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

Coming up on the program this morning...

The Chinese president sends a congratulatory message to the leader of North Korea to mark the 70th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea...

The Documents of the Nanjing Massacre have been accepted into UNESCO's Memory of the World registry...

And the US has announced changes to its support for rebel groups in Syria...

We will look back at the business stories that have made headlines over the past week...

In Sports...an update from the China Open in Beijing...

In Entertainment...Go Away Mr. Tumor will be China's entry at the Oscars...

Top NewsSenior CPC leader meets with DPRK's Kim, delivers letter from XiXi Jinping, in his role as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, has forwarded a message of congratulations to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

In the message, President Xi said China is willing to work with North Korea to consolidate the friendship between the two countries, as well as to play a positive role in maintaining regional and global peace.

Leading CPC official Liu Yunshan is now in Pyongyang to represent the CPC at the ceremonies today, marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Liu Yunshan met with Kim Jong Un on Friday night and conveyed the message to the North Korean leader.

For his part, Kim has said North Korea is willing to continue the exchange of high-level visits, and to enhance communication and cooperation with China.

The two also talked about the situation on the Korean Peninsula, stressing the importance of a peaceful and stable regional environment.

Documents of Nanjing Massacre inscribed on Memory of World RegisterAnchor:

The documents of the Nanjing Massacre submitted by China have been inscribed by UNESCO on its Memory of the World Programme.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more.

Reporter:

The decision was made during a three day meeting of UNESCO in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

China's application includes three parts.

The first part concerns the period of the massacre from 1937 to 1938.

The second part is related to the post-war investigation and trials of war criminals documented by China from 1945 to 1947.

And the third part deals with files documented by the judiciary authorities of the People's Republic of China from 1952 to 1956.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying explains why the documents were submitted to UNESCO.

"We submitted our application in an attitude responsible for history. Our aim is to let the world people, including the Japanese people, realize the cruelty of the war more profoundly, so that they can better remember history, cherish peace and jointly safeguard human dignity.

Over 300,000 Chinese were murdered by Japanese troops during the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.

Japan had been making efforts to block China's bid to get the documents recognized by UNESCO.

It says the killing of a large number of civilians, looting and other acts occurred, but that it is difficult to determine the actual number of victims.

Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, was on record saying that the Chinese application will unnecessarily emphasize a negative legacy from a certain period in the past involving Japan and China.

In response, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has urged Japan to take responsibility for its history for the benefit of future generations.

"We hope Japan will hold an attitude responsible for history and future generations, sincerely face up and reflect on the history, properly handle the related issues, and take concrete moves to win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community."The Memory of the World Register is the list of documentary heritage set up by UNESCO in 1992.

The latest list was revealed after a two-year process as part of the 2014-2015 nomination cycle, during which 88 submissions from 61 countries were examined.

The final result includes 47 nominations.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

UN Security Council adopts resolution on migrant smuggling in MediterraneanAnchorThe UN Security Council has adopted a resolution aimed at disrupting human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants on the high seas off the coast of Libya.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

ReporterThe 15-nation council adopted the resolution with 14 voting in favor, and Venezuela abstaining.

The resolution decides to authorize the EU and other countries to inspect vessels that are suspected of being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking from Libya.

It also authorizes member states to seize or even dispose of suspected vessels in accordance with international law.

The resolution emphasizes that migrants should be treated with humanity and dignity and their rights should be fully respected.

British Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft says any action should be taken proportionally.

"Actions will be proportional. It will be keeping within the limits described very clearly in the resolution. And actions will used solely on smugglers and their boats. Any migrants encountered in this part of the operations will be taken to Europe as part of established procedures."China's UN ambassador Liu Jieyi says the Chinese side hopes the solution will help address the crisis appropriately.

"We hope member states can comprehensively and accurately implement Resolution 2240, and respect other countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. The top priority should be saving lives and preserving people's dignity and all actions should be conducted in accordance with international law."Liu has also emphasized the importance of addressing root causes of the current migrant crisis.

"The causes of the illegal migrant issue are complicated. The international community should adopt a comprehensive approach, focusing more on tackling root causes including extreme poverty, social instability as well as armed conflicts."The International Organization for Migration says nearly 3,000 people have drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year, with almost 560-thousand having reached Europe.

