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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping heading to northern England after wrapping up a tour of London this Friday.

A new survey suggesting people in China and Japan are becoming more tolerant of one-another's countries.

France's President may have to cut a trip to Greece short following one of the worst traffic accidents France has seen in decades.

In Business... new stats suggesting China's housing market may be rebounding.

In Sports... Justin Rose takes over the lead at the European Tour's Hong Kong Open.

In entertainment...... a popular online TV series in China is set to be made into a full-length feature.

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 Heads to ManchesterChinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to the northern city of Manchester after wrapping up his time in London.

Before leaving, the Chinese President and his wife took time to say their formal goodbyes to the Queen, who has been hosting them at Buckingham Palace.

Xi Jinping has also stopped at a London pub for fish and chips.

Ahead of this, the Chinese President has overseen the signing of business deals worth some 60-billion US dollars.

For more on Xi Jinping's time in the UK so far, CRI's Zheng Chenguang earlier spoke earlier with Dr Chen Qi, Associate professor with Shanghai International Studies University.

Xi Hails Role of Confucius Institutes in BritainAnchor:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken time to attend an annual meeting of Confucius Institutes in Britain before wrapping up his tour of London.

CRI's XYee reports.

Reporter:

Addressing the opening ceremony of the meeting, Xi Jinping is hailing the role of the Confucius Institutes in promoting Chinese culture worldwide.

The President says Confucius Institutes, as well as Confucius Classrooms, are important platforms for the world to get to know China.

"As important windows and bridges for linguistic and cultural exchanges between China and the world, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have played an active role in helping people around the world learn Mandarin, as well as understand China's culture. They have also made important contributions to China's people-to-people exchanges around the world, as well as the development of a diverse and colorful world civilization"Xi Jinping was welcomed to the event in London by students at the Institutes, who serenaded him with a Chinese song and a poem written by the president himself in the 1990s.

Cameron Patterson from the University of Lancaster is among the performers.

"I think it's a very good idea to recite the poem which pays tribute to Jiao Yulu. It was also well written. I attended junior high school in China before. I remembered learning a lesson called 'Oasis in the Desert', which tells the story about Jiao Yulu."Jiao Yulu is revered as a model official in China who worked in remote Lankao County in Henan during the 1960s.

There are currently 29 Confucius Institutes and 126 Confucius Classrooms in the UK, which is more than in any other country in Europe.

Xi Jinping says he hopes the teachers at the Confucius Institutes can help support the government's goal of creating stronger China-UK relations.

"I hope the Confucius Institutes will continue to follow their motto, which is mutual respect, friendly ties, equality and mutual benefit. We hope the teachers at the schools will be able to help deepen cultural exchanges, communication and developing minds to promote the diversity of civilizations around the world."Following the ceremony, Xi Jinping, along with Prince Andrew, inaugurated the world's 1000th Confucius Institute in the British crown dependency of Jersey Island.

The Confucius Institutes are non-profit educational organizations put together by China's Ministry of Education.

The program itself began in 2004.

The Confucius Institute is sometimes compared to language and cultural promotion organizations such as the British Council, France's Alliance Fran?aise and Germany's Goethe-Institut, among others.

But compared to those organizations, Confucius Institutes are set up within established universities, colleges, and secondary schools around the world.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

Chinese and British Experts Discuss Ways for Closer Bilateral CooperationA group of experts from China and UK have sat down to discuss ways the two sides can work together to promote innovation and improve governance.

London-based Chatham House and the Chinese State Council's Research Center have taken part in the event in London.

Oxford University professor Adrian Wood says he believes cooperation between China and UK should be going beyond trade and commerce.

"I think it's very valuable to have this cooperation. Both countries have been heavily involved in international cooperation in different ways over a long period of time, but acting largely separately. Over the last few years there's been more and more collaboration, and now we have the prospect of a much more serious collaboration that involves collaborating not just in the provision of money and goods, but provision of thinking about actually what drives development,"The forum is first proposed by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a meeting last year.

China, Britain Witness Booming Education CooperationAnchor:

Observers are suggesting the growing economic and political links between China and the UK are going to lead to more students studying in one-another's country.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

There are currently around 6-thousand British nationals studying in China.

Earlier this month, Lang Lang began learning Mandarin at Beijing-based Tsinghua University, one of China's top schools, in an attempt to become more rounded when looking for a job.

