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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese government has unveiled details of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to the UK next week.

China's State Councillor has sat down for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

Israeli forces have started deploying troops amid the continued uptick in violence in Israeli and Palestinian territories.

In Business.... new stats show a narrowing of inflation in China through September.

In Sports... the Charlotte Hornets and the LA Clippers rounding out their NBA preseason tour in China with a stop in Shanghai tonight.

In entertainment... this year's nominations for the American Music Associaiton awards have been put out.

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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Top NewsPresident Xi's Visit to UK Will Usher in 'Golden Era' for China-UK Ties: OfficialAnchor:

Chinese officials have laid out details of Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming visit to the UK next week, suggesting the trip is part of a new "golden era" between the two countries.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

Chinese 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.

Chinese State Councilor meets Japanese Prime MinisterChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

Yang Jiechi says the trip is an important step toward creating better ties between the two countries.

"We, Japan and China, are important neighbors. And we hope to reach out to Japan and promote constantly strengthening and developing the ties between the two countries."For his part, Shinzo Abe says he also believes the trip is a positive step.

"I see this visit as a sign of the two nations' efforts to improve ties and I very much welcome that."Yang Jiechi is in Japan to co-chair a China-Japan high-level political discussion.

Relations between China and Japan continue to be strained over territorial disputes in the East China and Japan's legacy from World War II.

UNESCO's inclusion of documents related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre into one of its lists has also become a new irritant.

Japan has warned that it might halt funding for UNESCO over the move, prompting a strong retort from the Chinese side.

Japanese Official: Without China's help, Japan cannot achieve pacifismThe head of the Japanese government's minor coalition party has made a stop over at a museum dedicated to the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the New Komieto Party, has toured the museum in Beijing as part of his current 4-day trip to China.

"We must not forget the history. Without Chinese people's tolerance and significant efforts in helping Japan, Japan cannot achieve peaceful development after the war. I hope we will continue to review this history to create a better future and pursue common development of China and Japan."Yamaguchi arrived in China on Tuesday.

As part of his time in China, he's set to meet with senior CPC officials and attend a meeting of political parties from different Asian countries connected to the Chinese government's "Belt and Road" initiative.

Cross Strait Affairs Chiefs Meet, Urging to Keep Cross-Strait ties in Right DirectionThe chief political liaisons from the mainland and Taiwan have sat down for a meeting in Guangzhou.

Andrew Hsia, head of Taiwan's cross-straits affairs division, has arrived on the mainland for the first time since taking over in his new role.

"Despite some outside opinions and guesses on the prospect of cross-Strait ties, the majority of people in Taiwan entertain a hope for peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides should continue the cross-Strait institutional consultations and strengthen exchanges to face the challenges and complexity in cross-Strait relations together."Zhang Zhijun, head of the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office, also says cross-strait ties are at a critical juncture.

"The development of cross-Strait ties has once again come to a key point. We need to follow the will of the people, and use this time to follow down the path toward peaceful development, eliminate interference and overcome difficulties to move forward."The meeting comes as the ruling Kuomintang and the opposition DPP gear-up for the island's leadership election early next year.

Most polling is pointing to a victory by the DPP, whose previous leader, Chen Shui-bian, had an antagonistic relationship with the mainland.

DPP leadership candidate Tsai Ying-wen has not clearly stated whether she holds the same pro-Taiwan independence stance as her predecessor.

China: No Plan to Send Troops to SyriaThe Chinese government is downplaying reports it may be preparing to send troops to fight along-side Russian forces in Syria.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has made the response amid word the aircraft carrier Liaoning has docked at the Syrian port of Tartus.

"I can tell you that in terms of whether China's vessels, for example the Liaoning, have gone to participate (in the war in Syria), as far as I know there are no such plans. Recently, the Liaoning aircraft carrier went to carry out technical tests and military drills, if you want clarification on whether China's military forces have plans to take part in military activities in Syria, I suggest you directly contact the military and get clarification from them."The Chinese military has chosen not to respond to the reports.

Russia began launching air strikes in Syria last month.

