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

Coming up on the program this morning...

Officials expressing high expectations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom...

China vowing to offer new aid to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East...

And Israel vowing to take measures to restore calm after three Israelis were killed in two attacks in Jerusalem...

In Business....The Chinese currency strengthening against the U.S. dollar...

In Sports....a huge upset at the Shanghai Masters sees a big name taken out of play...

And in Entertainment....A Chinese designer rolls out her Spring and Summer 2016 collection...

Top NewsPresident Xi's Visit to UK Will Usher in 'Golden Era' for China-UK Ties: OfficialAnchorOfficials say that Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom next week will usher in a 'golden era' for relations between the two countries.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

ReporterChinese vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao said at a news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday that President Xi's visit will outline a blueprint for the future development of bilateral relations between the two sides.

"The visit will promote the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the UK in an all-round way, as well as intensify the comprehensive strategic partnership. It will become a new milestone for the development of China-UK ties and make contributions to promoting world peace and prosperity."Wang says that President Xi will attend a series of events during his stay in London.

"President Xi will attend a welcoming ceremony held by Queen Elizabeth II, review the royal horse guards, and attend an unofficial luncheon and an official welcoming banquet. He'll also meet and talk with members of the British royal family."President Xi will also hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and address a banquet hosted by Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Apart from London, President Xi will also stay in Manchester, where he'll visit research projects and local businesses.

Discussing bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Ji says progress is expected to be made in many different areas.

"The deals between governments, financial institutes and companies, covering fields including energy, finance, real estate, medical treatment and automobiles, demonstrate the character of trade cooperation and its future direction."He adds that the two countries should strengthen cooperation on investment and big projects such as high-speed rail and nuclear power.

The UK is China's second largest trading partner, second largest origin of actual investment and investment destination within the European Union, while China ranks as the UK's fourth largest trading partner.

Trade in 2014 reached nearly 81 billion U.S. dollars, up 15.3 percent year on year.

The UK is also the EU country with fastest-growing Chinese investment, with more than 500 Chinese companies investing inside its borders.

It was also the first major Western country to seek to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

China to offer new humanitarian aid for Middle EastChina is vowing to offer new aid to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Chao made the remarks at a press briefing about President Xi Jinping's coming visit to Britain.

Wang said that China will accelerate distribution of the humanitarian aid that it has announced for West Asia and Northen Africa by the end of the year as well as provide new aid to the regions.

The assistance measure is expected to help Middle Eastern countries improve their ability to accommodate refugees and help reduce the flow of refugees.

So far, China has provided a total of 375 million yuan in humanitarian aid to the Middle East.

Chinese President's Visit to UK Expected to Greatly Strengthen Bilateral TiesAnchorMeanwhile, a leading expert on international affairs says President Xi's upcoming state visit to the UK will greatly strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in economics, foreign investment, and climate change.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more.

ReporterDr. Robin Niblett is the Director of Chatham House, a London-based international-affairs think tank.

He says Sino-British relations are currently in the best shape in history.

He attributes it largely to the booming bilateral trade.

"It is the economics that are driving the quality of the relationship right now. The United Kingdom is on a big push to increase its exports to emerging markets, and the biggest emerging market obviously is China. And the one country with which the UK has really increased its exports in the last five years has been with China, doubled from some seven billion pounds to about 15 billion pounds in this period. So the export relationship is very important."Dr. Niblett says the UK is seeking more direct investment from China into major UK infrastructure projects, covering areas such as energy, airports, and railways.

Besides economic cooperation, Dr. Robin says during the meetings of the two countries' leaders, the issue of climate change is also expected to top the agenda.

"I think we may see some bigger discussions about the climate change negotiations that will take place in Paris in December, where President Xi and President Obama had made some quite strong announcements. The British government is part of the EU, which is the other part of the triangle in a way on climate change. This could also be a big feature. "The most important goal, according to Dr. Niblett, is to keep the path of cooperation between the two governments while solving differences by dialogues.

