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

Coming up on the program this morning...

Much praise and analysis continues to be heard in Washington following Chinese President Xi Jinping's US state visit...

A movie about a previous Chinese leader's historic US state visit has been screened at Harvard University...

and a migration expert says a number of factors constrain efforts to resettle displaced Syrians in the United States...

In our weekly sci-tech feature...

In Sports...China makes it to the finals of the Asian Championships...

In Entertainment...a major award for Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Zurich Film Festival...

And in the second half of our program, we'll be bringing you a weekend edition of On the Record.

Top NewsUS officials speak highly of Chinese president's visitPraise among leading voices in the United States is still coming in following Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to the country last week.

Former U.S. State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley says Xi Jinping's time in the US is a sign of just how far both sides have come over the years.

"Anytime a United States president and a Chinese president get together at a high level, it's an important conversation and it's a meaningful conversation. It just indicates how broad and deep the relationship between China and the United States has become over the past 40 years."David Do with the Washington, DC Mayor's Office says Xi Jinping's time touring the US capital should help promote stronger Chinese interest in DC.

"It's incredibly important and that's why the mayor [Muriel Bowser] went to greet the president. She really values the president and she wants to continue that relationship. The relationship between our city and our sister city in Beijing is an extraordinary relationship. We have a lot of economic development opportunities between the two cities."Tourists from China now account for the largest number of foreign visitors to Washington, DC.

Film of Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's US visit shown at Harvard UniversityAnchor:

A film depicting the story of Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's 1979 historic visit to the United States has been shown at Harvard University. The move aims to help more people understand the history behind the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

The 94-minute film, Mr. Deng Goes to Washington, is the first big-screen production chronicling Deng's nine-day visit, which occurred about one month after China officially established diplomatic relations with the United States.

Fu Hongxing, the director, says the film aims to help Americans know more about the history behind the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the US and better understand current global order.

"The reason we chose to play the film in the U.S. is that I hope Americans can understand from history how to get rid of the rigid thinking regarding bilateral ties. It will encourage audiences to think about the current Sino-U.S. relationship, global relations, and world order,"Deng Xiaoping, who was vice-premier at the time of his historic visit, made stops in Houston, Seattle and Washington DC.

Some audience members have been moved by the message of the film. Li Ren is one of them. He is a visiting Chinese scholar to Harvard University.

"One aspect of the film that touched me was its portrayal of the generations of people who made contributions to improving the country and creating a beneficial environment. Our generation should learn from them and continue their mission."The film also stimulated discussion on the current state of Sino-U.S. relations and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S.

Conal Doyle, an American who has seen the movie about Deng's visit, expresses his expectations on the relations between the two countries.

"It's a co-operation between the United States and China. This is the most important relationship between two countries in the world... And that's one of the great things about having these kind of meetings is, at least, you're able to have a direct, face-to-face meeting, and they're able to resolve some of those issues or at least maintain a close working relationship."The film was released earlier of this year to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S.

For CRI, I am Min Rui.

Keeping pace with time makes me progressive: The Imam in the Internet EraAnchor:

Today, we continue our series on the lives of local people in Xinjiang in northwest China.

As leaders in Muslim communities, imams have the duty to present traditional Islamic culture to their followers. However, they can do much more. Nowadays, some imams are taking on the responsibility of spreading new ideas and modern concepts, aiming to help their followers to live a better life.

Xu Fei brings us more about such an imam in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Reporter:

It is 6 in the morning. The sun is rising over a village Mosque in Hutubi, a county 80 kilometers away from Xinjiang's capital city Urumqi. 48-year-old imam Yang Jie has just finished his 1-hour early morning exercise. Putting down the fitness equipment, the tall Hui man wearing a white prayer cap is ready to lead the first prayer of the day.

"My daily duty is hosting religious affairs in the mosque, including leading prayers 5 times a day. The first prayer begins at six twenty. I became an Imam on May 27th, 1993. It has been 22 years."Wearing a pair of glasses and with a gentle smile on his face, Yang Jie easily reminds people of the ancient Chinese saying of "Keeping a classy demander, graceful as a jade." As the religious leader of the village, he is a warm-hearted friend to more than 200 followers. However, what makes him well-known is his role as a "trendsetter".

"after finishing the first prayer, It's 7 o' clock . I often check my WeChat group on my iphone for more than an hour, to see what my followers are talking about, if there are any questions for me to answer. I will share verses from the Quran or the Hadith in my WeChat groups, words that exude positive energy. Some believers are illiterate, but they can learn something positive by being in this chat group. Take a look, I just posted something in my WeChat friends circle for moments. Already, 14 people have commented on my post."Wechat is one of the most widely used social media platforms in China nowadays. As the first to use cellphone, the Internet and wechat among the religious people in the city of Changji, imam Yang Jie has led these new-tech trends. However, things were quite different years ago.

