If you let go, (the horse) will drag you along with the rope and you'll never catch it. It's dangerous. But we are used to it. We'll probably catch just one horse a day. We'll fall down to the ground quite a lot. It hurts but we're already used to it."Among all the tasks of his daily routine, working with horses is his favorite part.

Muratbek's passion for horse riding began in his childhood.

As described by local folks, their children are born on horsebacks.

Like many others in his hometown, Muratbek has been a consummate rider since he was a child.

"When I was a child, my family moved around in the mountains with flocks of cattle and sheep. I learned to ride horses when I was five. When we moved, we rode horses and camels. At the beginning of October, we started our journeys into the mountains. For two to three days, we moved along with the flock of sheep and cows and stayed awake all night. Just like that."Growing up in such an environment, Muratbek says he felt there's a connection between him and his horses.

"Kazakhs" bears the meaning of "White Swans", which represents purity, kindness and strong wills.

With living standards greatly improved nowadays, Muratbek Kykysha and his fellow Kazakhs many not have to cope with the harsh conditions, but their character of being courageous, strong-minded and generous inherited from their ancestors carries on.

EndingFor CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Unknown number dead, dozens Wounded in Oregon College ShootingEleven people are reported killed and more than a dozen wounded as a school shooting erupted at a college in the U.S. state of Oregon.

The shooting occurred at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon at about 10: 40 a.m. local time on Thursday.

According to CNN, among the people who were critically injured, one woman was shot in the chest.

Police are reporting that the suspect was killed in an exchange of fire with officers who responded to the scene. But the suspect's identity is withheld for the time being.

The college has been placed on lockdown as firefighters, police and concerned parents rushed to the site.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown sends her condolence to those who were affected by the tragedy.

"Facts are still emerging. We know now there were casualties and confirmed injuries. Our top priority now is the medical treatment for victims and the security of the campus. We have confirmation that the shooter is deceased. He is a 20-year-old male. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."School shootings are a disturbing reality of American life and many facilities have reinforced security in recent years, especially after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.

Russian FM defends the country's air strikes in SyriaRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has strongly defended his country's bombing campaign in Syria that started this Wednesday.

Sergey Lavrov says Russia's target is terrorist groups, and it is not aimed at Keeping President Bashar Al Assad in power.

"The goal is terrorism and we are not supporting anyone against their own people, we fight terrorism. Somehow, some people try to present the coalition action as leading to a political settlement, and Russia fighting the same people is being perceived or presented like defending the regime. It is absolutely unfair."At the same time, Russian officials have denied possible civilian casualties, saying that air strikes were carefully targeted.

Earlier this week, the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, granted President Vladimir Putin the right to send troops.

US's reacts to Russia's air strikes in SyriaAs a response of Russian Foreign Minister's statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the US will continue discussions with Russia over the issue of ongoing air strikes in Syria.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that Russia's bombing campaign in Syria could risk prolonging the country's conflicts.

"The effect of these kind of indiscriminate air strikes essentially drives what would otherwise be moderate elements of the Sunni opposition to Assad into the arms of extremists, creating an extremist problem or, if guess I should say, exacerbating an extremist problem for Russia inside of Syria, but also exacerbating the extremist problem that Russia has inside of Russia."Earlier, U.S. and Russian military officials have exchanged ideas via a conference call on avoiding unintended conflict between the Russian and U.S.-led forces operating seperately in Syria.

StocksA quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe:

U.S. stocks closed mixed on Thursday as investors are digesting a series of fresh economic data and IMF chief's remarks on global economy.

The US Labor Department says in the week ending Sept. 26, the advance figure for initial jobless claims increased by 10,000 from the previous week.

Meanwhile, new stats suggest US's manufacturing index has dropped to the benchmark 50 in September from August's 51.1.

This reflects stronger dollar and a still weak global economy.

At the closing bell,Dow Jones was off 0.1 percent.

S&P 500 added 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq also up nearly 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile in Europe,Overall, European stocks closer lower on Thursday amid renewed worries about slowing growth in the global economy.

However, the UK's FTSE 100 rose 0.2 percent following China's better-than-expected manufacturing data last month.

China encourages domestic companies to develop own tourism-related equipmentChina is calling on domestic companies to develop their own tourism-related equipment.

The country's demand for cruise liners, yachts, cable cars, low-altitude aircraft and equipment for theme parks is increasing as the tourism market is booming, but the country relies heavily on foreign suppliers.

According to a guideline jointly issued by 6 central departments, China hopes that its domestic companies will be able to design, build and repair medium to large-sized cruise liners in five to ten years.

Small and medium-sized yachts powered with clean energy are also encouraged to develop.

China also wants to enhance its capability to produce cable cars in order to meet the demand of increasingly popular skiing and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and Zhangjiakou cities.

The country encourages companies to develop low-altitude airplanes, helicopters and special air vehicles for tourism purposes.

Indonesia in negotiations with China to finalize fast-train projectNegotiations between Indonesian and Chinese consortiums over the building of a high-speed railway system are underway on Thursday.

The project, which is expected to be finished within three years, would require around 5.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Once the agreement is reached, the rail transport system will link Jakarta to West Java province, the capital of Bandung, passing through four stations.

Indonesian State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno says the Indonesian government would not finance the project, since its concentration now is on building train transport systems in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

The minister previously rejected a proposal to build the Jakarta- Bandung fast train project filed by Japan.

The Indonesian government decided on Sept. 3 to abandon a high- speed railway project and instead asked the two bidders -- China and Japan -- to submit new plans to build a slower train.

Kazakhstan Russia Soyuz- Russian Supply Ship Heads for Space StationThe Progress M-29M space freighter blasted off atop a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

According to Russia's space agency, the Progress cargo ship will be packed with 2.3 tons of cargo.

