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

Coming up on the program this evening...

China lodges a strong protest with the United States after Washington sends a warship to patrol near the Zhubi Reef in the South China Sea.

China expresses hope the forthcoming leaders' meeting between China, South Korea and Japan will enhance political trust and benefit the three economies.

Rescuers struggling to deliver aid to victims the massive earthquake that hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In Business... China's pension funds will be ready for investment in stocks and equities in 2016Sport... excitement ahead of the Rugby World Cup final - New Zealand against Australia.

In entertainment...Chinese music superstar Lang Lang talks of spreading the gift of music.

TopChina lodges protest with U.S. on warship patrol in South China SeaChina has lodged a strong protest with the United States after Washington sent a warship patrolling near the Zhubi Reef of China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang urged the U.S. side to "immediately correct its wrongdoing.""This Tuesday morning the U.S. warship USS Lassen illegally entered waters near Zhubi Reef of China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea without the permission of the Chinese government. The U.S. warship was monitored, tracked and issued with warning. The United States' actions threatened China's sovereignty and security interests, endangered the safety of personnel and facilities in the reef, and would harm regional peace and stability. China is resolutely opposed to that."The spokesman added that China respected other countries' freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, and was committed to safeguarding that freedom in the region.

"However I want to stress that business navigation is different from military actions. China is firmly opposed to any action that harms China's sovereignty and security in the name of navigation or aviation freedom."Stressing that China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters was "irrefutable," Lu said China was prepared to respond to any deliberate provocation by any country.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the U.S. not to "make trouble out of nothing."For more on this, we are now joined live with Mr Lin Shaowen, our senior political commentator.

…That is Mr Lin Shaowen, our senior political commentator.

China, Japan, ROK officials meet in Beijing before trilateral leaders' meetingAnchor:

China has expressed hopes that the forthcoming leaders' meeting between China, South Korea and Japan will help to enhance political trust and benefit the three economies, and beyond.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Tuesday in Beijing.

Our reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter :

Representatives from China, Japan and South Korea have been meeting in Beijing, in preparation for the upcoming trilateral leaders' meeting, which is scheduled to take place from Saturday to Monday in Seoul.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the meeting and outlined China's stance and polices.

He started by expressing his hope that Japan would admit its role in history.

"China and South Korea never meant to keep talking about the history. We mention it because we can't avoid and ignore it when dealing with the three countries' relations. Sincerity is important for the relations with neighboring countries. We hope Japan could reflect on its faults, give up the wrong things and push the cooperation back to a normal position, to a healthy, stable and sustainable development path with its brand new attitude."Wang stressed that political mutual trust was the foundation of practical cooperation.

He added that the total population and GDP of China, Japan and the South Korea make up 70 and 90 percent of East Asia respectively. When the three countries join hands, he said, they can promote Asia's integration.

In terms of economic cooperation, the Foreign Minister noted that the three countries had already achieved huge progress in both traditional areas and new investment fields.

Wang said trilateral cooperation would also benefit the world economy.

"The trade value among China, Japan and South Korea was almost 700 billion U.S. dollars last year. And the investment agreement comes to effect. Building China, Japan and South Korea free trade zone is in the interest of the people. That also benefits the region and the world. We should complete the process as soon as possible, with the spirit of mutual beneficial and win-win result."Also he hoped the three countries would accelerate negotiations on various economic partnerships.

"The three countries should accelerate negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). China, Japan and South Korea should work with each other to move to the Asia-Pacific free trade zone."The trilateral leadership meeting will gather Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The summit was an annual event established in 2008.

However, the meeting was suspended after the fifth one in May 2012 amid heightened regional tensions.

Ahead of the leaders' meeting, commerce ministers from the three countries will meet in Seoul this week.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

PBOC considers direct trade between Yuan and WonAnchor:

China's central bank is considering introducing direct trading between the South Korean Won and the Chinese Yuan and promoting greater use of the Korean currency here in China.

Experts say the launch date has not yet been decided, but the practice could begin as early as November.

As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is soon to pay an official visit to South Korea, economic cooperation between Korea and China is high on the agenda.

