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

Coming up on the program this morning...

The president has outlined new goals for eradicating poverty in China by 2020...

The UK ambassador to China answers questions about President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit...

and strong criticism from the president of Turkey over the European Union's refugee policy...

We will look back at the business stories that have made headlines over the past week...

In Sports...an update from the Shanghai Masters...

In Entertainment...a popular Chinese TV show is coming to an end...

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

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

He announced the target in a speech to the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum taking place in Beijing.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reports.

Reporter:

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 WeerasekaraUN Chief Celebrates World Food Day at Expo Milano 2015This year's World Food Day has been celebrated at the Milan Expo, with the theme being "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has addressed the event.

"We will never realise our vision for sustainable development without rapid progress toward ending hunger and under nutrition. And to do that we have to empower women, give young people opportunities and support small holder farmers."A pact to make food systems in urban areas more equitable was signed by over 100 global cities, including Beijing, Buenos Aires, and Dubai.

Friday's World Food Day was celebrated on the anniversary of the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.

Ambassador: Xi's Visit to UK Heralds a "Golden Decade" for Bilateral RelationAnchor:

The UK's ambassador to China has been answering questions about 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.

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.

…Back Anchor:

Professor Cui Hongjian with the China Institue of International Studies, speaking with CRI's Wang Mengzhen.

U.S., S. Korea to strengthen coordination with China to bring North Korea back to six-party talksThe United States and South Korea have issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen coordination with China to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table regarding its nuclear program.

The statement regarding the Six Party Talks followed a meeting between the American and South Korean presidents.

"And, I suspect, President Park agrees with me here that at the point where Pyongyang says 'we're interested in seeing relief from sanctions and improved relations and we are prepared to have a serious conversation about de-nuclearization,' its fair to say we'll be right there at the table."It is said to be the first time the two countries have issued a joint statement regarding North Korea.

The statement also warns of "further significant measures by the UN Security Council" if North Korea "carries out a launch using ballistic missile technology or a nuclear test."President Obama also stated that America is willing to see a strong relationship develop between China and South Korea, and to see China's peaceful rise.

The Six Party Talks involving China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States, and North Korea were launched in 2003.

The dialogue has been suspended since 2008.

Chinese envoy calls for conflict de-escalation between Palestine, IsraelA Chinese envoy at the United Nations has urged Israel and Palestine to exercise maximum restraint and take practical steps to avoid further escalation of a regional conflict.

Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks at a Security Council emergency meeting on the escalating tensions in Israel and Palestine.

He called the excessive use of force to cause casualties among innocent civilians "unacceptable."He also called for the quick resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine.

Clashes Break Out on Palestinian "Day of Rage"Anchor:

Clashes broke out in the West Bank and along the Gaza border on Friday, a Palestinian "day of rage."CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

Four Palestinians were killed on Friday in clashes with Israelis soldiers, and one died from wounds sustained during an earlier demonstration.

Since the beginning of the month, fierce clashes have killed eight Israelis, while Israeli forces have killed at least 35 Palestinians.

Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Central Council, says the only way to stop the clashes is for Israel to stop its oppression and end its occupation of Palestinian lands.

"People are revolting against injustice. People are revolting against oppression. People are revolting against discrimination. They are revolting against occupation and apartheid. These are young people deprived from opportunity, they suffered from poverty, they suffered from unemployment, and the Israeli army and soldiers continue to humiliate them every day, so these are young people responding to humiliation, and all they are demanding truly is their freedom."Hamas has called for "Friday confrontations" with Israeli soldiers as part of a Palestinian "day of rage."Early Friday morning, Palestinian youths set fire to Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the arson against the holy site and pledged to open an investigation into the incident.

In another West Bank city, Hebron, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the afternoon after he stabbed an Israeli soldier.

Shortly after the attack, clashes broke out in Hebron. Clashes also erupted along the Gaza border and in Nablus, with 3 Palestinians killed.

In Jerusalem, more Israeli policemen and soldiers were deployed.

Sitting with friends near the Damascus Gate of the Old City, Muath Khatid, a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, says the Israeli forces disturb their life a lot.

"Every one or two hours they come to check the IDs of the (Arab) guys sitting at Damascus Gate without a reason, if they don't like the guy, they took them to body check. It affects very much the area. Usually Damascus Gate is an active area for social life and economic life. It is the main entrance of Jerusalem (Old City), and now it's nearly empty."Israel has recently tightened security measures to prevent attacks, including the closure of some Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, as well as the revocation of permanent resident status of east Jerusalem Palestinians involved in attacks.

