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

Coming up on the program this evening...

China's top leadership is gathering for a key annual meeting and to set the economic blueprint for the next five years...

The Chinese premier will go to South Korea for a trilateral meeting that includes Japan...

European leaders have agreed on a plan for managing the migrant crisis on the continent...

In Business...two billion yuan in investment deals following China's first entrepreneurship and innovation week...

In Sports...a tuneup in Austria ahead of the ATP finals in London...

In entertainment...a Hong Kong director receives the Samurai Award in Tokyo...

TopChina holds key party meeting to set up economic blueprintAnchor:

Top Chinese leaders are gathering for a key annual meeting to set the economic blueprint for the country for the next five years.

The Fifth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will run through Thursday.

The session is being presided over by Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the CPC Central Commitee.

The main focus of the meeting will be outlining the 13th Five-Year Plan for national development.

One of the most closely watched issues will be the target for the annual GDP growth rate for years 2016 to 2020.

And for more this, our reporter Tu Yun spoke with Professor Zhang Jun, Dean at the School of Economics, and Director at the Center for Chinese Economy from Fudan University in Shanghai.

…Back Anchor:

That was Professor Zhang Jun, Dean at the School of Economics from Fudan University, speaking with our reporter Tu Yun.

China's rate cut very different from QEChina's central bank has issued a statement, stressing that its latest cut to interest rates is not a Chinese version of quantitative easing.

The People's Bank of China cut its benchmark one-year lending and deposit rates by 25 basis points each to 4.35 percent and 1.5 percent respectively, starting from October 24.

PBoC said the moves are conventional monetary measures, and different from QE, which is often considered a last resort to stimulate the economy if a recession or depression continues.

PBoC notes that QE is usually adopted when a central bank has lowered interest rates to zero, and further lowering is no longer possible.

The bank notes that it has not considered a "zero-interest rate" policy.

Ma Jun, chief economist of the Research Bureau of PBoC, says two recent cuts on interest rates will not deviate from China's neutral and moderate monetary policy.

"One special reason to cut interests rate is to keep real interests rate basically stable, and keeping the real rate basically stable under the circumstance of rising inflation must be obtained by cutting back on the nominal rate."This is the sixth round of interest cuts in nearly 11 months.

China's rate cut to promote growthFor more on the rate cut, CRI's Spencer Musick spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center based in London.

…Back anchor:

That was Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

Premier Li to visit ROK, attend China-Japan-ROK trilateral summit meetingChinese Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to South Korea and attend the sixth Trilateral Summit Meeting between China, Japan and the South Korea.

His visit to the country is scheduled from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

The first trilateral meeting was held in 2008.

The meetings have been halted since 2012 as tensions among the three countries soured over territorial disputes.

Chinese Foreign Minsitry Hua Chunying calls on all parties to seize the opportunity for cooperation.

"It's been three years since the trilateral leaders' summit was held last time. China hopes the sides can take the opportunity to pave the way for future cooperation, strengthening cooperation in traditional areas as well as new areas. The three sides should tackle historical issues properly and provide a stable environment for future development. "It's been reported that the upcoming meeting might talk about cooperation in the fields of energy and environmental protection.

It is also Li Keqiang's first visit to South Korea as Premier of China.

"Cooperation between China and South Korea in various fields have entered a 'fast track,' and leaders from the two countries have kept frequent talks. We believe that premier Li's visit will be good for relations with South Korea as well as for regional peace, development and prosperity."Li Keqiang is scheduled to hold talks with President Park Geun-hye, meet with other leaders and attend activities on economic cooperation and people-to-people ties.

Massive Quakes Jolt Pakistan, Northern India, AfghanistanPakistan, India, and Afghanistan have been jolted by a powerful earthquake.

Sixteen deaths and 133 injuries have been reported in the Punjab and Khyber areas of Pakistan.

There have been reports of injuries in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, as well, though no number has been released.

The quake was felt across northern India, including the capital, New Delhi, but no reports of casualties or damage have been reported.

Rail service in the capital has been suspended for the time being.

The quake, centered in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, had a magnitude of 8.1.

