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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiling a bold new pledge to pull some 70-million above the poverty line in the next 5-years.

The UK's ambassador to China has opened herself up for questions ahead of Xi Jinping's trip to London on Monday.

Turkey being given major European support amid the mass influx of migrants both have been dealing with.

In Business.... Alibaba announces a major takeover initiative.

In Sports... the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters are being set today.

In entertainment... a popular talk show host from Taiwan is calling it quits.

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 NewsXi pledges strong support to eradicate poverty in China by 2020Anchor:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has outlined a new government goal of getting virtually everyone in China above the poverty-line by 2020.

He's set the target as part of a speech to a Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum taking place in Beijing.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reportsReporter:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has set himself an ambitious target.

He wants to lift all 70 million people living in less than a dollar a day out of poverty within the next five years.

That is roughly a million people coming out of poverty every month –on average- according to the state council.

President Xi says poverty eradication will be a top priority in China's next five-year plan"A well-off society is for all the people in China, no one should be left behind. Over next five years, we will lift all its current 70 million living beneath the poverty line to safety, which is an important step in implementing development agenda after 2015."New proposals for fighting poverty in China includes setting up free vocational schools, improving rural health services and infrastructure and making providing more financing options for new businesses.

China has made great strides in fighting poverty in the past decades.

The country has managed to lift more than 600 million people above the poverty line, just in the past 15 years.

This accounts for almost 70 percent of those brought out of poverty worldwide in the same period.

China is now taking a front seat in the global drive to get rid of poverty.

President Xi pledged two billion U.S. dollars to the south-south cooperation fund for poverty reduction during his recent visit to the UN.

The Chinese president is urging all nations to work together to eliminate global poverty in the next 15 years.

"Eliminating poverty is a common mission for all human beings. China is dedicated to eliminating its own poverty. In the meantime, it has actively conducted South-South cooperation. (China) has provided aid without any political conditions attached and especially helped the least developed countries to eliminate poverty."The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls on Saturday. October 17th has also been designated as China's National Poverty Alleviation Day.

President Xi says that several development initiatives led by China aims to create of a fair and inclusive global economic and financial system that can promote global growth.

"The reason that China proposed to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as well as the design of Silk Road Fund, is to support developing countries in interconnection construction of infrastructure, support them improve the self-development ability, and better integrate in global supply chain, industry chain, and value chain, to input new energy into the international global poverty alleviation."The World Bank says one in ten people are still live in extreme poverty. But this is a big improvement compared to 1990, when every third person was in poverty.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraAmbassador: Xi's Visit to UK Heralds a "Golden Decade" for Bilateral RelationAnchor:

The UK's ambassador to China has opened-up to questions ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Britain next week.

As CRI's XYee reports, once-again, "golden" has been the key phrase being used to describe the state visit.

Reporter:

"The visit by the President of China and Madame Peng Liyuan to the United Kingdom will be a golden event of this golden year. We hope also it will herald a golden decade in UK-China relation building on the comprehensive strategic partnership that we have enjoyed with China for the last decade."UK ambassador Barbara Woodward addressing the Chinese media on Friday ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to the UK this coming week.

Like most officials from both sides, Woodward has been using the term "golden" to describe both the President's forthcoming trip, as well as the relationship between the two countries.

The term is somewhat apt, as Woodward says she believes economics will be high on the agenda.

"Because we will be able to establish the background for our future economic cooperation. For example, we have established London as the leading hub for the internationalization of RMB. We very much hope that with the issue of severing bond during the visit, that position will be further consolidated."Beyond economics, Woodward says the UK-side would also like to address a number of other issues during Xi Jinping's time in Britain.

"We look at the challenge of anti-microbial resistance, which if it gains a hold would mean that all the modern medicine could be wiped out. We want to look ahead to the Conference of Parties in Paris in November and December and consider how we can work together on climate change."The UK ambassador also says inter-governmental relations, trade and people-to-people exchanges are also going to be addressed, describing these three areas as a 3-legged cauldron, or "Ding" in Chinese.

"We now have three really strong legs in our bilateral relationship and I can see all three of them should continue to grow, so our relationship gets stronger while remaining stable. "Chinese President Xi Jinping's time in the UK will be the first official state-visit by a Chinese leader to the country in a decade.

For CRI, I am XYee.