"I think the main difference in the education systems in China and Britain is that in Britain ... ... I will consider it."Tighter ties between China and the UK in recent years has led to a sharp rise in the number of British students travelling to China to study.

To maintain this trend, British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has pleged his government will recruit an additional 5-thousand UK students to learn Mandarin before 2020.

China is also the largest source of foreign students in Britain.

150-thousand Chinese nationals are currently studying in the country.

Yu Jianyi majored in public policy at the University of London.

She says Chinese students attending British schools need to learn in a different way from what they were accustomed to in China.

"You have to spend quite some time in libraries after classes or you will fall back. My classmates came from around the world. Our in-class discussions were quite different from the process at Chinese schools. Most foreign students are outspoken. The questions we discussed usually had more than one answer."Du Li works for a Beijing-based consultancy which recruits Chinese students to study abroad.

She says there are good reasons why British schools are attractive to Chinese students.

"British schools are becoming more popular with Chinese students largely due to their flexible teaching methods and the reasonable curriculum designs. On top of this, the quality of education in the UK is widely recognized."The Chinese and British governments have already signed an ambitious framework to expand collaboration across higher, vocational and grade-school education, on top of closer collaboration in sports education.

Chinese Education Minister Yuan Guiren says its steps like these which will help increase ties between the two countries.

"Improved education partnerships will benefit the two country's education sectors and their students. It will also ensure a promising future, as bilateral relationships are going to be handled by the young in the years to come."As part of time in the UK, Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken time out to tour Imperial College in London.

Observers are suggesting the tour could be a sign the Chinese goverment may be preparing to make education a higher priority in China-UK ties in the future.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Chinese President Xi visits Manchester City Football GroupChinese President Xi Jinping is poised to tour the headquarters of the Manchester City Football club this Friday.

Jon Stemp with the Man City Football Academy says he believes the Chinese President's tour will certianly help promote football in China.

"You can see football has put Manchester on the map in the world and so the power of football is immense. We're so excited that China is embracing this and developing its football capability. We have something to learn but it's about people and talent and ambition, and there seems to be lots of that in China,"Chinese football great Sun Jihai, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, will accompany Xi Jinping on his tour in Manchester.

China marks 70th anniversary of Taiwan recovery from Japanese occupationA ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of Japan's control over Taiwan has been held here in Beijing.

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng has delivered a keynote speech at the event.

He says Taiwan's return to Chinese control was a victory achieved by all the people of China, including those living on Taiwan.

Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895 after the first Sino-Japanese War.

It was forced to relinquish control of the island at the end of World War II.

Survey: People in China, Japan Feeling More PositiveNew polling is suggesting hostility between the Chinese and Japanese public is starting to ease somewhat.

Results from this year's Public Opinion on China-Japan Relations show nearly 80 percent of Chinese-nationals hold a negative impression of Japan.

This is down around 7-percent from last year.

Around 89-percent of Japanese-nationals surveyed still hold a negative view of China.

This is down around 4-percent from the 93-percent the poll found in 2014.

The survey is sponsored by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and the Japanese non-profit think tank Genron NPO.

Wang Gangyi with the Chinese organizer of the polling says their analysis is suggesting most people polled think the two countries do need to work together.

"Although the two countries have some sensitive issues, such as territorial and historical problems, the citizens of both countries have reacted positively toward bilateral relations, which is a promising change. The common view is that both countries should be working toward peaceful coexistence and collaboration as their guiding principles."Yasushi Kudo, president of Genron NPO, suggests once people put prejudices behind them, they're attitudes change dramatically.

"According to this year's survey, seven percent of Chinese have been to Japan or have Japanese friends, up from two percent in the past ten years. Those who had communicated with Japanese generally have a good impression of Japan. Therefore, I feel that for the sentiment between the two countries to get better, deep communication, or face-to-face communication, is very important."The annual survey first began in 2004.

15-hundred Chinese nationals and a thousand people from Japan took part in the survey, which was conducted over the course of the past 2-months.

German chancellor to visit ChinaIt's been announced German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to make a two-day trip to China next week.

The agenda for her trip has not been laid-out.

Merkel spent 3-days in China in July of last year.

At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has also announced that Demark's Foreign Minister will also be here in China from Sunday to Tuesday.

Death Toll of Bus Collision in SW France Rises to 42France has been stunned by firey traffic accident in the country's southwest this Friday.

A bus loaded with around 50 seniors collided with a truck and caught fire near the city of Libourne.

At least 42 of them are dead.

