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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Leaders of the Communist Party of China set to gather soon in Beijing to discuss the next five-year development plan...

China making a landmark pledge to lift its people out of poverty by the year 2020...

And a British-American winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics...

In Business....A draft of the first antitrust guideline for the automobile sector set to be issued later this month..

In Sports....All Chinese players are out of the Shanghai Masters...

And in Entertainment....Matt Damon's "The Martian" sits atop the US and Candian box office...

All of that coming up in the next hour.

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

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

Find us on WeChat by searching "beijinghour"Email us directly at [email protected].

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

Top NewsCPC schedules meeting on new 5-year planLeaders of the Communist Party of China will gather in Beijing to discuss the next five-year development plan.

The fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be held from October 26 to 29, presided over by the CPC Central Committee general secretary Xi Jinping.

A statement released after the meeting of the Political Bureau on Monday said China faced a complicated international environment during the 12th five-year plan period, from 2011 to 2015.

The 2016-2020 plan will maintain economic development as its central task, introduce a people-centered approach, develop people's democracy, guarantee social equity and justice through rule of law, and encourage innovation.

The Monday's meeting also includes a regulation on clean governance and rules on sanctions of those who break party rules.

Attendees of the meeting stressed that tightening discipline is key to good governance.

They also said CPC disciplinary watchdogs at all levels should use the new rules to establish a mechanism that stops corruption.

China Vows to Lift All People out of Poverty by 2020AnchorThe Chinese government has announced plans to lift all of its people out of poverty by 2020, a top priority for its next five-year development plan.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

ReporterGuo 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 Honglin.

Chinese Leaders Send Condolences to Turkey over Twin BlastsChinese leaders have sent condolences to Turkey over Saturday's twin blasts in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang said they were shocked at the news of the bombings.

They extended profound condolences to the victims, and expressed heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured.

In his message to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China opposes terrorism in any form and strongly condemns such terrorist attacks aimed at civilians.

He added that China is willing to work with Turkey and the international community to jointly cope with the threat of terrorism.

Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China supports the efforts by the Turkish government and people in safeguarding the country's security and stability and fighting terrorism.

Commemoration ceremony held for victims of suicide bombings in TurkeyA commemoration ceremony has been held outside the main train station in Turkey's Ankara in remembrance of the victims of two suicide bombings.

Two bombs struck seconds apart, targeting a rally of pro-Kurdish activists and civic groups near Ankara's main train station.

At least 97 people were killed and more than 200 wounded.

Students rallied outside the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.

University student Nilra Zoruglu said she wanted the government to identify those responsible for Saturday's deadly attack.

"We are very saddened that the perpetrators of this attack are still unknown, there hasn't been any concrete statement on this. Because this is a very serious attack, this is one of the biggest terrorist attacks in Turkish history. And thus far none of the Turkish leaders have made a reasonable statement on this."Turkey's government said on Monday Islamic State was the prime suspect for the bombings.

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

Jiang, 60, was found guilty of taking bribes, holding huge amount of property with unidentified sources and abusing power.

His personal assets worth 1 million yuan have also been confiscated.

Jiang was chair of the board of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) before working for the state-assets commission in March 2013.

Jiang has accepted his sentence and will not appeal.

The court found that Jiang received 14 million yuan in bribes between 2004 and 2013 to help others get construction contracts and job promotions.

China to consider joint UNESCO nomination for "comfort women" filesChinese authorities say the government will discuss whether to nominate the "comfort women" files to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in a joint submission with other countries affected by the issue.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying says the idea was suggested by UNESCO.

"UNESCO's feedback is that there are other countries that fall victim to the 'comfort women' issue in addition to China. The International Advisory Committee of UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme encouraged countries to jointly nominate the "comfort women" files, according to its application guidance, and will review this application in its next meeting in 2017."The Japanese army forced women from China, Korea, and even from Japan itself to be sex slaves during World War II.