London Holds Positive Outlook on RMB Globalization:Sherry MaderaAnchor:

Reports have been suggesting this coming week's trip to the UK by Chinese President Xi Jinping is going to include the signing of a new agreement connected to renminbi bond issues.

While these reports have not been confirmed, London is already one of the key global hubs for the processing of the Chinese currency through transactions made in the renminbi.

For more on what the UK has to offer China when it comes to the internationalization of the currency, CRI's Luo Yu spoke earlier with Sherry Madera, Director of Financial Services with UK Trade and Investment in China.

China and Britain Should Improve Quality of Bilateral Relations: Chinese ScholarAnchor:

As part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's time in the UK, some observers are suggesting talks between the two sides may include ways to offset the impacts of the recently-concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, or TPP.

For more on this, CRI's Wang Mengzhen spoke earlier with Professor Cui Hongjian with the China Institute of International Studies.

Xi's UK Trip to Enhance Football CooperationIt's been revealed that as part of his trip to the UK next week, Chinese president Xi Jinping will take time-out to talk football.

Xi Jinping, along with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, is scheduled to travel to Manchester, where he'll tour Man City's headquarters.

Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, says the trip, though fun for the football-loving Chinese President, might also do some good for Chinese football as well.

"UK is well-known for football. Of course, it is well-known for many sports. But I think football is very appealing back in China. And also China wants to make our team better. So I think there's a lot of potential for cooperation between China and the UK in football."The Chinese Super League and the English Premier League signed a cooperation agreement at the end of 2013.

It allows for the easier movement of players between the two leagues, and has also sanctioned broadcasts of certain Premier League games here in China.

Should Adventurers be Charged for Rescue?

Anchor:

Discussions are underway here in China about whether search-and-rescue services should be paid-for by those found missing.

This follows a decision by staff at a National Park in Guangxi to level fines on a group who strayed out-of-bounds, forcing their eventual rescue.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

The fines have been imposed on a group of 17 hikers who entered a restricted area of the Dayaoshan National Natural Reserve during the National Day holiday on October 2nd.

"The 15 people in the group who were being led will face fines of a thousand kuai. The two people leading them have fines of 15-hundred yuan each."Lu Baoting, director of the Daoyaoshan Nature Reserve.

He says the group of amateur adventurers were set to leave the park on October 4th.

However, they ended up getting caught up in the heavy rains brought on by a typhoon which rolled into Guangxi during their stay.

More than 700 of local police officers and locals were sent into the area to find them after getting an SOS message.

The search for the group took some 50-hours.

Total cost: Over 100-thousand yuan.

Local authorities say the fines they've imposed will help cover part of the costs.

The incident in Guangxi is becoming a far more common headline in China.

Rookie adventurers are increasingly venturing into more dangerous places, most of which have been closed by the authorities.

This has led to a noticeable increase in the number of search-and-rescue operations for lost hikers.

However, in most cases, no fines are levelled.

This has sparked new debate here in China as to whether those who take risks in potentially-dangerous areas should have to pay for them.

Regional authorities in Xinjiang became the first in the country to collect fees for rescue services in August.

Yili Ismail is the former head of Xinjiang's regional emergency office.

"The rescue of trapped hikers has become frequent in Xinjiang in recent years. Conducting a search-and-rescue operation in a remote area requires a huge amount of personnel and money."The new policy adopted in Xinjiang could lead to missing hikers having to pay some 30-thousand yuan if they need to be extracted by a helicopter.

Yili Ismail says the new policy is meant to be a deterrant.

"For the government, to save people's lives is of paramount importance. But on the other hand, people who go beyond the boundaries could face severe consequences. The fees are mainly meant to warn hikers not to cross the line."Punishing those who require search-and-rescue is not a new arguement.

In the US, a number of State governments have also brought in rules which allow authorities to charge people for rescue services.

Most in the search-and-rescue community have argued against the move, saying those who find themselves in trouble shouldn't have to consider the financial ramifications before asking for help.

One option to avoid the issue is travellers insurance which can cover search-and-rescue costs, depending on the package you purchase.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

EU SUMMIT PACKAGEAnchor:

A new deal to deal with the massive influx of refugees into Europe has been reached among European leaders meeting in Brussels.

It grants Turkey nearly 3.5-billion US dollars.

It also comes with a pledge to ease visa restrictions on Turkish citizens hoping to travel into Europe.

Our Jack Parrock has more from Brussels.

Reporter:

With the cold is setting in in Europe life remains tough for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who are waiting for their asylum requests to be processed.