"The message I want to give is that in this visit of Xi Jinping, we will see lots of golden opportunities, win-win economics, but we must remember that underneath it, are some areas of potential tension that could always pop up in the future. And that both governments, will need to work hard to make sure the win-win is the dominant part, and the negatives do not slip into it."President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will be hosted at Buckingham Palace, the royal residence in London, during their stay in the UK.

This will mark the first UK state visit for a Chinese leader in a decade since President Hu Jintao visited Britain in 2005.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

China promotes new-type urbanization to boost economyAnchorChinese authorities are speeding up the country's urbanization drive, accelerating experiments in 64 test cities as early results begin to show promise.

CRI's Wang Wei reports.

ReporterChina's new-type urbanization has three "100-million-person" targets.

The country is working to facilitate 100 million farmers-turned-workers to settle down in cities, to renovate shanty towns housing 100 million people, and to guide the urbanization of 100 million people near their hometowns.

The National Development and Reform Commission says the cities involved in the experiments have reported some primary achievements in areas such as the urbanization of farmers, and within financing systems.

Some analysts say the urbanization also helps to boost the slowing down economic growth.

Hu Zucai, deputy director of the NDRC, has echoed the remarks, saying pushing forward with the urbanization is the most crucial force driving the economy at the moment.

"Urbanization is the only way to modernization. It is also an important way to solve the three agriculture-related issues, a firm support to pushing forward regional coordinated development and an important facilitator of expanding domestic demand and promoting industrial upgrades. Urbanization is the perfect match point among stabilizing economic growth, adjusting economic structure and promoting reforms."But to what extent can urbanization stimulate the economy?

Han Bing, deputy vice mayor of central China's Hefei city, shares his thoughts.

"To urbanize one farmer-turned-worker, an expenditure of 12-thousand yuan is generated. It is estimated that around 200-thousand people settle down in Hefei every year. Half of them are farmers-turned-workers, who bear great potential for consuming power. The urbanization of farmers-turned-workers also brings in massive investment demands. The urbanization process of a single worker requires 80-thousand in fixed investments. 100-thousand workers can produce 8 to 10 billion yuan."In order to attract investments to facilitate the urbanization, the city of Chongqing in southwestern China has created new funding channels.

Zhang Guozhi is a municipal official in Chongqing.

"For starters, the municipality has raised 2.5 billion yuan every year for five years in order to attract social capital to support the development of industry, agriculture, the modern service industry, and technologies. The city has set up 18 exclusive funds with a total scale of 18 billion yuan. Secondly, in the strategic emerging industries, we plan to raise 80 billion yuan based on a joint investment fund as well as social capital. And the third is the logistics industry. We will set up a 10 billion yuan modern logistics industry development fund to support the infrastructure construction in the west part of China."All the achievements were made during the 12th Five Year Development Plan, which is going to wraps up by the end of this year.

Despite the achievements, Hu Zucai with the NDRC says there are still many problems to be tackled, including the imbalance of the urbanization processes among the experimental cities, as well as the inadequate endeavors in certain cities.

Also, Chinese authorities will soon announce another batch of 50 cities to join in the urbanization drive, focusing on the central and western parts of the country.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.

Antibiotic control leads to drop in superbug infection rates in ChinaChina says it has seen a sharp drop in the infection rates of the superbug MRSA, after the country began strict controls on antibiotic use.

Professor Zheng Bo with China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System.

"The infection rates of MRSA have dropped year by year. In many hospitals, the rates dropped from 70 percent to 30 or 40 percent due to the strict controls of antibiotics usage in recent years."Currently, due to stricter controls on the use of antibiotics, MRSA infection rates are dropping in over 1,000 hospitals monitored by the CARSS.

It comes as antibiotics are no longer purchasable in pharmacies without a doctor's prescription in large Chinese cities.

Doctors are required to use antibiotics as little as possible and it is now related to promotions and the hospital's evaluation.

Meanwhile, China is developing quicker detection methods, better drugs and even vaccines to fight superbugs.

But experts say more still needs to be done to educate the public on the scientific use of antibiotics, especially in less-developed regions.

Chinese state councilor meets Japan's national security advisorChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Head of the Japanese national security council Yachi Shotaro on Tuesday co-chaired the second China-Japan high-level political dialogue in Tokyo.