U.S., Russia to Hold Third Round of Talks to Avoid Syria Campaign ConflictsAnother round of talks is underway between the US and Russian militaries when it comes to protocols connected to Syria.

The latest discussions come after jets from the two sides came within visual distance of one another on Saturday.

The two sides have already been discussing ways to maintain flight safety standards in their bombing campaigns in Syria.

However, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says little headway has been made.

"Russia must act professionally in the skies over Syria and abide by basic safety procedures. We'll have another conversation with the Russians on this subject. Those discussions are progressing. Nothing has been finalized. Even as we disagree on Syria policy, we should be able to at least agree on making sure our airmen are as safe as possible."Russia's Defense Ministry says its sending a draft to the US side.

Russia's air campaign in Syria is already causing additional tension between Moscow and Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his fighters are carrying out strikes against "terrorist groups," while the U.S. is blaming the Kremlin for targeting moderate opposition groups.

For more on this, CRI's Michael Butterworth spoke earlier with Alain Lempereur, professor and expert on military conflicts at Brandeis University in the United States.

Russia says it will support further investigations into MH17 tragedyAnchor:

Russia says it is ready to participate in any further investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine last year.

This comes on the heels of a report by Dutch investigators which has determined the plane, with 298 people on-board was brought down by a Russian-made missile.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reportsReporter:

The Russian government, in response to the report, has issued a statement saying it is willing to work with Dutch investigators to help it resolve the situation.

The Russian side also says it's still studying the findings of the report.

However, beyond this, there is still a deep divide when it comes to responsibility.

The report itself does not state who is to blame for firing the deadly missile.

Russia has maintained it was the Ukrainian side which launched the missile.

Yan Novikov, CEO of Almaz-Antey, the company which makes the missile sited in the report, says the weapon used was an older Soviet model no longer used by the Russian military.

"The results of the experiment have entirely refuted the conclusions by the Dutch commission about the type of the rocket and the place of the launch. Today we can say definitely, that in case Boeing-777 of Malaysian Airlines had been hit by a BUK missile complex, that would mean that it had been hit by a 9M38 missile launched from the Ukrainian-controlled territory according to rebel group."However, Ukrainian government supporters say the missile was likely launched by rebel forces who were engaged in heavy battles with Ukrainian government troops at the time.

The day of the crash, a rebel leader posted on Twitter, boasting about taking down a Ukrainian cargo plane.

That post was deleted shortly after word came down that a passenger jet had been shot down.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk is pointing the finger directly at Russia itself.

"I personally have no doubts that it was an operation which was planned by Russian special services on the downing of Malaysian Airlines civil plane, flight MH17."The Dutch crash report says a Russian-developed Buk missile detonated less than a yard away from the cockpit, killing all three crew members instantly.

This then caused the plane to break up, leaving the remaining 295 people on-board a harrowing 90-second plunge to their eventual death.

A separate criminal investigation is underway by Dutch authorities to determine who is ultimately responsible.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is calling on Russia for "complete cooperation.""What we will do now is to call on the Russian authorities to respect the report but also to fully cooperate in the Dutch prosecutor's investigation in cooperation with other countries."In July, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have established an international criminal tribunal to investigate the MH17 attack.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraActivists in Berlin demonstrate to highlight refugee plightAnchor:

Activists in the German capital, Berlin, have held a unique demonstration to try to highlight the plight of refugees attempting to make it to European shores by making the dangerous crossing over the Mediterranean.

Our Ira Spitzer has more from Berlin.

Reporter:

It's an unfamiliar sight in a European capital.120 people crammed into a refugee boat, floating by the country's parliament. Ingo Werth works for the volunteer organization Sea Watch, and is the skipper of this boat.

"The idea is to give the people of the government and interested people the chance to try how it feels to be on an unsafe boat like this because the reason that the people come on this boat is that there's no legal way to come into Europe."The vessel is an actual refugee boat that Sea Watch rescued off the coast of Libya three months ago. More than twenty six hundred people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

"The boat was so completely overloaded that we had the clearance between the rubber and the water was about 10-15 centimeters."The activists are demanding a stronger response from European leaders, who have focussed on deterring migrants and people smugglers instead of rescue operations or facilitating migration. Of course even if migrants survive the journey, like Nigerian refugee Nasir Khalid did back in 2011, life in Europe is not easy.

