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

Coming up on the program this morning...

Typhoon Mujigae is expected to make landfall in southern China this morning...

Another round of underwater excavation is set to begin at the site of a famous Chinese shipwreck...

And Russian officials say air strikes in Syria are meant to protect the homeland...

In Sports...China's national basketball team secures a birth in the Rio Olympics next summer...

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

Top NewsTyphoon Mujigae is to Land in S. ChinaTyphoon Mujigae is expected to land in South China later this morning.

The Hainan Provincial Meteorological Observatory has urged locals to take shelter at home.

"The cities of Haikou and Wenchang will be seriously affected by the typhoon. The hurricane tide may cause waterlogging in cities. We suggest residents stay at home and leave low-lying areas in time."The Golden Week holiday has been suspended for all civil servants in Hainan as of Saturday. Work has been underway to evacuate local households affected by the typhoon.

At the same time, 25,000 boats have been called back to port.

Air and train services in the province have been suspended and some coastal tourist destinations have closed.

He Shan works for a scenic area in Maoming City.

"We have shut down the scenic area since 4:00 this afternoon. We only allow tourists and vehicles to leave the area. But no tourists and vehicles will be allowed to enter. We will clear up the beach this night."The storm was about 470 kilometers off the coast of Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province by 4:00pm Saturday, packing winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.

It is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 20 km per hour until a landfall expected in Wenchang City of Hainan this morning.

Meanwhile in Guangdong, about 39,000 fishing boats have returned to harbor or nearby shelters. More than 10,000 fishermen have returned to shore from fish farms.

Excavation of Famed Chinese Warship UnderwayAnchor:

Chinese archaeologists are set to start a new round of underwater excavation of a famed late Qing Dynasty warship that was discovered in the depths of the Yellow Sea.

CRI's Victor Ning reports.

Reporter:

The shipwreck that was code-named "Dandong No.1" has been tentatively identified as the Cruiser Zhiyuan of the Beiyang Fleet.

But Song Jianzhong with the National Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage says it is still too early to make a final conclusion on the ship and its history.

"The relics and information currently in hand indicates it's the wreck of the warship Zhiyuan, but more work needs to be done before the publishing of the final conclusion."The shipwreck was first discovered in 2013.

In the past month, over a hundred relics have been salvaged from the depths of the Yellow Sea, including canons, shells, and other artillery.

The most crucial piece of evidence for the ship's identity is a shattered porcelain plate that features the words 'Zhiyuan' written in the middle of its back.

Song Jianzhong says all of the recovered items will studied further.

"Archaeology mainly focuses on the investigation, excavation, study and protection of cultural relics. Items to be found during the current underwater probe will be sent to labs where they will undergo procedures of de-watering, desalination and de-sulfated before being renovated and pieced together."Also among the findings is a boiler cap found 30 meters away from the wreck at the bottom of the sea.

Sa Su, a Chinese scholar of Japanese studies, says the artifact could reveal details of the final moments of the brave sailors who operated the ship during combat.

"It's said that the sailors sealed the boilers at last in the hope of enabling them to generate more power and make the ship run faster than usual. Only with that, could it catch up with Japanese warships that were more advanced. But as seawater poured in after Zhiyuan's hull was penetrated by shells, the boiler exploded with the cap blown out."The 2,300-tonne warship, with 246 officers and soldiers aboard, was lost in the Battle of the Yellow Sea on September the 17th, 1894, during the first Sino-Japanese war.

Captain Deng Shichang has been well remembered by Chinese people for ordering a full-speed charge at the enemy's flagship in order to protect the flagship of the Chinese fleet.

But just one kilometer away from its target, the Zhiyuan exploded. Captain Deng Shichang later drowned himself and his dog.

The Chinese fleet lost four warships during the five-hour battle.

The archaeologists are expected to finish the excavation by the end of the National Day holiday on Oct 7.

The shipwreck won't be pulled out of water in the near future due to concerns over a structural collapse.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

Uyghur entrepreneur and his Halal food business in XijiangAnchor:

Today we continue a series marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region --- bringing you the story of a man from Xinjiang who is hoping to capitalize on halal food in the predominantly Muslim region of China.

CRI's Guo Yan has more.

Reporter:

Dedicated to developing the Halal food sector for the past 20-years, Radil Abla has turned the Arman Group into one of the largest manufacturers of Halal products in Xinjiang.

Radil admits he never imagined his business would boom like it has been since he began operating out of a 10-square-meter rented store.

Like many other entrepreneurs who start from scratch, Radil went through a lot of trials and tribulation at the beginning.

He admits that, at times, he regretted leaving his steady job with a regular salary to take up his passion.

