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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Poverty relief has been identified as a major priority of the Chinese government's next five-year plan...

The Turkish prime minister blames Islamic State militants for the twin bombings in Ankara that killed over 100 people...

And a court in Thailand has issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra...

In Business...Foreign direct investment on the Chinese mainland continues to rise...

In Sports...Beijing Hour's Sophie Williams reports from the Shanghai Masters...

In entertainment...the director for CCTV's 2016 Spring Festival Gala has been named...

TopChina Vows to Lift All People out of Poverty by 2020Anchor:

The Chinese government plans to lift all of its people out of poverty by 2020, a top priority for its next five-year development plan.

Our reporter Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

Guo Weimin is a senior official from the State Council.

He says poverty relief is a major goal for the next five years.

"Poverty relief remains a top priority for China. The goal of lifting more than 70 million people out of poverty and ensuring no more poor counties exist in China by 2020 remains an arduous task."Hong Tianyu is the deputy director of the State Council Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, and says poverty relief is a major goal for the next five years.

The official says the government will come up with a string of more effective and targeted measures to achieve the goal.

These include launching education campaigns and encouraging financial support.

The goal was revealed ahead of the 23rd International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, coming up on Saturday, which also marks China's second National Poverty Relief Day.

The official adds that some high-profile events will be held around that day, to showcase China's commitment to poverty alleviation.

"As an important agenda for Poverty Alleviation Day this year, a high-level forum on poverty alleviation and development will be held on Oct. 16, one day ahead of Poverty Alleviation Day. I'm very glad to announce here that President Xi Jinping will attend the forum and deliver a keynote speech. President Xi will elaborate on the poverty alleviation measures taken by the Chinese government in the course of building a moderately prosperous society and show China's determination in implementing the Post-2015 Development Agenda."The forum will gather both domestic and international guests, including heads of state and senior representatives from international organizations.

Guo Weimin from the State Council says the Chinese government is willing to share its experience in combating poverty.

"China's poverty alleviation efforts have received great support from the international community, and have also contributed to the international community. The progress China has made has promoted the rapid decrease in the number of poor people in the world. China has become the first developing country to halve its poverty-stricken population, one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and has also helped other countries to achieve these goals."According to the official, in the past 15 years, China has lifted over 600 million people out of poverty, accounting for about 70 percent of those brought out of poverty worldwide.

Speaking to a United Nations summit last month, President Xi pledged an initial 2 billion U.S. dollars to establish an assistance fund to help developing nations reach the target.

For CRI, this is Niu HonglinCPC to convene key meeting on 13th five-year planThe Communist Party of China Central Committee will soon convene a key meeting on the country's 13th five-year plan.

The meeting is scheduled from October 26 to 29.

The five-year plan sets out an economic and social policy framework for the country.

The current plan is focusing on the quality of economic growth rather than the GDP rate.

It runs out at the end of this year.

China foreign minister meets top aide to Syria's presidentChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with a top aide to Syria's president here in Beijing.

During the meeting, Wang Yi told Bouthaina Shaaban that China has three suggestions over the ongoing crisis in Syria.

He calls on all the anti-terror measures to be coordinated to form a joint effort.

The foreign minister also says that the political solution should resume as soon as possible, and the humanitarian crisis should be the top priority of the international community.

Wang says that China supports anti-terror measures are in line with international law and have to be agreed upon by "the interested country".

He also urges a restart to the third Geneva conference on Syria, so as to find a political solution for the war-torn country.

Putin defends Russia air strikes in SyriaPresident Vladmir Putin is defending Russia's air strikes in Syria, saying the action can pave a way for a political compromise in the war-torn country.

Putin made the remark during an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"By no means do we want to get involved in any inter-religious conflicts in Syria. We have only one goal which is to support the lawful authorities and to create conditions for political settlement. This is what we have based our actions on from the very beginning. And this is what we are guided by now.""Putin also ruled out the possibility of sending Russian troops for ground operations in Syria.

