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

Coming up on the program this evening...

A Russian airliner with over 200 people onboard has gone down in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Seoul ahead of a trilateral summit involving himself and the leaders of South Korea and Japan.

Chinese lawmakers are now reviewing new legislation designed to help promote the Chinese film industry.

In the 2nd half of the hour, we'll be bringing you the highlights from the world of business this week.

In sports... Guangzhou Evergrande is this year's Chinese Super League champion.

In entertainment... Adele is back on the top of the charts after a 3-year hiatus.

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 NewsRussian civilian plane crashes in Egypt's SinaiA Russian airliner with 224 people on-board has gone down in Egypt.

Egyptian officials have confirmed wreckage of the Metrojet Airliner has been found in the Sinai Peninsula.

It's not clear yet if there are any survivors, though early indications are that all on-board have been killed.

Dozens of ambulances are still on the scene.

Its not known yet what may have caused the crash, though initial suggestions are it may be a mechanical issue.

Early reports are suggesting the pilot of the flight, which was destined for St. Petersburg, indicated the plane was suffering from mechanical problems shortly after take-off from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Shiek.

Reports suggest the pilot asked for an emergency landing in Cairo before the plane disappeared from radar just 20-minutes into the flight.

A search for the black-boxes is underway.

Egypt's government is setting up a special team to investigate the cause of the crash.

Expert: Trilateral Free Trade Talks likely to make some headwayAnchor:

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Seoul for a three-day visit to South Korea.

The Premier is holding talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye today, as well as overseeing the signing of numerous agreements connected to trade and finance.

Li Keqiang is also due to meet with local business leaders in Seoul, as well as attend events promoting tourism and student-exchanges.

All this comes ahead of a trilateral summit among China, South Korea and Japan later on this weekend.

For more on the Premier's time in South Korea, CRI's Wang Mengzhen spoke earlier with Yang Xiyu, an expert on Korean affairs with the China Institute of International Studies.

China-Japan-S. Korea demonstration base in Dalian to set example in trilateral cooperationOfficials in the Liaodong Peninsula in Liaoning are taking steps to try to capitalize on this weekend's trilateral summit in South Korea.

Officials surrounding China's largest port-city of Dalian are moving to highlight the regional economic base which has been established in the area.

20 different firms from Japan and South Korea are already operational in the economic zone, including Toyota and South Korea's Daesung Electric.

Shang Shuchen is the vice-Mayor of the city of Zhuanghe, which is one of 3 county-level areas surrounding Dalian.

He says one of the things they're trying to promote is a green economic structure in the development zone.

"What we're hoping to do with the area is to create an economy which uses recycling as one of the elements. Focusing on recycling and green-development is good for both developed and developing countries, especially when it comes to dealing with climate change. People also want to live in a clean environment."Chinese authorities established the economic base a few months ago.

The nearly 100 square-kilometer area has already attracted around 2.5 billion US dollars worth of investments.

Rescue Work at Collapsed Building in Henan EndsA building collapse in Henan has left 17-people dead, in what appears to be an industrial accident.

The dead are among 40 people who were being tasked with moving a 2-storey house off its foundation in the suburbs of Louhe when the building collapsed.

Of the 23 who survived, 9 are in serious condition.

Feng Guoqing is among those who survived.

He says something went wrong with their equipment just before the house collapsed.

"The lifting jack wouldn't press down, meaning the second floor of the building didn't move properly with the first floor. The foreman asked us to put the lifting jack in a titled direction so that the two parts of building could line up again. However, we still couldn't lower the lifting jack. So with the top of the building on an incline, the lifting jack suddenly gave way and the building collapsed."Feng Guoqing says none of those working on the site had the right training to move a house.

"We received no training. When we started, we didn't even know how to use the tools. We were told we would learn after we started working on the job. We did not receive any safety notices or education from the foreman. We just did what the foreman asked us to do."Police in Louhe have detained the boss of the construction team.

Chinese cult leader gets life in prisonA man in southern China who formed a psuedo-sect of Buddhism has been sentenced to life in prison by the courts in the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong.

Wu Zeheng, founder of "Huazang Zongmen," has been convicted of organizing an illegal cult, rape, fraud, and the production and sale of harmful foods.

Three of his followers have also been given sentences of up to 4-years in prison for fraud and perverting the course of justice.

48-year-old Wu Zeheng had been promoting his psudeo-religious movement "Huazang Zongmen" as a lofty sect of Buddhism.

He personally claims to be the successor of several eminent monks.

He managed to amass over 1-million US dollars through his followers.

Wu Zeheng says he plans to appeal.

New Laws Turn Lens on Domestic Film IndustryAnchor:

New legislation has been put before China's top legislature connected to the promotion of the movie industry in China.

CRI's Luo Wen has the details.