The Memory of the World Programme was established by UNESCO in 1992.

It aims to facilitate preservation and increase awareness of the world's heritage documents.

China's nomination of the Nanjing Massacre dossier was inscribed in the program last week.

The documents show the atrocities of Japanese troops in China, who killed 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers from December 13, 1937 to January of 1938.

Chinese state councilor to visit JapanChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will be in Japan on Tuesday 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 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 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.

Russia ready to cooperate with patriotic opposition in Syria: FMRussia says it is ready to cooperate with all opposition groups in Syria that do not hold to terrorist ideology to speed up a political solution to the crisis in the war-torn country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the process should begin as soon as possible and should lead to a reconciliation of the Syrian people.

Lavrov also proposed a means to coordinate Russia's actions in Syria with the U.S.-led coalition.

"We are interested in establishing coordination between the coalition created by the United States which includes many countries of the Arab world including the Persian Gulf countries and our military men working in Syria now."However, the foreign minister said the coalition has so far declined to share intelligence with Russia.

Russia's Air Force has been launching strikes against the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups since Sept. 30.

But Moscow has ruled out the possibility of sending troops for ground operations in Syria.

UN Envoy Says Working Groups on Hold despite Syrian National Coalition BoycottsThe UN special envoy for Syria is calling on the warring factions in Syria to take part in "working groups" to discuss the country's future.

Envoy Staffan de Mistura proposed the formation of the working groups in July but they have yet to get off the ground.

Meantime, Syria's key opposition, the Syrian National Coalition has decided to drop out of the talks, citing Russian airstrikes as the main reason.

Mistura said the working groups should start immediately as the country is expected to witness further military escalation.

"What we must at all costs avoid at this stage in particular is of course a continuation of the conflict and an increased possibility of reducing violence on the Syrian people, and a partition, which is de facto already being seen as a possibility. And we consider that a tragedy."The Swedish diplomat also noted that the talks should be conducted through the frameworks of the Geneva Communiqué agreed at a peace conference in 2012.

The communiqué drew up the baselines for a Syria peace deal, including the formation of a transitional governing body with executive powers.

The Civil War that started in Syria four years ago has seen more than 250-thousand people killed and some 4-million people flee the country.

U.S. airdrops ammunition to Syrian rebel groupsThe U.S. military said Monday said it had airdropped small arms ammunition for Syrian rebel groups currently fighting the Islamic State inside Syria.

Spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition campaign Steve Warren said the US side will not have any further details about the groups that received these supplies for operational security.

It is reported that the U.S. military delivered 50 metric tons of ammunition to rebel groups in northern Syria by using an air drop of 112 pallets.

Last week the US government announced its plan to shift from building a Syrian force against the IS to supporting existing rebel groups.

The shift was a recognition of the failure of U.S. President Barack Obama's anti-IS training program which initially sought to recruit 5,400 Syrian rebels each year for three years.

Syrian army recaptures rebels with Russia's interventionThe Syrian army recaptured several villages in Hama on Monday with Russia's intervention, reversing rebel advances made earlier this year.

Russian warplanes carried out at least 30 air strikes on the town of Kafr Nabuda as the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters seized part of it.

A Syrian army general command officer said in a televised statement that they have recaptured territories, killed a huge number of terrorists and destroyed many armoured vehicles.

The fresh victories claimed by the Syrian army came days after the military forces declared the commencement of a large-scale offensive against rebel-held areas in Syria.

The Russian air force said it was providing the Syrian ground forces with air fire cover.

American British Deaton wins 2015 Nobel Prize in Economic SciencesAnchorAmerican economist Angus Deaton has won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2015.

CRI's Chen Xuefei reports from Stockholm.

Ann: Goran Hansson, Permanent Secretary for the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences made the announcement.

"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2015 to Angus Deaton, Princeton University, NJ, USA "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare."Understanding how consumers distribute their spending among different goods is necessary for forecasting actual consumption patterns, and also crucial in evaluating how policy reforms, like changes in consumption taxes, affect the welfare of different groups.