"After I graduated from university in 1990, I worked as a research assistant at a local public institution. At that time, most people here in China dreamed of getting a secure a job in the government or a public institution. So when I went out on my own, at first, even my family didn't support me. But I felt I had to make the move."But inspired by the adventurous spirit of some of his friends who started their own business, Radil decided to leave his comfort zone and seize the opportunity.

"I helped my schoolmates start their business before I quit my job. I felt more energized in the private-sector. More importantly, I still wanted to improve my own life. I had some dreams to realize. I thought I needed to at least give it a try and work hard for my future."Radil first began his company by operating a small supermarket.

It was then that he realized halal foods were largely neglected by many retailers at that time.

He says it was then that he put his plans into action to create a business opportunity in the sector.

"I discovered that supermarkets rarely carried Halal foods, and realized the market potential. It was then I decided to focus my business on Halal foods. From there, I began to open factories. And before I knew it, my business was expanding and prospering like never before."After 20-years' hardwork, Radil has expanded his operations across Xinjiang, running close to 4-thousand small markets and several food processing plants.

He says he believes the Halal food sector still has huge market potential, given that Muslims make up over half of the population in Xinjiang.

Radil says he's now focused on promoting the creation of better standards for Halal foods.

"We have always been dedicated to the standardization of Halal foods. We use industrial processes and standards to make our foods halal. We use standard methods from the very beginning. Food in Xinjiang, such as lamb skewers, pilaf, naan bread and other staples are processed through standardized methods and then delivered to our retail outlets. This allows our stores to quickly provide customers with the wonderful foods, which are also safe and affordable."To promote his idea, Radil has adopted a popular business model from overseas.

He's now working on a project to combine his markets with fast-food restaurants which specifically cater to people who want halal food.

"The Arman supermarket chain emphasizes food service. We have learned from chain stores like seven-eleven. We are introducing fast-food into our chain stores. Many are now more of a restaurant than a supermarket. We've also built 'central kitchens' that produce standardized halal snacks and send them to our chain stores, which offers convenient food for our customers."Radil does say what worries him the most is the lack of officially-recognized standards for halal products.

He says he's worried it may hinder the development of the whole industry, particularly as more and more food companies tap into this sector.

"A lack of national standards for halal food manufacturing here in China restricts development of the business. And it affects the exports of halal food. Most of the time, manufacturers stick to their own standards. Local authorities are trying to settle the problem, but it takes time. With the large Muslim population in and around the region, the market is huge. But without certain standards, there could be chaos in the industry. "Tap into global marketHamit Aysa is an assistant of Radil's, and also an old friend.

He's in charge of production at Arman's halal food processing plants.

At one of the processing facilities in the suburbs of Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, Hamit takes us through some of the procedures they use to make the food.

"This is the cooling process for our crunchy candy. The candy bars can't be cut all the way through. Machines are set to cut them just slightly. We then use different machines to cool and dry them until they split to ensure the taste and flavor of the fruit and nuts inside the candy stays inside."Hamit has been working with his friend in promoting the standardization of Halal food for years.

He says he's very proud of their work in trying to promote standards for halal foods.

Hamit says it all starts with the ingredients.

"We use standard methods from the very beginning. Cultivating the crops, transportation, food storage, usage, processing and packaging, should all be taken into consideration as we promote the standardization of Halal foods."He says he's also worried that food from Xinjiang hasn't been getting enough attention on a global scale.

He says a lack of promotion and marketing is holding that back.

Still, Hamit says he believes food from Xinjiang will become increasingly popular in the future, given the huge market potential.

When it comes to the broader plans for the development of his operations on a more global scale, Radil Abla says he can take the lead from other entrepreneurs like himself in China.

"Arman has always been dedicated to industrialization. We have found a unique advantage, and are doing our best to build a good business. I have a lot of respect for entrepreneurs in our country. They are diligent and modest. They have a natural spirit toward working hard. I have learned a lot from them, and that has changed my life and my business. It has helped my business become more successful. I have been encouraged by their spirit and have been given strength and power by them. So, we have confidence in promoting Xinjing foods across the country, and across the world."The Xinjiang business man also says he hopes there will be even more opportunities for him, both in Xinjiang and throughout other parts of the world, through the "One belt, One Road" initiative launched by the central government.

For CRI, this is Guo Yan .

China qualifies for Rio Olympics with Asian Championship titleChina has clinched the 2015 FIBA Asian Championship after beating the Philippines 78-67 in the men's basketball final.

It was the 16th Asian title for the basketball giant, and this win has also guaranteed China a berth in the men's basketball tournament of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Philippines finished as runner-up while defending champion Iran placed third at the highest-level competition in Asian basketball.

China, which won its last Asian title in 2011, made full use of its size on home court. They beat their opponents 46-28 on rebounds, along with making five blocks.

Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian finished the final with 11 points and 15 rebounds, and was named MVP of the tournament.