Russia started airstrikes against positions of the IS in Syria in late September, a move that has been criticized by the U.S. to be mainly aiming at striking Syria's anti-government rebels.

In response, President Putin retorted that Russia conducted enough reconnaissance before launching its counter-terror attacks.

He also commented about possible cooperation with the US-led coalition that is also carrying out airstrikes in Syria.

"In case they really know better and want to fight terrorism, let them name us the specific places where terrorists are hiding, where their headquarters and warehouses with weapons and equipment are. Give us the targets. What can be easier? But for now we did not reach such level of joint work. But I repeat - the first steps in building contacts on a military level have been made."The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed over the weekend that it had "constructive" discussions with the U.S. on implementation of specific procedures to ensure safe air operations over Syria.

Meanwhile Russia has pledged to strengthen its cooperation with Saudi Arabia to fight the IS militants.

President Putin met with the Saudi defence minister on Sunday, in an attempt to reach out to the enemies of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

He's also met with senior leaders of the United Arab Emirates.

West can be flexible on the transition on Assad: British Foreign SecretaryBritish Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says that the West can be "flexible" on the transition of power away from President Bashar Assad in Syria.

Hammond was speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

"There's a lot of things to talk about on Syria, but we're very clear that we cannot work with Assad as the long-term solution for the future of Syria. We can be flexible about the manner of his departure, we can be flexible about the timing of his departure but if we try to work with Assad we will only drive the opposition into the arms of ISIL."Foreign Ministers from the European countries are gathering to decide on the reaction to multiple, ongoing crises in the Middle East and North Africa.

Commenting on Russia's military action in Syria, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is calling it a "game changer," and calls for it to coordinate with the US-led coalition attacking the Islamic State group.

IS behind Ankara blasts: PMTurkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the Islamic State militants group is behind a pair of blasts in Ankara last week.

Saturday's attack on a peace rally killed nearly 100 people and injured more than 200 others.

The leader of Turkey's opposition says the bombs were set off by two suicide bombers.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu spoke to the media following a meeting with the Prime Minister.

"It was said that the two suicide bombers were both male. In the coming days maybe the police department or another institution will share more detailed information with the public."The ruling Justice and Development Party has come under pressure over the attacks as protesters spilled out onto the streets and mourning families buried their loved ones.

Over 10 thousand people have marched in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir to condemn the blasts, calling for peace between Kurdish fighters and Turkish troops.

"Those who perpetrated this attack wanted our people, our masses, our community to stay away from squares and to stay inside their homes. We are here today to state that we won't cower, that we're not frightened, that we're not afraid. And to say that we will defend peace, democracy, rights and freedoms until the end.""We're here to say that these bombs don't scare us, to raise our voices against them even more, and to protest against this. We’re here to call for peace, to live in an equal and fair way."Similar mass protests also took place in London and Paris over the weekend.

Iraqi air force hits a convoy of IS leaderThe Iraqi military says its air force struck the convoy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Sunday.

The statement was broadcasted by an Iraqi TV anchor.

"a military statement says an air force plane hit the target of this terrorist as he was heading to Karabla to attend a meeting with Daesh commanders. The meeting place was also targeted, killing and wounding a large number of Daesh commanders. It added that the fate of the criminal Al-Baghdadi is still unknown as he was carried to a vehicle."The military says the air force bombed a location in western Anbar province.

The announcement is the latest unconfirmed report of the possible death or injury of Baghdadi.

The reclusive IS leader has survived a year of U.S.-led air strikes since proclaiming himself caliph of all Muslims, after his forces swept through most of northern Iraq last year.

Chinese state councilor to visit JapanChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will be in Japan tomorrow and Wednesday to co-chair the second China-Japan high-level political dialogue with Japanese National Security Council Chief Yachi Shotaro.

The Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed the meeting, saying Yang will travel on Yachi's invitation.

The first high-level political dialogue was held in Beijing in July.

China Tracks 800 Bln Embezzled Money under Operation SkynetAnchor:

Chinese authorities have been stepping up efforts to track down illicit assets exported overseas.

CRI' Victor Ning with more.