Peter Englund, Member of the Riksbank Prize Committee for Economic Sciences and Professor at the Swedish Royal Economic School said Deaton was awarded for his three analyses related to different aspects of consumption.

"The first one is what we call demand systems, demands and consumption for different goods, depends not only on people's income, but price of particular goods, and also the price of other goods, demands for different goods are interrelated, hence demand systems."Deaton's approach and its later modifications are now standard tools, both in academia and in practical policy evaluation.

Englund said to design economic policy that promotes welfare and reduces poverty, one must first understand individual consumption choices.

The second question Deaton dealt with is how much of society's income is spent and how much is saved.

Deaton also answered the question how to best measure and analyze welfare and poverty.

Deaton's focus on household surveys has helped transform development economics from a theoretical field based on aggregate data to an empirical field based on detailed individual data.

Deaton was born in Edingburgh in 1945 and became professor in Princeton University in 1983.

He will receive his prize in Stockholm on December 10 together with other Nobel Laureates in Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Literature.

For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.

New Nobel Economics Prize Winner Reacts to WinningThe newly crowned Nobel Economics Prize Winner has shared his reactions to the winning, saying it was a little like being struck by lightning.

Angus Deaton also joked that he initially worried it was a prank.

"I always knew it was a possibility, well not always, but I've known for sometime that it was a possibility, I never thought it was a very likely event, especially not in any given year. So I was not lying in bed at 6 o'clock this morning thinking, ooh that phone call should come in the next however long."Deaton said the world has become a better place in the past 250 years, but noted that inequality is posing a serious threat to mankind.

"I'm hugely worried about inequality and I think inequality has gone past the point where it's helping us all get rich, which it can do. It's really becoming a serious threat. I think inequality makes the climate change thing enormously difficult to handle."Citing World Bank figures, Deaton said that poverty had fallen to around 10-percent of the world's population.

However, there is more to be done as 700-million people are still struggling with poverty.

Deaton said he was pleased that the committee had awarded research that concerns the world's poor.

Israel vows to defeat 'knife terror' after new attacksIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that his country will not bow to terrorism.

"A hundred years of terror, a hundred years of an attempt to destroy the Zionist project, and our enemies still haven't learnt: terror will not subdue us. We are acting against the terrorists on all fronts. I've ordered a massive increase of forces."Netanyahu made the announcement after police shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab them in Jerusalem on Monday.

Frustrated Palestinian youths have made 18 stabbings targeted at Jews since October 3.

Two Israelis have been killed and about 20 wounded in the stabbings.

At the same time, some 25 Palestinians have been killed amid the unrest, including alleged attackers.

Netanyahu called on Mahmoud Abbas to stop what he called Palestinian incitement and to condemn attacks.

Both Netanyahu and Abbas have sought to avoid an escalation.

Still, there have been warnings of the risk of a full-blown uprising.

VW Sold Cars Below Emissions Standards in Britain in 2008Volkswagen has admitted that its first diesel cars with rigged emissions results in Britain were sold in 2008. The company's UK Managing Director Paul Willis made the statement to British lawmakers on Monday. Willis added he was not aware of the issue until September.

"I knew nothing about this subject until 19 September this year, when I first heard it on the news from the United States."The US Environmental Protection Agency first revealed that VW used illegal software to evade emissions tests in nearly half a million diesel vehicles in the US.

The practice started in 2008 in the US and has affected around 11 million VW cars globally.

Willis said the company will conduct a thorough investigation of the case, and that the first recall of the faulty models in the UK will begin in early 2016.

British authorities believe no other automakers have tried to cheat during emissions testings.

Last week, VW's US chief Michael Horn also said he was not aware of the illegal software in question until about a month ago. Both Horn and Willies said the use of the software was not a corporate decision.