The shaking was felt in western China as well, though no reports of casualties or damage have been made by authorities in the affected region, Xinjiang.

European Leaders agree thousands of new reception placesAnchor:

European Union and Balkan leaders have agreed to create 100,000 more spaces in migrant reception centers by the end of the year, after they gathered in Brussels to discuss the escalating migrant issues.

Our reporter Guo Yan has more.

Reporter:

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appreciates the commitment of European leaders who help to solve the problem.

"Sufficient temporary accommodation must be ensured along the western Balkans route. We will increase reception capacities to 100,000 places in Greece and in the western Balkans. I commend the Greek prime minister for his commitment to increase reception capacity in Greece to 30,000 places by the end of this year, with the UNHCR to help provide at least 20,000 more places in Greece with the financial support of the others."He adds that refugees need to be treated in a humane manner to avoid a humanitarian tragedy in Europe.

The leaders also agreed that the EU border agency Frontex would step up activity on the Greek-Macedonian border to ensure people trying to cross will be registered.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov says he spoke with the Greek Prime Minister about the need for exchanging information and data on the inflow of migrants.

"For example, from the islands they go to Piraeus and from there they go to Macedonia. But so far it was without prior notification to the Macedonian authorities. There was no co-operation whatsoever between the police officers and we agreed that we need to exchange information at the level of the relevant ministries, but even at the level of governments in order to be prepared to handle this migrant and refugee inflow."The plan also says that efforts to facilitate return of migrants not in need for international protection will be stepped up.

Antonio Guterres, Head of the UN aid agency UNHCR, says the plan agreed on would benefit both the people in need and European institutions.

"I do believe that the decisions that were in consensus among those present in this meeting will give an important contribution to allow for the right bodies of the European Union to take the decisions that are needed to make sure that this situation that we always considered it was manageable, will become effectively managed. First of all, to the benefit of the people in need but also to guarantee the union and the stability of the European institutions."The UNHCR warns that many refugees who are waiting at the border of Serbia will suffer as winter approaches.

Over 9,000 migrants are said to have entered Greece on a daily basis last week, the highest rate this month.

But the meeting in Brussels didn't create any consensus on how to limit the number of migrants traveling from Turkey to Greece.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeals for broader cooperation in tackling the migrant crisis.

"For the medium-term measures we have again underlined the fact that the cooperation with Turkey is of great significance to bring into place the EU-Turkey migration plan. Germany will support this bilaterally. And we have also discussed having a closer management with specific countries regarding the deportation of migrants, namely with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan."The International Organization for Migration says more than 680,000 migrants and refugees have crossed to Europe by sea so far this year, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

For CRI, I 'm Guo Yan.

Iraqis Criticize allied intervention after Tony Blair Apologizes for war MistakesIraqi people are criticizing the allied intervention in their country after former British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged the 2003 invasion of Iraq played a part in the rise of Islamic State.

Ali al-Mandalawi, an Iraqi civil activist, says he's glad Saddam Hussein was removed from power.

But he criticized Britain and its allies for the deterioration of Iraq's security situation after the fall of the former leader.

"Saddam Hussein's regime was bloody to the Iraqi people and toppling it was a favor. But after that what did they offer? A lot of chaos and more destruction. We didn't see a real intention to build the state. We didn't see a beneficial cooperation from the British side to the Iraqi people."In an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday, Tony Blair said there were "elements of truth" that the Iraq war in 2003 caused the rise of the Islamic State.

He also apologized for what he described as mistakes in planning and intelligence before the war and in preparations for would happen once Saddam was removed.

But he said it was the right decision to remove Saddam.

Blair's decision to send troops to back the U.S.-led invasion is still a live political issue in Britain.

In 2009, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown established an inquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq War, but the final conclusions of the inquiry have not been published yet.

Top nuke envoys for six-party talks to gather in Seoul this weekTop nuclear envoys for the Six Party Talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program will meet in South Korea this week.

The meeting in Seoul has been confirmed by the Foreign Ministry in the South.

Delegates from China, the US, Russia, and Japan will gather for the multilateral forum on the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative meetings scheduled to be held in Seoul on Wednesday.