Yang pointed out that since the end of last year, China-Japan relations have shown a momentum towards improvement.

He said the Chinese government is willing to maintain dialogue and contact with Japan.

Yang also urged Japan to boost bilateral ties in a spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future, and properly handle sensitive issues.

For his part, Yachi says Japan will stick to the four-point principled agreement in bilateral ties and continue peaceful development road.

Yang is scheduled to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday afternoon.

China to hold 10th senior officials' meeting on Declaration on Conduct of Parties in South China SeaChina will hold a new round of discussion on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying gives more on what to be discussed.

"The participating parties will discuss the overall effective implementation of the DOC, and exchange views on how to push forward pragmatic cooperation in the South China Sea. They will also continue exploring the way to carry out negotiations on advancing a code of conduct in the South China Sea under the framework of the DOC."The discussion will be the 10th round involving senior officials from interested countries.

The 2-day meeting is scheduled for next Monday in the southwest city of Chengdu.

PLA Navy Training Vessel Arrives in Hawaii for a Four-Day VisitThe Chinese navy's training vessel "Zhenghe" has kicked off a goodwill visit to the United States.

The vessel has arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

It carries 351 officers and sailors, including 171 students from military academies who are onboard for training.

The ship, named after the great Chinese navigator Zheng He, was warmly greeted by U.S. Navy officials, Chinese embassy staff, and Chinese expats.

Kevin Brand, commanding officer of the USS Chosin, says he hopes these exchanges can facilitate cooperation between the two navies.

"We do have some exchanges set up between the two ships from a planning stance. We are going to go through some search and rescue planning, show us how we do some planning to recover a man lost at sea, which is very important for any nations that operate maritime vessels. We're also going to be able to do a damage control exercise, go through, share some of our lessons learned, show the Chinese navy some of our equipment and how we do business. And hopefully learn from you as well."Ye Kaihua, captain of the Zhenghe, says only sound communication can secure a good relationship between the countries.

"Navy forces are an international nation which obviously needs good communication. We should enhance mutual understanding and trust and communication."The major intention of the visit is to nurture and train the new generation of seamen for the Chinese navy forces.

Over half of the more than 300 crew members on the vessel are from three Chinese military academies.

This is the second time 'Zhenghe' has visited Hawaii. Its first visit was in 1987.

After Pearl Harbor, it will head to South Korea.

Israel to Implement Steps to Restore Calm after 3 Israelis killed in Jerusalem AttacksAnchorThree Israelis were killed in two separated attacks in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at least one Palestinian was shot dead and over 400 others were injured during clashes with Israeli forces in West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said steps will be implemented to restore quiet.

CRI's Victor Ning has more.

ReporterOne Israeli was killed immediately and another died in hospital after two Palestinians attacked a bus with a gun and a knife in east Jerusalem Tuesday morning. One attacker was shot dead by Israeli police and the other was seriously wounded.

David Rose, a paramedic on the scene, says it is a difficult situation.

"There were a lot of hysteria, and people were very very upset. We were there within minutes trying to save some people's life but unfortunately we had to deal with a person that was murdered here today. This is again a reminder to us while we live in the country we live in the constant struggles that we have."In another attack in the city, an Israeli was killed when a Palestinian rammed his car into a bus stop and then attacked pedestrians with a meat cleaver. The attacker was shot by Israeli police and died later from his injuries.

Attacks also occurred in other Israeli cities on the same day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the attacks that Israel will immediately implement a number of steps on the ground and "restore quiet to Israeli cities".

"Israel will settle its account with murderers and those who want to kill, and anyone who helps them. Not only won't they have any rights, but we will extract the full price from them."The Israeli army has sent more forces to West Bank, Jerusalem perimeter and Gaza border and will enlist soldiers to aid police in city centers throughout Israel.

Seeing the recent wave of attacks as the result of Palestinian incitements, Netanyahu called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop inciting and work to restore calm.

The Palestinian side, on the other hand, says the Israeli occupation is the source of the tensions.

Ehab Bessaiso is the spokesman for the Palestinian national consensus government.