Construction on Longest, Tallest Glass-bottom Bridge in the World Ongoing in ChinaAnchorThe construction work of a glass-bottom bridge which is claimed to be the longest and tallest in the world, is now under way here in China.

CRI's Xie Cheng with more.

ReporterThe bridge will be suspended across Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in scenic Zhangjiajie National Park in central China's Hunan Province.

When completed, project engineers say the bridge will be 300 metres above ground and 430 metres in length. The bridge itself will be six metres wide, with several glass observatories at various ends. Each glass panel of the walkway will be five centimetres thick.

So far, construction workers have completed the preliminary wire framework and foundations for the bridge.

The safety issue of glass bridges or walkways has raised public concerns after cracks were reported at a local glass-bottom walkaway in a park in central China's Henan Province during the National Holiday travel rush earlier this month.

The bridge's project manager Guo Kun says there's nothing to worry on the safety front.

"People, especially tourists, will worry a lot about safety since the bridge is all made of glass, but I want to tell everyone that there is no need to worry, because we have done numerous tests, including conducting precise calculation of its carrying capacity when building this glass bridge."He adds that once the bridge is completed, tourists will be allowed to enjoy the view on the bridge, or even go bungee jumping.

For his part the project's general engineer Ma Liang says the number of people on the bridge at one time will be limited due to ensure safety.

"In accordance with design requirements, we will have a limit on the number of tourists that can walk on the bridge, as we can only have 800 tourists on the bridge at the same time. We will control the number of tourists at the entrances to the site to ensure safety of the bridge."He adds that the bridge's designers aimed to create a bridge that would be harmonious with its surroundings.

"The glass parts will be transparent and glass-bottomed, so when people are walking on the bridge, they can enjoy the landscape of the canyon below. Meanwhile, the white steel structure also fits properly into the surrounding landscape and the mist in the canyon, which is one of the architect's design concepts."The construction project cost a total of around 250 million yuan, or about 39 million U.S. dollars.

The bridge should be completed at the end of this year, and will be officially open to tourists next January.

In late September this year, China's first glass-bottom bridge, suspended 180 meters above ground, opened in Hunan's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Global Warming to Move Rain Belt to Northern China: ResearchA recent Chinese study suggests that global warming may move the East Asian summer monsoon rain belt northward, causing more rain in northern China.

A team led by Yang Shiling from the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied climate patterns and biological evidence dating back to 20,000 years ago. They found that warmer climates tended to move rain belts northward. This finding supported their idea that the dry climate in northern China over the past decades is transient.

The East Asian summer monsoon rain belt has been migrating southward during the past 4 decades. The movement has caused droughts in northern China, while producing floods in the south. Now the researchers predict the rain belt will move northward in the long run, bringing much needed precipitation to the north.

The findings from the research were published on Monday in the US in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Police Shoot Bear in NE China Middle SchoolA black bear has been shot dead after it broke into a middle school in China's Heilongjiang province.

Police in Raohe County received call that a black bear was in the county's No.3 Middle School, putting the lives of students in dormitories at risk.

They soon evacuated students and residents who lived near the school before firing on the bear.

It is not known whether the bear was from Russia.

Raohe County is on the Sino-Russia border where an improved environment has given rise to increased reports of tigers and bears crossing the border.

In August, a black bear which was spotted swimming across the border river, was captured and released into the wild after causing a stir in a town of Raohe.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 11.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 24 and a low of 16.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 27 and lows of 20.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 33.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 25.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 22 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 23 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 27.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 15 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 21.

And Rio de Janeiro will be rainy with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.  Headline NewsCPC schedules meeting on new 5-year planLeaders of the Communist Party of China will gather in Beijing to discuss the next five-year development plan.

The fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be held from October 26 to 29, presided over by the CPC Central Committee general secretary Xi Jinping.

A statement released after the meeting of the Political Bureau on Monday said China faced a complicated international environment during the 12th five-year plan period, from 2011 to 2015.