Reporter:

Chinese authorities have so far handled 92 major cases, involving over 800 billion yuan, or 126 billion US dollars, of embezzled money transferred through underground banks and offshore companies.

This is part of the wider "Operation Skynet" campaign, which aims to hunt down corrupt officials who have fled abroad.

Li Mingzhao, an official at the Ministry of Public security heading an anti-money laundry team, says underground banks pose a great threat to China's anti-corruption efforts and to national security.

"Underground banking provides money laundering channels for crimes such as illegal fund-raising, pyramid scheme and telecommunication frauds, sometimes making it impossible to recover the economic losses. Some underground banks even provide money-raising channels for terrorist groups, which threatens our national security. At the same time, some underground banks also enable corrupt officials to transfer their assets abroad."Due to a lack of supervision and control, underground banks have been rampant in China over the past decade, causing disturbances on the financial and capital markets in China.

Ouyang Xiong, Director of Supervision and Inspection Department of State Administration of Foreign Exchange, says underground banks have a negative impact on the wider economy.

"Both Capital inflows and capital outflows through underground banks will affect the interest rate level, the exchange rate level and the economic balance of our country. And the whole economic order of our country will be impacted as we are not able to monitor the capital flow of underground banks."According to regulations, the amount of money an individual can move out of China should be less than 50,000 US dollars per year.

However, it's been reported that some people can remit millions of dollars at one time through underground banks.

Director of Finance and Securities Institute at Renmin University of China Wu Xiaoqiu says combating financial crimes like money laundering and underground banks will help maintain current economic order and development.

"Underground banking is very destructive to China's financial system. It should be strictly controlled. Without a developed, sound, open and international financial market, China's efforts to build a modern financial system based on the financial market will be in vain. The sustainable development of China's economy will also be influenced. "Last year, China launched a campaign targeting suspects in economic crimes, many of them corrupt officials of government departments and state-owned enterprises.

In Fox Hunt 2014, 680 fugitives were repatriated to China.

Following Fox Hunt 2015, China launched a campaign named "Skynet" this April to capture corrupt officials who fled abroad.

As of late June, more than 260 fugitives have been returned to China from more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada and Australia.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

Nobel Prizes in Economic Sciences AnnouncedAngus Deaton, a Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University, has won this year's Nobel Prizes in Economic Sciences.

Thai court issues arrest warrant for ex-premier Thaksin ShinawatraThailand's criminal court has issued an arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, for failure to appear in court for a defamation case.

The lawsuit was filed by Thailand's military, accusing the former leader of damaging the army's reputation while giving interviews in South Korea in May.

The first hearing of this case was supposed to begin on Monday. Thaksin's lawyer told officials the former premier could not show up because he is living in exile.

Thaksin chose to go into exile after a military coup in 2006 that toppled his government.

Shortly after granting the interviews in South Korea, Thaksin's Thai passport was revoked on the ground that he had launched 'a verbal attack against the country.'

Lukashenko Announced as Winner of Belarussian Presidential ElectionsInternational observers in Minsk have declared that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has won re-election.

Christian Haerpfer of Eurasia Barometer said Lukashenko secured the lion's share of the vote.

"The result is as following. Position number one - Alexander Lukashenko. Percentage is 80.3 percent. Position number two - Tatiana Korotkevich 5.60 percent. Position number three - Sergei Gaidukevich 5.10 percent. Position number four - Nikolai Ulakovich 1.90 percent."The turnout in the presidential election stood at over 87 per cent, with around 7 million people registered to vote.

The Central Election Commission accredited more than 900 international observers to monitor the presidential election.

The counting took place on Sunday night.

Vladimir Stepanov, a researcher from the President's Office, said Belarus should learn from the crisis in neighboring Ukraine, adding that Belarus needs a strong leader capable of guaranteeing order and stability.

"The Ukraine crisis has had a huge impact on the Belorussian people. Many think it serves as a lesson demonstrating that violence is not the answer to political problems."It's being reported that the European Union will lift its sanctions on Belarus, including those on Lukashenko, for four months after Sunday's vote.