However, Khatid says such measures cannot solve the problem.

"Never. Never had and never will be. These closures, these problems the police do, increase the thought of people of doing attacks or stabbing on policemen or settlers."Also, Jewish residents are doubtful on the effects of the measures.

"I don't think they are useful, but just slow them down a little bit. Sure I'm worried about the safety of my family. We have to look behind our back all the time. And that's what happened. What can we do?"For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

China Proposes Joint Exercise in South China Sea with ASEAN CountriesDefense chiefs from China and ASEAN countries have sat down for an informal meeting in Beijing to discuss security cooperation.

Main topics at the first-of-its-kind meeting have included management of potential conflicts, as well as ways to help build-up trust.

Chinese officials have forwarded a series of proposals, including a joint exercise in the South China Sea in 2016.

Defense Minister Chang Wanquan says the drills would be mainly focusing on unexpected encounters on the sea, as well as countering piracy and terrorism.

"Dialogues and cooperation in the area of defense and security are a major part of China-ASEAN strategic partnership. China and the ASEAN should stick to the direction of cooperation and development, strengthen our strategic partnership and make joint contributions to build a China-ASEAN community of common destiny."China also proposes the establishment of a defense hot line among China and ASEAN countries.

China and a majority of the 10-member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN, surround the South China Sea, which is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

China pledges law-enforcement cooperation after U.S. busts drug networkChina has pledged to cooperate with the United States on law enforcement and investigation of drug trafficking.

This comes after the U.S. arrested 151 people allegedly involved in a China-Middle East synthetic-drug network and seized 10,000 kilogram of synthetic marijuana, most of which was imported from China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says China will cooperate with the U.S. in this investigation.

She says China takes the issue of illicit drugs very seriously.

"On the aspect of drug enforcement cooperation, firstly, Chinese government has consistently fought against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. We've always taken active and responsible attitude to cooperating with other countries including the United States on dealing with drug problems."According to the spokeswoman, the two countries are also cooperating on reducing the need for drugs, including rehabilitation and recovery.

Erdogan derides Europe's refugee policyTurkey's president has derided Europe for not taking in more refugees - a cold response to a European Union plan to give new aid and concessions to Ankara in exchange for stemming the unprecedented flow of people across borders.

EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels agreed to give "political support" for an action plan for Turkey, including easier access to EU visas for Turkish citizens and sped-up EU membership talks.

In a speech on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not address the refugee offer but accused the EU of being insincere about Turkey's membership.

"If you look at the EU countries today, many of them are behind Turkey when it comes to the EU legislation because Turkey is ahead economically speaking, in terms of the Copenhagen criteria and other factors. We are doing much better than many of those countries but unfortunately, they are not sincere."Turkey hosts more refugees than any other country in the world.

Hundreds of thousands are sheltered in refugee camps, but many more are left to fend for themselves.

Europe has seen 600,000 new arrivals this year.

Croatia to transport migrants via Slovenia after Hungary closes borderCroatia says the route for transporting migrants and refugees would now turn towards Slovenia after Hungary's decision to restrict its border with Croatia.

Hungary says it will close down its border with Croatia, where it has built a razor-wire fence, from midnight on Friday.

Experts say the move could leave thousands of migrants on their way to western Europe stranded in the small Balkan nation.

The decision comes after EU leaders meeting in Brussels failed to agree on a plan backed by Hungary to send EU forces to block migrants from reaching Greece.

Germany Approves Measures to Manage Refugees in the CountryAnchor:

Germany's parliament has approved a series of measures to the large influx of refugees entering the country. The news comes with German chancellor Angela Merkel under increasing pressure at home over her refugee policy.

Our correspondent Ira Spitzer reports from Berlin.

Reporter:

Germany's new laws are designed to speed up asylum and deportation procedures. They also specify three Balkan nations as 'safe', meaning people fleeing those countries have little chance of asylum in Germany.

The country is expected to take in close to a million refugees this year - by far the most in Europe - and German chancellor Angela Merkel has declared repeatedly that the country can manage. She recently called on other European countries to follow Germany's lead.