For more on this, CRI's Spencer Musick spoke earlier with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

…Back anchor:

That was Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

Rescue and Cleanup Work Unfold after Massive QuakeRescuers are struggling to deliver aid to victims of Monday's massive earthquake that hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Latest reports suggest the combined death toll in the two countries has risen to 311.

237 people have died in Pakistan and 74 in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged his countrymen to help those in need:

"I demand all Afghans, my fellow countrymen, to help each other if they are in the affected areas. Also I ask every Afghan to provide accurate information on the casualties and damages so we can start managing help for those who need it."Meanwhile, the clear up operation has begun in Mingora, the main town of the hard-hit Swat Valley area in Pakistan.

A local resident there says almost all of the slum houses have been damaged by the earthquake:

"The earthquake caused heavy damage in the Swat Valley, the area where I am standing right now is the area of Mingora city; area name Jhilo Khail and Malekan. Here the slum houses are hundred percent damaged by the earthquake."The magnitude-7.5 quake was centered beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan's sparsely populated Badakhshan province bordering Pakistan, Tajikistan and China.

Latest data suggests the quake also killed four people in northern India and Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The strong quake was also felt in part of northwest China's Xinjiang.

It's believed the death toll will climb in coming days because communications have been damaged in much of the Hindu Kush mountain range.

China pledges help to quake-hit Afghanistan and PakistanThe Chinese authorities have pledged help to assist quake-hit Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang gave the news at a routine media briefing:

"China will provide aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan based on the disaster and the needs of the two countries. I am told that Red Cross Society of China is also preparing to provide aid to the two countries."Besides China, other countries and organizations have also offered help to deal with the disaster.

The United Nations says it stands ready to support government-led relief operations in both countries.

The United States says its partners are currently assessing the level of damage and monitoring the situation on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif shortly after the powerful quake shook Pakistan and "offered assistance with earthquake relief".

China Considers to Loose Second Child PolicyAnchor:

Talk of the loosening of China's birth restrictions are heating up as the central leadership meets to discuss the country's development plan for the year 2016 to 2020.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more.

Reporter:

Currently, one in ten Chinese citizens is 65 or above.

And this proportion is likely to increase to one third by the year of 2050.

Meanwhile, the working population is also aging.

Wang Jun, professor at Sun Yat-Sen University, says this trend would pose a threat to China's economic vitality.

"Migrant workers and others in the working population are also aging, which may affect our country's economic vitality. The situation can be improved to a certain extent by changing the birth policy."A major policy change at the end of 2013 allowed couples nationwide to have a second baby if either parent is an only child.

Initial estimates suggested two million more babies would be born annually as a result of the change.

However, the actual increase last year was only half a million.

Many parents say they couldn't afford a second baby.

"Now I'm working and my wife takes care of our son. If we have a second child, both of us would have to work and hire a nanny, but we can't afford that."However, this doesn't necessarily mean most parents are against the loosening of the second child policy.

Experts say it would be better if the government would assess whether the current number of hospitals, schools and other facilities could meet future demand before making the decision.

China introduced its family planning policy to control population growth in the late 1970s.

According to the policy, most urban couples could only have one child, and most rural couples could have two if their first child was a girl.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

China solicits public views to better regulate taxi and private car hailing servicesAnchor:

China's Ministry of Transport has released the results of a public consultation on its recently released draft regulation on the taxi industry.

Opinions on whether the traditional taxi management model should be applied to emerging private car hailing services have aroused heated discussion among the respondents.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

Reporter:

The Ministry of Transport offered two drafts for public comment earlier this month. The aim was to promote the healthy development of the traditional taxi industry and better manage private car hailing services.

The core issue of the rules on online car hailing service concerns the status of these vehicles.

The draft makes it clear that the vehicles with seven or fewer seats for online booking services are categorized as taxis.

According to online car-hailing platforms, 75 percent of those providing the service are part timers.

Ye Yun is the chief public relations officer and senior inspector general of public affairs with Didi Kuaidi, China's major mobile-based car-booking company.

He is expecting coordinated management from the government.

"We hope the government will manage the platforms and allow the platforms to supervise the specific vehicles. The platforms are responsible for managing both vehicles and drivers."As for pricing, most people think online service platforms shouldn't reimburse customers, falling into line with traditional taxi services.