"There is no dignity here really. They don't care where you come from, who you are, you're a human being or animal, they don't care."Khalid was granted refugee status in Italy, then came to Germany to improve his situation. But he remains in limbo, unable to work legally. Still, this country is the most popular destination for migrants because of its relatively friendly asylum policies. Indeed, Germany has been one of the most welcoming countries in Europe since this latest refugee crisis began. But with public opinion here starting to shift, will German lawmakers continue to have that same attitude?

For CRI, I'm Ira Spitzer in BerlinIsraeli Military deployed to stop attacksIsrael has started deploying hundreds of its troops amid the rising tensions with the Palestinians.

The Israeli Cabinet has also decided to seal off parts of Jerusalem amid the intensifying of the attacks taking place in Israeli territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says restraint is no-longer an option at this point.

"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 US is moving to step in to try to ease tensions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has revealed he plans to travel to the region to deal with the escalation of violence.

"Over the weekend I was in touch with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas, and we're working on trying to calm things down. And I will go there soon, at some point, appropriately, and try to work to re-engage and see if we can't move that away from this precipice."　Three Israelis were killed in two separated attacks in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

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

The new round of violence erupted last month following rumours that Israel was plotting to take over the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The site, which is known as the Temple Mount by Jews, has been maintained as a mosque by Israeli authorities.

Illegally Occupying the emergency lanes Common in ChinaAnchor:

The massive traffic jams seen in China through this year's National Day holiday has once-again put the spotlight on people's driving habits across the country.

As CRI's Wang Mengzhen reports, the discussion this time is centered around what can be done to keep people from driving on the emergency lanes.

Reporter:

On the first day of this year's National Day holiday, a person died after being involved in a traffic accident in Zhejiang.

Reports are suggesting the driver of the vehicle may have survived if rescue vehicles could have made it to the scene earlier.

However, they couldn't because the emergency lanes on the highway were blocked by other drivers.

Driving on the medians, which are the emergency lanes in China, is illegal.

However, its a common practice, as drivers use the lanes to skirt through traffic.

"I do not usually drive in the emergency lane. But just now, I saw several vehicles move toward the lane, and I was just following their path.""Since I can drive faster in the emergency lane, I will just join in with the other cars."Its these kind of driving habits which are generating new debate about how to deal with drivers who knowingly break the law.

This week in Shenzhen, traffic authorities slapped a 69-thousand yuan fine on a woman who has been caught driving on the emergency lanes in the city 23 times since March.

The equivalent of over 10-thousand US dollars is the largest traffic fine of its kind ever handed down in China.

Beijing-based legal expert Yue Shenshan suggests this type of fine may be what's needed in China to get people to follow the rules of the road.

"At first blush, you might think the punishment is too harsh. But when you step back and think about it, the fine is based multiple illegal acts. It is in-line with the current traffic laws and Shenzhen's traffic regulations."Over 60-thousand tickets were handed out across China during the 7-day National Day holiday for drivers caught driving caught occupying the emergency lanes.

Yue Shenshan says its this level of blatant rule-breaking by drivers in China that is spurring the call to action.

But he says there are a couple of things which still prompt people to take their chances and break the law.

"Right now the law enforcement just isn't strong enough. Most drivers who break the rules will go unpunished. Authorities need to step up traffic law enforcement. They also need to find a way to encouraging people to be whistle-blowers, and call-in illegal behavior. The other problem is the fines themselves. Right now, drivers caught occupying the emergency lanes will only be hit with fines of a few hundred yuan, which many drivers in China can easily afford."Drivers in China who are caught in the emergency lanes will be hit with 6 points on their license.

Anyone who racks-up 12 points on their license in a year will have their license suspended.

They will also have to go through the driving tests again to get their license back.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

Chinese Artist Han Meilin Awarded as Artist for Peace by UNESCOA Chinese artist Han Meilin has been honored by the United Nations for his promotion of the arts in China.