CPN-UML Chairman Elected as 38th Prime Minister of NepalKhadga Prashad Oli, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal, has been elected as the country's 38th Prime Minister.

Nepal's Chairman of Constituent Assembly, Subhash Chandra Nemwang, announced the result on Sunday.

"As per the filed nomination for Premiership of Nepal, I declare K.P. Sharma Oli, who has secured 338 votes, the majority in the existing house number as per the Nepal constitution No. 298 clause 3 and the Constituent Assembly 2072 Act 19 clause 3."Oli is facing daunting challenges, ranging from ethnic protests over the new constitution, that has also upset neighbour India, to rebuilding the country after April's devastating earthquake.

The new prime minster has vowed to tackled Nepal's woes.

"All the issues of the Nepalese People should be tackled, and I have filed the nomination for Premiership to tackle the same."Oli has served as deputy prime minister and held other ministerial posts in previous governments.

EU Observers Sent to Monitor Preparations for Upcoming Myanmar ElectionThe European Union has deployed 30 long-term election observers to monitor the upcoming general election in Myanmar.

Mark Stevens is the deputy chief observer of the mission.

"Our mission is independent from all the other activities and it is very important for us. Today, we've deployed our observers to the 14 regions and states of the country. And they'll be based there for five or six weeks, reporting to us all elements of the election including the preparations, the election campaign, and later the voting and counting."The election is scheduled for November 8.

Over 6-thousand qualified candidates, including 310 independents, will run in the upcoming electionThe mission will issue a preliminary statement on their findings within 48 hours after election day.

NATO helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, killing 5Up to five personnel of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission have been killed following a helicopter crash in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The NATO mission says the coalition helicopter went down due to a non-hostile incident on Oct. 11.

Five other foreign soldiers were wounded by the incident.

The statement gave neither the nationalities of the victims nor the details about the incident.

This is the second air crash involving NATO forces in the country this year.

On Oct. 2, a transport plane crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing six U.S. soldiers and five civilian passengers.

Police question restaurant owners after deadly blast in E. ChinaPolice in eastern China are now investigating three people after an explosion at a restaurant killed 17 people in Anhui province on Saturday.

The three include the owner of the restaurant, Zhang Baoping, his wife, and another person involved in the restaurant's operation.

Police suspect Zhang was operating without a license.

The fire and explosion occurred at noon on Saturday in the restaurant on Yangjia alley, a popular snack street in the old town of Wuhu City.

The people who were killed were diners at the restaurant. 14 of the 17 victims were students from two high schools. Officials say most of them died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hong Kong students take internship in the mainlandAnchor:

More and more students from Hong Kong are choosing professional internships on the Chinese mainland.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing talks with some of them about their experiences.

Report:

Wing Tan studies Geography at Hong Kong Baptist University. She spent a month at the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources in Ning Xia in Northwest of China. She says she was fortunate to have the opportunity.

"I've traveled to some regions but I've never been to Ning Xia before. I found the climate is really nice, the culture and history are also very impressive. The working condition is hard there, but staffers really have the passion for what they do and they enjoy it. It is inspirational for my future work and life."According to Gillian Wong, a junior at Hong Kong University, her internship not only helps her to learn the mainland better, but also has changed her parents' opinion.

"Before I went to Ning Xia for the internship, my parents were not very supportive, they thought it was a backward place. But in fact, there are skyscrapers, shopping malls in the downtown, there are many restaurants and transport is convenient. I show the pictures to my parents, and now they know it is a beautiful and nice place."Guangzhou Liby Enterprise, one of China's largest laundry detergent manufactures, received a dozen interns from Hong Kong over the summer. Xu Ning, who is in charge of communications, says they will continue to recruit Hong Kong interns next year.

"The students from Hong Kong have good attitudes, they are curious to learn, and they are polite. Their English level and creativity is relatively better than that of their mainland peers. They also have broader perspectives. So we all think highly of them. "James Tsui, Chairman of Hong Kong Youth Exchange Promotion United Association, is the organizer of the internship program.