The South Korean foreign ministry says its counterpart in North Korea has yet to confirm participation in the dialogue.

The Six Part Talks have been stalled since 2009, following a dispute over the failed launch of a satellite by North Korea.

North Korea condemns South Korea's Warning shots at patrol boatNorth Korea has issued a warning to South Korea, saying Seoul risks sparking an "unpredictable armed conflict" if it persists in its "reckless military provocations".

The warning follows South Korea firing warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat in disputed waters on Saturday.

North Korean State broadcaster KRT says such actions could refuel tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"If the South Korean military warmongers persist in reckless military provocations, not dropping the bad habit of cooking up a shocking incident and inciting confrontation, they will spark off an unpredictable armed conflict and North-South relations will again reach the extremes as they were before the August agreement. The South Korean authorities will be solely responsible for it. "South Korea responded to the claims, saying its navy had fired warning shells at a North Korean vessel that had strayed across the frontier Northern Limit Line.

Jeon Ha-kyu is spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Since North Korea crossing the Northern Limit Line was not the first time this year and there were already similar situations, we had to respond. The South Korean government couldn't provide explanations for each issue. I ask for consideration as there are areas where we have to maintain some degree of confidentiality during our operations."North Korea has rejected the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn up at the end of the Korean War, as the maritime border, insisting on a line further to the south.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

The incident coincided with the second round of family reunions at the Mount Kumgang Resort in North Korea.

Argentine opposition candidate forces run-off in presidential electionArgentina's conservative opposition candidate has stunned its ruling party with an unexpectedly strong showing in the presidential election, forcing a run-off vote next month.

With 86 percent of polling places reporting, opposition candidate Mauricio Macri had 35 percent support and ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli had nearly 36 percent of the vote.

The unexpected tight finish means Macri and Scioli will square off in a runoff on November 22 as a candidate needs 45 percent of the vote, or 40 percent with a 10-point lead over his closest rival to win the first round.

The outcome of the election will shape how the South American country tackles its economic woes.

Canadian Whale Watching Boat Sinking kills at Least 5At least five people are dead after a Canadian whale-watching boat sank off the west coast of Canada.

The incident happened on Sunday evening near Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

There were 27 people on the boat.

The Canadian Coast Guard says several people have been sent to hospital for treatment, while at least five of the passengers were taken to local homes for shelter and warmth.

The search and rescue operation is continuing.

Tofino is a popular tourist destination for surfers, hikers and whale watchers from around the world.　In 1998, a boat operated by the same company sank near Tofino, killing the ship's captain and a German tourist.

Dozens still in Hospital after Ferry Collision in HKAnchor:

More than 50 people remain in hospital after a ferry crashed in Hong Kong on Sunday evening.

Authorities are investigating the accident.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.

Report:

More than 120 passengers are injured after a Hong Kong-bound high-speed ferry from Macau hit an unidentified object in Hong Kong on Sunday evening, before losing power and taking on water.

A rescue operation lasted five hours overnight to transfer all the injured to hospital, with injuries to their faces, arms and legs.

Many of them have left the hospital while five are still in a critical condition and eight others are listed as serious.

The ferry is being inspected. Damage to an engine room has already been noted, along with extensive water damage.

Authorities say the ferry was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew members when it hit a "floating object in the sea" while traveling its usual route.

They are still trying to identify the object that was struck.

Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest shipping channels.

While serious accidents are rare, the waters have become increasingly crowded with leisure boats and vessels which take passengers to the nearby gambling hub of Macau.

On October 10th, a Turbojet ferry caught on fire in Hong Kong on its way back from Macau. All 144 on board were evacuated and no casualties were reported.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

China launches mapping satelliteChina has successfully sent the Tianhui-1C mapping satellite into orbit.

The satellite was launched on Monday from the northwestern province of Gansu aboard a Long March 2D carrier rocket.

Tianhui-1C is the third satellite in the Tianhui-1 series.

It will be used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, mapping, crop yield estimation and disaster relief.

Yangzhou stripped of fried rice record after waste scandalGuinness World Records has revoked the record of four tons of fried rice cooked by a group of 300 people in Yangzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province.

The decision has been made because the food has been wasted.