Han Meilin has been given the "Artist for Peace" award by UNESCO.

UNESCO chief Irina Bokova has made the presentation at an awards ceremony at the organization's headquarters in Paris.

"He pays much attention to wars and to development, particularly sustainable development and environmental protection, which are often talked about among us. His works tell me that he will always find the beauty of life, the beauty of the environment and humanity. The messages conveyed by his paintings are precious to UNESCO."Han Meilin is the first Chinese artist to receive the honor.

"The 'Artist for Peace' has a responsibility to do practical work. We have to pay attention to the survival of humanity, and the role future artists will play in it."The 79-year-old is a renowned writer, painter and sculptor.

He's been an active artist in China over the past 60-years, but is probably best known as the designer of the mascots, the 'Fuwa,' for 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hillary Clinton wins main rival's support on email scandalDemocratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has been given a shot of support from an unlikely political source.

Clinton's main rival for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Saunders, has come to her aide during the first Democratic primary debate earlier this Wednesday in connection with her use of private e-mail while Secretary of State.

"Let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails."The exchange comes as the Clinton campaign attempts to divert attention away from the issue, which has seen her take a hit in the polls.

WeatherBeijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 10 degrees. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 25.

Shanghai will be clear overnight with a low of 17. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 16. Tomorrow, sunny, high of 27.

Lhasa will be clear tonight with a low of 3, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 30.

Kabul, light rain, 21.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be sunny with a high of 24.

Brisbane, light rain, high of 23.

Perth, cloudy, 20.

And finally Auckland will be cloudy with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChinese State Councilor meets Japanese Prime MinisterChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

Yang Jiechi says the trip is an important step toward creating better ties between the two countries.

For his part, Shinzo Abe says he also believes the trip is a positive step.

Yang Jiechi is in Japan to co-chair a China-Japan high-level political discussion.

Relations between China and Japan continue to be strained over territorial disputes in the East China and Japan's legacy from World War II.

UNESCO's inclusion of documents related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre into one of its lists has also become a new irritant.

Cross-Strait affairs chiefs meet in GuangzhouThe chief political liaisions from the mainland and Taiwan have sat down for a meeting in Guangzhou.

Zhang Zhijun, the Mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, sat down with cross-Strait affairs chief Andrew Hsia for a working meeting this morning.

Details of the meeting have not been revealed, other than to say the two sides discussed cross-strait ties.

Hsia is making his first visit to the mainland since taking over as the head of Taiwan's cross-Strait Affairs division.

Former vice police chief on trial for briberyThe bribery trial for a former vice-Minister of the Ministry of Public Security has taken place.

Li Dongsheng's case has been put before the courts in Tianjin.

He's accused of abuse of power and taking bribes worth some 22-million yuan during his time in government.

Li Dongsheng, who once served as the vice-president of China Central Television, was caught up in the government's corruption crackdown in 2013.

The courts have yet to render a verdict in his case.

Tianjin to relocate dangerous chemicals companiesMunicipal authorities in Tianjin have announced that companies handling dangerous chemicals are going to be relocated to the city's Nangang Industrial Zone.

Nangang Industrial Zone is located in the south of Binhai New Area.

It's about 10-kilometers away from the nearest residential area.

The relocation comes on the heels of the deadly explosions at the Port of Tianjin in mid-August which left close to 200 people dead.

Meanwhile, a series of safety inspections are also being launched in the Binhai New Area for companies which handle dangerous goods.

Those checks are expected to be finished by year's-end.

China to mass produce Ebola vaccineA Chinese biotechnology company has announced plans to mass-produce a vaccine for the Ebola virus.

Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology has already begun construction of an industrial facility to produce the vaccine.

It's due to be complete in 2018.

Authorities in Sierra Leone, one of the three West African countries which was hit by the mass ebola outbreak, has declared the Chinese vaccine clinically safe.

The vaccine itself was produced by researchers with the Chinese military.

Biz ReportsAnchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers in Asia.

Joining us on the desk Luo Wen.