At least five others are injured, with reports saying they managed to survive by smashing through windows on the burning bus to escape the inferno.

French President Francois Hollande, who is currently in Athens leading a business delegation, is suggesting he may have to cut his 2-day trip short in the wake of the accident.

"I would be happy if the accident which killed approximately 42 people today had not taken place in the last few hours. We are waiting for more information. The French government is ready to take action. I'm asking it to be understood, that despite the welcome and friendship we are receiving in Greece, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy."The group of seniors killed are all believed to be from the same small village in southwestern France.

Their bus was just starting out on an early-morning day-trip when the accident took place.

President Barack Obama Vetoes Defense BillUS President Barack Obama has officially vetoed a 612-billion US dollar defense spending bill put on his desk by the Republican-controlled Congress.

Obama's move comes as the Republicans and Democrats jockey for leverage in the current round of budget talks.

"I'm going to be sending it back to Congress and my message to them is very simple: 'Let's do this right'. We're in the midst of budget discussions. Let's have a budget that properly funds our national security as well as economic security."Obama and his fellow Democrats are pushing for a broader budget which focuses on domestic spending cuts.

The Republicans are arguing Obama's move will hurt national security, and are vowing to override the veto.

However, it remains unclear if the Republicans will make that move.

Its caucus remains fractured and leaderless with the departure of House Speaker John Boehner.

However, former Republican vice-Presidential candidate Paul Ryan has announced he is going to enter the race to take over Boehner's position.

Hillary Clinton takes Responsibility for BenghaziFormer US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has delivered her much-anticipated testimony before the House Committee connected to the 2012 attack on the United States' Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

Clinton, the front-runner to win the Democratic Presidental nomination, was peppered with questions by the committee for around 11-hours on Thursday.

In answering questions, the former Secretary of State says she feels she has to take ultimate responsibility for the attacks, which left 4 Americans dead, including the US Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stephens.

"I was the one who asked Chris to go to Libya as our envoy. I was the one who recommended him to be our Ambassador to the president. After the attacks, I stood next to President Obama as Marines carried his casket and those of the other three Americans off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base. I took responsibility and, as part of that, before I left office I launched reforms to better protect our people in the field and help reduce the chance of another tragedy happening in the future."Most observers say while Clinton was grilled heavily by Republicans on the committee, her testimony has provided little new information about the attack itself.

Republicans have accused Clinton of covering up information about the attack after-the-fact to avoid damaging US President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, which was headed into the final stretch.

The Republican-led hearings into the Benghazi attack, which have run longer than the Watergate investigation which eventually took down former US President Richard Nixon, have been widely criticized as a partisan attack meant to derail Clinton's chances for the Presidency.

Republicans insist they are only searching for the truth about what happened.

Ebola Nurse's relapse raises fear again in Sierra LeoneAnchor:

A new wave of concern is growing in ebola-rattled Sierra Leone after a British nurse who contracted the virus while working in the country re-lapsed earlier this month.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen explains.

Reporter:

39-year-old nurse Pauline Cafferkey had to be re-admitted hospital in London earlier this month after eloba re-emerged from her brain and spinal cord.

At that time, doctors weren't sure if she'd survive, as she fell quickly into a "critically ill" condition.

Doctors now say her condition has improved to a "serious, but stable" level.

They are warning of a long recovery ahead for Cafferkey.

Her relapse came 9-months after she was discharged from hospital, with doctors believing she was ebola-free.

Doctor Elizabeth Smout is a research fellow from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

She's been involved in developing a new Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone for the past 8 months, and says Cafferkey's case could be alarming for a country which is hoping to declare itself ebola-free in just over 2-weeks.

"We know from previous studies that Ebola has been detected long after people have been cured of Ebola in treatment centres. However, this kind of case I think is fairly unique, but obviously it's very difficult to know how many people within these countries might have faced similar issues because of the weaknesses in the healthcare system."Cafferkey's relapse comes just days after Sierra Leone entred another 42-day Ebola countdown in late September after its last two Ebola patients were discharged from local hospital.

At the same time, there has not been a new case of Ebola in Serra Leone for over 25 days.

However, doctors are warning that a large number of ebola survivors are still suffering ill effects from the virus, such as eye problems.

Doctor Smout says she hopes the vaccine she's been testing may address some of the lingering problems left-over from the ebola virus.