Libya has been witnessing a frayed political process after former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011.

Two rival parliaments are struggling for power and several groups have been fighting for control of national resource wealth.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

Chinese, Indian officials meet to maintain border peace and stability: FM spokespersonOfficials from China and India have concluded their latest discussion concerning border affairs.

The two-days meeting was held in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says the major topic was to review the implementation of the measures adopted to enhance trust over the past year.

"Both sides also reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the China-India border areas. They agreed to further strengthen communication and coordination based on the important consensuses reached by the leaders of the two countries, and develop measures to enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation in the border areas so as to maintain peace and stability."China and India share a 2,000-km-long border that has never been formally delineated.

The two countries began discussing border issues in the 1980s.

Smoking set to kill one in three young men in ChinaAnchor:

A new study tracking smokers over fifteen years is suggesting that one third of China's young men will be killed by tobacco.

CRI's Niu Honglin has the details.

Reporter:

Researchers from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control conducted two large, nationally representative studies, fifteen years apart.

They calculate the annual number of tobacco deaths had reached one million by 2010.

If this trend continues, by 2030 as many as two million men will be killed by tobacco each yearProfessor Chen Zhengming is Director of China Programmes Clinical Health at the University of Oxford and he is the lead author of the new report published in the Lancet medical journal.

"Since you know 1990s with the rapid economic development (that) opened up, China suddenly produced a very large quantity of cigarettes. I mean, for example Chinese men account for one-eighth of the world's total population, but consumes at least one-third of the total cigarettes in the world. So now our study shows actually the health consequences that are now emerging."The report finds that if people start smoking before the age of twenty, they have a 50% chance of dying from tobacco use, and in China two-thirds of all young men are smoking by that age.

The study also notes some progress, for example the number of people who quit smoking has risen from three to nine per cent between 1991 and 2006.

At the same time, it also reports that smoking among Chinese women has fallen dramatically.

According to Professor Chen Zhengming, ten per cent of women smoked in the 1930s, but by the 1960s and 70's the number of women smoking shrank to just one per cent.

But he also warns that the increase in male smokers could contribute to a reversal in this trend.

"So among Chinese women the smoking and the tobacco deaths is low and still falling, but I think the real danger is the social norm could change again. I mean other studies, not our study, other study have shown in many parts of China the adolescent women, they're starting to smoke again."China is the world's largest cigarette producer and consumer, with 300 million smokers.

The Chinese government has been making increasing efforts to reinforce anti-tobacco publicity and curb rampant tobacco use nationwide.

It also raised the wholesale tax rate for cigarettes to 11 percent from 5 percent in May.

However a lack of solid public support has made it difficult to reduce the rate of new smokers in China.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Forbidden City Opens More Areas to PublicAnchor:

Anticipation among history buffs in China is peaking, as officials with the Palace Museum, better known as the Forbidden City, are set to open the western section of the former Imperial Palace to the public for the first time in 90-years.

CRI's Xiao Yi has the details.

Reporter:

The four western areas of the Palace are being opened to the public for the first time since the Palace Museum first opened 90-years ago.

One area of great interest is the Cining Palace.

This is the home of the former Emperors' mothers, and was last home to the late Dowager Empress Cixi.

The Cining Palace has been depicted in numerous TV series' and films.

Eight displays featuring the former Emperors' treasures will also be on display in the newly-opened areas.

A sculpture exhibition will also be available for viewing in the main hall of the Cining palace.

Feng Hejun, researcher with the Palace Museum, says the exhibits come from a variety of different collections.

"The exhibits mainly come from previous royal collections, as well as treasures unearthed during archaeological excavations. Others have been donated by domestic cultural institutions and individuals."The Palace Museum currently has around 1.8-million items in its vast collection.

However, less than 1-percent are currently on display.

Researcher Feng Hejun says this is what makes the new displays so intriguing.

"Every exhibit is a masterpiece. Every work has a story behind it. Among the highlights is a Han Dynasty sculpture of a couple kissing each other which was unearthed in Sichuan over 70-years ago. It's full of local color from the region where it was discovered."All of the works are being displayed in the open, and without the protection of a glass case.