Reporter:

Chinese shares dipped on Wednesday ending a four-day winning streak after the release of inflation data showed prolonged weakness in demand.

We will have more on the numbers shortly.

Shares of companies in the foreign trade, insurance, and auto sectors had the worst performance.

While electric charger manufacturers continued to see their share prices rise thanks to recent government support.

At the close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index sank one percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index decreased 1.3 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises dropped 1.6 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng Index declined 0.7 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares fell on concerns over a global economic slowdown.

The benchmark Nikkei lost 1.9 percent.

Decliners were led by iron and steel, rubber products and glass and ceramics.

South Korea's KOSPI dipped half of a percent.

Singapore's Straights Times went down slightly.

And finally,Australia's ASX/200 slipped a fraction of a percent.

China's consumer inflation narrows in September, producer prices continue to fallNew figures are suggesting a deflationary trend here in China is starting to become more prominent.

New stats show the Consumer Price Index for September has come in at 1.6-percent on an annualized basis.

This is down from the 2-percent level in August.

Xu Gao, chief economist with Everbright Securities, says the reading is slightly below the market forecast of 1.8 percent.

"Consumer inflation narrowed in September. This is mainly due to the significant drop of pork and vegetable prices. However, the fluctuation of CPI in August and September has not affected our prediction of the index for the coming months. If you don't count the prices of pork and vegetables, the price level of other commodities is still quite low, which shows the real economy is sluggish and deflation pressure still remains."At the same time, producer prices continued to fall last month, signalling prolonged weakness in aggregate demand.

September's PPI, a measure of costs for goods at the factory gate, fell 5.9 percent year on year.

The reading marks the 43th straight month of decline.

Renminbi fluctuation and current situationAnchor:

The central parity rate of the renminbi has given up virtually all the gains it made against the US dollar on Tuesday, dropping 177 basis points to put the renminbi at 6.34 against the greenback.

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

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

Alibaba kicks off global online shopping festival on T-mallIn the lead-up to this year's "Singles Day" here in China, Alibaba has launched a new promotional event.

The company says its going to offer around 6-million different items on T-mall on November 11th.

Alibaba chief Jack Ma, in launching the new promo, says he believes his company's work goes beyond retailing.

"I think how can we use this technology, to not only pump up the domestic demand, but also help manufacturers to upgrade their manufacturing productivity; not only manufacture faster, but also manufacture efficiently; but also making sure we're unique, but also we're making sure they're tailor-made. We're making sure that this technology is going to improve the human lives."November 11th has been dubbed Singles Day here in China, as its 1-1-1-1 on a numeric calendar.

Originally dreamed up as a rebuke to Valentines Day here in China a few years back, Chinese retailers have managed to turn "Singles Day" into one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

China overtakes US to have world's largest middle class: ReportA new report on global wealth is suggesting China's middle class has overtaken the United States' to become the world's largest.

The report by Credit Suisse suggests there are now 109-million people ranked in China's middle-class compared with 92-million in the United States.

Credit Suisse's report made the floor for the middle class as those having wealth double the annual medium income for their country.

The report also says that while wealth may still be mostly concentrated in Europe and the US, wealth in emerging markets has been growing rapidly, including a fivefold rise in China since the beginning of the century.

HK monetary authority urges suspension of contact-less credit cardsHong Kong's Monetary Authority is ordering 7 different banks in the city to warn their clients about the use of contactless credit cards.

This comes amid revelations that certain mobile phone applications have been able to obtain information from these cards.

Banks, including Bank of China and DBS Bank, have been told to notify their customers of the risks as soon as possible.

They have also been asked to conduct risks assessments and review their existing measures to plug any security loopholes.

Contactless payments use a chip inside a mobile device which allows customers to make payments without the need to swipe a card.

Tsinghua Tongfang to sell stake in local chip firmTsinghua Unigroup is expanding its portfolio.

The state-run division of Tsinghua Holidings is purchasing a stake in Tongfang Guoxin Electronics.

The purchase is actually a transfer, as the stake its buying is currently held by Tsinghua Tongfang.