"Well obviously it means that people want a vaccine that could potentially protect for a longer time against Ebola. So, we would hope that all vaccines would protect for a certain period, but as it currently stands we don't know how long a vaccine would work for. I think it's also highlighted the need for vaccines once again, as being the one way in which we can stop an outbreak like this from ever really happening again."Around 17-thousand people have managed to survive their brush with the massive ebola outbreak in West Africa, including 10-thousand survivors in Sierra Leone.

However, just under 4-thousand people in that country did not make it, and are among the over 11-thousand people who have died from the virus in West Africa over the past year-and-a-half.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

Japanese Government Protest Moscow's Plan to Build a Military Base on Kuril IslandsThe Japanese government is fuming amid word Moscow may be planning to build a military base on a group of disputed islands it controls north of Japan.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says any move by Russia to build a military installation on the Kuril Islands would be a breach of Japanese sovereignty.

"We've yet to figure out the context of this remark, but if the plan is true, the Japanese government will strongly protest it as we are unchanged in our stance that the islands are Japanese sovereign territories."Russia's Defense Minister went on-record this week saying there are now plans in-place to build a large-scale military installation on the Kuril Islands to protect Russia's border.

The Kuril Islands are located between Japan's northern island of Hokkaido and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

The island chain was occupied by Soviet forces at the tail-end of World War II.

Under the Treaty of San Francisco signed by Japan after the War in 1951, Japan is to relinquish all claims to the islands.

However, there are four islands in the chain which Japan argues are not part of that treaty.

Russia claims sovereignty over the disputed islands, saying this was agreed to after the War, though the Treaty of San Francisco does not recognize the then-Soviet Union's claim to them either.

China to Boost Internationalization of RMB and Its settlement in RussiaA forum to promote the internationalization of the renminbi and its settlement in Russia has been held in Moscow.

More than 100 bankers and business leaders from China and Russia have attended the forum.

Zhang Qingsong with the Bank of China says the use of the renminbi will benefit both countries.

"The internationalization of the renminbi is meaningful. It means opportunities for different players in the market. For example, for importers and exporters, the internationalization of the renminbi helps them reduce risks and cut costs. For commercial banks, a more widely-used renminbi will give them more financial options, allowing them to create different services and more financial products."Russia has been taking steps to increase the use of the RMB in its financial markets.

The yuan has been allowed to trade against the Russian ruble on its foreign exchange market since late 2010.

The renminbi is currently the 4th-most-used currency in the world to settle international trade settlements.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 8 degrees. Tomorrow will see sunshine with a high of 18.

Shanghai will be cloudy overnight with a low of 20. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 24.

Chongqing will be overcast tonight with a low of 19. Tomorrow, overcast, high of 25.

Lhasa will be overcast tonight with a low of 2, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, light rain tomorrow with a high of 26.

Kabul, light rain, 12.

In the Southern Hemisphere,Sydney, cloudy tomorrow, high of 21,Brisbane, light rain, 23,Perth, cloudy, high of 25,And finally Auckland will have moderate rain with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsXi Heads to ManchesterChinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to the northern city of Manchester after wrapping up his time in London.

Before leaving, the Chinese President and his wife took time to say their formal goodbyes to the Queen, who has been hosting them at Buckingham Palace.

Xi Jinping has also stopped at a London pub for fish and chips.

Ahead of this, the Chinese President has overseen the signing of business deals worth some 60-billion US dollars.

China marks 70th anniversary of Taiwan recovery from Japanese occupationA ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of Japan's control over Taiwan has been held here in Beijing.

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng has delivered a keynote speech at the event.

He says Taiwan's return to Chinese control was a victory achieved by all the people of China, including those living on Taiwan.

Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895 after the first Sino-Japanese War.

It was forced to relinquish control of the island at the end of World War II.

Death toll of bus collision in SW France rises to 42France has been stunned by firey traffic accident in the country's southwest this Friday.

A bus loaded with around 50 seniors collided with a truck and caught fire near the city of Libourne.

At least 42 of them are dead.

At least five others are injured, with reports saying they managed to survive by smashing through windows on the burning bus to escape the inferno.

The group, all from the same small village, was just starting out on an early-morning day-trip when the accident took place.

French President Francois Hollande says he's been "plunged into sadness" by the incident, which is said to be deadliest traffic accident in France in decades.

Passos Coelho reappointed as Portuguese PMIncumbent Portuguese Prime Minister Passos Coelho has been re-installed for a second term.

He resumes his post some 2-weeks after his ruling coalition won the general election.