The fried rice is part of the celebrations of the 2,500th anniversary of Yangzhou City.

The organizer of the event had said that the fried rice would be distributed to students at four schools.

However, reports suggest that the rice was used to feed pigs.

The fried rice was flavored with eggs, sea cucumber and other ingredients.

Before the decision was made the previous record had been held by Turkey.

Overseas schools explore Chinese market at 2015 China Education ExpoThe 2015 China Education Expo has attracted over 600 overseas schools from 40 countries and regions to Beijing.

Britain is the second popular destination for Chinese students. Over 70 British schools have attended this year's expo.

As more Chinese students go to study abroad at a younger age, more private middle schools from the UK attended the expo. Many school presidents attended the event in person to communicate with students and parents face to face.

Headmaster of Loretto School Graham Hawley is one of them.

"There are many British schools. We do offer scholarships, mainly in academic subjects, but also in the art, music, and painting. And certain amount in sport as well, which can be worth up to 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 pounds a year."Overseas study consultant Sun Xiantao says many non-native English countries offer English courses to attract more Chinese students, including the Netherlands.

"Their English courses are very popular, exceeding the Dutch courses. Almost 90 percent of the courses are taught in English. It is aimed to attract more students who can not speak Dutch to study in the Netherlands."The Beijing leg of the expo ended on Sunday, with the event now traveling to Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.

WeatherBeijing is cloudy overnight with a low of 6 degrees Celsius; tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 17.

Shanghai sees some rain tonight with a low of 17. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing, slight rain tonight, low of 15, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 19.

Lhasa is clear tonight with a low of 1, tomorrow, sunshine with a high of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have rain tomorrow with a high of 24.

Kabul, sunny, 14.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19.

Brisbane will see a little rain, high of 27.

Perth will be rainy to cloudy, high of 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will see slight rain with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina holds key party meeting to set up economic blueprintTop Chinese leaders are gathering for a key annual meeting to set the economic blueprint for the country for the next five years.

The Fifth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will run through Thursday.

The session is being presided over by Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The main focus of the meeting will be outlining the 13th Five-Year Plan for national development.

One of the most closely watched issues will be the target for the annual GDP growth rate for years 2016 to 2020.

Premier Li to visit ROK, attend China-Japan-ROK trilateral summit meetingChinese Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to South Korea and attend the sixth Trilateral Summit Meeting between China, Japan and the South Korea.

His visit to the country is scheduled from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

It is also Li Keqiang's first visit to South Korea as Premier of China.

He is scheduled to hold talks with President Park Geun-hye, meet with other leaders and attend activities on economic cooperation and people-to-people ties.

9 killed, scores injured as powerful earthquake shocks AfghanistanAfghanistan has reported at least nine deaths after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the country earlier today.

Scores of injuries have also been reported.

Authorities say the death toll would further rise.

The quake also struck Pakistan and India.

29 deaths and over 200 injuries have been reported in the Punjab and Khyber areas of Pakistan.

The quake was felt across northern India, including the capital, New Delhi, but no reports of casualties or damage have been reported.

The shaking was felt in western China as well, though no reports of casualties or damage have been made by authorities in the affected region, Xinjiang.

French president to visit ChinaThe president of France will be visiting China next month.

Francois Hollande will pay a state visit on November 2nd and 3rd at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The visit has been confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Shootout at suspected IS hideout on TurkeyTurkish police raided a house used by a suspected cell of the Islamic State group in southeastern Turkey, triggering a clash that killed up to seven militants and two policemen.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said two police officers were killed by bombs.

It was not immediately clear if the operation was linked to suicide bombings of a peace rally in the capital Ankara earlier this month that killed 102 people.

One of the bombers was identified as an IS militant. China launches mapping satelliteChina has successfully sent the Tianhui-1C mapping satellite into orbit.

The satellite was launched on Monday from the northwestern province of Gansu aboard a Long March 2D carrier rocket.

Tianhui-1C is the third satellite in the Tianhui-1 series.

It will be used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, mapping, crop yield estimation and disaster relief.

Biz ReportsClosing numbers across the Asian marketsAnchor:

Time now to check today's business news, starting with closing numbers across the Asian markets. Here's Min Rui.