Carbonated Drinks Lose Ground in ChinaAnchor:

As Chinese people pay more attention to their health, sales of carbonated beverages have dropped sharply across the country.

CRI's Victor Ning reports.

Reporter:

Newly published stats show the market growth for carbonated drinks has slipped to less than 1 percent in China, despite huge expenditures on advertising from Coca-Cola and its chief rival Pepsi.

The data is coupled with a report from retail giant Wal-Mart which indicates sales of these drinks have fallen by about 15 percent year on year.

Feng Jinlong with Wal-Mart attributes it to the change of customers' taste.

"Sales of carbonated drinks have dropped this year. This is probably because our consumers are changing their drinking habits."Feng's views are supported by some street survey results.

"Normally I just drink water because I think carbonated drinks are unhealthy.""Commercial beverages are high in sugar. People are more health-conscious now. I just drink some fresh juice once awhile."Globally, Coca-Cola's sales were down 3 percent in the second quarter of this year as compared with the figure from last year.

To reverse the sales downturn, the leading beverage maker has to shift its focus to other products.

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent says his company has plans to stay vibrant in China.

"We continue to offer more choice every day with juices, with sports drinks, with our teas and with our many other beverages and great sparkling beverages. So we have the best, widest portfolio."Thomas Wu, an analyst from one of the world's leading strategy consultancies, Roland Berger, agrees with Coca-Cola's Kent.

"Coca-Cola is losing out on this market because of certain subcategories. For example, tea. So I think the challenge for Coca-Cola to become bigger is to have a broader range of categories in the portfolio."To meet the consumer demand, Pepsi has allied with Chinese e-retailer Jingdong to launch a new vegetable-protein-based beverage.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has acquired the Xiamen-based Culiangwang from state-owned China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation for 400 million U.S. dollars and plans to produce drinks made from whole grains.

The company has also broken ground on two new manufacturing facilities to expand its production capacity in China.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

Russian Air Strikes in Syria Meant to Protect Russia: PMRussian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday that his country's air strikes in Syria are meant to protect Russia.

"The most overwhelming assessment of the reason why such a decision was made was given by the president as he explained what we are protecting in this case. We are defending ourselves. We defend the people of Russia from a terrorism threat as it is better to do it abroad than to fight terrorism inside the country."Russia earlier this week announced its decision to launch strikes in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said its Air Force has made more than 20 flights in Syria within the past 24 hours, adding that 9 Islamic State targets were struck.

A US-led coalition has been conducting air strikes in Syria for months. On Friday, the US and six of its allies called on Russia to cease its military activities in Syria.

The Russian Prime Minister added that his country's air strikes in Syria were not linked to any economic interests.

Obama pressures Congress to pass funding billIn his weekly radio address, President Barack Obama has urged the U.S. Congress to approve a bill to fund the government for the current fiscal year.

"Congress should do its job, stop kicking the can down the road, and pass a serious budget rather than flirt with another shutdown. A serious budget is one that keeps America strong through our military, our law enforcement; that keeps America generous through caring for our veterans and our seniors; that keeps America competitive by educating our kids and our workers,"On Wednesday, just hours before a midnight deadline when government agency funds were due to run out, Congress extended current spending levels through Dec. 11. That left only 10 weeks to set a budget for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2016.

That deadline, and the need to raise the government's debt ceiling expected in early November, loom as Republicans struggle to find a successor for House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.

Many conservative Republicans balk at raising the debt limit without a plan in place for long-term deficit reduction.

TPP negotiations continue in AtlantaAnchor:

Trade ministers and representatives from 12 countries have gathered in Atlanta, Georgia in hopes of finishing the Trans Pacific Partnership trade talks.

Early on, there were hopes that this was the final round - but negotiations are continuing as differences remain.

At the same time, a small but vocal band of protesters are trying to get their message heard - saying there should be no trade deal.

Our correspondent Priscilla Huff reports:

If and when it's completed the trans pacific partnership would cover upwards of 40 percent of the global trade among the 12 nations participating and the message ahead of this latest round of talks in Atlanta, Georgia from the Obama administration is the time is near.

U-S trade representative Michael Froman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies"The Trans Pacific Partnership is a next generation trade agreement and as far as blue prints go it's an ambitious one It'll set the rules of the road for trade and investment for nearly 40 percent of the global economy and when completed and we are close, TPP will bring jobs to our shores stability to a region in flux and higher standards to the global economy."Opposition to the deal is strong and loudProtestors first circled the hotel in downtown Atlanta, and a few even got inside to try to shout down the talks.

Their concerns include access to life-saving drugs - because a new class - biosimilars - are a central part of the deal.