However, it lost the majority.

This has prompted the opposition to vow to use its right-wing allies to bring down the government.

Coelho has 10 days to form a new government and then submit a four-year outline for his administration.

This will be subject to a confidence vote, potentially bringing the government down within weeks of its formation.

World Bank reiterates willingness to cooperate with AIIBWorld Bank President Jim Yong Kim has sat down for a meeting with the impending head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Kim has told AIIB President-designate Jin Liqun his organization is willing to work with the Chinese-backed Bank.

Jin Liqun has said that the AIIB is not a rival to the World Bank or any other existing multilateral development bank.

The AIIB has 57 prospective founding members.

It is expected to start operations before the end of this 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 extended a rally on Friday as official data showed recovery of the country's housing market in September.

Real estate developers saw their value rise after the data showed that China's housing market continued to warm in September.

We will have more on the numbers shortly.

At the close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.3 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 2.6 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises jumped 3.3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng Index closed 1.3 percent higher.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares rose to a nearly two-month high Friday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi hinted at the bank further easing its monetary grip later this year.

Shares rose across the board, with foods, real estate and brokerage sectors leading the way.

The benchmark Nikkei added 2.1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI ticked up 0.9 percent.

Singapore's Straights Times edged up one percent.

And finally,Australia's ASX/200 moved up 1.7 percent.

China regulator plans to punish 12 stock market manipulation casesChina's securities regulator has announced 12 new cases of stock market manipulation have been discovered, with those responsible being fined some 2-billion yuan.

Regulators say the cases have involved price manipulation through various channels, which they say exacerbated the ups and downs in the recent market rout.

One of them is said to involve an overseas firm using the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor program to manipulate prices of a fund.

Further details of the cases have not been revealed.

China's stock market experienced a dramatic summer that saw the key stock index plunge by over 40 percent from its June peak.

Wild swings have continued despite government efforts to restore confidence.

China's housing market continues to warmNew stats are suggesting China's real estate sector has rebounded even more through September.

The National Bureau of Statistics is reporting of the 70 large and medium-sized cities it monitors, new home prices have climbed month on month in 39 of them.

This is up from 35 the previous month.

Shenzhen has seen the largestBut at the same time, 21 of them have reported month-on-month price declines.

Still, this is down from the 26 recorded in August.

Prices for existing homes still remain weak, with 18 cities reporting month-on-month declines, up from 16 in August.

China's housing market took a downturn last year due to weak demand and a surplus of unsold homes.

To combat the slowdown, the government has eased down payment requirements for second-home purchases.

Some local governments have rolled back their restrictions on home purchases.

Huawei overtakes Xiaomi as China's top smartphone vendorNew industry analysis is suggesting Huawei has overtaken Xiaomi to become China's top smartphone vendor.

Canalys, a tech industry research firm, estimates Huawei's smartphone shipments have increased by over 80-percent year-on-year in the third quarter.

It also says Xiaomi's shipments have declined through the same period.

However, Canalys has not provided specific figures for its assessment.

China is the largest smartphone market in the world.

But as domestic sales slow down, Xiaomi has been looking to expand overseas.

Xiaomi, which entered the Indian market last year, is also working on plans to retail its higher-end Mi Note and Mi Note Pro models in the United States.

The company sold a million handsets after it entered the Indian market, though the products it is selling there are on the lower-end of Xiaomi's pricing-scale.

ECB hints of new stimulus, keeps interest rates unchangedAnchor:

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi says his bank is going to re-examine its level of monetary stimulus at its next meeting in December.

Traders are suggesting his comments have left the door open for the further expansion of the ECB's 1.1-trillion euro stimulus program.

The program is designed to raise inflation and boost the eurozone's economic recovery.

Draghi also says the bank is also considering other measures, such as pushing the interest rate on bank deposits at the ECB even further into negative territory.

The comments came after the ECB decided to leave its key interest rate unchanged at 0.05 percent.

For more the eurozone stimulus program, CRI's Zhao Yang earlier spoke with George Wang, Associate Professor of Finance at City University in New York.

China-formulated freight indexes issued at London-based Baltic ExchangeFreight rates formulated by the Ningbo Shipping Exchange have been listed on the London-based Baltic Exchange for the first time.

They reflect the cargo market situation and the price changes for containers departing from Ningbo to Europe, the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean.

Ou Xiaoli with the National Development and Reform Commission says this is a sign of China's growing clout in world shipping.