Meanwhile EU leaders meeting in Brussels have been laying out plans to secure the bloc's external borders to prevent more people from coming in and work with transit countries.

Donald Tusk - European Council President"If we are not able to find humanitarian and efficient solutions then others will find solutions which are inhumane, nationalistic and for sure, not European."The EU has agreed a tentative deal with Turkey to give them 3 billion euro in aid in exchange for a lifting of visa restrictions for Turkish citizens for Turkey to help stem the flow of refugees.

Divisions between EU member states alone are still preventing action to tackle to crisis.

Janis Emmanouilidis - European Policy Centre"So there are countries in central and eastern Europe who are not as diverse in terms of the composition of their societies. Their readiness to accept so called foreigners is less than there is in countries which are used to having huge numbers of non-residents, of having people of different origin, of different also religious beliefs in their countries."Manfred Weber - Leader of the European People's party in the European parliament"We have to be open minded for those people who really need our help. And on the other hand to protect borders, to secure the situation, to give the state the power back to control the border. Those are the two sides of the same medal. We need action yes, not any more words, we need actions. We have to do it now. That means border control, that means more money for the camps in Turkey, in Jordan and in Lebanon."The EU leaders discussed a permanent relocation system for all asylum seekers entering the bloc - but they couldn't agree on it over fears of numbers which may arrive while the war in Syria intensifies.

And while the refugee crisis continues there was also another defning issue discussed at this summit - for the first time the leaders talked about the UK's impending 2017 referendum on whether it stays an EU member. An exit would shake the European Union immeasurably.

Back Anchor:

Jack Parrock reporting from Brussels.

Biggest Contemporary African Art Fair in Europe Opens in LondonAnchor:

An art exhibition featuring Contemporary African Art is underway in London.

The exhibition is in London after making a stop-over in New York earlier this yearOur UK correspondent Dan Whitehead has more.

Reporter:

Suspended from the ceiling above me - a sculpture called "Kidnapped" - which the artist says represents the struggle of girls and women captured by militants Boko Haram...

Created by Nigerian-American Adejoke Tugbiyele, it's one of hundreds of pieces on display at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London...

Adejoke Tugbiyele, Artist: "It's a serious issue, but looking at it I hope people are actually empowered and uplifted to speak up more, not just about this issue but other issues pertaining to women and girls in Nigeria."Work from artists from right across Africa is on show - including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Nairobi to South Africa.

From artwork depicting more traditional political messages of Africa's history through to modern day photography - a landscape of Johannesburg during rush hour - the breadth of artwork here is clear to see.

Charles Shields runs the Everard Read Gallery in Cape Town, which represents around 40 South African artists.

He says contemporary African art is hugely popular...

Charles Shields, Everard Read Gallery: "It's been growing and right now there is a sense that it is the flavour of the time if you like. Rather like China in the 90s, Africa is very much on the stage."Work from Cape Town's Qubeka Bead Studio - who convert traditional paintings and photos into intricate bead work - is among the exhibits...

Organisers say there are huge differences between work in between countries...

Touria El Glaoui: "It's quite interesting to showcase this multiplicity here. People have an idea of what North African artists are doing rather than sub-saharan artists rather than South African artists, so we are really happy to be able to showcase this diversity."The Fair, now its third year, is the biggest of its kind and continues to grow.

For CRI, I'm Dan Whitehead in London."Egypt to Hold First Parliamentary Election in Three YearsFinal preparations are underway for the first parliamentary elections in Egypt since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi some 3-years ago.

The first phase of the parliamentary vote is scheduled for Sunday.

Phase-2 of the staggered election will take place in December.

Egyptian political observer Mahmoud Mosallam says the election is likely to bode well for current President Abel Fatah al-Sisi.

"According to my predictions, I think that 90% of those who will win seats, will be close to President Sisi, one way or another. Some will be very close and others will be somewhat close. I do not think that any member will be willing to be confrontational to the government except if there is an issue that needs confrontation."Egypt has been without a parliament since June 2012 when a court dissolved the elected main chamber, then dominated by Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood has since been outlawed in Egypt.

None of the groups representing its interests are running in the election.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 13 degrees. Tomorrow will see some haze with a high of 23.

Shanghai will be clear overnight with a low of 18. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 19. Tomorrow, drizzling high of 27Lhasa will be showering tonight with a low of 4, sunny tomorrow with a high of 16.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 38.