The 2016-2020 plan will maintain economic development as its central task, introduce a people-centered approach, develop people's democracy, guarantee social equity and justice through rule of law, and encourage innovation.

The Monday's meeting also includes a regulation on clean governance and rules on sanctions of those who break party rules.

Attendees of the meeting stressed that tightening discipline is key to good governance.

They also said CPC disciplinary watchdogs at all levels should use the new rules to establish a mechanism that stops corruption.

Blast hits warehouse in Tianjin, no casualties reportedA blast hit a warehouse in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Monday night.

The explosion occurred at a warehouse for alcohol materials at Xiditou Township of Beichen District and triggered a fire.

The fire has been put under control.

No casualties have been reported so far.

The new blast came two months after two blasts tore through a warehouse that was storing large amounts of toxic chemicals at Tianjin Port late on Aug. 12.

The blasts killed a total of 165 people, including 99 firefighters and 11 police officers.

China's Ebola Vaccine Used in Clinical Trials in Sierra LeoneA vaccine against the Ebola virus developed by Chinese scientists has undergone clinical trials in Sierra Leone.

The public relations officer at the Ministry of Health Abbas Kamara says there have been no "adverse reports and side effects" about it as of now.

Kamara adds the vaccine could contribute to government efforts to contain the deadly disease.

China was the first country to help Sierra Leone in its fight against Ebola by sending medical supplies and personnel.

China has also built a permanent laboratory for testing infectious diseases in the country.

Production of China's First Unmanned Subway CompleteProduction of Beijing's first fully automatic subway trains has been finished.

They are made by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China CRRC Corporation.

With a top speed of 80 kilometers an hour, the trains can carry a maximum of 1,262 passengers.

They will be the first fully automatic trains on the Chinese mainland and are scheduled to be put into service later this year.

Unmanned subway trains were first introduced in Denmark's capital Copenhagen and are used in cities including Paris, Barcelona and Nuremberg.

Biz ReportsMarket PreviewAnchorTurning onto business news. First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe as well as a recap on the Chinese market.

U.S. stocks closed modestly higher on Monday after wavering in a narrow range, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a seven-session winning streak, as investors appeared to take a pause after last week's solid gains.

Meanwhile, oil prices dived on Monday as data showed the output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries increased in September.

Investors are keeping a close eye on the third-quarter earnings season, which will get into full swing as a batch of financial companies report quarterly results later this week.

At the closing bell,Dow Jones gained 0.3 percent.

S&P 500 added 0.1 percent.

The Nasdaq increased 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile in Europe, markets ended mixed on Monday.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 fell 0.7 percent.

Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent.

France's CAC 40 was down 0.3 percent.

Finally here in China,The shares surged on Monday, with the market gaining confidence from the central bank's latest move to expand a pilot program to ease monetary flows by cutting loan costs.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 3.3 percent while the Shenzhen Component Index rose 4 percent.

China to draft antitrust guideline for auto sectorA draft of the first antitrust guideline for the automobile sector is expected to be finished later this month.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, it will be a guideline to crack down a monopoly present in the Chinese auto market.

It will also cover price-fixing violations by car makers selling products online.

With the rise of online retailers such as Alibaba and JD.com, consumers are looking for better deals online, and cars are no exception.

This has caused controversy as it is unclear what sort of practices are considered fair play.

The draft will be reviewed by the Anti-Monopoly Commission under the State Council by June next year.

For more on this topic, we're joined on line by Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

Talking points:

1, China's antitrust law enforcement has been actively restricting price fixing in the automobile industry. With this in mind, what sort of guidelines do you think authorities are likely to roll out here?

2, In total, two billion yuan of monopoly-related fines were issued in the automobile sector this year. What will be the major focus of the auto companies in terms of complying with the new guidelines?

3, The new guideline will look into online promotional pricing activities, but concerns remain over the possibility that websites will facilitate price fixing, and, thus, impede market fairness. What is your take on that?