Thursday's launch will be the last one for the Progress M-M series.

After that, the Progress MS cargo ships will replace them with the next mission on November 21.

High Rise Tower Catches Fire in SharjahA fire broke out in a high-rise residential tower in the Emirati city of Sharjah on Thursday.

The building is located near the poplular City Centre Sharjah shopping mall.

Falling, burning debris damaged at least five cars parked at the base of the tower.

The local residents say they are terrified by the fire.

"We felt too much afraid of that. So we're all guys panicking inside the room, inside the house, we called everybody to come out the room and beside me, because too much air was coming out so.""Maybe the debris are coming there and then going to our tower, to the cars there in the parking lot."Until now, no fatalities are reported.

A total of 19 people have been treated for smoke inhalation and 250 households were affected by the blaze.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

China Beats India 104-58 to Meet Iran in SemisIn basketball news:

China has overwhelmed India 104-58 to book a semifinal meeting with defending champion Iran at the FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha.

The 46-point margin marked the biggest win for the host team in the tournament.

Former NBA star Yi Jianlian got 21 points to lead the team on the scoreboard, with 18 of them in the first half.

China outscored India 27-15 in the first quarter, with point guard Zhao Jiwei having 7 points and 3 assists.

The host team finished the first half 56-29 and all 12 Chinese players were given chance to get on court during the second half, and China finally enjoyed the victory.

Meantime, Japan and the Philippines also advanced into the semifinals after beating Qatar and Lebanon respectively.

China moves up three places in FIFA rankingsChina has moved up to the 81st position in the newly released FIFA world rankings, three slots higher than last month.

China ranked seventh in the continental table, one slot higher after overtaking Iraq.

China Glass Bridge- Dizzying glass-bottomed bridge opens in ChinaAnchor:

The first-ever glass-lined suspension bridge in China is open for business this National Day holiday.

Dubbed by some the "Haohan Qiao," or "courageous person's bridge," the 300-meter crossing dangles above a 180-meter-deep gorge in a National Park in Hunan.

CRI's Qian Shanming has more.

Reporter:

Perched high above the sandstone rocks of China's central Hunan Province, China's first glass-bottomed suspension bridge is terrifying tourists.

Qu Zhigao, from the city of Yiyang in the north of Hunan Province, is struggling to cross the bridge for a second time.

Tightly gripping the bridge's railings, Qu says he's doing it to hopefully conquer his fear of heights.

"I am challenging myself, I just walked from over there, but I never looked down. But I think that is not enough, I want to challenge myself more, I need to continue, looking down, and walk across. I want to finish this challenge."It's currently the longest glass walkway in the world.

Strung between two cliffs in Shiniuzhai Park in Hunan's Pingjiang County, the bridge has been attracting hoards of visitors since pictures of it went viral across Chinese media last week.

Despite assurances that the glass is 25 times stronger than normal glass and can safely hold around 100 people, the constant wobble from others walking on it, as well as being able to see the heart-stopping drop below their feet is too much for some.

For Mr. Deng that's certainly the case.

He needs the help of two friends to get him across the bridge while he keeps his eyes firmly shut.

"Let me tell you, I'm afraid of heights, so I want to overcome my fear. So I trust my group, I trust the ones at my side."Half-way through his return trip and things seem to have gotten tougher for Qu.

He's had to stop and sit down for a while – his fear of heights has briefly returned.

But luckily it's only briefly, as he pulls himself up and forward to the end of his challenge.

The bridge was devised by Zhonghui Scenic Area Management Company. It estimates that it is currently attracting around 3,500 visitors a day during the week and up to 15,000 on weekends.

With a national holiday approaching in October, it expects that number to get even higher.

The bridge took more than years to complete, with construction finishing earlier this month.

Zhang Jiming, general manager of Zhonghui Scenic Area Management Company"It was originally a wooden bridge, But it perhaps wasn't enough for what tourists want. In the tourism industry we are trying to give tourists more experiences, more challenges, a chance to alert the senses. So we combined the tourists' needs with our own ideas and decided to give it a new lease of life and it's now all glass, this glass bridge. So the experience for the tourists is different."Glass walkways are currently all the rage in China – another record-breaking glass cantilever skywalk recently opened in April this year in Chongqing.

Zhangjiajie Park – also in Hunan Province - is home to the Tianmenshan crystal skywalk which is yet to be completed.

At a planned 430 metres long and 300 metres high, when it does open it will be both longer and higher than this bridge in Shiniuzhai.

For CRI, I'm Qian ShanmingXiamen Airlines to Launch 2 Air Routes from Fujian to SydneyXiamen Airlines will launch two air routes from China's coastal province of Fujian to Sydney in the next two months.

The move is set to deal with growing tourism after Australia enters summer.

One route will link Fuzhou and Sydney, while the other linking Xiamen and Sydney.

The Fuzhou-Sydney route will be inaugurated on November 29, while the Xiamen-Sydney route on December 5.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 26 and low of 12 degrees Celsius.

Shanghai will be sunny as well with a high of 24 and a low of 19.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 25, tonight will be cloudy with a low of 19.

Lhasa will be cloudy today with a high of 24, it will be clear tonight with a low of 7.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will have sunshine with a high of 32.

Kabul, sunny, high of 23.

Over to North America,New York will have moderate rain with a high of 16.

Washington DC, moderate rain, high of 15.

Honolulu, cloudy, 27.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 12 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will see some rain with a high of 19.

And Rio de Janeiro will see light rain with a high of 27 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang saying that the government remains confident about meeting its economic goals for the year...

Stay tuned for a special edition of People in the Know, coming up in the second half of the program...

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.