Shan Jixiang, curator of the Palace Museum, says they hope this will give visitors to the new exhibition more access to the unique pieces of Chinese history.

"It's the first time we're going to showcase our cultural relics out the use of glass. We hope it will give people a more close-up look at the items we're putting on display."Construction of the Forbidden City was finished in 1420 at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

After its construction, which took some 14-years to complete, the Imperial Palace in the heart of Beijing was home to all the Ming and Qing Emperors until the fall of Dynastic China in 1912.

It was converted to the Palace Museum, which opened on October 10th, 1925.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

US to Overhaul Its Approach to Supporting Syrian RebelsU.S. President Barack Obama will overhaul Washington's approach to supporting Syrian rebel forces.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says the decision will be formally announced by President Obama later on today.

Carter says the new U.S. effort will seek to enable Syrian rebels in much the same way the United States has helped Syrian Kurdish forces to battle Islamic State militants in Syria.

"The work we've done with the Kurds in northern Syria is an example of an effective approach, where you have a group that is capable and motivated on the ground that you can enable their success."Media reports suggest that the Obama administration is considering extending support to thousands of Syrian rebel fighters, possibly with arms and air strikes, as part of the revamped approach to Syria.

The US military began training for up to 5,400 fighters a year this May, a strategy of having local partners combat the Islamic State militants.

However the 500 million dollar program was troubled from the start, with some of the first class coming under attack from al Qaeda's Syria wing.

Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet win 2015 Nobel Peace PrizeAnchor:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced that the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet has won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.

CRI's Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.

Ann:

Kaci Kullman Five, Chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, made the announcement.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is to be awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."The Quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 .

Five said it established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war.

“It was thus instrumental in enabling Tunisia, in the space of a few years, to establish a constitutional system of government guaranteeing fundamental rights for the entire population, irrespective of gender, political conviction or religious belief.”

The National Dialogue Quartet has comprised four key organizations in Tunisian civil society: the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

The Quartet exercised its role as a mediator and driving force to advance peaceful democratic development in Tunisia with great moral authority.

But Five said the prize is awarded to this Quartet, not to the four individual organizations.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes that this year's prize will contribute towards safeguarding democracy in Tunisia and be an inspiration to all those who seek to promote peace and democracy in the Middle East, North Africa and the rest of the world."The prize is also an encouragement for the Tunisian people, who have laid the groundwork for a national fraternity. This is hoped to serve as an example for other countries.

For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.

8 Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli soldiersEight Palestinians have been killed in the latest round of clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

45 others have been injured since the clashes broke out in Friday.

The tension has been going on in east Jerusalem and all over the West Bank for more than a week.

So far 16 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed and more than 1,000 people injured.

Violent clashes flared after Hamas gunmen shot dead two Israeli settlers near Nablus in the northern West Bank, and then another Palestinian shot and killed two Israelis in the Old City of Jerusalem.

One Dead in Arizona University ShootingAnother shooting incident has taken place in the United States, days after a shooting spree in Oregon killed 10.

It happened at the Northern Arizona University of Arizona State.

University officials say the shooting in a parking lot left one person dead and three others wounded.

The suspected shooter in custody is identified as Steven Jones, a freshman at NAU.

His motivation remains unclear.

The latest incident comes on the heels of a new push for gun-law reform in the US, following a shooting at a community college in Oregon.

On Friday, President Obama traveled there to meet families of the victims.

"There are going to be I think moments as we go forward where we're going to have to come together and figure out how do we stop things like this from happening. And I've got some very strong feelings about this because when you talk to these families you're reminded that this could be happening to your child or your mom or your dad."Last week the president furiously denounced the killings as a symptom of a political choice by U.S. lawmakers to bow to pressure from the powerful National Rifle Association lobby group instead of reforming gun laws.

U.S. House passes bill to lift oil export ban, veto loomingThe US House of Representatives has passed a bill to lift the country's ban on oil exports, but the legislation is expected to be vetoed by the president.

The House approved the bill in a vote of 261 to 159. It needed 290 votes in favour in order to avoid a presidential veto.

The ban on crude oil exports was enacted in 1975 to counter the 1970s Arab oil embargo against Western countries.