"We also have a duty to stand by those people who come here in dire need to see them as people and not just as an anonymous mass of people"But while Merkel has been praised by many outside the country for her welcoming attitude, it's been a different story at home. In a recent poll fifty six percent of Germans said there were already too many refugees in the country, a ten percent increase from a month earlier.

Merkel too has faced criticism from within her own Christian Democratic party. Horst Seehofer, the leader of the state of Bavaria, has pushed for Berlin to curb the flow of migrants.

"We need a limit on immigration, in order to maintain the solidarity of the public which, fortunately, is still very high. We need the limit for successful integration based on common values. And we need the limit of immigration in order to maintain our internal security."Bavaria is on the front lines of the crisis since most refugees enter Germany through its southern border with Austria. The state's interior minister Joachim Herrman even recently threatened legal action if they didn't get more help.

While the new laws are a compromise that should appease some in Bavaria, conservatives from Merkel's party are pushing other controversial reforms, including setting up transit zones at the border. The idea would be for authorities to send refugees back immediately if it's deemed they have no chance of asylum. But critics say that is both inhumane and unmanageable. The big question now is whether Merkel will continue to champion refugees or will she fall back into line with her party?

For CRI, I'm Ira Spitzer in Berlin.

Moscow Denies Shotdown Drone Belongs to RussiaMoscow has denied that a drone shot down in Turkish airspace was a Russian aircraft.

Turkish jets brought down an unidentified drone on Friday near the border with Syria.

The Turkish military said it was shot down after ignoring three warnings to leave.

The Russian Defense Ministry says it has established direct contact with the Turkish military to avoid incidents during operations near the Turkish border.

China punishes offenders in insider trading, spreading false informationChina's securities watchdog said it will mete out 100 million yuan, or 16 million U.S. dollars, in fines to 10 offenders involved in insider trading and spreading false information.

Zhang Xiaojun, spokesperson of China Securities Regulatory Commission, says two of the offenders have also been barred from the securities market for life.

"China Securities Regulatory Commission is to fine four cases of insider trading and one case of spreading false information. The fine is estimated at more than 100 million yuan. Two of the offenders in these cases are barred from the securities market for life. Related companies and personnel have been noticed according to legal procedures."He says the offenders' activities hurt investors' legal interests, disrupted market order, and misled investors.

One the offenders was fined 200 thousand yuan for releasing fabricated information online, which called on investors to reduce stock holdings, in turn leading to panic on the stock market.

The regulatory commission pledged to continue cracking down on illegal activities in a high-pressure manner to maintain the fairness and openness of the market.

WeatherBeijing has smog today with a high of 23 degrees Celsius, cloudy tonight with a low of 14.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 25, cloudy tonight with a low of 18.

In Chongqing, it will have light rain today with a high of 25 and a low of 19.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 31.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 26.

Over to North America,New York will be mostly sunny with a high of 13 degrees.

Washington, partly cloudy with a high of 14 degrees.

Honolulu, showers, 27.

Toronto will be partly cloudy with a high of 8 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 19.

And Rio de Janeiro will have scattered showers with a high of 26 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 made the pledge on Friday as part of a forum in Beijing discussing global poverty reduction 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.

U.S., S. Korea to strengthen coordination with China to bring North Korea back to six-party talksThe United States and South Korea have issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen coordination with China to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table regarding its nuclear program.

The statement regarding the Six Party Talks followed a meeting between the American and South Korean presidents.

It is said to be the first time the two countries have issued a joint statement regarding North Korea.

The statement also warns of "further significant measures by the UN Security Council" if North Korea "carries out a launch using ballistic missile technology or a nuclear test."President Obama also stated that America is willing to see a strong relationship develop between China and South Korea, and to see China's peaceful rise.

Chinese envoy calls for conflict de-escalation between Palestine, IsraelA Chinese envoy at the United Nations has urged Israel and Palestine to exercise maximum restraint and take practical steps to avoid further escalation of a regional conflict.

Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks at a Security Council emergency meeting on the escalating tensions in Israel and Palestine.

He called the excessive use of force to cause casualties among innocent civilians "unacceptable."He also called for the quick resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine.

Moscow Denies Shot down Drone Belongs to RussiaMoscow has denied that a drone shot down in Turkish airspace was a Russian aircraft.

Turkish jets brought down an unidentified drone on Friday near the border with Syria.