Reporter:

Chinese shares closed higher on Monday after the central bank cut benchmark interest rates last Friday.

The cuts to interest rates and to the reserve requirement ratio were beyond expectations, and are set to boost the risk appetite of retail investors in the short term and further reduce financing costs.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up half a percent. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.7 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises lost 0.4 percent.

The agriculture and automobile industries led the rise while the transportation and medical sectors saw the biggest losses.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index traded down by nearly 0.2 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia, shares are on track for their best month since 2009Japan's Nikkei gained 0.7 percent.

The South Korean KOSPI was up 0.4 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index added half a percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 closed flat.

Back to you Shane.

State Council Releases Guideline to Promote Express DeliveryChina's state council released a guideline on Monday, promoting the express delivery sector to increase consumption and generate a new growth point in the economy.

According to the guideline, express delivery sector in China will rank top in the world by 2020 in terms of size, and the total number of deliveries annually will reach 50 billion.

It urges courier firms to upgrade services, and expand services into far reaching areas.

It also calls on all courier firms to integrate with the Internet through online platforms and IT technology to upgrade their services and become more efficient.

The sector is expected to generate 200 thousand new jobs per year, and revenue is expected to reach 800 billion yuan.

Express delivery has become a pillar of the e-commerce industry, and is becoming increasingly important for Chinese economic development because of its fast-paced growth.

Authorities have been paying attention to this sector in recent years and plans are underway to include it in the next five year plan.

Wang Jianlin deposes Jack Ma from billionaire perchDalian Wanda tycoon Wang Jianlin has been ranked the wealthiest person in China in the latest Forbes magazine China Rich List.

He edged out last year's leader, Jack Ma from the top spot.

The business magazine reported Wang was estimated to have a net worth of US$30 billion compared with US$13.2 billion last year.

Founder of Tencent Ma Huateng, who scored the best increase in wealth among China's big three internet titans, remains in third place.

The publication also says the total wealth of the top 100 members of the China rich list compiled by Forbes magazine jumped to US$450 billion from US$376 billion a year ago, increased nearly 20 percent.

China now has 596 billionaires.

The number has overtaken that of the United States for the first time.

China to Further Develop Rural E-CommerceAnchor:

E-commerce development in China's rural areas has topped the agenda of this year's Western E-business Development Summit in Sichuan Province, as the country is seeking to expand the domestic market to boost a slowing economy.

CRI's Huang Shan has more.

Reporter:

E-commerce in China's rural areas has been developing quickly in recent years.

Data shows the country now has 77 million rural residents shopping online, a 40-percent growth rate year on year.

Shoppers in rural areas contributed some 180 billion yuan to China's economy last year.

The figure is expected to hit 460 billion yuan by the end of next year.

Noting the importance of online-to-offline model, Hou Enlong, chief operating officer of e-commerce giant Suning, said the company has expanded its online shopping to offline service centers to better accommodate rural customers' needs.

"We need to do three things. The first is to deliver industrial products to the countryside, and have the rural shoppers buy things at the same price as those in the cities. The second is to transfer agricultural products to the whole country by Suning's self-run courier services. The third is to connect farmers to an online payment system so that they can learn to use the Internet to purchase, sell and promote products."However, building offline service centers in rural areas and attracting farmers to shop online is no easy task.

Logistics and infrastructure still remain the biggest barriers to the e-commerce development in rural areas.

E-commerce company Tyfo has come up with a plan - setting up rural cooperatives as service centers.

Founded by China Telecom, Tyfo.com is the largest e-commerce platform in Sichuan province.

Tyfo CEO Zheng Chengyu said they are working on turning the telecom operator's branches into rural cooperatives.

"There are China Telecom office branches in almost every village and city across the country, which helps a lot in solving the problem of setting up offline service centers. Asking rural residents to use the Internet to open online stores would be a very unrealistic dream, so we've got to take the form of rural cooperatives and select a few leaders to help the farmers achieve this."Another barrier for rural e-commerce development is the shortage of young talents in rural areas.