Kabul, sunny, 21.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be sunny with a high of 27.

Brisbane, sunny, high of 30.

Perth, sunny, 30.

And finally Auckland will be cloudy with a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsXi pledges stronger support to rid all Chinese of poverty by 2020Chinese President Xi Jinping says poverty alleviation is going to be a priority for the government in the next 5-year plan.

He's made the pledge this Friday as part of a forum in Beijing discussing global poverty redution and development.

Xi Jinping says more government support will be forthcoming over the next 5-years.

There are still around 70-million people living below the poverty line in China, which currently sits at 23-hundred yuan per-year.

Four former provincial-level officials ousted from CPCAuthorities have unveiled a new batch of corrupt officials who have been kicked out of the Communist Party of China.

The list includes Yang Dongliang, former head of the State Administration of Work Safety, as well as Zhou Benshun, former Party chief in Hebei.

Both had previously been put under official investigation for graft.

A pair of provincial-level officials from Inner Mongolia and Guangxi are also on the list.

All are accused of multiple offenses, including graft and abuse of power.

Its expected all four will be handed over to judicial authorities for criminal prosecution.

Organizer indicted over Taiwan water park blazeCharges have now been laid in connection with this summer's deadly water park fire in Taiwan.

The organizer of the party has been charged with negligence causing death or injury.

Lu Cheng-chi heads the company which organized the late-night concert at a water park in New Taipei City on June 27th.

Colored starch-powder ejected into the crowd ignited during the event, sending a ball of fire through the crowd of young party-goers.

Twelve died of their injuries shortly thereafter.

Nearly 500 others were hurt, with close to 90 suffering severe burns.

Some still remain hospitalized.

Smog cloaks east ChinaWarnings are in-place in Shandong for heavy smog.

At least 13 cities in the northern Chinese province are expected to have to cope with the heavy pollution through Saturday.

Children, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases are being advised to stay indoors.

Annual crop-burning in the northern regions of China is being blamed for the majority of the pollution.

Pakistan, Russia sign agreement to build gas pipelineRussia has signed-off on a major investment in Pakistan.

The 2-billion US dollar investment will go toward the creation of an 11-hundred-kilometer natural gas pipeline running from the Port of Karachi to the northern city of Lahore.

Phase-1 of the project is expected to be finished in two-years.

The Russian investment is the first in Pakistan in some 40-years.

Senegal, Japan, Egypt, Ukraine and Uruguay elected as non-permanent members of UN Security CouncilSenegal, Japan, Egypt, Ukraine and Uruguay have been elected new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The newly-elected members will begin their two-year terms starting in January.

They will join the other five non-permanent members of the Security Council, namely Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela.

The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly.

Five of the ten non-permanent seats are elected every year.

Biz ReportsAsian StocksAnchor:

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

Joining us on the desk Luo Wen.

Reporter:

Chinese shares continued to rally on Friday as September credit data beat expectations.

Gainers were led by water facilities, public transport, telecom operation and environmental protection.

At the close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.6 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index rose 1.3 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises jumped 1.8 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng Index closed 0.8 percent higher.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares ended the trading day higher as sentiment here was buoyed by optimism over U.S. and Chinese economic outlook.

Insurance, financing business and real estate issues led the gains.

The benchmark Nikkei added 1.1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI slipped 0.2 percent.

Singapore's Straights Times went up half of a percent.

And finally,Australia's ASX/200 ticked up 0.7 percent.

Alibaba Makes Non-Binding Proposal to Buy Youku TudouAlibaba has announced plans for a massive new investment.

Jack Ma's company has put in a non-binding bid to purchase the controlling stake of Youku Tudou.

The deal is estimated to be worth some 3.6-billion US dollars.

Alibaba already owns just over 18-percent of Youku's shares.

In making the announcement, Alibaba says its takeover bid has the support of Youku founder and CEO Victor Koo.

If completed, Alibaba is likely to combine its existing platforms, such as Taobao and others, with Youku's digital framework.

The takeover bid is still be subject to Youku's shareholder approval.

Shareholders back Chinese stake in New Zealand meat cooperativeChina's biggest meat processor is a step closer toward controlling a 50-percent stake in New Zealand's biggest meat cooperative.

Silver Fern Farms shareholders have voted in favor of allowing Shanghai Maling Aquarius Group to purchase half the cooperative for 178-million U.S. dollars.