Back Anchor:

Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

China to build 12,000 NEV chargers by 2020China is set to build a network of 12-thousand New Electic Vehicle charging stations nationwide by 2020.

The move aims to meet the power demands of 5 million electric vehicles across the country.

In addition, nearly 5 million power poles and thousands of charging stations for public transportation will also be built.

China's State Grid is responsible for building a large part of the project.

The company will make public charging facilities available in over 200 cities.

Ukraine resumes gas imports from RussiaUkraine has resumed imports of natural gas from Russia after a over-three-month hiatus in shipments.

The country is planning to buy over 2 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia in the coming weeks, which means importing at least 110 million cubic meters of fuel per day.

The purchases will allow Ukraine to increase 12 percent of the amount of gas in its underground storage facilities.

Russian gas supplies to Ukraine were suspended in July as the two countries failed to reach an agreement on payments.

Last week, the two countries signed a deal on resumption of supplies till March 2016, giving the price at nearly 230 U.S. dollars per 1-thouand cubic meters of gas.

Chinese investors put $400 million into U.S. startupsStart-up investing platform AngelList has announced that its start-ups will be getting 400 million U.S. dollars from a new Chinese venture capital firm.

The fund is backed by one of China's largest private equity firms, China Science & Merchants Investment Management Group, which set up a new venture capital firm, CSC Upshot.

CSC Upshot will primarily invest in syndicates on the AngelList site.

The venture capital firm can use the platform to find startups and partner with other investors.

The fund will operate independently of AngelList.

AngelList is a platform for so-called angel investors: venture capitalists to band together and back young companies.

So far, it has invested over 200 million dollars in 650 companies worldwide, including Shyp, Sprig and Luxe.

Ford to invest 2 bln USD in China for R&DUS auto giant Ford is ready to invest nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars on research and development in China.

The investment is set to be completed by 2020, and will build up Ford's R&D capability in the country.

Currently, Ford has an engineering center in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.

The automaker sold more than 700-thousand vehicles in China during the first eight months of this year.

It has decided to further expand its product line for the Chinese market by launching two electric vehicles in 2016.

YotaPhone to incorporate Chinese tech OEDRussian company Yota Devices is joining hands with a Chinese high-tech company to work on its dual-screen YotaPhone.

The agreement to develop the brand-new Yotaphone-3 has been signed during the second Russian-Chinese Expo in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province.

Under the deal, Guangzhou-based OED Technologies is set to provide Yota with the second e-ink screen for its new generation of smartphones.

The new smartphone is expected to hit the Russian market in the second quarter of next year.

It will have an over-5-inch display and employ two SIM cards.

YotaPhone has gotten a big blast of publicity in China after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave one to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a gift last year.

58.com's O2O venture gets 300 mln USD series A financingAn online-to-offline platform of Chinese classified website 58.com has gained a 300-million-U.S. dollar series A financing.

Daojia.com, found by NYSE-listed 58.com last September, is an online to offline platform connecting users to services including manicures, car washing and babysitting in 30 Chinese cities.

The series A financing mainly comes from Alibaba, KKR and Ping An Ventures.

58.com will retain the majority of Daojia's shares after the series A financing, which values the O2O platform at 1 billion US dollars.

Dell to buy storage firm EMC in a dealComputer maker Dell has bought data storage company EMC Corporation in a 67-billion-US dollar deal to accelerate its move into the cloud and mobile market.

The acquisition can help Dell to beef up its firepower in storage and data management for businesses, and to take on industry giants IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Cisco.

It also gives Dell cloud software giant VMware, which is 80 percent owned by EMC.

The deal will be financed through a combination of new equity from Dell's owners, including founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell, its investment firm MSD Partners, private equity firm Silver Lake and Singapore investor Temasek Holdings.

SportsShanghai Masters recapSome tennis action to start us off,All Chinese players are out after the opening round of the Shanghai Masters.