Feng Quanlin, Alibaba's regional managing director of rural business in west China, explains the urgent need for human resources in the countryside.

"The core problem of developing rural e-commerce lies in the difficulty of buying and selling products, and the fundamental method of solving the problem is to attract young talents to work in the countryside. One difference between Alibaba and other enterprises is that all our rural e-commerce staffers are full-time workers. We have university graduates, demobilized servicemen as well as returning migrant workers. "Despite these barriers, rural e-commerce is nevertheless booming in China.

Alibaba is planning to invest 10 billion yuan within the next three years to build a rural logistics network that covers 100,000 villages.

In the meantime, Suning is also going to have 10,000 service centers set up throughout the country in five years.

As China has vowed to eradicate poverty in the next five years, rural e-commerce is expected to become a major means for achieving that goal.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

Over 2 bln investment deal reached in Beijing innovation weekInvestments worth more than two billion yuan, or 315 million U.S. dollars, were made in Beijing during China's first mass entrepreneurship and innovation week which concluded on Sunday.

More than 200 cooperation deals and agreements were signed during meetings held in a high-tech zone in the Chinese capital.

Lin Nianxiu, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, says a series of concrete policy measures will be executed by the end of this year to support innovation and mass entrepreneurship.

"We will build a platform for promoting policy measures of innovation and entrepreneurship, and set up and complete policy assessment and notification systems. We will make all-out efforts in the process from making decisions and policy measures to their implementation. We will ensure that every policy measure will be implemented."Confronted with economic headwinds, China has been counting on entrepreneurship and innovation to generate new jobs and improve the skill set of its citizens, so to warm up the slowing economy.

China, Mongolia seek mining cooperationChina and Mongolia inked eight cooperation agreements on mineral-resource exploration during a week-long cultural expo in China's northern city of Hohhot.

The agreements, which are worth over 30 billion yuan, or 4.7 billion U.S. dollars, were signed by government and enterprise representatives.

The projects include the exploration of nonferrous metals and unconventional gas, mining, smelting and the processing of other mineral resources.

In addition, the two countries also signed memorandums of understanding on a coal mine and a copper and gold mine, both located in Mongolia.

Mongolia mainly exports mineral products and livestock to China.

Statistics showed that China has been Mongolia's largest trading partner and largest source of foreign investment over the past 10-plus years.

In 2014, two-way trade volume between China and Mongolia stood at more than 7 billion U.S. dollars.

Priceline increases stakes in China's CtripU.S. travel booking service Priceline has increased its stake in its Chinese equivalent Ctrip in a bid to gain greater exposure to China's booming travel market.

Priceline now holds 15 percent of all of Ctrip's outstanding shares.

The investment also aims to create greater synergy between Priceline and Ctrip in opening hotel resources to each other, and to boost Priceline's presence in China.

In May, Priceline invested 250 million dollars in Ctrip's convertible bonds and suggested it may acquire more as China's online travel market continues to boom, with growing numbers of Chinese booking outbound travel online.

According to research firm PhoCusWright, online travel booking in China was less than 20 percent of the total in 2014, compared with 44 percent in the United States.

SportsLobodzinski and China's Gan Xue win vertical race in ShanghaiIn some extreme escalator news:

Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski and China's Gan Xue won the seventh stage of the 2015 Vertical World Circuit at Shanghai's International Finance Centre in China on Sunday.　There was a record attendance of around 1,400 runners lined up to tackle the 54 plus floors.

The Polish athlete was happy with his fifth win on the VWC this year.

The second edition of the event saw Australian Mark Bourne, take second place and Italy's Emanuele Manzi taking third.

In the women's race, Gan Xue finished comfortably at a time of 10 minutes and 10 seconds.

Xue stated that doing her best has been the most important part of her racing.

"Yes, I did think about winning the title and about how it is like to be on the highest podium. However, I am more focused on how to relax myself and give out my best performance.

Fan Fengjuan and Zhang Huiji followed coming in 2nd and 3rd place respectivelyThe VWC grand finale will be held in Hong Kong on December 6 where the World Champions will be crowned.

Ferrer wins Erste Bank Open in Viennaand serving up some tennis news:

Spain's David Ferrer defeated American Steve Johnson 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Vienna, Austria on Sunday to clinch the Erste Bank Open title.