The Turkish military said it was shot down after ignoring three warnings to leave.

The Russian Defense Ministry says it has established direct contact with the Turkish military to avoid incidents during operations near the Turkish border.

Fresh suicide attack kills 7 in NE Nigeria: officialSeven people have been killed in a suicide bombing in northeastern Nigeria.

The attack comes barely a day after a similar attack hit a mosque in the same area, killing close to 30.

Friday's incident is the third this week to hit the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri.

Militant group Boko Haram is being blamed for the attacks.

Weekly Biz RoundupWeekly Business ReviewAnchor:

It's time to take a look back at some of the headlines from business over the past week in our Weekly Business Review.

A string of economic data released shows the Chinese economy is still facing downward pressure.

China and Indonesia inked a deal for a joint railway project.

The Chinese government has set a timetable for reforming price controls.

Alibaba proposes a takeover of Youku Tudou.

Let's catch all of that and more with CRI's Wenjie.

Reporter:

A slew of economic data was released this week.

Figures released on Tuesday show China's foreign trade dropped 8.8 percent year on year to 2.2 trillion yuan or 350 billion U.S. dollars in September, with imports slumping nearly 18 percent.

The September figure was less severe than the 9.7-percent contraction in August.

In the first three quarters, foreign trade dropped nearly 8 percent year on year to 18 trillion yuan, nearly 3 trillion U.S. dollars.

General Administration of Customs spokesperson Huang Songping attributed the drops to high costs and slumping commodity prices.

"Rising labor cost is the main cause that limits companies' capacity to expand manufacturing and exports."Looking ahead, the spokesperson says he is confident the number will improve in the fourth quarter.

"At present, the effects of policies are gradually being felt. According to our preliminary expectations, barring any significant political and economic emergencies worldwide, we expect overall imports and exports to be better in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter."////////////////Wednesday's data shows the Consumer Price Index for September has come in at 1.6-percent on an annualized basis, 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."Meanwhile, 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.

////////////China's State Council set a timetable on Thursday for reforming the price forming mechanism.

The timetable shows that China will lift price controls over most goods and services in competitive sectors by 2017, leaving the government-set prices to only key utility services, public-good programs and network industries featuring natural monopolies, such as electricity and water supply.

By 2020, China will have a sound price forming mechanism, in which the market will a decisive role.

China will lift control over oil price in due course of time, and speed up the removal of control over natural gas prices.

The country will also realize more independent pricing by operators in rail, highways, airline and harbors.

///////////On Friday, the final deal was 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 5.5-billion US dollar project will be bankrolled mostly by the China Development Bank through a 40-year loan.

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.

////////////////////In the lead up to China's 2nd National Poverty Relief Day on Saturday, the State Council on Wednesday 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.

Professor Paul Gillis from Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, sees great potential in China's rural e-commerce market.

…/////////////////The new round at the Canton Fair opened on Thursday in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Fair organizers have invited more overseas countries, especially those along the Belt and Road initiative routes, to attend the session.

However, due to tough trade prospects, a spokesperson for the fair says they might see fewer international buyers this time.

He says rail ticket bookings from foreign countries had declined compared with previous sessions.

The previous session, held in April and May, was attended by over 180-thousand buyers.

The transaction volume was almost 30 billion U.S. dollars.

///////////On the corporate front,Alibaba on Friday 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.

//////////////////////On Thursday, the Australian government announced that it stands behind a move this week to allow a Chinese-owned company to take over the long-term lease at the Port of Darwin in northern Australia.

The Australian government says it has already signed an agreement in anticipation of the deal which permits it to access the site for the first 15 years of the lease.

On Tuesday, Chinese-owned Landbridge Group signed a deal with the government of Australia's Northern Territory for a 99-year lease of Darwin's port operations.

Under the 370-million US dollar agreement, the Chinese company will maintain full control of the port operations, as well as 80-percent of the land at the port site.

The port in Darwin is a major jumping-off point for Australian exports headed to China.

//////////////////On Wednesday, China's three main telecom operators agreed to consolidate towers and related assets into a jointly owned firm, a move that would reduce duplication of telecom infrastructure.

Shares of China United Network Communications and China Mobile gained at least 2.7 percent on the day after the government injected 36 billion U.S. dollars of network assets such as base stations into a new company called China Tower Corporation.