"I began using a cellphone in 1998, which was 17 years ago. At the beginning, many followers and locals couldn't understand. Some religious people and other Imams, they didn't understand either. Many believers said only businessmen use cellphones, and that it wasn't proper for an Imam to be using one. Their impression of an imam was an aged man wearing a robe and keeping long beard."Yang Jie says it is definitely stereotyping. In order to change people's mindset, he decided to withstand the pressure and take a lead to do things he believes are right. He is the one who told villagers investing in stock markets does not contradict their belief system. He also encouraged villages to use the Internet and helped them set up broadband.

The open-minded religious leader says he believes nowadays imams should use modern concepts to show followers a better life.

"Now they often ask me about new things online. I think imams are not only carriers and the spokesmen of traditional culture; they are also communicators and practitioners of modern knowledge. What Imams say and do will have an impact, directly or indirectly, on life and development of other Muslims."Of course, that does not overshadow his prime mission, which is conveying religious wisdom to people.

"Many followers believe that they were born to bear sufferings. I tell them Allah will bring happiness to people. Allah created this world and the human being, so the human being is tasked with making this world more beautiful. People should make this world better instead of ruining it. People should always put the needs of others in mind, because a person's self-achievement lies in whether the one can help others."Like he says, Yang has always been trying his best to extend a helping hand.

"I keep my cell phone on 24 hours a day so I can answer their request as soon as possible. When a follower is dying and waiting for the imam to come, I will clean myself and dress up before carrying out religious at the hospital. This is part of my duty."For years, welcoming newborns and bidding farewell to the deceased have been part of Yang Jie's life. For him, it is not just his belief system, but also his simple yet devout lifestyle that makes him respect life.

Back anchor: That was CRI's Xufei reporting.

Western Section of the Palace Museum to open for the 1st time in 90 yrsAnticipation among history buffs is running high ahead of the opening of the western section of the Forbidden City.

Officials with the Palace Museum in Beijing are set to open the western part of the Imperial Palace compound for the first time in 90-years on October 10th.

The western part is home to the renowned Cining and Shoukang Palaces.

Wang Zilin, deputy director with the Palace Museum, says they've put a lot of work into restoring the palaces.

"People are really looking forward to seeing it because it used to be a place where empresses lived. The place is very large, with beautiful furnishings inside the palace, including the best things found during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. We have restored it entirely to what it looked like during that period."Cining Palace is where the Empress Dowager Cixi lived.

It's been transformed into an exhibition hall, where 12-hundred pieces will be on display.

The 600 square-meter Shoukang Palace has been restored to what it looked like during the reign of Emperor Qianlong from 1735 to 1796.

The Forbidden City is already a very popular tourist destination in the capital.

Officials had to shut the doors at 1pm on Thursday after the daily limit of 80-thousand tickets sold out within hours.

Expert expects most precious treasure, human remains to be found on sunken warshipExperts are hoping more discoveries will be made at the site where the warship Zhiyuan sank during the Sino-Japanese war of 1894.

The 50-meter-long vessel was found near Dandong Port in Liaoning Province last year.

Chen Yue, director of the Association of Chinese Navy History says locating an official seal would be the greatest find of all.

"As an organizational unit of the state, the warship has an official seal. Once I saw one of another warship Jingyuan in Japan, which was in a very exquisite nanmu box carved with characters 'made by the Ministry of Rites'. The seal was in the box. It symbolized the power of the ship, and so it was regarded as the most precious collection of the warship. So I think it will be a great wonder if we are able to find it."Chen says if any human remains are still inside the ship, they would likely be found inside the boiler cabin and steam engine cabin.

"Most people were gathering inside the cabins, especially in the boiler cabin under the chimney. If we count 20 people for each of the four boilers in total, there were a large number of people there. In addition, some were watching over the steam engine. So these people were unable to escape during the sinking."The Zhiyuan was one of four warships of the Qing Dynasty imperial marine forces, defeated by the Japanese Navy 121 years ago. Captain Deng Shichang refused to leave the ship, even though it was burnt and sinking.

South China city holds water carnival with thrilling showsSpectators at the Liuzhou International Water Carnival in Guangxi have been treated to thrilling competitions and performances.

The carnival in southern China introduced the P750 high-speed pneumatic boat rally for the first time, with 23 teams from around the country taking part in the competition.