This is Eighth-ranked David Ferrer 26th career win after rallying to defeat Steve JohnsonThe top-seeded Spaniard improved to 5-0 in finals this season after also winning in Doha, Rio de Janeiro, Acapulco, and Kuala Lumpur.

With this recent victory Ferrer has gained a spot in next month's season-ending ATP finals in London.

Sharapova and Halep advance in Singapore Openand in Singapore:

Maria Sharapova secured a hard-fought 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Agnieszka Radwanska in their group match at the WTA Finals in Singapore on SundaySharapova's win follows a three month struggle with injuries.

The Russian pro battled for 13 minutes short of three hours to finish her first match since July.

and In Sherapova's same group, Simona Halep defeated Flavia Pennetta 6-0, 6-3.

Halep was avenged as Panetta bested her just 2 weeks earlier in Beijing.

Kaufman takes the win at the PGA Shriner Openand swinging into some golf news:

Smylie Kaufman won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Sunday shooting a 10-under 61.　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kaufman played the final 11 holes in 9 under with an eagle and seven birdies.

As the match continued, Kaufman established his strong lead and waited to see if another golfer could tie him and force a playoff.

Brett Stegmaier had a chance, but his birdie try on the 18th did not find the cup.

While he was waiting Kaufman spoke about how it felt to play on the green.

"So much more stressful than on the course, like so much worse, felt like I was watching an LSU football game"This is Kaufman's first win on his fifth PGA tour.

Lewis Hamilton crowned 2015 F1 season champracing into some F1 news:

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the United States Grand Prix to secure his third Formula One World Championship on Sunday.

Hamilton overtook Rosberg with eight laps to go when Rosberg locked his tires and helplessly watched his team mate zoom past.

Hamilton was able to beat Rosberg and outscore Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by nine points to achieve his second consecutive championship.

Hamilton is the first Formula One driver to win 10 or more races in consecutive seasons.

Upon receiving honors for the 2015 racing season, Hamilton spoke a few words about what he was feeling.

"I can't really feel the right words right this second to tell you how amazing this feels and I couldn't have done it without this team who have powered me for the last three years and really taken me onboard and really helped nurture me with the car and just...faultless. So I love you guys. Thankyou so much for everything you do for me."Hamilton's third world championship puts him in the hall of fame with his idol Ayrton Senna and many other famous F1 racers.

Next week F1 will take its wheels to Mexico for the Mexican Grandprix.

Australia beats Argentina to advance to Rugby World Cup FinalNow tackling some rugby news:

Australia beat Argentina 29-15 on Sunday to set up the final for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Two tries in 10 minutes gave the Wallabies a substantial lead in a game where Argentina was close behind.

A strong kicking display from Nicolas Sanchez ensured that the Argentineans were always in touch.

But it would be Adam Cooper's skills that would eventually put the game out of reach for Argentina.

Australian prop Sekope Kepu spoke about the match during a press event.

"Credit to the Argies, they're a physical team. It was a very tough battle as expected and they threw everything at us and we knew that it was going to go down to the final whistle and we just had to keep turning up, keep getting off the ground and defend our hearts out and that's something we pride ourselves on and it was a really really tough battle out there."The next game for Australia will be on Saturday against fellow finalist, New Zealand.

Finals results for badminton's French Openand smashing into some Badminton news:

The French Open in Paris has concluded as of Sunday.

In the women's doubles final it was an all-Chinese clash between second seeds and identical twin sisters Luo Ying and Luo Yu and Tang Jinhua and Yaqiong Huang.

It would be Yaqiong and Tang that would take it all with a 21-13, 21-16.

For women's singles, Spain's Carolina Marin beat China's Wang Shixian 21-18, 21-10, to take home the title.

This victory gives Marin 5 title triumphs for 2015And in the finals for men's doubles:

Korea's Yoo Seong and Lee Dae beat Denmark's Mads Kolding and Mads Peterson 21-14,21-19.

This makes the Korean's the first doubles pair to win four consecutive Super series titles.