And the promotional price they offer shouldn't be lower than the minimum fare offered by traditional services.

Zhou Hanhua, researcher with the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says the design of the rules would actually allow more room for price setting.

"The rules said the power to follow government-guided prices or market prices should be delegated to local governments and should be fairly flexible."When it comes to the issue of whether the number of taxis - both traditional and online - should be limited, more people felt that too many taxis on the road would only lead to congestion and unemployment.

Others believed the number of taxis in cities should be subject to demand instead of government control.

Ministry of Transport officials say the most important thing is to strike a balance between the traditional taxi service and emerging private car hailing services.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

Israel Marks 20 Anniversary of Rabin's AssassinationAnchor:

Israel commemorated the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin on Monday amid heightened tensions with Palestinians.

CRI's Qian Shanming has more.

Reporter:

During an official memorial ceremony for former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compares the current wave of violence with the security situation that Rabin faced before his assassination.

"Rabin knew that the terrorists aspire to shed our blood, to uproot us from our homeland - the same Palestinian terror and recalcitrance that continues until today. Terrorism won't bring us down. Its perpetrators did not defeat us in the past and will not defeat us in the future. We will continue reaching out a hand for peace to whoever recognizes our right to live."Tensions have been mounting for weeks in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the beginning of October, fierce clashes have brought the Israeli death toll to 10, while Israeli forces have shot dead at least 60 Palestinians.

It is reported on Monday that Netanyahu is considering revoking residency permits from Arabs living in east Jerusalem as a measure to deal with the spate of attacks.

The current situation reminds more Israelis of Rabin, who finalized in 1990s the Oslo Accords which were heralded then as steps toward enduring peace. However, he was assassinated by a Jewish extremist on November 4, 1995, during a peace rally in Tel Aviv.

Many people attending Monday's ceremony say the government should follow Rabin's steps to continue with the peace process.

"People loved Rabin. He gave us great hope. He gave us choice to live with the Palestinians. He did it only for the existing of the Jewish nation.""We need to start to speak. You don't make peace with somebody that you love. You make peace with somebody you don't like, with enemy. If you don't have peace you don't have anything here. I don't want my children to live in war. I want them to live in peace."Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian legislator who witnessed the signing of the Oslo Accords, gives a relatively positive comment on Rabin's efforts for peace.

"He made a serious and substantive transformation and presupposition vis-a-vis the Palestinians. I think he came to recognition that there is no military solution and therefore there is a need for a political solution, so in that sense he did change the course of Israeli history, for a short while, unfortunately."But she says things have been going downhill since, and that the only way to end the decades of conflict is to end the occupation.

"If there is any political will to see an end to this horrific situation, then we need to see an end to the occupation, and from then on we can move ahead. Or I think the situation will continue to degenerate and it will generate greater violence and extremists. There is no way in which you can build a state under occupation."For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

Kosovo Signs Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European UnionKosovo is signing a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union.

Tuesday's signing in Strasbourg is expected to open the way to eventual full membership of the EU, which is now Kosovo's main trading partner.

Kosovo's European Integration Minister, Bekim Collaku, said that deal was a milestone.

"Kosovo officially will sign the SAA . This represents a new milestone in the integration path for Republic of Kosovo, because it establishes contracted relation between Republic of Kosovo and the European Union (EU). This is our main objective as a government, as republic, as citizens. We want to become members of the European family in terms of economic integration but also to share the values of the EU as such."The EU has been Kosovo's main supporter with about 1.3 billion euros in development aid approved for 2007-2020.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and its independence has been recognised by more than 100 countries.

Five EU member states do not recognise Kosovo, but even so they have approved the agreement.

WeatherBeijing is clear tonight with a low of 4 degrees Celsius; it will be cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 15.

Shanghai, clear tonight with a low of 14; cloudy to showers tomorrow with a high of 20.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 16; also overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 2; cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 25.

Kabul, cloudy, 18.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19.

Brisbane, light rain with a high of 23.

Perth, light rain, 31.

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

Headline newsChina lodges protest with U.S. on warship patrol in South China SeaThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has expressed "strong discontent" and "resolute opposition" over a U.S. warship patrol near Zhubi Reef of China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement that the United States' actions threatened China's sovereignty and security interests, endanger the safety of personnel and facilities in the reef, and would harm regional peace and stability.