Maling Aquarius is partly-owned by China's Bright Food Group.

The deal itself is still subject to approval by from Maling Aquarius shareholders, as well as New Zealand and Chinese authorities.

The deal is drawing criticism from opposition lawmakers in New Zealand.

They say the government has failed to help the local meat industry become more competitive, leaving it open to offshore ownership.

China, Indonesia enter joint venture for high-speed railway projectThe final deal has now been inked for the construction of a new rail line in Indonesia with Chinese help.

A subsidiary of the China Railway Corporation, the former Ministry of Railways, is teaming up with a group of 4 Indonesian state-run groups to build a 150-kilometer-long line running from the capital, Jakarta, to Bandung.

Yang Zhongmin, chair of China Railway International, says the project will benefit Indonesia's economy and its people.

"I believe our cooperation is a strong combination because China can build high quality, fast-rail. This project will provide convenience to the people of Indonesia and help develop the country economically. This has been the overall goal even before we signed the deal to create the project. It remains our common goal."The Indonesian government has been on-record saying the project will not be financed through its state coffers.

As such, the 5.5-billion US dollar project will be bankrolled mostly by the China Development Bank through a 40-year loan.

The Chinese side will control 40-percent, while the Indonesian side will control the rest.

Authorities have not indicated what, if any, private-sector cooperation will be involved.

As part of the deal, the Chinese side has agreed to allow technology transfers to the new consortium if it wants to take part in additional projects outside Indonesia.

China issues anti-monopoly warning to automakersChinese regulators have put out a warning to auto makers.

In detailing the total amount of anti-trust fines leveled against companies so-far this year, National Development and Reform Commission chief Li Pumin has suggested vehicle makers are poised to come under additional scrutiny.

"In accordance with provisions laid out by the State Council's Anti-Monopoly Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission is, together with related departments, studying how to fine-tune the anti-monopoly law enforcement procedures and drafting anti-trust guides for the automotive industry with the aim of refining, standardizing and unifying our anti-monopoly work."Mercedes-Benz and Nissan are among 10 different companies which have been hit with anti-monopoly fines this year.

Chinese authorities have issued fines worth some 6.6-billion yuan, or over 1-billion US dollars, for monopolistic practices.

The vast majority of that has been leveled against US chip maker Qualcomm, who was hit with a 6-billion yuan fine back in February connected to the fees it charges to license its mobile chip technology.

Experts on Plans to increase e-commerce in Chinese rural areasAnchor:

In the lead up to China's 2nd National Poverty Relief Day on Saturday, the State Council has unveiled plans to upgrade its Internet infrastructure and the development of its logistics industry in rural areas.

The plans are meant to try to bolster e-commerce activity in China's vast rural areas.

It involves government's spending worth some 140-billion yuan by 2020 to provide at least 50-thousand villages in China with Internet access.

Once complete, authorities say this should give internet access to around 98-percent of the country.

For more on the plans, CRI's Zhao Yang spoke earlier with Professor Liu Baocheng from the University of International Business and Economics, and Professor Paul Gillis from Guanghua School of Management at Peking University.

Changan Ford recalls 219,307 vehicles in ChinaChangan Ford has announced a recall of nearly 220-thousand of its Ford Kuga's.

Kuga's produced between July of 2012 and last November are being brought in because of concerns about an oil tube problem.

The company says the defective tubes may crack, causing potential fuel leaks.

Changan Ford is a joint venture between Chinese automaker Changan and American giant Ford.

SportsShanghai Masters results updateIn tennis,Rafael Nadal has advanced to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, blowing past 4th seed Stan Wawrinka this afternoon, 6-2, 6-1.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has also booked a place in the semi's, narrowly edging out South African Kevin Anderson 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.

The other quarter-finals are taking place tonight.

Novak Djokovic is up against young Australian Bernard TomicThe last of the quarter-finals will go at 8 tonight, with Andy Murray taking on Tomas Berdych.

Denmark Open badminton resultsIn badminton,Chen Long and Lin Dan are all through to the quarter-final of the Demark Open.

World number-1 Chen Long is through after rolling past Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, 21-11, 21-9.

Lin Dan is also into the quarters after dropping his first set to Hong Kong's Hu Yun.

However, he recovered, finishing 19-21, 21-10, 21-16.

There was a big upset today on the men's side, with Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, the former world number one, being knocked out by Hong Kong's Wei Nan, 21-18, 21-19.