EntertainmentJohn Woo to Receive the "Samurai Award" in TokyoHong Kong director John Woo receives the "Samurai Award" on Monday at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.　Woo says he was pleasantly surprised to be offered the honor.

"I have to say that I'm very surprised. I never thought that I would receive this award. Even though I have made a lot of films but it hardly qualifies as making a special contribution. I'm just a hard working film maker. I'm very thankful to receive this award and also very surprised. "Woo's career began in Hong Kong in the 1960s with a slew of comedy and martial arts film. He had to wait until the 80s to gain critical acclaim with his action drama film "A Better Tomorrow" which was also a box office hit.

His signature style of 'bullet flying action scenes' or 'slow motion gun fight sequences' has captivated audiences around the world and helped define the golden era of Hong Kong cinema in the 90s.

Looking back, Woo says there have been so many important moments and films that defined his long and rewarding career.

"My films like 'A Better Tomorrow', 'The Killer', 'Hard Boiled', and 'Bullet in the Head'... These films not only make records, they also popularized films in that genre.　These films also took me internationally because a lot of western audiences loved 'The Killers'. I was then invited to head to Hollywood to make movies. That's the first twenty years of my career. "The 'Samurai Award' marks a lifetime of achievement in the film industry, and is given to "exceptional talents who carve out a new era".

New Trailer of"A Fool"ReleasedA new trailer for the upcoming film "A Fool" has been released today.

Based on the novella "Running Moonlight" by renowned author Hu Xuewen, "A Fool" stars Chen Jianbin as a shepherd in north China who takes pity on a homeless wanderer and offers him a place to stay. The guest - the fool of the title - then turns the shepherd's life upside down through a series of crazy stunts.

The film was nominated in five categories at the 51st Golden Horse Awards and was successful in two categories, earning Chen Jianbin Best Actor and Best New Director prizes. It has also won the award as "Best Debut Film" at the 30th Golden Rooster Awards.

The movie had been in danger of being left on the shelf, after lead actor Wang Xuebing was arrested earlier this year on charges of possessing drugs.

The film is due to hit Chinese theaters on the 20th of next month.

Moonlight of October 5th Adapted for Big ScreenReturn of the Cuckoo, also known as Moonlight of October 5th was a huge ratings hit for TVB in Hong Kong.

It's reported that there will soon be a movie version, due for release on the 20th of next month, which will take-up the story where the TV drama left-off.

The show tells the tale of Man Chor, a young boy who loses his voice because of his mad mother. He's adopted by the kind-hearted Ah Jiao, and he grows up with Ah Jiao's daughter Jun Hao. The two eventually develop romantic feelings for one another.

The movie uses the exact same cast as the 20-episode TVB drama series broadcast in 2000, including Julian Cheung as Man Chor and Charmaine Sheh playing Jun hao.

However, Cheung has revealed that there are some differences in his role in the movie version.

"I was once worried about the movie version not so good as the TV drama series. But our play writer makes it surprisingly even more wonderful. In the TV drama, my character is mute. But I could speak in the movie version, which leads to Joe Chen to employ body language of hands instead."It'll be interesting to see whether the movie adaptation proves as captivating as the original TV drama series.

Justin Bieber Wins Five Prizes at the MTV EMACanadian pop singer Justin Bieber made a triumphant return to the European stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Milan on Sunday, scooping no less than five prizes at the major music event.

WeatherBeijing is cloudy overnight with a low of 6 degrees Celsius; tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 17.

Shanghai sees some rain tonight with a low of 17. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 26.

Chongqing, slight rain tonight, low of 15, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 19.

Lhasa is clear tonight with a low of 1, tomorrow, sunshine with a high of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have rain tomorrow with a high of 24.

Kabul, sunny, 14.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19.

Brisbane will see a little rain, high of 27.

Perth will be rainy to cloudy, high of 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will see slight 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...

China's top leadership is gathering for a key annual meeting and to set the economic blueprint for the next five years...

The Chinese premier will go to South Korea for a trilateral meeting that includes Japan...

European leaders have agreed on a plan for managing the migrant crisis on the continent...

In Business...two billion yuan in investment deals following China's first entrepreneurship and innovation week...

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