"The program covers provinces and cities across the country, with some not even heard of by the students when they signed up. It is better for them to have a month long internship rather than a five or six day exchange program, because they could learn more about the company and how it operates. It's helpful if they want to work in the mainland after they graduate."Statistics show that one-third of young people in Hong Kong are willing to work in other parts of China.

At the same time, besides youth organizations, the Hong Kong government also sponsors some internships as well as exchange programs every year to enable the youth to have a deeper understanding of the country.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

Construction begins on pipeline supplying water from mainland to KinmenConstruction on a water pipeline connecting the Chinese mainland and Kinmen, a Taiwan islet, has begun.

Excavators began operation on Monday at the Longhu reservoir in the coastal province of Fujian.

Water will be stored at the reservoir before being pumped into the pipeline and sent to Kinmen, only a dozen kilometers away.

Water has been a constant headache on the islet, especially with the increasing number of tourists.

The project will provide 34,000 cubic meters every day via a 27-km pipe.

Investment for the project totals about 388 million yuan, with 128 million yuan paid by the mainland and the rest covered by Taiwan.

WeatherBeijing is clear to cloudy tonight with a low of 9 degrees Celsius; sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Shanghai, clear tonight with a low of 15; sunny tomorrow with a high of 23.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 20; light rain tomorrow with a high of 24.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 5; overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

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

Kabul, cloudy, 24.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 20.

Brisbane, cloudy with a high of 28.

Perth, light rain, 28.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have light rain with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsPoverty relief high on China's 2016-2020 gov't agenda: officialChinese authorities have announced that poverty alleviation will remain a major task in China's next five-year development plan between 2016 and 2020.

Hong Tianyun, deputy director of China's top office for poverty alleviation, made the announcement in Beijing.

China has over 70 million people in the countryside living below the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan in annual income as of the end of last year.

Hong says it will be challenging for China to achieve its goal of lifting all people out of poverty by 2020.

Hong also notes Beijing will host the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum on Friday, at which President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech.

CPC to convene key meeting on 13th five-year planThe Communist Party of China Central Committee will soon convene a key meeting on the country's 13th five-year plan.

The meeting is scheduled from October 26 to 29.

The five-year plan sets out an economic and social policy framework for the country.

The current plan is focusing on the quality of economic growth rather than the GDP rate.

It runs out at the end of this year.

China foreign minister meets top aide to Syria's presidentChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with a top aide to Syria's president here in Beijing.

During the meeting, Wang Yi told Bouthaina Shaaban that China has three suggestions over the ongoing crisis in Syria.

He calls on all the anti-terror measures to be coordinated to form a joint effort.

The foreign minister also says that the political solution should resume as soon as possible, and the humanitarian crisis should be the top priority of the international community.

Wang says that China supports anti-terror measures are in line with international law and have to be agreed upon by "the interested country".

He also urges a restart to the third Geneva conference on Syria, so as to find a political solution for the war-torn country.

China's former state-assets chief jailed 16 yrsChina's former head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Jiang Jiemin, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by a court in central China's Hubei Province.

Jiang was found guilty of taking bribes, possessing a large number of assets from unidentified sources and abusing power.

His personal assets worth one million yuan were also confiscated.

Jiang was chair of the board of China National Petroleum Corporation before working for the state-assets commission.

Biz ReportsClosing numbers across the Asian marketsAnchor:

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

Reporter:

Chinese stocks outperformed on Monday, after central bank officials at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Peru said the country's stock market correction is almost over.

The Shanghai Composite Index surged 3.3 percent. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index rose 4 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises gained 4.5 percent.

The markets were boosted by a reform policy pilot scheme to cut loan costs, announced over the weekend. We'll have more on that in a minute.

Meanwhile, investors also seem to be betting on the possibility of further stimulus measures when Beijing meets later this month to discuss the 13th five-year planIn Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 1.2 percent.

Blue-chips led the rally. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, climbed nearly one percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei added 1.6 percent.