The Chinese mixed doubles team of Zhao Yunlei and Zhang Nan are also out.

South Korean duo Shin Baek Cheol and Chae Yoo Jung, who lost to Zhao/Zhang at the Korea Open, upset the defending champions 22-20, 21-18.

Brendan Steele fires round of 63 to lead the 2015-16 PGA Tour season opening Frys.com OpenIn golf,The 2nd round of the LPGA event in South Korea is in the books.

New Zealander Lydia Ko has jumped into the lead after round-2, and now sits alone atop the leaderboard at 10-under after 36-holes.

American Lexi Thompson is one-back at minus-9.

China's Feng Shanshan still remains within striking distance of the leaders, currently sitting at minus-6 in a tie for 7th.

---The new PGA season has teed off with the opening round of the Frys.com Open in California.

California-native Brendan Steele has fired a bogey-free, 9-under-63 to for a one-stroke lead after round-1.

Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas sits alone in 2nd at minus-8.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who comes into this season ranked 3rd behind Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, currently sits among a group 5-back at 4-under.

"Yeah, I felt like I played pretty well. Got off to a bit of a slow start this morning but I gradually got into the round and started hitting some better shots and giving myself plenty of chances ... didn't convert many of them but, you know, still a pretty solid score and in a good position going into the next three days."The winner of the Frys.com Open earns an automatic exemption to the Masters.

Last year's tournament winner, Bae Sang-moon, is unable to defend his title because of his mandatory military service in South Korea.

His final round of professional golf for the next 2-years played-out last weekend on the final day of the President's Cup, where he went down in the final hole to give the US team a narrow 15.5 to 14.5 victory over Bae's International squad.

NY Mets beat LA Dodgers 3-2 to win Eastern Conference Divisional SeriesIn baseball,The New York Mets are through to the National League Championship Series following a 3-2 victory over the LA Dodgers this morning.

Mets 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy proved the hero in the game.

Following a single to start the 4th, the Dodgers then ended up walking the left-handed hitter behind Murphy.

But with the infield shift on, and no-one covering 3rd base, Murphy bolted after touching 2nd to steal 3rd unmolested.

He was then brought in on a sacrifice-fly as the tying-run at 2-2.

Two innings later, he belted - what would end up being - the game winning home run off Dodgers starter Zack Greinke.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly.

"It's disappointing no matter what the situation is. You work too hard, you put in too many hours, you travel, you do the things that guys go through to get here is extraordinary and it comes to a crash and I don't think there's any way to soften that blow."The Mets are now headed back east to take on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series, after they upset St. Louis in their division series.

That series gets underway on Sunday morning, Beijing time.

The American League Division Series kicks-off tomorrow morning, shortly after 8am Beijing time, with the Kansas City Royals at home to the Toronto Blue Jays.

NBA preseason games update; Former NBA star Odom reported to be brain-deadIn basketball,A pair of pre-season games this morning...

The Houston Rockets went down to the Golden State Warriors 123-101.

And it was Indiana over Cleveland 107-85.

However, the big news out of basketball circles continues to be the health of former LA Laker Lamar Odom.

Wild reports have been circulating that Odom may be brain-dead.

However, all these reports have been generated on the information sent out on social-media by rapper Lil' Wayne.

None have been verified.

Odom is still in a coma after the 35-year old was found unconscious earlier this week in a Nevada brothel.

Authorities believe he overdosed on a mixture of cocaine and sex performance enchancers.

Falcons suffer first loss of NFL seasonIn the NFL,The Atlanta Falcons have suffered their first defeat of the season.

Drew Breese threw for 312 yards, including a touchdown, to lift his New Orleans Saints to a 31-21 victory this morning in the NFL Thursday night match.

The win puts New Orleans at 2-4 on the season, while Atlanta, with its first loss, now sits at 5-1.

Former Real Madrid legend Raul to retire at end of NASL seasonFootball legend Raul has announced plans to call it a career next month after wrapping up his time in the North American Soccer League.

The 38-year old Spaniard is currently playing with the New York Cosmos.

"I'm here today to announce my retirement as a player at the end of the season. After some weeks of thinking about it, I think it's the ideal time to retire after 21 years. In this season with the Cosmos where I've been very happy with the staff and where we still have opportunity in the next few games to win the championship."　Raul spent 16-years with Real Madrid, winning six La Liga titles, three Champions League titles and six Spanish Super Cups.