And that concludes this edition of the weekly business review. I'm Wenjie. Thank you for listening.

SportsShanghai Masters moves into Semi-finalsAnchor:

In tennis news:

This past Friday saw some serious action at the Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament, as the remaining top men's tennis players competed for a place in the semi-finals.

CRI's Sophie Williams has the latest on those games.

Reporter:

Spain's Rafael Nadal has continued his comeback from injury after stunning Stan Wawrinka in straight sets 6-2, 6-1.

The match took just over an hour.

It's was Nadal's first win against a top five player in over a year. He says he is happy with his improvement so far.

"Being in the semi finals is a great result for me. I haven't played in the semi finals on a hard court this year so now I'm playing two weeks in a row in that final round so that is a big improvement for me and in terms of confidence and level of tennis, I am playing better and so I am very happy with that. "He will meet France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the next round of the competition after Tsonga beat South Africa's Kevin Anderson 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.

Meanwhile world number one Novak Djokovic was given a challenge for the first time at the tournament by Australia's Bernard Tomic.

The Aussie was in control of the first set, taking it to a tie break when Djokovic regained control winning 7-6,6-1.

Djokovic will meet Andy Murray on Saturday evening and says he doesn't see himself as a clear favourite.

"Andy has more options and variety in his game and he's been on the top of the men's game for so many years, he's a grand slam winner, Olympic gold medalist and somebody who understands how to play on a big occasion so I don't see myself as a clear favourite but I will try and use the confidence and optimism that I've had over the past couple of weeks"Andy Murray outshone world number five Tomas Berdych in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.

The Shanghai Rolex Masters culminates with the final on Sunday.

The winner of the tournament is handed an extra 1000 points to add to their ATP World Rankings.

For CRI, I'm Sophie Williams in Shanghai.

Venus William's advances to semi-finals of Hong Kong Openand in more tennis news:

Venus Williams beat France's Alize Cornet in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open with a 6-1, 6-1.

This was the fifth time the pair had met in competition and also the fifth win for the 35-year-old.

Williams will face either Jelena Jankovic or Daria Gavrilova in the semi-finals.

Chen Long & Carolina Marin advance at Yonex Denmark OpenIn badminton news:

Defending champion Chen Long of China secured a semifinal spot in the men's singles event at the Yonex Denmark Open on Friday.

The top-seeded Chen lost the first game to unseeded Wei Nan but fought back hard, scoring a string of six consecutive points to build a 13-6 lead, taking the second game 21-13.

In the decider, Chen managed to wrap up the game with a 21-16.

This victory for China, also came with a loss as two time Olympic Champion Lin Dan was beaten by Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, 21-8, 21-7.

And in the women's singles,Carolina Marin defeated Michelle Li of Canada 21-14, 21-11.

This will move the Spaniard into her semi-finals, with her opponent yet to be determined.

Andy Sullivan leads at Portugal MastersIn golf news:

England's Andy Sullivan is leading at the Portugal Masters on Friday - after a second successive 64 at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club.

The 29-year-old is aiming to become the first player to win three European Tour events this season.

As the tournament moves forward, officials have stated that round 3 would see a "shotgun" start from 8a.m. Portugal time, on Saturday.

France preps for Rugby World Cup match against New ZealandIn rugby news:

French players spoke out about their upcoming Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand and recent rumours of a mutiny on Friday.

It was France's Scott Spedding who stated his squad was behind coach Philippe Saint-Andre, as they prep to play world champions New Zealand in the World Cup quarter-finals at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

"Look, it happened later on than we thought, but it's happened and honestly we've prepared (for) this game like any other game. So nothing has changed within our squad. We've trained with the coaches all week and unless I'm missing something, there's no friction in the team."Rumours of a mutiny started gaining attention after France lost Sunday's game against Ireland, 24-9.

Spedding stated that his team isn't focusing on anything but their next match against New Zealand.

Currently, the All Blacks are on an eight-game run against France.

Sepp Blatter speaks on suspicious paymentIn some FIFA news:

Sepp Blatter revealed on Friday that a payment to Michel Platini which led to them both being suspended by FIFA was based on a "gentleman's agreement".　Blatter was speaking for the first time since being suspended from his job as FIFA president.　Blatter said there was no written contract for a payment he made to Platini for approximately 2 million USD.　Platini has said the money was connected to his role as Blatter's adviser between 1998 and 2002.