Only 26 House Democrats supported the Republican-backed legislation to lift the ban.

On Wednesday, the White House indicated it would veto the bill, saying that lifting the ban "is not needed at this time."Two Senate committees have approved similar bills to lift the oil export ban in the past few weeks.

The outlook for those bills is not good, as neither one of them has support among Senate Democrats.

IMF's Lagarde: China's slowdown is 'healthy'

Anchor:

The head of the International Monetary Fund has gone on-record suggesting the current economic downturn in China is not nearly as concerning as some are making it out to be.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

Speaking to reporters as part of the IMF and World Bank's current meetings in Lima, Peru, IMF chief Christine Lagarde says suggestions the Chinese economy may be at a point of crashing are misplaced.

Lagarde says its the IMF's belief the slowdown is mostly because of the current economic shift in China away from export-led growth to a more consumer-driven model.

"A growth model that is no longer based on either massive export relative to domestic massive investment projects as opposed to consumption is a good transition."Lagarde is also praising the Chinese government for taking the steps to rebalance the economy, saying a more sustainable growth model is welcome, even if there are bumps along the way.

The IMF is currently forecasting GDP growth in China for this year to come in at 6.8-percent.

But at the same time, its downgraded its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.1 percent.

Deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Zhu Min, who is also in Lima for the meetings, says structural reforms are key if emerging markets hope to maintain sustainable growth.

Today, in the whole world, although we all operate under the potential growth, we have negative output gap, but we don't have very much aggregated demand policy space, we don't have a fiscal policy, we don't have monetary policy space. So we all have to move to supply side policy as the structural reform. On the product market reform, pension level market reform, investing in education, investing in the smart SMEs, innovational companies, I think all those things will be able to support long-term sustainable growth for emerging markets."Zhu Min notes the service sector in China outperformed the industrial sector for the first time last year.

But at the same time, the IMF is also calling on the Chinese government to do more to internationalize the Chinese currency.

Deputy director Zhu Min says this is a key step in having the renminbi added to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket.

"So this, as they review, will make it clear, we only review the RMB. We will not review something else, whatever the other currencies. This is clearly, say we pay attention on RMB issues and we're still in the process. It's still a very much data driven process. We try to collect all the data to see whether the RMB meets all these criteria."The Special Drawing Rights basket is a collection of international currencies the IMF uses establish exchange rates.

Its currently dominated made up of the US dollar, the Euro, the British Pound and the Japanese Yen.

A number of countries use that basket as a reference guide for their own currency exchange rates.

Chinese authorities are hoping the addition of the renminbi to that basket will create more confidence in the Chinese currency.

Though many had expected the Renminbi to be added to the IMF's SDR basket this year, its expected that move is now likely to take place sometime next year at the earliest.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

China to Construct 16 Sponge Cities in Three YearsChina plans to invest 13 billion US dollars to construct 16 sponge cities in three years.

Sponge cities are those that make good use of rainwater storage on their given terrains, so that they can function like sponges in absorbing and releasing rainwater and are flexible to changing environments and in responding to natural disasters.

According to official, about 130 cities across the country have mapped plans to turn themselves into sponge cities.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 17 degrees Celsius, cloudy tonight with a low of 11.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 23, clear tonight with a low of 14.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 26, cloudy tonight with a low of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 33.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 26.

In North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 21 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 29.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of 14 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be overcast with a high of 17.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsSenior CPC leader meets with DPRK's Kim, delivers letter from XiXi Jinping, in his role as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, has forwarded a message of congratulations to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

In the message, President Xi said China is willing to work with North Korea to consolidate the friendship between the two countries, as well as to play a positive role in maintaining regional and global peace.

Leading CPC official Liu Yunshan is now in Pyongyang to represent the CPC at the ceremonies today, marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Liu Yunshan met with Kim Jong Un on Friday night and conveyed the message to the North Korean leader.

China, Thailand agree to speed up railway cooperationAuthorities in China and Thailand have agreed to speed up cooperation on a joint railway project.

The goal is to start work on the new line within the year.

The project will create a connection between Thailand's capital and provinces in the northeast and east. There will also be a section of track running through Laos into southern China.