Wild card Wu Di won the first set against last year's US Open winner Marin Cilic but later blew a match point to be bounced in the third and deciding set.

The other wild card Bai Yan was swept in straight sets by Leonardo Mayer 6-0, 6-1.

Zhang Ze missed the chance to play the world number one when Martin Klizan defeated him in straight sets and went through to meet Novak Djokovic in the next round.

Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun is also out.

Some other names that are through: Feliciano Lopez, Nick Kyrgios, John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

For more on the Shanghai Masters, CRI's Ryan Price earlier spoke with our reporter Sophie Williams who is now in Shanghai.

Back anchor: CRI's Ryan Price speaking with our reporter Sophie Williams in Shanghai.

Guo Ailun turns down offer for contract extensionIn CBA news:

China's ace point guard Guo Ailun has turned down a face-to-face negotiation regarding the extension of his contract with the Liaoning team.

Liaoning media reported that the team's manager Yan Xiaoming said Guo told him over the phone that he was unavailable.

Guo has not yet commented on the issue.

Guo missed the deadline for registration for the new CBA season at China's basketball association but was allowed a postponement.

He has been at odds with Liaoning over terms in the contract since helping China win the Asian Championship earlier this month.

Guo was called up for the Chinese squad at the 11th hour for the Asian Championship. He averaged 10.9 points and four assists on China's all 9-game winning route to the title.

The first CBA game tips off on October 31st.

Euro 2016 qualifiers resultsIn football,Russia had a solid 2-0 victory over Montenegro in group G to reach next summer's Euro 2016.

Coach Leonid Slutsky is happy to have recorded his fourth straight win since taking charge in July.

"I am very happy that we attained our goal. Today's match was quite difficult, because the last step is always the hardest one. There are special moments in the game when you do not have the right to make a mistake. I am very happy that (the players) managed to overcome their anxiety and show their mettle and skills and to achieve a solid victory, I think, not allowing themselves a second to relax."Ahead of Russia to qualify from top of this group are Austria which beat Liechtenstein 3-0.

Third-placed Sweden enter the play-offs after a 2-0 win over Moldova.

In Group E,England completed their qualifying campaign with a perfect 10 wins in as many games after finishing off Lithuania 3-0.

And Spain, already qualified and playing without pressure, beat Ukraine 1-0.

Pele unveils sculpture at Indian schoolNow some off-pitch football news,Brazilian legend Pele has unveiled a sculpture based on his famous reverse kick at a school in the Indian city of Kolkata.

After the ceremony, Pele answered questions from students and shared his secret to success.

"I think the secret to success is to respect people, be prepared always and never, never, think you are the best."He also said he had no interest in running for the FIFA presidency amid chaos surrounding the world's football governing body.

Pele turns 75 later this month and will be celebrating his birthday at the Buckingham Palace.

Queen hosts reception for rugby world cup participantsIn rugby,Participants of the world cup attended a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson Prince Harry.

Representatives of all 20 teams, as well as officials and referees attended the reception.

Hosts England failed to break through the group stages. Prince Harry addressed the crowd and expressed his disappointment but acknowledged the tournament's success.

"England may no longer be represented on the pitch, but as a nation we're incredibly proud to be hosting such a successful tournament; a showcase of rugby which I truly believe will help grow the game through its excitement and increasing fan base. As I mentioned at the opening ceremony, rugby is a sport built on teamwork, where success can only be achieved collectively. That ethos is epitomised by everyone here this evening. "Quarter-finals for the remaining 8 teams begin this weekend when Wales face South Africa.

On the same day, defending champions New Zealand take on old foes France.

An injury-hit Ireland play Argentina on the next day, followed by Australia and Scotland which will wrap up the round of play.

The final is scheduled for October 31 in Twickenham.

EntertainmentMatt Damon's 'The Martian' Tops Weekend Box Office in US and CanadaAmerican science fiction film 'The Martian' sits atop the box office in the United States and Canada, by pulling in some 37 million US dollars over the past weekend.