The spokesman urged the U.S. side to "immediately correct its wrongdoing."Lu confirmed that earlier on Tuesday the U.S. warship USS Lassen illegally entered waters near Zhubi Reef of China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea without the permission of the Chinese government.

President Xi to consider Aquino's invitation on APEC meeting: spokesmanThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that President Xi Jinping will consider an invitation from the Philippine President to attend the APEC meeting next month in Manila.

Spokesman Lu Kang said that China hoped the upcoming APEC meeting will focus on economic affairs and achieve new results on regional economic cooperation.

Lu added that China valued and supported APEC, including the upcoming meetings in Manila, as the highest-level and most influential economic forum in the Asia-Pacific region.

China, Dutch to strengthen cooperation in civil aviationChina and The Netherlands have established a working group to strengthen cooperation in civil aviation.

The two sides signed a memorandum on Tuesday in Beijing.

The signing took place during a visit to China by the Dutch King Willem-Alexander.

The king leads a huge trade delegation to China with 250 business people from 150 Dutch companies.

Both state leaders witnessed the signing of 15 cooperation agreements, ranging from finance, trade to aviation, technology and panda protection.

It is the King's first state visit to China since he came to the throne in April 2013.

400 police officers to be deployed to Slovenia amid migrant influxThe EU will deploy an additional 400 police officers to Slovenia this week to help manage the high influx of arrivals.

Addressing the EU Parliament on Tuesday, the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also said that 11 regional leaders from the European bloc and the Balkans had committed to providing immediate shelter, food, water and sanitation for all arriving refugees.

He also promised an increase of reception facilities by one hundred thousand places in Greece and the Western Balkans.

At the same time, Juncker says that miscommunication between European countries is making the migration crisis worse by promoting a "politics of panic."Biz ReportsClosing numbers across the Asian marketsAnchor:

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

Reporter:

Chinese shares continued a winning streak on Tuesday as confidence was boosted by the central government announcing that pension funds will be ready for investment in 2016. We will have more on that in a moment.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up a fraction of a percent. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.6 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises gained 1.4 percent.

Logistics and medical equipment led the pack while oil and coal shares reported the biggest losses.

The military industrial sector performed extremely strongly with 24 shares hitting the daily increase limit of 10 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index gained a fraction of a percent.

Three of the four sub-indices gained ground. However, local property stocks went down in general.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei lost 0.9 percent, along with a poor lead from Wall Street. Iron, steel and coal-related-issues were among the biggest losers.

The South Korean KOSPI sded 0.2 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index lost nearly one percent.

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

China's pension funds ready for stock investment in 2016: ministryChina's pension funds will be ready for investment in stocks and equities in 2016 after the government set rules to regulate the change.

The Authorities are reportedly working on how best to transfer and allocate funds to authorized institutions for investment.

China's cabinet, the State Council, finalized guidelines in August allowing pension funds to invest in higher-return products, including stocks and equities.

That means around 2 trillion yuan , or some 315 billion U.S. dollars can be invested.

China's Sept. industrial profits narrow declineThe Profits of Chinese industrial firms declined less sharply in September, but the outlook remains dim.

The National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday said profits for China's major industrial firms fell 0.1 percent year on year in September, narrowing from the 8.8-percent decline posted in August.

The better performance was mainly due to slower growth in costs, a decline in business taxes and surcharges, and cheaper raw materials.

Though the figure showed an improvement on last month, analysts say the outlook for industrial firms is still gloomy due to downward pressure.

The prime operating revenue for industrial firms declined 0.5 percent in September, the first time in many years, indicating increasing difficulties in production and business operations.

State-owned industrial companies saw their profits plummet a quarter of a percent during the first nine months, while private firms offered a brighter outlook, with profits rising 7 percent.

China's urban unemployment rate slightly upThe latest registered-unemployment rate in China's cities stands at 4.05 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

According to official statistics, China created 10.66 million new jobs for urban residents in the first nine months of 2015.

Li Zhong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said the latest figure shows China's job market was generally stable.