Meeting with the visiting Thai Foreign Minister, Chinese premier Li Keqiang says the project will boost economic development, facilitate trade, and promote people-to-people exchanges between China, Thailand, and the Indo-China Peninsula.

The two sides have also agreed to examine a Lantsang-Mekong cooperation plan, aimed to help countries along the river to realize common development and cooperation.

China completes construction of two large lighthouses in the South China SeaCompletion ceremonies have been held marking the start of operations for two lighthouses on the Nansha Islands.

These are the first civil aids for navigation in Nansha waters, providing route guidance, safety information, and emergency rescue & other services to passing vessels.

Chinese crews began construction on the lighthouses in late May.

The islands are in the South China Sea, an important maritime lane of communication connecting China with the rest of the world, and a critical link between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Weekly Business ReviewAnchor:

It's time to take a look back at some of the headlines from the business world this past week in our Weekly Business Review.

The historical TPP trade agreement was inked this week.

Data released shows the Chinese yuan has become the fourth most-used world payment currency.

China's Cross-border Interbank Payment System was officially launched in Shanghai.

And Chinese group-buying sites Meituan and Dianping announced a merger.

Let's catch all of that and more with CRI's Wenjie.

Reporter:

After five days of intense negotiations in Atlanta, the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries reached agreement on TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, on Monday.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman outlines the many benefits the historical trade agreement will bring to the region.

"TPP brings high standards to nearly 40% of the global economy. We expect this historical agreement to promote economic growth, support high-paying jobs, and enhance innovation productivity and competitiveness, raise living standards, reduce poverty in our countries, and to promote transparency and governance, and strong labor and environmental protections."Outside research has suggested the new agreement may end up costing China as much as 60-billion US dollars a year in foreign trade by 2025.

However, Zhang Jianping with the National Development and Reform Commission says he believes there will be ways to overcome the possible loss in revenue.

"China has already signed bilateral free trade agreements with two thirds of the TPP members. We can balance the negative effects of the TPP agreement to a degree. Also, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes 16 countries, including China, the 10-members of ASEAN, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India, will also help."The TPP will lower trade and investment barriers in the 12 partner countries in the Asia Pacific region and set new rules for the global trading system.

China, the second largest economy in the world and an undisputable economic power in the region is not included in this trade deal.

///////////////The International Monetary Fund issued a new projection on Tuesday, suggesting China's GDP growth is going to come in at a range of 6.5 to 7.5 percent this year.

IMF Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld made the suggestion in the IMF's latest World Economic Outlook report.

"There is China's transformation, the economy is rebalancing from exports and public investment to consumption, from manufacturing to services, this is both healthy and necessary in the longer terms but in the near term there are implications for China's growth and for its trading relationships with foreign countries."Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, the deputy chief of the IMF's research department, says the slowdown in China is something that has to take place.

"We think a slowdown and a re-balancing in China are a necessary process. It is a necessary transformation. Clearly if you are a commodity exporter, the hit has been hard. We think it is, in a sense, an inevitable consequence of how the transformation in the Chinese economy is occurring."///////////////Global transaction services organization SWIFT said on Tuesday that China's yuan became the fourth most-used world payment currency in August, overtaking the Japanese Yen.

The yuan has surpassed seven currencies in the past three years as a payment currency and is now only after the US dollar, the euro and the sterling.

Overall, global yuan payments increased in value by 9.13 percent in August, while payments across all currencies decreased by 8.3 percent, according to the organization.

The yuan reached a record high market share of nearly 2.8 percent in global payments for the month, compared to 1.4 percent in January 2014.

More than 100 countries used the yuan for payments in August, of which over 90 percent of flows were concentrated in 10 countries.

More than 1,700 financial institutions made worldwide payments in the yuan, up 14 percent from a year earlier.

About 600 of these institutions used the yuan for payments without a leg with China or Hong Kong.

//////////////Stats released on Wednesday show foreign exchange reserves in China have declined by some 43-billion US dollars through September.

This has left the total forex supply in China at just over 3.5 trillion US dollars.

September's reduction is the 4th straight month of declines.

However, the 43-billion decline is not nearly as sharp as in August.

Two months ago, forex reserves dropped by a record 94-billion US dollars.