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, the film has taken in roughly 109 million dollars ten days since its release, which marked as the second movie to cross 100 million dollars this weekend.

Based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel with the same name, 'The Martian' portrays an astronaut who is presumed dead, after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew during a manned mission to Mars.

Meanwhile, the 3D animated film 'Hotel Transylvania 2' dropped to the second place, earning over 20 million dollars during the past weekend.

As a sequel to 'Hotel Transylvania', the new installment keeps telling the story happened in the mysterious hotel, where monsters worldwide can take a rest from human civilization, as the owner tries to bring his half human, half vampire grandson out of the hotel.

Its voice cast includes Selena Gomez and Adam Sandler.

Warner Brother's 'Pan' opened in the third spot with 15.5 million dollars in estimated sales.

This Peter Pan origin story is starred by Hugh Jackman and directed by Joe Wright.

Jennifer Lopez Release Concert Film 'Dance Again' in EuropeJennifer Lopez is set to hit the road after her split from singer Marc Anthony three years ago, with a world tour designs to visit 65 cities on five continents and reach 1 million fans.

She also released a live recording DVD of her world tour, entitled 'Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again', now available in Europe.

The 46-year-old singer and actress says fans who were unable to see the tour in person can catch the DVD, as it more like a mirror of her life.

"It was, 'We're going out on our first world tour. Let's film everything. Let's film the rehearsals. Let's film everything. We'll have like, you know, we'll have a memento. There was a story there. There was something to be told and we came back and we looked at the footage and we started putting it together."Rehearsal footage, interviews with family members and tense moments, such as when a dancer unexpectedly quits the show, can all be seen in this concert film.

Previously, 'Dance Again' was aired in the US on HBO.

Lopez is now gearing up for more performing, as she spent her summer shooting an upcoming NBC drama called 'Shades of Blue', which plan to be released this winter.

She also sits in the judge panel for the American Idol final season that is scheduled to air on FOX in January.

Lance Armstrong's Biopic 'The Program' Screens at BFI London Film FestivalUK-France co-produced film 'The Program', a biopic of former pro cyclist Lance Armstrong, is currently screening at the BFI London Film Festival.

The film charts the highs and lows of the seven time Tour de France winner, who was accused of doping for years.

Directed by Stephen Frears, Ben Foster starred as Armstrong.

Struggling through months of intensive cycling training, Ben Foster indicates he even tried the performance enhancing drugs that Armstrong took during the shoot.

"I took a calculated risk, under very strict doctor supervision, privately, no one on the crew knew. I mean I've said it before, but drugs work - up until a point - and that point is usually when you stop taking them - that's where the body has a fallout, and that's where doctor supervision is necessary."After experiencing the effects of doping under the supervision of a doctor, Foster says it became clear that why Armstrong went down that road.

Armstrong's fall from grace is complicated. Allegations toward him concluded when the cyclist was deprived of his titles.

'The Program' is due to hit big screens in the UK on October 16th.

Kanye West Showed up at American Idol Audition in San FranciscoKanye West surprised the 'American Idol' judges and fans, as he showed up at an audition for the show in San Francisco.

The award-winning rapper performed a cappella version of his hit "Gold Digger" at the show.

He was given a golden ticket to go through to the next round in Hollywood as well.

West was congratulated by his pregnant wife, Kim Kardashian, and the show's host Ryan Seacrest after leaving the audition room.

The 38 year-old singer firstly achieved recognition for his work on Jay Z's 'The Blueprint' in 2001.

Being one of the best-selling artists of all time, West has sold more than 21 million albums and 100 million digital downloads, and 21 Grammy Awards under his belt.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Leaders of the Communist Party of China set to gather soon in Beijing to discuss the next five-year development plan...

China making a landmark pledge to lift its people out of poverty by the year 2020...

And a British-American winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics...

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