The South Korean KOSPI was up a fraction of a percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index gained over one percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 tumbled 0.9 percent.

Back to you Shane.

FDI into China up 7.1 pct in SeptemberForeign direct investment flowing into the Chinese mainland rose 7.1 percent year on year to 60 billion yuan, or 9.6 billion U.S. dollars in September.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, FDI in the first nine months of this year rose more than 9 percent to 585 billion yuan, or 92 billion U.S. dollars.

The numbers exclude investment in the financial sector.

In the first nine months of the year, China approved nearly 19 thousand new foreign-funded companies.

The latest numbers keep the pace with earlier results, which saw FDI rise 9.2 percent through the first eight months of 2015.

China's finance minister: Time still not ripe for US interest rates to riseChina's Finance Minister has said it is not yet a good time for the United States to raise its interest rates as the global economy is still sluggish.

Lou Jiwei was speaking on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Lima, Peru.

He added that as China adjusts its economic structure, it will continue contributing to the global economy.

But he also acknowledges that it will be unrealistic to expect the country to maintain growth rates comparable to what it has achieved in the past.

The expected increase in US interest rates has sparked concern that the move could drive capital out of China.

The US Federal Reserve last month delayed an expected increase in its benchmark interest rate, citing low inflation and weakening global growth.

But Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen has made clear that she expects the rate to be raised before the end of the year, from its present record low since 2006.

Yuan rises for 7th day in a row, at highest level since AugustThe Chinese yuan gained against the US dollar for the seventh consecutive day on Monday.

It's at 6.34 per US dollar, its highest level since August 12.

It is also the new high since the currency suddenly depreciated by more than 4 percent against the US dollar in August, as the central bank let the market decide the daily reference exchange rate.

Lian Ping, chief economist at the Bank of Communications, says investors' concerns over the the yuan's depreciation have weakened.

This is due to the acceptance of the central bank's reform by the market, and the US Federal Reserve's decision to delay a hike in interest rates.

China expands pilot program to cut loan costAnchor:

China's central bank has announced plans to expand a pilot program on credit-asset- pledged-lending to nine municipalities and provinces.

The scheme allows banks to refinance high-quality credit assets rated by the central bank.

It was promoted in Shandong and Guangdong provinces last year.

Now the program will be expanded to include nine municipalities and provinces including Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.

The move is expected to cut borrowing costs and guide more funds into agriculture and small enterprises to boost China's real economy.

For more on the program, CRI's Spencer Musick spoke with Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

…Back Anchor:

That was Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London, speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

China working on measures to standardize pension investment processChina's regulatory authorities are currently working on detailed measures to standardize the process of collecting and transferring pension funds available for investment among the central government, local governments and pension trustees.

Shanghai Securities News points out, currently in China, the pension system is not unified at the national level.

With a standardized process nationwide, pension investment will be more efficient and secure.

According to a guideline published by the State Council in August, pension funds will be allowed to be invested in new products, including domestic stocks.

China nears annual affordable housing targetThe latest data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development shows China has almost realized the annual target for its affordable housing program.

Construction on nearly 7 million units of affordable housing has begun this year, accounting for around 92 percent of the units planned for 2015.

As of the end of September, construction of 6.25 million units was "nearly completed," far more than the target.

Over the past four years, more than 20 million affordable housing units were completed across the country.

Approved in 1999, the program will provide cheaper housing to low-income families who have been priced out of the housing market.

China Tower likely to get capital injection from China Reform HoldingsIt's been reported that China Tower will get a capital injection of over ten billion yuan, or 1.6 billion US dollars, from China Reform Holdings Corporation.

China Tower is a subsidiary of China's three basic telecom operators - China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom.

After the capital injection, China Reform Holdings will become the fourth largest shareholder of China Tower.

China's three telecom giants will complete delivery of stock assets to China Tower by the end of the month.

Insiders believe the capital injection will help China Tower to explore new business fields, such as charging pile construction.

CRCC High-tech Equipment's H-share IPO plan nodded by CSRCChina Railway Construction Corporation has announced that its subsidiary, CRCC High-tech Equipment Corporation, has received regulatory approval for listing on the Hong Kong stock market.