"China has six of the top ten container ports across the world and handles 15 million containers per month, but we have no saying in the shipping industry. The issuing of such indexes is significant in improving China's saying in global shipping interests and increasing the effects of the Maritime Silk Road."The Baltic Exchange has been issuing the Baltic Dry Index, which has been main index used in international bulk commodity transactions.

Chinese footwear retailer to buy HamleysIt's being reported Hong Kong-listed Chinese women's shoes retailer C.banner is going to buy British toy shop Hamleys for just over 150-million US dollars.

An announcement is expected to be made official tomorrow.

Founded in the 18th century, Hamleys is considered the oldest toy shop in the world.

It is best known for its landmark shop on London's Regent Street but has branched out abroad in recent years, opening an outlet in Moscow in April.

Hamleys is currently owned by France's Groupe Ludendo.

Huge purchase tax exempted for small-engine carsLatest stats show almost 650-thousand small-engine-cars have been sold here in China through the first 20-days of this month.

This follows a move by the government to cut taxes on small-engine vehicles by 50-percent.

The government estimates this has saved vehicle buyers around 400-million US Dollars.

Small-engine vehicle sales are up by some 20-percent year-on-year through the first 3-weeks of October.

The central government announced last month that small-engine-car buyers only need to pay a 5-percent purchase tax from this month to the end of next year.

It's part of the government's broader plan to promote greener growth and changing the habits of vehicle buyers in China.

Chinese drivers have traditionally gravitated toward large-engine vehicles, which are less fuel-efficient and harder on the environment.

SportsJustin Rose takes lead after round 2 of Hong Kong OpenIn golf,England's Justin Rose has taken the lead at the European Tour's Hong Kong Open after carding a 4-under-66 today.

Rose now sits alone at 9-under.

Norway's Lucas Bjerregaard sits alone in 2nd at minus-8 after another round of 66 today.

English veteran Ian Poulter is making the best use of his last-minute enterance into the tournament.

He's tied for 3rd at minus-7 heading into the weekend.

The 39-year old had to make a last-minute flight to Hong Kong this week to compete in the event after he dropped down to 51st in the world rankings.

This would have made him ineligible to compete in the World Golf Championships in Shanghai early next month, as only the top-50 in the world rankings are allowed to compete.

A failure to make it into the Shanghai event would have left Poulter one tournament short of retaining his European Tour card next year, meaning he wouldn't be allowed to play for Europe at next year's Ryder Cup.

Poulter was critical in Europe's last Ryder Cup victory in 2012.

Meanwhile, both mainland golfers in this year's tournament in Hong Kong, Liang Wenchong and Li Haotong, failed to make the cut today.

--At the European Tour's Challenger Event in Foshan in Guangdong,No change at the top of the leaderboard following today's round-2.

Spain's Borja Virto Astudillo continues to hold the lead, shooting a 5-under today to sit at minus-13.

South Africa's Haydn Porteous sits 2-back at minus-11.

Mainland golfer Zhang Xinjun is tied for 6th at minus-6 after a 3-under today.

Beijing native leads after first round of LPGA Q-School IIA young Chinese golfer has jumped out to the early first round lead of this year's LPGA Qualifying School.

Beijing-native Yu Liu fired a 4-under-67 through the first round of Phase-2 of the Qualifying event in Florida.

Dalian's Zhou Jiayi sits tied for 12th after firing an even-round-71.

The top 80 players this weekend will advance to the final stage of this year's LPGA Q-School.

David Ferrer moves to the quarter-final of Vienna OpenIn tennis,Top-seed David Ferrer has reached the quarter-final of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria.

He routed fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-1 to reach the last-8.

The world number-9 will next play Italian Fabio Fognini, who is through after downing Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-4.

Tournament 2nd seed Kevin Anderson is through after the South African survived 3rd set tie-breaker against Jiri Vesely from Czech Republic, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5.

However, 4th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is out in Vienna, going down Lukas Rosol 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

In other action from Austria,American Steve Johnson downed Jerzy Janowicz in a 3-set battle.

And it was France's Gael Monfils over Paolo Lorenzi, 6-4, 6-4.

---On the women's side,At the Kremlin Open in Moscow,The semi-finals are set for tonight, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova set to take on rising Russian teenager Darya Kasatkina.

The other semi-final has Lesia Tsurenko up against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

--Quarter final action takes place tonight as well at the other WTA event taking place in Luxembourg.