The 150 kilometer race is the longest of its kind in China.

The spectators also saw an aerobatic performance and a motorboat race on Thursday night.

The aerobatic performance involved people "flying" with a water jetpack. Set against special lighting and sound effects, it created a scene that resembled a fairy tale.

On Friday morning, more than 2,500 people from all over China swam in the Liujiang River.

One swimmer said they enjoyed being in the river with clean water and beautiful landscape.

"Liujiang River is very beautiful and it's heaven for swimmers. We expect the event to take place every year and we will attend it every year."The water quality of Liujiang River has remained good in recent years as the local government has enhanced environmental protection and management.

The carnival will last until Oct 7.

Thirteen Weapons recovered in Roseburg shootingThirteen weapons have been recovered from the gunman responsible for the mass shootings at a US community college in Roseburg, Oregon on Thursday.

The shootings claimed ten lives including that of the shooter.

Officials say all of the weapons had been purchased legally.

Six of the weapons were recovered from the scene of the shooting while the other seven were found in the shooter's home.

Police have also recovered ammunition and a vest with steel plates in it.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin stated that his department will not be giving out the shooter's name.

"You will not hear anyone from this law enforcement operation use his name. I continue to believe that those media and community members that who publicize his name will only glorify his horrific actions and eventually this will only serve to inspire future shooters."Multiple media outlets have identified the shooter as 26-year-old Chris Mercer.

This event has grabbed the attention of gun control advocates including President Barack Obama, who stated that Americans have become "numb" to mass shootings.

Frustrated Obama Calls for Common Sense Gun Control LegislationAnchor:

US President Barack Obama is renewing his call for tighter gun control measures, in the wake of the shooting in Oregon.

CRI's Washington chief correspondent Xiaohong has more.

Reporter:

A frustrated President Obama spoke Thursday night in response to the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.

"Somehow, this has become a routine. The reporting is routine. My response here in this podium ends up being routine. The conversation in the aftermath of it, we've become numb to this."The President went on to say that the United States is not the only country where people have mental health issues. But he acknowledged sadly that the U.S. is the only country that sees mass shootings every few months and it is the only advanced country on earth that lacks common sense gun control legislation.

President Obama began to push for gun control laws after a gunman shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut just a few days before Christmas in 2012. However, his efforts did not go through the Congress.

He made a new push Thursday night in the wake of the latest tragedy.

"This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction."He vowed to bring this issue to congress in order to bring about the needed changes.

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington DC.

Hollande, Merkel urge Putin to target "only" IS positions in SyriaThe French and German leaders have told Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country's air force can only strike Islamic State targets within the borders of Syria.

The statement was made during a meeting of the three leaders in Paris on Friday.

Ahead of a meeting on Ukraine's future, French President Francois Hollande held private talks with Putin in an attempt to narrow differences regarding the conflict in Syria.

Reports following the meeting have said that not much common ground has been found.

The meeting in Paris comes just days after the first Russian air strikes in Syria, hitting targets in the province of Homs.

The US and its allies are concerned that the Russian air strikes will bolster Syria's president, and also mark the start of a buildup of Russian forces in the country.

Syrian foreign minister tells UN airstrikes must be coordinated with SyriansSyria's foreign minister said on Friday that airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and in Iraq "are useless" unless they are coordinated with the Syrian government.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem also told the United Nations General Assembly that Syria is capable of "cleansing the country of terrorists.""Syria will continue to fight terrorism in word and in deed and the Arab Syrian army is capable of cleansing the country of those terrorists."Russian President Vladimir Putin has been building up Russia's military presence in Syria to support the government of Bashar al-Assad.

In respond, the Syrian foreign minister says Russia's decision to start bombing targets was based on the request of the Syrian government and is effective because it supports Syria's efforts to combat terrorism.

He also urged the world to stop allowing "terrorists" to travel to his country to join the Islamic State.

US constrianed by several factors in resettling Syrian refugeesA US expert says the country is constrained by a number of factors in terms of resettling Syrian refugees.

Kathleen Newland, co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute, a U.S migration policy think tank, made this comment in Washington DC.

"I think the United States is constrained by a number of different factors. One of them is budgetary; it is very expensive to resettle people in the United States. I think there are some people in the U.S. government who think we would be better off spending that money trying to support people in the region through the world food program, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees."According to Newland, another constraint, which doesn't have much factual basis, is the concern about security.

The United States heightened its security screening process for refugees following the September 11th attacks.

However, Newland says she believes it is possible for the United States to do more to help resettle Syrian refugees.