The company recently received the approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission for making an initial public offering of no more than 612 million H shares.

The company says even though the mainland regulator has approved the listing, it still needs to be finalized by the Hong Kong stock exchange.

SportsIntro to call-in with SophieFirst of all, let's take a look at the Shanghai Masters.

And I got a chance to speak with our reporter Sophie Williams, who is now in shanghai to cover the event.

…back anchor:

That is our reporter Sophie Williams in Shanghai.

Mount Everest dicount starting Nov. 1and for mountain climbing enthusiasts :

Tourists visiting the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, also called Mount Everest, may receive a 50-percent discount on tickets starting Nov. 1.

According to the tourism administration of Dingri County, the base camp tickets for the mountain will be halved to 90 yuan, around 15 US dollars.

The discount will be good until March 31st of next year.

Hotels will also maintain low season prices through the winter.

Rio tests its Olympic Mountain Biking CourseIn Olympic news:

With 299 days before the Olympic Games, the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee held a mountain bike test event on Sunday.

The event took place at the X-Park, inside the Deodoro Olympic Sports Complex.

One of the preliminary testers, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Julien Absalon, stated that the course was a terrific challenge for competitors.

"They did a really good job on the track. it's really really spectacular! It will be spectacular for the people and also for TV. But I am happy because it's also really hard, especially on its long climb. 1-km of climbing. So, I like it."The test included two competitions, one for men and one for women.

The men's competition was won by four-time World Champion Nino Schurter from Switzerland.

The women's circuit winner was Italy's Eva Lechner.

Germany & USA win Beach Volleyball tournament in MexicoIn volleyball news:

USA's fourth-seeded Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser beat Netherlands' third-seeded Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen 21-12, 21-18 at the 2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in Mexico on Sunday.

and for the women's competition, Germany's top-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst defeated Brazil's 12th-seeded Eduarda Lisboa and Elize Maia to earn the women's gold medal.

Kenyans claim victory at Chicago MarathonIn some running news:

Kenyans Dickson Chumba and Florence Kiplagat claimed 1st place in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Roughly 45,000 runners flocked to Chicago early on Sunday morning to run in the 38th annual Chicago Marathon.

Dickson Chumba broke out of a three-man pack around the 23rd mile and easily outdistanced the field for his first Chicago Marathon victory.

Kiplagat also pulled away late to win the women's race.

This is the female athlete's first win since her 2013 Marathon in Berlin.

UCI holds gala for cycling world championsIn cycling news:

The world of cycling came together on Sunday to celebrate the conclusion of the road race season with the first ever Union Cyclist International Gala.

It took place at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

UCI head Brian Cookson was in attendance and stated that this gala was a huge honor for him and the athletes in attendance.

"We came to Abu Dhabi with the first UCI cycling gala because it works very well with the calendar, with the first Abu Dhabi tour, because the Abu Dhabi sports council have very kindly agreed to support the event. It's been a big success. We're very happy to be here in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. And I hope we'll be back again."Previously the UCI had opted to hold smaller end of season awards ceremonies, but the Abu Dhabi Sports Council offered to fund and host the 2015 event.

The UCI awarded a number of riders and members of the cycling community during the Gala.

EntertainmentLv Yitao to Direct CCTV Spring Festival Evening Gala 2016China Central Television has confirmed that director Lv Yitao will be the chief director of the 2016 Spring Festival Evening Gala.

He is set to become the youngest chief director of the gala, ever.

The annual Spring Festival Gala has been one of the most watched programs during the Chinese traditional festival, since the CCTV first aired it in the 1960s.

Final Trailer and Poster of "The Little Prince" Released TodayThe final trailer and poster of the upcoming animated film "The Little Prince" have been released before its premiere in China this Friday.

After the release of the Chinese theme song by actor Huang Bo, the trailer has unveiled the characters in the movie including the businessman, the King and the conceited man.

The story follows a little girl who is brought into a magical world, where anything is possible, by her neighbor, the Aviator.