//////////////The first phase of the Cross-border Interbank Payment System was launched on Thursday in Shanghai, promoting the global use of the Chinese currency.

The newly-launched system provides settlement and clearing services for cross-border transactions using the renminbi for financial institutions both domestically and abroad.

Fan Yifei, vice president of the People's Bank of China, says the launch of the new system will make it much easier for companies to do business in China.

"The launch of the system is a millstone in the development of the RMB's cross-border use. It creates a much more efficient cross-border RMB clearing system. It also promotes the worldwide use of the RMB and will have a profound influence in supporting the world economy and China's going-out strategy."The system has been developed and will be administered by China's central bank.

It allows organizations outside of China to clear yuan transactions with their Chinese counterparts directly from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Beijing time during work days.

///////////////////The week-long National Day holiday ended on Wednesday.

Data from Chinese bank card company UnionPay shows consumer spending on tourist-related activities during the holiday increased by nearly 45-percent compared to the same period last year.

UnionPay says the total transactions amount through credit cards has hit a new high during the week-long holiday, up nearly 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the data also shows that the number of interbank transactions, which are an indication of overall sales, slowed down this year during the holiday.

Chen Han, data analyst at UnionPay, says the timing of the holiday on the calendar is one of the factors.

"The growth rate of interbank transactions during the national holiday slowed down because of the working days.

This year saw the mid-autumn festival and the national day holiday fall very close together. If someone asked for three-days-leave, they could link the two holidays together for a total of 12 days off, which naturally means earlier spending by many ahead of October 1st. This is why shops were giving out national holiday promotion deals earlier. This prompted many consumers to go out and spend earlier this year."The same UnionPay report shows people in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong were the biggest spenders during the holiday.

///////////////On the corporate front,Chinese group-buying site Meituan and restaurant-review website Dianping announced their merger on Thursday.

The new company, to be co-chaired by Meituan CEO Wang Xing and Dianping CEO Zhang Tao, could be worth more than 15-billion U.S. dollars.

Doug Young, Associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief with Reuters, elaborates further on the tie-up.

Investment bank China Renaissance has been tapped to oversee the merger.

Meituan and Dianping will continue to run their businesses in parallel, retain their brands, and remain independent.

It is not clear what the equity ratio of the new company will be.

Meituan is a group-buying site backed by Alibaba.

Dianping is funded by Tencent.

/////////////////On Thursday, transport authorities in Shanghai issued China's first operating license for running a ride-hailing platform to Didi Kuaidi.

Some are calling this a milestone in urban transport and China's mobile Internet development.

On the same day, Uber China said that it was "actively preparing" documents to apply for the car-booking license to meet new regulations governing the sector expected to be announced soon.

And that concludes this edition of the weekly business review. I'm Wenjie. Thank you for listening.

SportsMuguruza advances at China OpenIn tennis news:

Garbine Muguruza beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands to reach the last four of the China Open on Friday in Beijing.

Muguruza appeared to be sailing towards the semi-final, but in the end had to negotiate a choppy final few games before ultimately prevailing, 6-1, 7-5.

In the semi-finals, Muguruza, who is bidding to win her first title of 2015, will face the in-form Agnieszka Radwanska.

Novak Djokovic advances at the China Openand in more tennis news:

World number one Novak Djokovic has swept into the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against American John Isner.

It took the Serbian just 52 minutes to ease through the quarter-final and book a place in the last four against Spain's David Ferrer.

Djokovic stated that his match against Ferrer will be one of his toughest yet.

"Completely different encounter. Obviously David is one of the toughest competitors out there, he's been on the tour for so many years, he keeps on fighting. He's going to make me play an extra shot and I need to get ready for that match physically and mentally and hopefully I'll be able to play as well as I did throughout the week."Djokovic is aiming to win the title for the sixth time in seven years as he continues his dominance of the men's game.

Kazakhstan to face Netherlands in Euro 2016 qualifiersIn football news:

Kazakhstan face the Netherlands in their final home match in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

This would be Kazakhstan's first win in group A.

Kazahkstan's Head Coach, Yuri Krasnozhan, stated that he is optimistic due to his teams recent success.