"With the economy feeling the weight of downward pressure, there had been a decline in job vacancies, however it was a small loss and China's job market was generally stable. In the first nine months, decline in positions at the monitored companies has narrowed compared with that of the first half.

He also pointed out the drop in vacancies only affected sectors struggling with overcapacity or environmental problems, including the coal, steel and chemical sectors.

He forecast the job market will remain steady in the fourth quarter, and into next year, as government measures bear fruit, including cuts to bank reserve requirement ratios and interest rates.

The government pledged to create at least 10 million new jobs and keep the unemployment rate below 4.5 percent for the rest of this year.

Beijing opens wider to foreign investmentThe Beijing municipality is to relax market access for foreign investment in travel, aircraft maintenance and performance brokerages.

Starting from today, rules and regulations will be adjusted until May, 2018.

Earlier this year, the State Council approved a plan for Beijing to carry out a three-year pilot scheme into opening its service industries more widely to foreign investment.

The pilot program covers six service areas that are comparatively mature, including science and technology, internet and information services, culture and education, business and travel, financial services, health and medical services.

It means qualified travel agencies backed by both Chinese and foreign capital will be allowed to provide services to Chinese tourists traveling abroad.

Foreign capital could also take a controlling stake in aircraft maintenance projects, and the city could also see foreign capital used to set up wholly-owned entertainment brokerage companies and provide services within the municipality.

Opportunities and Challenges Both Exist for Private Investors in PPP Projects: ExpertsAnchor:

With more and more private capital invited into public-private partnership ventures, also known as PPP projects, many experts believe that private investors will be facing both a series of opportunities and several challenges.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

7 Chinese provinces announced last week that 287 PPP projects collectively worth around 940 billion yuan, or 148 billion U.S. dollars, will be open to private investors.

Those projects include municipal works, highways, rail, airports, water conservation and energy projects.

The announcement was made during a PPP promotion teleconference organized by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in cooperation with the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Zhang Yong, deputy head of the NDRC, says the partnerships could help improve structural reform of investment and financing, energize private investment, while improving public products and services.

"We'll make great efforts to promote the PPP mode. For the past three quarters of this year, private investment in the fields of infrastructure and public utilities, where private companies seldom invested in before, has increased by around 27% compared to the same period of last year. The acceleration of such investment is 16.6% higher than the whole investment."However, in some of the PPP projects, private enterprises still lack enough participation compared to their state-owned counterparts.

Wang Qinmin, head of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, says private investors still face a series of problems and challenges.

"Some private enterprises still lack confidence and willingness to invest due to the decrease of their own space for gaining profits, while others don't know which areas they could invest in. The environment for PPP projects investment still needs improvement."He adds that some of the private investors lack enough understanding towards relevant policies, which might bring negative effects to their investments.

The NDRC will next hold more project promotion meetings in many different types so as to attract more private enterprises to participate in investing in PPP projects.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Silk Road Fund to invest $100m in Chinese company's IPOIt's been reported that the Silk Road Fund will invest 100 million U.S. dollars in China International Capital Corp's (CICC) initial public offering in Hong Kong.

The First Sino-Foreign Investment Bank and its existing shareholder the National Council for Social Security Fund are expected to raise as much as 811 million U.S. dollars through the act.

CICC is raising money to expand its equity sales and trading, wealth management and international businesses.

It's the first time that the Silk Road Fund has invested in an initial public offering.

Founded in 2014, the fund aims to provide investment and financing support to infrastructure, resources, industrial cooperation and other projects related to the "Belt and Road" activities.

Volkswagen recalls 5,906 cars in ChinaGerman carmaker Volkswagen has begun to recall some 5,900 vehicles in China over defective batteries.

China's quality watchdog on Tuesday said the battery nuts of those affected vehicles may become loose while driving, and be a risk to safety.

Starting from today, Volkswagen is recalling the cars and says it will replace the faulty parts free of charge.

The models being recalled include Flying Spur vehicles imported between 2012 to 2014, and Continental models, manufactured between Feb. 5, 2011 and May 15, 2014.

Chinese investors buy more housing properties in SeoulAccording to South Korean media reports, more and more Chinese investors are buying properties in the capital city Seoul than ever before.