--These are the last two events before the start of next week's season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.

The 8-player line-up for this year's event has been confirmed today.

Czech Lucie Safarova rounds out the 8 player field set to battle it out in the singles event.

She's in, after Carla Suarez-Navarro was ousted last night by Russian teen Darya Kasatkina in the quarter-finals in Moscow.

Suarez-Navarro needed to make it to the finals at the Kremlin Cup to get into the last slot in Singapore.

Safarova will be joining Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Flavia Pennetta and Maria Sharapova, who arrived in Singapore today ahead of next week's tournament.

World number-1 Serena Williams will not be taking part in the WTA Finals in Singapore, deciding to take a couple of months off to rest and recover from a number of minor injuries she's been dealing with.

Some off court news,Argentine tennis star Juan Martin del Potro has begun training again after recovering from a wrist injury.

Del Potro has been virtually sidelined for the last couple of years with a nagging wrist problem.

The former US Open Champion hasn't seen much action since taking Bronze at the London Olympics in 2012.

Ding Junhui wins the Haining OpenIn snooker,Leading Chinese player Ding Junhui has secured his second championship on the Asia Tour after beating Ricky Walden 4-3 in the final of the Haining Open.

Ding came back from 3-frames down to take victory.

With the win, Ding, as well as 2nd place Walden, both qualify for next year's Player Tour Championships.

France, Russia and Costa Rica through to the knockout phase of the U17 World CupIn football,The second round of the group matches at the Under-17 World Cup have seen Chile, France, Russia and Costa Rica all move through to the knockout stage.

Costa Rica drew with Russia 1-1, putting them both through after North Korea and South Africa also drew at 1, leaving them out.

The French have booked their place in the knockout phase of the tournament after edging Paraguay 4-3.

Paraguay now sits 2nd in that group, followed by New Zealand and Syria.

New Zealand still has a chance to make it through if they can down Paraguay in their last match.

Syria needs to beat France and have Paraguay and New Zealand draw to move on.

Neymar returns for Brazil's World Cup qualifier against ArgentinaSouth American football news,Brazil's national team has confirmed star striker Neymar will be back for the team's next World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Peru next month.

The Barcelona forward was forced to miss Brazil's opening World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela earlier this month as he served a four-game international suspension.

Brazil will next take on Argentina on November 12th before hosting Peru 5-days later.

Argentinal will likely still be without Lionel Messi for their match against Brazil.

He's expected to be out for at least another 4-weeks after hurting his knee in a Spanish-league match in late September.

Seahawks down 49ers in NFL Thursday nighterWeek 7 of the National Football League is underway.

The Thursday nighter has seen Russell Wilson threw for 235 yards passing.

Marshawn Lynch ran for 122 yards in the victory.

Its Seattle's first road win of the season.

The Seahawks now move to 3-and-4 on the season.

The loss by the 49ers drops them to 2-5.

LA Dodgers part ways with MattinglyIn Major League Baseball,Some big off-field news ahead of tomorrow morning's Game-6 match-up in the American League Championship Series.

The LA Dodgers have announced Manager Don Mattingly won't be returning as manager next season.

Both Mattingly and the Dodgers say they split is mutual, even though Mattingly has led the club to 3 National League West titles.

However, the Dodgers haven't been into the World Series since they last won it in 1988 when Mattingly was still a player with the New York Yankees.

LA lost to the New York Mets in Game-5 of their National League Division Series this year.

The Mets have since gone on to reach the World Series.

They're awaiting the winner of the AL Championships, which could be decided tomorrow if Kansas City can finish off the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Jays forced a return to Kansas City with a 7-1 win over the Royals yesterday morning.

Toronto will be sending David Price to the mound, who hasn't won a playoff start in his career.

Yordano Ventura gets the call for Kansas City.

That game gets underway tomorrow shortly after 8am Beijing time.

NBA preseason games recapIn the NBA preseason action,Indiana Pacers downed Charlotte Hornets 98-86.

Boston Celtics beat New York Knicks 99-85Utah Jazz beat Denver Nuggets 98-78Golden State Warriors hammered the Los Angeles Lakers 136-97Los Angeles Clippers beat Portland Trail Blazers 115-109.

EntertainmentInternet hit series turned into movieThe Internet hit series "Surprise" continues to surprise.

Over the past two years, the serial has been watched 2 billion times on Youku.com, one of China's largest video-streaming sites.