Blatter also spoke about the legacy he thinks he will leave behind.

"Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow but in years to come people will see what I've done for football. And this now has developed to nothing else than to the fight for the presidency and a legal fight between the USA and Switzerland."Blatter, who is appealing against the decision by the Ethics Commission to suspend him, added that he fully intended to lead the next FIFA Congress in Mexico City in 2016.

Entertainment"Kanxi Lai Le" to Close DownTaiwan TV producer Wang Weizhong announced that comedy talk show "Kangxi Lai Le", one of the most popular programs his company has made, is ready to end.

This came after both the hosts Kevin Tsai and Dee Hsu announced their quit on Friday.

Wang Weizhong said he respects their decisions and since the show was named after both the hosts, their leaving will lead the show's end.

He added that it's not been decided on what date the show will stop airing.

"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 broadcasted in Taiwan, the show is very popular among Chinese speaking audiences across the world.

'Hotel Transylvania 2' to Hit Theatres on Oct. 27The 3D animated film 'Hotel Transylvania 2' is scheduled to hit theatres in China on October 27th.

In the sequel to the original Hotel Transylvania, the new installment picks up the story of the mysterious hotel, where monsters worldwide can take a rest from the humans. With all this going on, the owner tries to have a closer relationship with his half human, half vampire grandson.

Its voice cast includes Selena Gomez and Adam Sandler.

The animated fantasy comedy film topped American box offices last month.

The Hellfire Sunflowers' Anime Film to Release in China 23 Oct.

The latest installment in the Detective Conan film series is going to hit the big screens here in China.

Detective Conan: The Hellfire Sunflowers, is set to premiere in China on the coming Friday.

The story revolves around one of Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflower" paintings that had been auctioned off to a buyer in Japan.

Kaito Kid, one of Conan's arch rivals, crashes the auction and steals the painting. Conan, as usual, takes on the mission to find Kid and the painting, which leads him on a dangerous adventure where other people's lives are in jeopardy.

Conan enjoys a large number of loyal fans in China.

Conan appeared in comic books in 1994, and since then has been featured in 750 or more TV episodes and 19 films.

Slimmed down Rome Film Festival opens with no jury, competitionThe Rome Film Festival opened for its 10th year on Friday with a slimmed-down group of films and no more competition.

The only prize up for grabs is the public audience award.

Artistic Director Antonio Monda defends the decision to get rid of the competition and eliminate the jury, explaining the idea is to "celebrate" each film.

"The meaning is that I want to celebrate. I do not want to have films competing or fighting. I would like to say that every personality, every film that comes here is already a winner. The idea is to show the best of the best, la creme de la creme. We have only, relatively, only 37 films this time compared to some 70ish last year, but we trust completely in these films."The Rome Film Festival runs from Oct. 16 to Oct. 24, with 37 films from 24 different countries.

Six James Bond actors get the wax work treatment at Madame TussaudsIt might be the first time all six James Bonds have been in the same room at the same time.

Wax figures of the six actors who've played the legendary 007 - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig - have gone on display together at Madame Tussauds in London.

The five new wax figures join the existing waxwork of Daniel Craig, as Bond from 2012's "Skyfall."Each statue took two sculptors four months to make.

Figure Production Artist Alex Garnett said the team did discover a few surprising things in the process of making the Bonds.

The figures will be on display at the London venue for six weeks, before being taken on a world tour to other Madame Tussauds locations.

WeatherBeijing has smog today with a high of 23 degrees Celsius, cloudy tonight with a low of 14.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 25, cloudy tonight with a low of 18.

In Chongqing, it will have light rain today with a high of 25 and a low of 19.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 31.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 26.

Over to North America,New York will be mostly sunny with a high of 13 degrees.

Washington, partly cloudy with a high of 14 degrees.

Honolulu, showers, 27.

Toronto will be partly cloudy with a high of 8 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 19.

And Rio de Janeiro will have scattered showers with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this weekend edition of the Beijing Hour.

A recap of your headlines:

The president has outlined new goals for eradicating poverty in China by 2020...

The UK ambassador to China answers questions about President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit...

and strong criticism from the president of Turkey over the European Union's refugee policy...

We will look back at the business stories that have made headlines over the past week...

In Sports...an update from the Shanghai Masters...

In Entertainment...a popular Chinese TV show is coming to an end..