The report says the number of properties owned by Chinese people is now five times greater that it was just four years ago.

It also notes that their investment purpose lies not only with their accommodation needs, but also in the hope of making a profit.

Most Chinese investors appear to prefer properties in Seoul's Chinatown, while others tend to invest in resorts.

Currently, Americans remain Seoul's biggest foreign property buyers, but Chinese investors are catching up quickly.

SportsNew Zealand talks about upcomming RWC FinalAnd in rugby news:

Members of the All Blacks spoke at a press conference on Monday ahead of their Rugby World Cup final against Australia.

New Zealands assistant coach Ian Foster summarized the feelings of his squad during the event.

"It's a Rugby World Cup final. It's.... we've talked about this particular game for a long, long time. We've wanted to be here. We've had to work hard to be here and, now for all the team, whether they are thinking of moving or not, this is, it's all about the here and the now. This is the moment, and there will be plenty of time afterwards to talk about people, but, we don't want to waste this opportunity"New Zealand are aiming to become the first team to successfully defend a Rugby World Cup title.

The All Blacks will face rivals Australia in the final at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

China's top Club football players unite for 2018 qualifiersIn some football news:

The Chinese natinal team has released the 24-name list for the 2018 world cup qualifying Asia.

Highlights on the list are midfielders Zhang Xizhe and Huang Bowen.

China will play Bhutan on November 12th and the Chinese Hong Kong on November 17th.

Portugal and Spain dominate the Larache International TriathlonLets sprint into some running news:

Portugal's Melanie Santos and Antonio Benito of Spain took honors in the 10th running of the Larache International Triathlon in Morocco on Saturday.

This is the tenth year for the Triathalon as it attracted 190 athletes from around the world.

In the race, athletes would swim 750 meters, do a 20 kilometer bike ride and finish off with a 5 kilometer run.

This year's race saw fierce competition between Spain a Portugal.

After the race, 1st place finisher Antonio Benito spoke about the competition he faced.

"The race was very good for me. It is the first time I won an international race. I am very happy with the race. The competition was strong between me and Gomar (Jesus Gomar, Spain), but I managed to win at the end. I am feeling very well."Eight out the 10 finishers in the women’s elite came from either Spain or Portugal.

Santos finished ahead of the pack with a time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 17 seconds.

In the elite men's race, seven Spanish athletes made it into the top ten finishers.

Benito dominated his group with a time of 58 minutes, 21 seconds.

Imposter cheats for 2nd place in Nairobi International Marathonand in some more running news:

A man was arrested for cheating his way into second place at Kenya's Nairobi International Marathon on Sunday.

Nairobi Marathon Head coordinator Hassan Omar spoke out about what he saw during the race.

"He cheated to me and cheated to the timing chip. So, I mean, this is an imposture. He is a guy who just showed up at the finish. This is why when we finished, I rushed to the finish line because I saw him challenging the second guy."Police and race officials identified the cheater as Julius Njogu.

Njogu reportedly hid among a group of spectators before joining the race near the finish.

The imposter was in line to claim around $7,000 US dollars in prize money before being caught and disqualified.

Nadal advances in Swiss Indoor tournamentand swinging into some tennis news:

Rafael Nadal beat Lukas Rosol in the second round of the Swiss Indoors on Monday.

Rosol started the match strong but Nadal broke back, winning three games in a row to take the second set.

The former world number one, then took a 3-0 lead in the decider, but Rosol would break Nadal's serve to level the score 4-4.

A tense tiebreaker ensued but Nadal would close out a 1-6 7-5 7-6 victory.

Nadal will now move on to play either Grigor Dimitrov or Sergiy Stakhovsky .

Muguruza beats Safarova in Singapore Openand in Singapore:

Garbine Muguruza beat Lucie Safarova in straight sets at the WTA Finals on MondayThis has been a breakthrough year for Muguruza, who reached the finals in both Wuhan and Beijing.

Muguruza won with a 6-3, 7-6 and will now move forward in group "red" at the Singapore OpenMichael Smith wins the World Crazy Golf Championshipand in some "crazy" golf news:

Michael Smith won the World Crazy Golf Championship in Hastings on Sunday.