"The deterioration is a situation that can be always seen as a result of the Israeli government policies, expansion of settlements, attacks on the Palestinian villages. This cannot be seen outside the context of the continuous Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. So we call upon the international community to interfere, to put a pressure on the Israeli government, to engage into our political process, and to also help in restoring the situation."Tensions have been mounting for weeks in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the beginning of the month, fierce clashes has brought the Israeli death toll to seven, while Israeli forces have shot dead at least 30 Palestinians, the majority during demonstrations.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

Iran to implement nuclear deal next weekIran's president said that the initial implementation of the nuclear deal between his country and major world powers clinched in July will begin next week.

Hassan Rouhani said that all economic sanctions against Iran will be lifted within two months.

The Iranian parliament has approved a bill earlier on Tuesday that allows the government to implement the nuclear deal.

The bill will be reviewed by Iran's 12-member Guardian Council, a group of senior clerics who could return it to lawmakers for further discussion.

However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on key policies, has said it is up to the 290-seat parliament to approve or reject the deal.

MH17 may have been downed by Russian-built missile: NetherlandsA Dutch public prosecutor has said that the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has identified "persons of interest."Fred Westerbeke said they are not far from the truth.

"We already have quite a bit of persons of interest in which we are gathering information and evidence. But still, we have a lot of bricks, but we still need a lot of cement between those bricks. So there's still quite some work to do, and it's not that we're now at the point that within a week or two weeks arrests can be made."The Dutch Safety Board found that the plane was probably downed by a Russian-built missile.

Westerbeke said his team would look into a report presented by Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey which claimed the missile that shot down MH17 was a type of missile Russia says it decommissioned in 2011.

Westerbeke did not identify any suspects by name or specify who launched the missile.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blamed Russia's special forces for the downing of MH17.

He also said his government has carried out a separate investigation into the crash which will be released soon.

The plane was shot down in July last year and crashed in territory held by separatists in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board died.

Most of the victims were from the Netherlands, others were from Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Britain, Germany, Belgium, The Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.

Airstrikes lead to IS ammunition shortage: RussiaRussian authorities say that Islamic State group fighters in Syria are suffering from an "acute" ammunition shortage due to Russian airstrikes.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said at a news briefing that Russia had intensified its strikes against IS targets during the past 24 hours, including command posts, areas of concentration and supply deployments.

"According to radio interceptions of talks between warlords in the provinces of Hama and Homs, the militants are experiencing an acute shortage of ammunition for small arms and grenade launchers. Some warlords are making threats to their leaders that they will pull out their groups from the combat zone, unless ammunition is replenished shortly."Thanks to Russia's intervention, the Syrian government forces have recaptured territory close to the government's coastal heartland in the west.

Russia joined the airstrikes two weeks ago, alarming the US-led coalition which has been air bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq since more than one year ago.

The US military is calling for air safety protocols as US and Russian jets came within visual identification rage over Syria during an operation on Saturday.

The US side also called the Russian airstrikes "reckless and indiscriminate," saying that they could only prolong the suffering of the Syrian people.

In another development, the IS militant group published an audio message, calling for a jihad against both Russia and the US for their "crusader's war" in the Middle East.

The message came just a day after the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front called for attacks against Russia.

Turkish President Comments on Twin AttacksTurkish Presiden Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he has ordered a special investigation into the twin bomb attacks in Ankara on Saturday.

"This attack is being investigated just like the others, the connections of those who carried out this attack will be found and the suspects will be brought to justice. The government is taking the necessary steps. As the president, I have commissioned a state supervisory council for a comprehensive probe."In his first public comments about the events, the president strongly condemned the attacks and said they were "carried out against Turkey."On Saturday, two bombs targeted a rally of pro-Kurdish activists and civic groups in Ankara, killing 97 people. The explosions came three weeks ahead of a general election.

Turkey's Prime Minister has said that Islamic State fighters are the prime suspects. The group is also suspected of carrying out two separate attacks earlier this summer.

Turkey faces increasing home-grown threats from the Islamic State group. Thousands of foreign and Turkish fighters have crossed the Turkish border into Syria to join the radical group.