Both Unigroup and Tongfang are controlled by Tsinghua Holdings.

The move follows on the heels of Unigroup purchasing a 3.8 billion U.S.-dollar stake in US-based Western Digital.

SportsShanghai Masters updateIn tennis,Andy Murray has advanced to the third round of Shanghai Masters after beating American Steve Johnson this afternoon, 6-2, 6-4.

However, it was Bernard Tomic of Australia with the big upset of the day, hammering 7th seed David Ferrer of Spain 6-4, 6-2.

The 22 year old, at a career-high No. 20 in the ATP Rankings, struck 24 winners and just 13 unforced errors in the victory, converting four of five break points.

Sixth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan came back from one set down to defeat Nick Kyrgios of Australia 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and advanced into third round.

World number 1 Novak Djokovic and Raefal Nadal are both in-action tonight in Shanghai.

Qualifying standings of Euro 2016 after group qualifiersIn football,Croatia and Turkey have managed to secure their tickets to next year's European Cup.

Croatia, following Norway's 2-1 loss to Italy, have secured 2nd place in their group following a 1-nil win over Malta.

Turkey, which downed Iceland 1-nil earlier this morning, has also qualified as the top 3rd place team in the group match-ups.

At the same time, the Netherlands have failed to make it into the tournament, going down 3-2 to the Czech Republic last night to draw the curtain on a horrible Euro 2016 qualifying tournament.

Netherlands head coach Danny Blind says his squad just has to keep looking forward.

"You have to look to the future now. This is very disappointing for the players, for me, for the Netherlands, but we have to look ahead, and the new goal is qualifying for (the World Cup in) Russia."In other action, it was Wales securing 2nd in its group with a 2-nil victory over Andorra.

The teams who finished 3rd in their groups, for the exception of Turkey, will still have a chance to make the tournament through a series of qualifying matches against one-another.

Only 4 of the 8 teams will make it through.

Willian fires Brazil to victory over VenezuelaIn World Cup qualifying in South America,Brazil has secured its first victory in the round-robin tournament, getting past Venezuela 3-1.

The Brazilians did it without the services of Neymar, who had to skip the match to conclude his 4-game international suspension.

He'll be available for Brazil's next match against Argentina.

--Argentina, who are still without the services of Lionel Messi due to injury, were held to a scoreless draw with Paraguay.

In other action,It was Ecuador blanking Bolivia 2-nil, while Uruguay thumped Columbia 3-nil.

Chicago beat St. Louis to win National League Divisional SeriesIn baseball,The Chicago Cubs are through to the National League Championships after downing the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 this morning to win their National League Division Series 3-games-1.

This is the first time in the team's over 100-year history that the Cubs have won a playoff series at home in Wrigley Field.

The Cubs last reached the National League Championship Series in 2003, when they lost in 7 to the Florida Marlins.　Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

"So, I think it's a combination of the kids themselves. They're just really accountable, young baseball players that are very skilled. Combine that with this wonderful group of veterans that give them good information on a daily basis. Everybody bought in from Spring Training on."The Cubs now await the winner of the other NL series between the LA Dodgers and the New York Mets.

The Dodgers gave themselves a chance this morning, evening their series with the Mets at 2-games a piece after 3-1 victory this morning.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw went 7 innings to break his post-season losing streak in the victory.

The deciding Game 5 now moves back to LA on Friday morning, Beijing time.

Meanwhile, the American League finals will be set tomorrow, as both division-series' will be decided.

The Kansas City Royals will be at home to the Houston Astros after staving off elimination yesterday with a 9-6 win.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays will also look to complete their comeback as they play host to the Texas Rangers in their game-5 match-up.

Toronto won their last two games on the road in Texas to force the deciding game-5.

Jeremy Lin to start in for Charlotte Hornets in their NBA China games 2The Charlotte Hornets and the LA Clippers are set do battle tonight in the 2nd and final game of their NBA preseason tour of China.

The Hornets have confirmed Chinese-American point guard Jeremy Lin will be starting.

He knocked down 16 in the Hornets' victory in their first game in China in Shenzhen over the weekend.