"The Kazakhstan national team passed its own way. I hope that it's not only me that has loved the progress we've made. We've seen fewer losses in our matches. We have something to lose but we don't want to stop showing our success."The match between the teams in Amsterdam 12 months ago, ended in a 3-1 win for the Dutch, even though a goal gave Kazakhstan a surprise half-time lead.

Currently, the Dutch are struggling in their group, holding only forth position in their standings.

Messi to face trial for tax fraudand in some more football news:

Lionel Messi will stand trial in Spain on three counts of tax fraud and could be sentenced to nearly two years in prison if found guilty.

A Spanish judge has rejected the request to clear the Barcelona player of any wrongdoing and will proceed to charge him and his father, with tax fraud.

They are being accused of defrauding Spain's tax office by 4.1 million euros in unpaid taxes from 2007-09.

Fitspatrick and Kjeldsen lead at British MastersIn golf news:

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick followed up his opening round of 64 with a second round of 69 for a share of the lead at the midway point in the British Masters at Woburn.

Fitzpatrick stated that his game has progressed the more he has been out on the green.

"I felt like I struggled a little bit hitting the ball out today. Didn't really hole as many putts as I did yesterday and it was just trying to ground it out today. I got the feeling back on my back nine, hitting some better shots there and just managed to make the putts too so that was nice."The 21-year-old is tied with Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen on nine-under par.

Yan Jing shares lead with Nocera in Xiamen Itnernational Ladies Openand in more golf news:

China's Yan Jing fired a second round of seven under par 65 to join Gwladys Nocera in the lead on nine under par at the Xiamen International Ladies Open in China on Friday.

A flurry of eight birdies against one bogey put the 19-year-old Yan from Shanghai in a prime position at the half-way stage of the tournament.

Nocera's solid second round of 68 containing four birdies means she is also well placed in her quest for a 15th title on the Ladies European Tour.

The defending champion Cheng Ssu-Chia from Taipei carded rounds of 72 and 73 to lie in joint 52nd, just inside the cut line on one over par.

Australia's Israel Folau to play against Wales in the Rugby World CupIn rugby news:

Israel Folau insisted on Friday that he is fit for Australia's crucial Pool A decider against Wales at the Rugby World Cup on Saturday.

The full back picked up an ankle injury during the Wallabies' 33-13 win over England last weekend, but passed a late fitness test on Thursday to face Wales.

During his teams practice recent practice session, Folau appeared to be saving himself for the match and was not present.

Folau stated that he doesn't feel 100% but is confident he can see this game through.

"It’s not 100 percent but for me I’m confident otherwise I wouldn’t strapping on the boots and going out there tomorrow. I’m sure every player throughout the tournament gets little niggles and injuries but you’ve got to try and overcome it as best you can. Going into the game tomorrow this is the last thing that’s on my mind."The Wallabies will take on Wales at Twickenham with the two sides level on 13 points at the top of Pool A.

Felipe Massa clocks fastest at Russian Grand Prix practice sessionIn F1 racing news:

Williams driver Felipe Massa clocked the fastest time in Friday's second practice session for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

Massa clocked two minutes, 0.458 seconds around the Sochi track, two tenths ahead of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.

Massa's Williams teammate Valtteri Bottas was third.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was seventh in the first session and only ventured out briefly in the second session without setting a time.

Samuele Porro claims Canyon Roc Marathon victoryIn mountain biking news:

Italy's Samuele Porro claimed a win in the 82-kilometre Canyon Roc Marathon in Southern France on Friday.

With this win, the 27-year-old, capped a season of ten victories.

His finishing time was three hours, 49 minutes.

Porro seized the lead and held off his rivals for an hour.

Belgian Sebastien Carabin, was the runner-up by 39 seconds back.

Germany's Simon Stiebjahn came third after spending a big chunk of the race alone in front.

Entertainment"Go Away Mr. Tumor" to represents China in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscar'sChinese romance film-"Go Away Mr. Tumor" has been submitted to compete for this year's Academy Awards for the Best Foreign language Film.

The submission of the tear-jerking real life drama comes as a surprise to many.

Critics and film industry insiders were betting on either "Wolf Totem" or "Mountains May Depart" to be China's official submission to the Oscars.

"Go Away Mr. Tumor" features the final years of a cartoonist and her fight against a malignant tumor until she loses the battle at the age of 30.