France, Saudi Arabia sign deals worth 10 bln EurosFrance and Saudi Arabia have signed a series of deals worth 10 billion Euros, concerning the fields of transport, energy and aerospace.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who confirmed the news on his official twitter account, was in Saudi Arabia for a regional tour.

The announcement came during the third high-level visit this year by French officials to the world's largest oil exporter.

A statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry said the deal includes the start of negotiations to provide Saudi Arabia with its own communication and observation satellites.

France has been boosting ties with Saudi Arabia under President Francois Hollande's administration.

Shenzhen, HK police seize 34 stowaways, snakeheadsPolice in Shenzhen and neighboring Hong Kong have arrested 23 people from south Asian countries who were trying to enter Hong Kong with the help of 11 smugglers.

Shenzhen border police said they received a tip-off in July saying the stowaways arrived in Guangzhou and then went to Shenzhen by train.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 10.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 25 and a low of 17.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 28 and lows of 18.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will have slight rain with a high of 32.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 24.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 18 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 19 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 27.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 12 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be rainy with a high of 24.

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

Headline NewsPresident Xi's Visit to UK Will Usher in 'Golden Era' for China-UK Ties: OfficialSenior Chinese Officials have briefed the media on Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom next week.

Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao says President Xi's visit will outline a blueprint for the future development of bilateral relations.

Wang says that President Xi will attend a series of events during his stay in London.

President Xi will attend a welcoming ceremony held by Queen Elizabeth II, review the royal horse guards, and attend an unofficial luncheon and an official welcoming banquet. He'll also meet and talk with members of the British royal family.

President Xi will also hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and address a banquet hosted by Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Apart from London, President Xi will also stay in Manchester, where he'll visit research projects and local businesses.

On bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Ji says progress is expected to be made in many different areas.

He says the deals will cover fields including energy, finance, real estate, medical treatment and automobiles.

Chinese, Canadian leaders exchange congratulations on anniversary of tiesChinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Governor-General David Johnston have exchanged congratulations on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Xi Jinping has said in a message that relations between the two countries have made strides with cooperation in various fields over the past 45 years.

He adds that China is willing to work with the country to promote bilateral strategic partnership.

Johnston said that through the years Canada-China strategic partnership has developed greatly with frequent contacts and strengthened cooperation.

Canada was among the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with China.

24 Chinese tourists injured in bus accident in western Austria: Police spokesmanPolice said 24 Chinese tourists were injured in a bus accident in the western Austrian state of Tirol, including one seriously injured.

Tirol police sent four helicopters to the scene, and all of the 24 injured tourists have been sent to hospital.

The accident took place while 32 Chinese tourists were traveling by bus near Obsteig, a small town 50 km away from capital city of Tirol, Innsbruck.

The bus came from Italy with the Chinese travelers.

US Democratic Presidential Contenders to hit debate stageFive US Democratic Presidential contenders are set to take to the debate stage in Las Vegas shortly in the first such event of the 2016 election cycle.

The top two contenders for the nomination are former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

A favorite of the left-wing of the Democratic Party, Sanders has been polling ahead of or even with Clinton in many early polls and observers say this debate will provide an opportunity for him to draw contrasts with the more moderate views of Clinton.

Also participating in the debate are former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chaffee.

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 retreated on Tuesday after volatile trading.

With no major economic data due out, investors still focused on the third-quarter earnings season, which is getting into full swing as an array of financial companies, including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup, will report quarterly results later this week.

In other markets, the U.S. dollar traded mixed against other major currencies on Tuesday amid different remarks made by Federal Reserve policymakers about the timing for coming interest rate hikes.

At the closing bell,Dow Jones was off 0.3 percent.

S&P 500 finished off 0.7 percent.

The Nasdaq was off 0.9 percent.

Meanwhile in Europe, the equities also dropped on Tuesday.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 shed 0.5 percent.

Germany's DAX dipped 0.9 percent.

France's CAC 40 was down nearly 1 percent.

Finally here in China,The shares extended gains on Tuesday with the release of better-than-expected export data.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up 0.2 percent while the Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.7 percent.