In 1066 it was the scene of one of the most famous battles in English historyBut in 2015 Hastings was host to a total of 75 'crazy' golfers turning out from four different countries to take it all.

The 18-hole golf course where contestants played, featured obstacles such as a Windmill, a waterwheel, an obelisk, a lighthouse and various ramps and bunkers.

Chairman of the British min-gold association Sean Homer explained the allure of this tournament.

"some players are drawn by the prize money, most players just like the fact that it's a World Championship and they can say "I've played in a World Championship, I've got a chance of being World Champion" Everybody thinks that they can win it at the start of the event but I just think that we make it as accessible as possible, we only use one ball so that everybody has the same balls and there is no advantage for tour pros compared to a novice."The winner was the 29-year old student Michael Smith from Oxford who out played his opponents to win the title for the third time.

His triumph sits alongside the back to back titles he won in 2011 and 2012.

EntertainmentLang Lang Talks Importance of Musical EducationLang Lang is known around the world as one of the most prolific and high-profile recording artists, but the acclaimed musician wants to do more: bring music education to children.

In a recent interview, the musician says he started the Lang Lang International Music Foundation to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of classical music lovers and performers.

"The first few years we were focusing on finding the talent of the next generation and now after several years, we have a good team to develop a very good method - Music education method and we are giving those methods to selected schools which we have a partnership with.""The way we are bringing musical education really like language training so people can talk to each other through music, rather than just practice like when I was a kid all by myself."The Chinese musician has won countless honors, including the highest prize awarded by china's Culture Ministry, and has performed for many international dignitaries like President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.

"Music makes me a better person, which helped me become a citizen of the world. Traveling around the world, making friends all over the world and hopefully we are making the world a better place. And somehow I believe that this power that I have been very fortunate to have, this wonderful experience needs to be shared with every kid."Since its founding in 2008, the foundation has taken music education to another level by developing sustainable, impactful, and unique charitable activities, as well as establishing partnerships with dedicated organizations.

Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brett Ratner show up for Their Short Film "The Audition"Hollywood legends Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, the Award-winning director Martin Scorsese and acclaimed director and producer Brett Ratner, have made an unprecedented appearance together in a new movie "The Audition"- the first Hollywood Production tailor-made for Macau.

The 16-minute short film was shot in Studio City, to celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 27th. The film features Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt playing themselves, as they vie for the same part in a fictitious movie.

As a Hollywood-inspired, movie-themed entertainment and leisure resort, Studio City invests in non-gaming sectors to enhance Macau's role as a truly world-leading tourism and entertainment destination.

Daniel Craig Walks the Red Carpet for "Spectre"James Bond actor Daniel Craig walked the red carpet on Monday for the premiere of "Spectre" in the UK.

It was attended by no less than three Royal fans of the famous film franchise - Prince William, his wife Catherine, and Prince Harry. This is the twenty-fourth James Bond film and features Daniel Craig in his fourth performance in the title role.

The actor says his own excitement at being allowed to continue in the series stemmed from his involvement beyond acting.

"I've just been allowed to be creatively involved with these films from the very beginning and I've continued to be allowed to do it with this, so thankfully we've just got the most amazing team around us and we figure it out. We've got one of the best directors there is and some of the best writers and that's what you do."This latest installment tells the story of Bond's first encounter with the global criminal gang known as Spectre, and peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind the agency.

The latest 007 film has been praised by British critics.

'Spectre' is scheduled for released in China on November 13th.

WeatherBeijing is clear tonight with a low of 4 degrees Celsius; it will be cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 15.

Shanghai, clear tonight with a low of 14; cloudy to showers tomorrow with a high of 20.

Chongqing, overcast tonight with a low of 16; also overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 2; cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 25.

Kabul, cloudy, 18.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19.

Brisbane, light rain with a high of 23.

Perth, light rain, 31.

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

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

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

China lodges a strong protest with the United States after Washington sends a warship to patrol near the Zhubi Reef.

Rescuers struggling to deliver aid to victims the massive earthquake that hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

China expresses hope the forthcoming leaders' meeting between China, South Korea and Japan will enhance political trust and benefit the three economies.

In Business...China's pension funds will be ready for investment in stocks and equities in 2016On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Bob Jones in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together...