The aviator himself was brought there long before by the little prince.

This is the first adaptation of the much-loved novella, which has sold some 145 million copies in 265 languages worldwide.

The movie will hit Chinese theaters in both English and Chinese.

China's 1st National Film Week for Primary andChina's 1st National Film Week for Primary and Middle School Students is now underway in Beijing.

The film week is to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World War II.

300 student representatives will work as judges to select their favorite featured films, cartoons and cartoon characters.

Wang Dinghua, official with the Ministry of Education, says that film week will also screen 300 micro films made by students.

"We have also called on the primary and middle school students across the country to create and produce micro films. In such a way we try to popularize quality-oriented education, with more students involved in it so as to cultivate their practical abilities."10 films will be selected as "the most favorite" by an online voting.

Wagner Operas Premiered in the 18th Beijing Music FestivalTwo Wagner operas have premiered in the capital's concert hall this weekend during the just started 18th Beijing Music Festival.

"Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg", the only comic opera piece by Wagner, and a love tragedy, "Tristan und Isolde" met with audiences in the Chinese capital, while some 600 thousand netizens enjoyed the live Internet broadcasts.

All operas are conducted by Gustav Kuhn and performed with the whole cast, 280 members in total featuring orchestras, singers and a chorus.

Kuhn says that this is the only festival in the world presenting Wagner the way the German master had envisioned it - by having the orchestra on stage and the singers acting in front of it.

He will later stage Wagner's four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung in Shanghai from Oct 16-18.

Musicians and artists from over 30 countries and regions will give 18 performances during the 17-day Beijing Music festival before it concludes on Oct. 24.

Cumberbatch's Refugee Appeal: We Must Do MoreBenedict Cumberbatch is likely to meet with Home Secretary Theresa May to discuss the refugee crisis.

According to Sky News, the actor stated that he believes the Government is not doing enough to help.

"There's just a huge crisis and not enough is being done about what is happening now. Yes we need long-term solutions and yes it's a good idea to get people out of camps so they don't make the perilous journey, yes it's a good idea to have a specific solution for them once they arrive here. But in the meantime 5,000 people a day are arriving in Lesbos and there's nothing on the shoreline but abandoned lifejackets and there are boats as far as you can see on the horizon day and night and it's happening. "Cumberbatch made the announcement during the BFI London Film Festival while promoting his new film with Johnny Depp, "Black Mass".

The actor recently lent his support to the charity "Help is Coming", which is a re-released song aiming to raise money for refugees fleeing to Europe.

He has also been encouraging audiences at the sell-out performances of Hamlet to donate money to the cause.

Halloween Haunting Comes to Vancouver Amusement ParkWith the Halloween season lurking just around the corner, Vancouver residents are looking forward to Fright Nights, which take place at the city's amusement park "Playland" throughout all of the nights in October.

Over the past 12 years, Fright Nights have become legendary among the youngsters of Vancouver, a city in west Canada known as North Hollywood because it also serves as a major film location.

Seven haunted houses are comprised of mazes full of morbid and scary designs which have monsters lurking inside and out as well as 15 rides to ensure that visitors get their fill of Halloween thrills and chills.

Event Organizers hired nearly 100 actors to keep the visitors looking over their shoulders.

It is recommended that the elderly and children under 12 avoid joining in this frightful activity.

WeatherBeijing is clear to cloudy tonight with a low of 9 degrees Celsius; sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Shanghai, clear tonight with a low of 15; sunny tomorrow with a high of 23.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 20; light rain tomorrow with a high of 24.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 5; overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

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

Kabul, cloudy, 24.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 20.

Brisbane, cloudy with a high of 28.

Perth, light rain, 28.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have light rain with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

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

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

Poverty relief has been identified as a major priority of the Chinese government's next five-year plan...

The Turkish prime minister blames Islamic State militants for the twin bombings in Ankara that killed over 100 people...

And a court in Thailand has issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra...

In Business...Foreign direct investment on the Chinese mainland continues to rise...