Daniel Ikenson of the CATO Institute describes how encompassing this 21st century trade deal is really intended to be"And what this is is 12 countries on four continents negotiating issues that aren't just typical border barriers, not just tariffs or quotas or customs procedures, it deals a lot with rules - environmental rules, investment provisions, labor provisions, intellectual property."Individual countries have concerns - such as the Canadian dairy industry, the Japanese car industry and the American beef industry.

And labor unions - especially in America - are worried that the TPP will only ship more jobs to lower wage countries.

On top of all that, there are the political concerns.

Chris Nelson follows Asia for the Nelson ReportHe notes that the Obama administration does not want the U-S Congress debating TPP during an election year"So the idea that we're not in a hurry? well OK, but if we're not in a hurry, then that means we're not gonna get it done, are we? and y'know, maybe it'll turn out that the predictions from the hard nosed business guys a few months ago, that it's delusional that we can get TPP done this year and because next year is an election year it's politically too difficult probably the earliest we'll get it done is 2017."For now, the negotiations are continuing.

There are already tentative plans for another round of Trans Pacific Partnership talks on the sidelines of an upcoming summit in the Philippines.

For CRI, I'm Priscilla Huff in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tsipras Promises to Implement Bailout Deal, Address MigrationGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday he will swiftly implement Greece's new bailout deal. The recently re-elected Tsipras made the comments as a new Greek parliament was sworn in.

He says his re-election last month was a vindication of his decision to accept another EU bailout deal for his country.

"We have a tough job ahead, and the implementation of the bailout deal will not be easy. We are forced to make decisions that are unpleasant and difficult, but we will make them, always telling the truth to the Greek people, and explaining that this path is a necessary one so that we can exit this system of supervision as soon as possible and immediately start the discussion on the debt issue."As a next step, Greece must launch a series of economic reforms in areas including taxation, pensions and healthcare by November 15 to receive the next tranche of aid. Earlier this year, Greece accepted the terms of an 86-euro bailout package from the EU, the country's 3rd in five years.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the urgent need to address the recent influx of migrants and refugees entering his country.

"We cannot make the migration problem disappear, but we do hope to be able to make the situation better, one day at a time. We cannot make miracles happens, but we can be effective in helping these people to the best of our abilities and at the same time ease the pressure on our islands, which are the first point of entry. "The International Organization for Migration has said over 300-thousand migrants entered Europe this year through Greece.

Tsipras resigned as Prime Minister in August, forcing a snap election. He and his left-wing Syriza party were re-elected in September.

Doctors Without Borders Demands Explanation After Afghan AirstrikeDoctors Without Borders is demanding explanations after an airstrike on Saturday hit a hospital it operates in the Afghan city of Kunduz.

At least 19 people were killed, while around 40 were injured. The US military has called the incident possible "collateral damage".

Bart Janssens, Director of Operations with Doctors Without Borders, says the organization wants an immediate explanation.

"We haven't had any communication yet from the international coalition, nor from the Afghan government directly to us. So that's why we clearly ask now, we want an explanation very fast and we want an independent investigation to be started."Around 200 patients and staffers were in the hospital at the time of the strike. The facility is the only one in the region that is capable of dealing with major injuries.

Janssens says there were clear indications the air strike was carried out by the international coalition in Afghanistan. Doctors Without Borders says it provided the location of the hospital to both Afghan and US forces several times in the past, most recently this week, to avoid being targeted.

Gunmen kill Japanese man in BangladeshMasked attackers on a motorbike have shot and killed a Japanese man in northern Bangladesh.

The victim is the second foreigner in a week to be gunned down in the country.

Local residents say two assailants shot at the victim three times.

The killing came five days after an Italian aid worker was killed by motorbike-riding assailants in Dhaka.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for that attack.

The government, however, has dismissed the claim, saying there is no such evidence.

It describes the killing as an isolated incident.

WeatherBeijing is sunny today with a high of 25 degrees Celsius; tonight clear with a low of 13.

Shanghai will see showers today with a high of 25 ; still wet tonight a low of 20 degrees Celsius.

Chongqing, slight rain today with a high of 20, also wet tonight with a low of 17.

Lhasa, sunny in the day with a high of 21, cloudy tonight a low of 7 degrees Celsius.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny, 33.

Kabul, also sunny, 23.

In North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

Washington DC, slight rain, 19.

Honolulu, also slight rain, 28.

Toronto, wet, with a high of 16.

In South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 18.

And Rio de Janeiro will be wet with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

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

A quick recap of the headlines before we go.

Typhoon Mujigae is expected to make landfall in southern China this morning...

Another round of underwater excavation is set to begin at the site of a famous Chinese shipwreck...

And Russian officials say air strikes in Syria are meant to protect the homeland...

In Sports...China's national basketball team secures a birth in the Rio Olympics next summer...

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.