Encouraged by its popularity, the crew behind the low-budget series has now turned the program into a feature-length movie.

The film, which opens in mainland theaters on December 18, takes the lead characters on an adventure into myth and legend based on the ancient Chinese classic 'Journey to the West'.

Chinese actor Bai Ke shot to stardom in 'Surprise' and will again play the lead role of Wang Dachui in the movie, with his human character morphed into a monster gang leader of the same name.

In the film, the monster's peaceful life is disturbed when the four famed Journey characters, Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his powerful three disciples, challenge his authority.

The team behind the series, who have so far released two seasons and 33 episodes, will release the third season on Nov 3.

Elton John to release 33rd studio album in 2016In the words of one of his best known songs - Elton John is still standing — and will release his 33rd studio album next year.

The musician's publicists say the album, called "Wonderful Crazy Night" is to be released by Island Records on February 5.

The first single, "Looking Up," has already hit the shops.

"Wonderful Crazy Night" has been co-produced by Elton John and T Bone Burnett, who worked on the piano-playing star's acclaimed 2013 release "The Diving Board."Lyrics are by Bernie Taupin, who's been Elton John's songwriting partner for almost fifty years.

The 68 year old performer is one of Britain's most enduringly successful musicians, and a high profile campaigner for gay rights around the world.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998 for his contributions to pop music and to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Will Smith to perform at Latin Grammys with Colombian band Bomba EstereoWill Smith is to perform at the Latin Grammy Awards on November 19.

Smith will join the Colombian band Bomba Estereo on stage for their remix of "Fiesta" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Smith and the group released the remix earlier this month.

The original version of the song, without Will Smith, has been nominated for Record of the Year at the Latin Grammys.

The "Fiesta" remix is Smith's first release in a decade.

Other performers at the 16th annual awards show will include ChocQuibTown, J Balvin,and Natalia Jimenez.

Bomba Estereo, known for its blend of Latin, tropical and electro sounds, has also been nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for "Amanecer."Singer-songwriter Leonel Garcia leads the nominees with six.

The show will be transmitted on the Spanish language entertainment channel Univision.

Simon Cowell signs on to replace Howard Stern as judge on 'America's Got Talent'

The British impresario Simon Cowell is heading back in front the cameras in the United States as a replacement for Howard Stern as a judge on NBC's summertime series "America's Got Talent."NBC has announced that Cowell, one of the show's producers and a creator of the format, will start next season.

The show remains one of the summer's most popular programs even as ratings for other reality shows have faded.

Cowell's caustic style on Fox's "American Idol" launched him to star status in the US.

He left "American Idol" after the 2010 season, while it was still one of American television's top shows. He begins his stint on "America's Got Talent" shortly after "American Idol" goes off the air for the last time.

Apart from Howard Stern, other judges this season included Howie Mandel, Mel B and Heidi Klum.

Next Summer's will be the show's 11th season.

The format has been replicated across the world, now airing in 183 countries.

Estee Lauder pink ribbon concertChinese stars have turned out in force in Shanghai for a charity concert organized by the US cosmetics company Estee Lauder to highlight its breast cancer awareness program in China.

A similar campaign by the brand has been held annually in the United States since 1992.

Chinese pop singers Shun Zi, Zhou Hui, Ping Guan and others performed at the Shanghai event at which doctors from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center also released a report on the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the country.

Fan Jiayu, General President of Estee Lauder China said that Chinese women suffer breast cancer at relative younger ages compared with Western patients, and early diagnosis and intervention could significantly increase their survival rate.

Yu Keda, a specialist at the Shanghai cancer center, says research shows breast cancer is on the rise globally, but affects Asian women at a younger age.

About 11 percent of global patients are aged between 35 and 45, while in Asia, up to 12 percent of patients fall into the age category.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 8 degrees. Tomorrow will see sunshine with a high of 18.

Shanghai will be cloudy overnight with a low of 20. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 24.

Chongqing will be overcast tonight with a low of 19. Tomorrow, overcast, high of 25.

Lhasa will be overcast tonight with a low of 2, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, light rain tomorrow with a high of 26.

Kabul, light rain, 12.

In the Southern Hemisphere,Sydney, cloudy tomorrow, high of 21,Brisbane, light rain, 23,Perth, cloudy, high of 25,And finally Auckland will have moderate rain 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...

Chinese President Xi Jinping heading to northern England after wrapping up a tour of London this Friday.

In Business... new stats suggesting China's housing market may be rebounding.

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...