"I would certainly like to see an increase in the size of the resettlement program. Secretary Kerry is asking for 85,000 places. I think it should be a minimum of 100,000, and probably of those 35,000 to 40,000 Syrians in the next fiscal year."She also said it is a very modest number, and that she thinks the U.S. could take 100,000 Syrian refugees next year if emergency processing procedures were put in place.

Saudi Arabia starts DNA tests to identify bodies in Mecca stampedeSaudi Arabia has started DNA tests on unidentified bodies recovered following the stampede in Mecca.

A local hospital in the city has been collecting DNA samples from people who are still looking for their family members, looking for matches among unidentified bodies.

A stampede took place in Mecca last month while pilgrims were participating in a ritual that's part of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Saudi officials say the tragedy killed more than seven hundred, and injured more than nine hundred.

It's the deadliest stampede to occur during the Hajj in the last 25 years.

A local media outlet says crowd control rules were ignored before the stampede took place.

It was the second major accident involving massive casualties in Saudi Arabia in this year's Hajj season.

Earlier in September, more than one hundred pilgrims were killed and over three hundred others injured after a construction crane crashed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Kerry talks about Iran on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. would have been under tremendous pressure if attempts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran had failed.

Speaking during an interview for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Kerry stated the lack of dialogue could have led to war.

"Our perception was, it wouldn't have been war day one or immediately but if Iran continued to enrich and Israel and other countries in the region saw them doing that, then the pressure was going to mount inexorably to have to do something about it. If you've tried negotiation and have failed or you can't negotiate, you then you wind up being pressured toward conflict."Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam War, says his time in a conflict zone made him particularly motivated to reach a deal with Iran.

A landmark nuclear deal was reached between Tehran and six major global powers in July, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Kerry's remarks came several days after U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands with Iran's foreign minister at the United Nations.

This marked the first handshake between a U.S. president and a high-ranking Iranian official in over 30 years.

G20 energy ministers adopt Africa action planG20 energy ministers met in Istanbul on Friday to adopt an action plan for easier access to energy in Africa.

Turkish minister Ali Riza Alaboyun stated that energy access is a priority for his fellow G20 energy ministers.

"In the last 10 years, energy access in Africa has increased by less than one percent. If this trend continues, almost half of the population of Sub-Saharan will continue to be deprived of electricity. In order to prevent this, we need to increase energy investment in Africa and to increase capacity by an additional 6-7 gigawatts per year."The first phase of the plan will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and will establish a long-term voluntary cooperation framework among G20 countries.

China beats Iran to face Philippines in final of Asian ChampionshipsChina beat defending champions Iran 70-57 in the semifinals of the Asian Championship on Friday.

Iran has won three of the last four Asian Championships but could not hold off the Chinese team.

China is now one victory away from a spot in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Up next, China will play the Philippines, who beat Japan 81-70 in their semifinal.

This will be a first-ever final between China and the Philippines.

Neymar to miss World Cup qualifiersNeymar will miss Brazil's first two 2018 World Cup qualifiers after terms of his international ban were upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sports on Friday.

The Barcelona forward was suspended for four matches after his red card in Brazil's 1-0 loss to Colombia at the Copa America in June.

Having already served two matches of his ban, the 23-year-old will miss Brazil's away clash against Chile on Thursday and home match against Venezuela five days later.

Brazil's football confederation had argued the ban should only apply to Copa America fixtures, but the court upheld the ban on Neymar, meaning he will sit out for the 2018 qualifiers.

Arnold receives award at Zurich Film FestivalAction star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been honored at the Zurich Film Festival.

The 68-year-old received the festival's coveted Golden Icon award, celebrating his four decades in film.

Upon receiving the award, Schwarzenegger stated that this honor was beyond his dreams.

In addition to picking up his prize, the actor was also at the festival to promote his latest movie, "Maggie."In the film, Schwarzenegger is a father, looking to protect his daughter from a virus that is turning people into zombies.

During the premiere, the former Governor of California told his audience that his new movie required a different kind of acting than what he was normally used to doing.

Schwarzenegger hopes audiences will be pleasantly surprised by the vulnerability he shows on-screen.

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

A quick recap of the headlines before we go.

Much praise and analysis continues to be heard in Washington following Chinese President Xi Jinping's US state visit...

A movie about a previous Chinese leader's historic US state visit has been screened at Harvard University...

and a migration expert says a number of factors constrain efforts to resettle displaced Syrians in the United States...

In Sports...China makes it to the finals of the Asian Championships...

In Entertainment...a major award for Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Zurich Film Festival...

And in the second half of our program, we'll be bringing you a weekend edition of On the Record.

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