He currently shares the Real Madrid record for the most goals scored at 323 with current super star Cristiano Ronaldo.

EntertainmentKevin Tsai to leave "Kanxi Lai Le"Kevin Tsai or Cai Kangyong, the host of the popular Taiwan comedy talk show "Kangxi Lai Le", has announces on his weibo that he is to leave the show.

Tsai writes that he wants to do something different after hosting the show for 12 years.

Soon afterwards, Dee Hsu, co-host of the show hinted that she want to throw in her lot with Tsai.

"Kangxi Lai Le" was first aired in January 2004.

In most episodes, the hosts interview a panel of celebrities on various controversial topics while employing their signature comic bantering.

Although it is broadcast in Taiwan, the show is very popular among Chinese speaking audiences across the world, who watch uploaded re-runs over the internet.

Radiohead Finishes Recording Their New AlbumIt has been nearly three years since Radiohead last toured, but according to a recent interview with guitarist Jonny Greenwood it won't be long until the Brits hit the road again.

He also revealed that the band has nearly finished recording the follow-up to 2011's The King Of Limbs.

Greenwood revealed that they have finished recording of the new album but is still reevaluating the work they have done.

Radiohead has played less than 70 shows in the past five years.

More than 50 of those performances took place in 2012, the band's busiest year of touring since 2003.

Bryan Adams Returns With New Studio Album 'Get Up', Out TodayMulti-platinum recording artist Bryan Adams is set to release his thirteenth studio album, "Get Up", today.

Produced by famed ELO frontman Jeff Lynne and co-written with his long-time collaborator Jim Vallance, the album features nine new songs and four acoustic versions.

Get Up is a solid collection of beautifully-crafted rock songs, with fast and furious up-tempo tracks such as lead song "Brand New Day," and "You Belong to Me" and more gentle songs such as "Don't Even Try".

It also has alternative Adams-produced acoustic versions, highlighting Adams' unique voice and depth.

Michael Jackson's Final Days Turned Into a TV SeriesMichael Jackson fans will finally be able to find out what happened during the last weeks of the star's life through a new TV series.

Author and talk show host Tavis Smiley signed an exclusive deal to write a script for a series based on two of his books for Warner Bros. Television.

One of the books, titled "Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Last Days", recounts the final 16 weeks in the life of the legendary pop music superstar.

It will examine the soaring highs and deep lows faced by the late pop star and his constant hunt for privacy in a life that was more public than almost any other.

The book hits the shelves in June 2016.

Jackson died in June, 2009 due to a drug overdose.

He was rehearsing for a farewell tour "This Is It" during the final weeks of his life.

A concert film documenting the rehearsals was released following his death and broke box office records.

'The Little Prince' Opens in China3D animated film 'The Little Prince' has opened in China in both English and Chinese.

Chinese actor Huang Bo lent his voice to the film's Chinese theme song, as well as to the character the Aviator in the film.

A number of other well-known Chinese artists, including Golden Horse award-winning actress Zhou Xun, completed the cast.

Directed by Kung Fu Panda's co-director Mark Osbourne, 'The Little Prince' is based on the renowned French novel with the same name.

However, it is not a direct adaptation.

It has taken in elements from the novel, and interwoven them with an original narrative, featuring a young girl who is dealing with her pushy mother.

This is the first adaptation of the beloved novella, which has sold 145 million copies in 265 languages.

Oprah Winfrey to Release New Documentary Series 'Belief'

Oprah Winfrey will unveil her new documentary series 'Belief', talking about how religion is perceived differently across the world.

At the series' premier in New York, Winfrey called on people to find common ground, no matter what or who they believe in.

The film takes three years to accomplish, as cameras trek to various countries to showcase people with varying perspectives and experiences with religion and spirituality.

Author and public speaker Deepak Chopra gives the reason why people should watch 'Belief'.

'Belief' is set to be released on Winfrey's network OWN this Sunday.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 13 degrees. Tomorrow will see some haze with a high of 23.

Shanghai will be clear overnight with a low of 18. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 19. Tomorrow, drizzling high of 27Lhasa will be showering tonight with a low of 4, sunny tomorrow with a high of 16.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 38.

Kabul, sunny, 21.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be sunny with a high of 27.

Brisbane, sunny, high of 30.

Perth, sunny, 30.

And finally Auckland will be cloudy with a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

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

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiling a bold new pledge to pull some 70-million above the poverty line in the next 5-years.

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...