Renminbi fluctuation and current situationAnchorThe central parity rate of the Chinese currency strengthened 175 basis points on Tuesday, closing at 6.32 to the U.S. dollar.

The yuan has stabilized somewhat after a sharp depreciation in August, but remains down 1.8 percent compared to the start of the year.

Major recent announcements have rapidly advanced the cause of the internationalization of the Chinese currency.

On Thursday, the first phase of China's Cross-border Interbank Payment System was launched in Shanghai, allowing financial institutions to enjoy clearing services and capital settlement for cross-border yuan transactions.

On Friday, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde announced that the IMF was about to complete the assessment of whether the renminbi would join the basket of currencies making up the Special Drawing Rights.

For more on the Renminbi's fluctuations and its current situation, CRI's Shane Bigham earlier spoke with John Ross, senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.

Back AnchorJohn Ross, senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, speaking with CRI's Shane BighamGerman carmakers in China lower performance targetsNearly 90 percent of German car makers operating in China have lowered their performance targets amid the Volkswagen emissions scandal and China's slowing economic growth.

A survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China shows that German car makers with a high market share here in China are now being affected.

Meanwhile, German machinery manufacturers have also been hit hard, with almost 60 percent of them reducing their performance targets.

The Chinese economy is now adjusting to a state of slower but higher quality growth.

This means that German companies accustomed to the rapid growth of the Chinese economy will have to adjust their business strategy.

However, many companies say China is still essential for them to make profits.

AB InBev, SABMiller brew up $104 billion dealThe world's top brewer SABMiller has accepted in principle a 104-billion-US dollars takeover offer from AB InBev.

The deal means that the world's biggest beer company would be created.

Under the agreement, SABMiller's two biggest shareholders, Marlboro owner Altria and Colombia's BevCo, would get both cash and shares for their 41 percent stake.

IBISWorld Beverage Industry Analyst Nick Petrillo says the planned combination will brew almost a third of the world's beer and dwarf other major producers.

"We think that these two companies combined will represent about 50 percent of the US market, after that it would be Heinken at about 15 percent and then from there it is a pretty substantial drop off where you got Yuengling, the Boston Beer Company pulling in about two percent, so it's pretty significant."At the same time, the analyst says he believes that the combination is a means to spur growth for the two brewers.

"We project that the global beer manufacturing industry is going to grow by an annual rate of 0.6 percent over the next 5 years, so this is minimal growth. Both these companies probably don't want to merge but I think it's probably the best scenario for them to grow."AB InBev has until October 28 to come up with a formal offer if UK regulators grant an extension to the takeover talks.

In that time, the two sides will work on the terms and conditions of the takeover offer as well as the financing of the deal.

If the merger deal is formally agreed on, the combined company will control over 30 percent of beer sales around the globe.

Air China to launch direct flights between China and PakistanAir China is ready to launch direct flights to connect China and Pakistan.

The new route that will fly from Beijing to Islamabad, then onto Karachi before returning back to Beijing, will begin on October 26.

The flight will leave the Chinese capital three times a week and shorten the previous travel time between the two countries.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has attended the launching event of the new route.

"The start of Air China flights from Islamabad is another addition to our economic ties between China and Pakistan. Especially now that the sea bank has started in earnest, the connectivity between the two countries is the need of the day. I hope this connectivity will come in months and years, will multiply manifolds."The launch of the new route comes in response to the call to build the "economic corridor" between China and Pakistan.

The new route to Pakistan is one of Air China's four new routes connecting China with different countries in Asia to be launched in October.

It is set to launch three more routes linking China with India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka later this month.

OnePlus announces plans to make in IndiaChinese phone maker OnePlus has inked an agreement with Foxconn Technology to produce phones in India.

The CEO of OnePlus has said that the move can strengthen the phone maker's presence in the South Asian country.

The production of OnePlus' devices in India is scheduled to start before end of this year, with a peak capacity of producing 500-thousand units per month.

Recently, rivals such as Oppo and Xiaomi have also announced plans to manufacture in the country.

India is the fastest growing smartphone market in the world, and has the second-highest number of mobile phone accounts behind China.