It grossed over 500 million yuan, or some 80 million US dollars at the Chinese box office.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong has submitted "To the Fore" to the competition and Taiwan has picked Hou Hsiao Hsien's "The Assassin" as its entry.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced in January, 2016.

The Oscars will be held in late February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Lang Lang to Perform with Valdes for Havana's 500 AnniversaryChinese pianist Lang Lang is to perform in a concert with "Chucho" Valdes for Havana's 500 anniversary celebration in Cuba tomorrow.

The concert, will be held at Havana's Cathedral Plaza, one of a series of events held throughout the year to commemorate the founding of one of the oldest cities in the Americas.

Valdes, the popular, multi-award winning Cuban musician, who has thrilled audiences around the world, says it's exciting to play with Lang Lang.

"It's a treat to have an artist of the stature of Lang Lang doing a concert here, on the 500th anniversary of the city of Havana, the founding of the city of Havana and the people, it's good, the public is very excited, everyone wants to see the concert, wants to see Lang Lang, the symphony and what we're going to do, so this is going to be incredible."Both pianists will be working with an American conductor and Cuban orchestra.

Lang Lang says it is a perfect chance to make his first visit to Cuba.

"It's incredible for me to come to Cuba for the first time. I know Havana, the city, from films, from books, from movies, from the internet, for so many years, and such a beautiful city and tomorrow's concert is going to be very special, because we are marking the city of Havana's 500 years of celebration and to be in the same concert with my good friend Chucho Valdes and playing Cuban music, in Havana, that's going to be something."The vintage "Steinway and Sons" he'll be using for this performance will be donated after the concert to train future Cuban musicians.

New York Comic Con Starts 8 Oct.

Thousands of people descended on the Jacob Ja-vits Convention Center in New York on Thursday for the first day of the New York Comic Con.

Many of those in attendance wore elaborate costumes resembling their favorite fictional characters.

"Because it's the one time of year where we get to do this and we get to walk around and people ask us for pictures and it's not like a ugh 'I want a picture of her because she looks really wierd' its more of a thing like 'Oh wow she actually put effort into her costume' like we spent all night doing this.""Very packed but it's packed with a lot of fun open people who kind of share the same excitement for geeks and nerdom so it's a very friendly environment to be yourself in. It's pretty cool."Tickets were sold out on the fourth day event.

Batman characters were popular at the event with many people dressing as the Joker and his girlfriend Harley Quinn.

The event is primarily for people to buy and sell comic books as well as features many panel discussions with actors and creators of popular films and television shows.

Ant-Man to Be Released 6 July, 2018"Ant-Man and the Wasp," a sequel to this summer's "Ant-Man," will be released on July 6, 2018.

Paul Rudd, who's playing Ant-Man is excited about his film.

"It was really fun to do something that was a little outside of the box for me. It's still funny, but it was a different kind of role. The whole thing felt fun and new and exciting."The "Ant-Man" sequel will mark the first time a Marvel movie will include the name of a female character in a title, after the studio was criticized over the issue.

Evangeline Lilly portrayed the Wasp in the first Ant-Man film, which earned more than 400 million dollars worldwide.

The announcement did not specify whether she or Paul Rudd, would be reprising their roles for the sequel, but most actors in Marvel films are signed for multi-year, multi-film contracts.

Disney and Pixar have also announced that 'The Incredible 2" will be released in June 2019.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 17 degrees Celsius, cloudy tonight with a low of 11.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 23, clear tonight with a low of 14.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 26, cloudy tonight with a low of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 33.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 26.

In North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 21 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 29.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of 14 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be overcast with a high of 17.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this weekend edition of the Beijing Hour.

A recap of your headlines:

The Chinese president sends a congratulatory message to the leader of North Korea to mark the 70th anniversary of the Worker's Party of Korea...

The Documents of the Nanjing Massacre have been accepted into UNESCO's Memory of the World registry...

And the US has announced changes to its support for rebel groups in Syria...

We will look back at the business stories that have made headlines over the past week...

In Sports...an update from the China Open in Beijing...

In Entertainment...Go Away Mr. Tumor will be China's entry at the Oscars...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers: I'm 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.