Despite going down to Charlotte in their last game, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers says he believes his club is starting to gel.

"Yeah we are getting there and I think this is part of the process that we are preparing for this season, this upcoming season. This trip here has been good for us. I think for our team, we have nine new players and you know, starting down from Shenzhen and now coming to Shanghai, I think this has been a good unity trip for us."In other pre-season NBA action from earlier today.

It was the LA Lakers going down to Sacramento 107-100.

Houston needed overtime to get past Phoenix 135-129.

Denver dumped Golden State 114-103.

Milwaukee got past Cleveland 110-101.

And it was Oklahoma City over Dallas 100-88.

EntertainmentPianist Zhu Xiao-Mei replays Bach's "Goldberg Variations" at BMFFrench-Chinese pianist Zhu Xiao Mei was back to replay Bach's "The Goldberg Variations" at the 18th Beijing Music Festival in Beijing last night.

The 66-year-old pianist played to a packed audience at last year's festival.

She has also held piano recitals in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong over the past year.

The piano recital was held at the Wangfujing church which is the last stop of her second music tour in China.

Zhu Xiao-Mei occupies a special place in today's musical world.

Deliberately keeping her concerts few and far between, she appears in public only to perform especially demanding works.

She recorded her first piano music album when she was fifty years old, in which she played the works of Bach, Mozart and Haydn.

A total of eighteen operatic works, symphonies and piano recitals will be staged during the Beijing Music Festival.

The festival will be held from October 8 to 24.

Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd lead AMA nominationsThe 2015 American Music Awards announced its nominations on Tuesday, and the familiar name of Taylor Swift was once again atop the list.

Swift earned six AMA nominations, including nods for artist of the year and song of the year.

Right behind Swift, with five nominations each, were Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd.

Both had songs in "the song of the year" category: Sheeran with "Thinking Out Loud" and The Weeknd with "Can't Feel My Face".

Other artist of the year nominees are Luke Bryan, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor.

The show airs November 22 on ABC. Jennifer Lopez is hosting.

Leonardo DiCaprio to produce Volkswagen scandal filmLeonardo DiCaprio says he wants to produce a film about the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

His production company Appian Way and Paramount Pictures have bought the rights to an as-yet-unwritten book about the scandal.

It is not known whether DiCaprio himself will star in the film.

Last month the German car manufacturer admitted 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide were fitted with software that beat emission tests.

Volkswagen has recalled almost 500,000 cars in the US alone and it has set aside 7 billion US dollars to cover costs.

DiCaprio has produced a number of environmental documentaries.

His environmental foundation has given 30 million US dollars in grants since it was founded in 1998.

Emilia Clarke named Esquire's sexiest woman alive2015 is most definitely Emilia Clarke's year.

The 28-year-old Londoner, who plays the menacing, white-haired Khaleesi, or the Mother of Dragons on the "Game of Thrones," is Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive.

The magazine made the announcement early Tuesday, but GQ got there first, anointing Clarke Woman of the Year in September.

In addition to her high-profile role on the massively popular HBO series, Clarke played a lead role in the summer movie hit "Terminator Genisys."Enrique Iglesias breaks the billion-view mark on YouTubeThe music video for Enrique Iglesias's hit single "Bailando" broke into the list of YouTube clips viewed over one billion times.

The so-called King of Latin-pop is the first Hispanic artist to reach the critical milestone.

The song, an urban-flamenco party anthem was released in 2014.

It is also the only song in Spanish that is part of the Billion Views Club, one of Youtube's most prestigious circles for the past ten years.

The single is only the second song in a language other than English to be part of this exclusive list.

Designer 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.

WeatherBeijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 10 degrees. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 25.

Shanghai will be clear overnight with a low of 17. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 16. Tomorrow, sunny, high of 27.

Lhasa will be clear tonight with a low of 3, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 30.

Kabul, light rain, 21.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be sunny with a high of 24.

Brisbane, light rain, high of 23.

Perth, cloudy, 20.

And finally Auckland will be cloudy 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...

The Chinese government has unveiled details of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to the UK next week.

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