SportsShanghai masters reportAnchorThe Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament is now under way with some of the biggest names competing in the event.

CRI's Sophie Williams reports on the latest from Shanghai.

ReporterThere was upset at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday evening as Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain stunned defending champion Roger Federer 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 and knocked him out of the competition. Despite the crowd being behind Federer, the Swiss star just couldn't scrape a win together.

Speaking after the match, Federer said Ramos played well.

"He did a good job, you could see he's been in the groove and it's just unfortunate and disappointing. "Ramos who is ranked 70th on the ATP world rankings says the win is a big achievement for him.

"I'm really happy to beat Roger Federer, it's my first top ten win. During the match after the second set, I thought it will be like always, I will lose. But I played really good. I thought I was really solid with the serve in the third match. It's the most important victory for me. "There was also upset for Chinese pair Di Wu and Zhang Ze who crashed out in the doubles to David Goffin and Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3.

In other singles action from Tuesday, Canada's Milos Raonic beat Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (6-5) 7-6 (7-2) to reach the next round of the competition.

His fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil is also through after downing Simone Bolelli 6-3,6-4.

South African Kevin Anderson beat Germany's Tommy Haas 6-3, 7-5.

And France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat the Dominican Republic's Victor Estrella Burgos 6-3, 6-2.

Later on today, Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray , Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play their opening matches of this year's competition.

For CRI, I'm Sophie Williams in Shanghai.

Clippers, Hornets entertain fans on NBA day in ChinaAnother big event is happening in Shanghai, in basketball.

More than one thousand Chinese fans cheered on players of the Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets in an NBA event.

The players entertained fans by displaying their skills and playing three-point shooting with them.

Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul took to the court after fracturing his finger in an earlier match and is expected to be fit for a game tonight.

The teams will be playing in their second pre-season game tonight as part of this year's NBA Global Games China.

The Hornets beat the Clippers 106-94 in the first game in Shenzhen on Sunday.

Popular Chinese player Jeremy Lin who joined Charlotte in July received roaring support from the crowd.

Netherlands fail to qualify for Euro 2016Turning over to football, in the Euro 2016 qualifiers,The Netherlands crashed out with a 3-2 defeat by the Czech Republic, while Turkey from the same group qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.

The Dutch were down by two goals going into the break and an own goal by Robin van Persie in the second half extinguished their hopes of a comeback.

They scored two times after that but it wasn't enough to haul them back to contention.

Turkey booked their place in France next summer with an 89th-minute winner in an 1-0 victory over Iceland.

In other action,Italy came from a goal down to beat Norway 2-1 to secure their first place in group H and send the Norwegians to the play-offs.

Cristinano Ronaldo receives Gold Boot AwardNow some off-pitch football news,Cristiano Ronaldo has received his fourth Marca Gold Boot award in Madrid as the top scorer in Europe's domestic leagues.

He picked up the trophy for his 48 goals in 35 appearances for Real Madrid last season.

Ronaldo is the first player to win four such awards but is still hungry for more.

"I am not satisfied, I always want more. I know I am the only one who has won four Boots but I want more, I want the fifth and sixth if possible. Obviously, this implies also winning things collectively, trophies with the team, with Real Madrid, which I think is the best club in the world and should win titles every year."The Portuguese star became Real Madrid's top scorer in history last month with 324 goals.

Ronaldo and his team are targeting triple crowns in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the champions league this season.

O'Connell pulls out of Rugby World Cup with injuryFinally in rugby,Ireland have confirmed that their talismanic captain Paul O'Connell will miss the remainder of the world cup with an injury.

O'Connell picked up the injury to the hamstring in Ireland's 24-9 win over France last weekend.

They progressed from top of Pool D to set up a quarter-final encounter with Argentina.

Coach Joe Schmidt has said it will be tough without O'Connell but believes his absence will pull them closer together.

Center Robbie Henshaw is carrying some of the responsibilities despite being one of the young members on the squad.

"I think I can step it up a bit as a leader, definitely in the backline and out wide I can give the boys more. But it doesn't have to be vocally, I can just do it through your actions on the pitch, by putting in a big hit or carrying the ball. So I think that's the way I'd like to be recognised as a leader, that (I'd) keep my head down and do my work you know."Two other Irish players are also hit with injuries. Peter O'Mahoney is ruled out for when Ireland find out their fate against Argentina this upcoming weekend.

EntertainmentDesigner Zhu Chongyun Kicks off Shanghai Fashion WeekShanghai Fashion Week raised its curtain on Tuesday, as Chinese designer Zhu Chongyun opened the show with her 2016 spring and summer collection.

The Chinese fashion tycoon is known for adding contemporary flair to traditional Chinese styles.

In her new collection, models were wearing luxurious jackets adorned with embroidery in deep reds and purples, while strutting down a runway decorated with mountain-like glass sculptures.

The 51-year-old designer also works for Italian label Krizia.

Over fifty designers will join the event in downtown Shanghai this year, by showcasing their latest collections.

Compared with fashion weeks in Paris and London, Shanghai Fashion Week is mainly a platform for young indie local designers, who hope to make a name for themselves.

Shanghai Fashion Week runs from October 13th to 21st.

Steve Martino to Visit Beijing with New Snoopy "The Peanuts Movie"Director Steve Martino is set to visit Beijing later today to promote his new 3D animated film "Snoopy: The Peanuts Movie".

This will be the first feature film based on Charlie Brown and Snoopy in over 35 years.

The story follows Charlie Brown as he attempts to win the heart of a new girl in his neighborhood, with the help of his friend, Snoopy.

Meanwhile, Snoopy slips into his own fantasy world, where he battles his top enemy, the Red Baron.

The film is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 6 in the United States and possibly in China.

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz Attend Premiere of 'The Lobster'

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz walked the red carpet for the premiere of their quirky film 'The Lobster', which was screened at the London Film Festival on Tuesday night.

Set in a dystopian near future, this science fiction comedy depicts a couples-dominated world, where single people are given 45 days to find a mate, or be turned into the animal of their choice.

To meet the film's set, Farrell is seen behind glasses, a moustache and an unflattering paunch.

Rachel Weisz says she was surprised by the actor's unrecognizable image.

"I'd never met Colin before and I met him with his increased weight size, so his face is, his jawline was slightly obscured under some sweet doughy flesh. So, he'll always be David to me. I mean, he didn't get fat, by any means, he's just normal rather than a god."'The Lobster' was shot in Ireland.

Besides promoting 'The Lobster', Farrell is also working on J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' spin off 'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them'.

However, the actor was tight-lipped about the highly expected film.

"I'm under punishment of death if I speak too much about it. It is nice to be doing something that, hopefully, my boys can see, but I don't know if they ever want to see me in any films. They're sick of looking at me."'The Lobster' is set to be released on October 16th in UK.

Carey Mulligan Walks Red Carpet in New York for 'Suffragette' PremiereBritish actress Carey Mulligan showed up at the premiere of her new film 'Suffragette' in New York.

Mulligan elaborates her excitement as tackling such an important role in the historical film.

"Yeah, I think it's one of the first times I've made a film where I really feel it's a story that needs to be told, as opposed to one that you want to. We all felt very excited to get to tell the story, largely because it's this huge part of our human rights history that no one has ever made a film about, which seems kind of amazing.

'Suffragette' tracks the story of the British feminist movement took place over one hundred years ago, by focusing on the foot soldiers in the movement.

Playing an activist fighting for women's right to vote, the actress also indicates the group's struggle is still relevant today.

"I think a huge amount of issues from the film resonate - the voting rights. At the end of the film there's a list of the countries and when they were enfranchised. In Switzerland women didn't get the vote until 1971 which is sort of astonishing. And Saudi Arabia is yet, but it's meant to be happening this year for women. So a lot of that is kind of resonant today."The thirty-year-old actress just gave birth a couple weeks ago.

While on the red carpet, she revealed the baby girl's name as Evelyn.

'Suffragette' will hit theaters on October 23rd in the United States.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Officials expressing high expectations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom...

China vowing to offer new aid to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East...

And Israel vowing to take measures to restore calm after three Israelis were killed in two attacks in Jerusalem...

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.