Reporter:

The proposed changes come some 12-years after the first laws were enacted to govern the Chinese film industry in 2003.

Authorities say the changes will better regulate the rapidly-growing film market in China, while at the same time, take steps to support domestic filmmakers and increase international cooperation.

Cai Fuchao, head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, says the legislation will also cut of red tape.

"We want a more dynamic film market. But we realize the onerous administrative procedures that are currently in-place have hampered its development, and have prevented private investors from putting money into films. This is why we think we need to take steps to relax some of the rules."Under the proposed changes, screenplays which don't have sensitive themes, such as comedies or romances, will no longer need to go through the current review process.

Only the storylines will need to be submitted for vetting.

Industry officials will also be required to process and vet the scripts within 30-days of their submission.

They'll also be required to give reasons as to why a script is turned down.

Overseas filmmakers will still be banned from shooting independently in China.

Cai Fuchao says regulators still need to ensure films being shot in China are up to the standards the government has set.

"Films should help promote good civic values, as well as conform to the norms of public decency and good taste. They also need to be free of any vulgar or illegal content."The new legislation is also promising stronger copyright protection, as well as the standardization of box office receipts.

This comes amid recent revelations some box-offices in China have been inflating their figures for domestic films to punch-up totals.

Under the changes, domestic filmmakers will also get tax breaks, help in financing their productions and more access to certain locations.

China is now the world's second largest film market, with 290-thousand screens in more than 58-hundred cinemas.

In the first 9-months of this year, domestic box offices took-in more than 30 billion yuan.

This is more than all of last year's totals.

The standing committee of the National People's Congress is now reviewing the draft.

As it meets only once every two months, and draft legislation usually needs three readings before being adopted, a time-frame for the implementation of the new rules remains somewhat unclear.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Chinese Volunteer Organization Heads to Pakistan for Earthquake ReliefA group of Chinese volunteers are arriving in Pakistan this Saturday to help with the humanitarian relief efforts following this past Monday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the Hindu Kush.

The group from the city of Hangzhou are to be the first of two teams from China being sent in to help with the relief efforts.

Team leader Xu Yin says the group is headed into remote areas in the quake-zone.

"The earthquake left many places inaccessible by vehicle. As such, many of those injured in the area aren't able to be transferred to larger hospitals. This is why we're headed into the area to provide medical services. We have been able to arrange transportation in Pakistan to help us get close to the areas we need to be in."A 2nd batch of Chinese volunteers are due to leave for the quake-zone tomorrow.

Monday's quake, which hit the Hindu Kush mountain range on the Afghan side of the border, has left close to 400 dead.

Hundreds others were injured.

Thousands more remain homeless.

The area where the quake hit is considered a largely ungoverned region, with local tribes and the Taliban controlling sections of it.

China's top climate negotiator meets with counterparts from major developing nationsChina's top climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua has met with his counterparts from Brazil, India and South Africa ahead of the forthcoming Paris climate talks.

He says their talks focused on identifying the demands of developing nations to be presented at the UN-backed session in December.

"It's only about one month left to see the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris after the UN climate change meeting was concluded in October. After our meeting, the preliminary ministerial meeting will be held in Paris soon. So we held the BASIC Ministerial Meeting before the preliminary ministerial meeting, it's a very important meeting at a critical time."Developing countries have been calling for more investment and technology sharing.

Developed countries have already agreed to support developing nations to the tune of 100-billion US Dollars a year by 2020.

However, questions still remain about how these funds will be allocated.

China has already pledged over 3-billion US dollars to help other developing countries tackle climate change.

December's climate talks in Paris are designed to get commitments on carbon emission caps from the 150 countries attending the UN-backed meetings.

World Diplomats Calls Stronger Effort to End Syrian WarAnchor:

A meeting tasked with finding a way to the end of the fighting in Syria has come to an end.

Friday's session in Vienna, which has included a dozen diplomats from various countries, including China, has made some headway.

But as CRI's Niu Honglin reports, a lot of differences still remain.

Reporter:

A joint statement issued after the meeting says the ministers have agreed to ask the United Nations to initiate a political process that hopefully could lead to a ceasefire and elections in Syria.

After the lengthy meeting in Vienna, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said participants in the talks were not trying to mask problems and issues.

"That is not so, we are honestly talking to you about these disagreements. The principles that have been created here today in the joint statement will be the basis for serious work which will be hard, I have no doubt. It will not be a fast process, but this work will make it possible to create trust, especially among the countries of the region. They have some serious issues, but today they sat down round the negotiating table and they held talks. With that kind of trust we can make sure the Syrian people will have the chance to decide their future."However a sticking point at the meeting is the position of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with the United States insisting that he could neither unite nor govern his country.

Acknowledging its position, US Secretary of State John Kerry also pledged a stronger diplomatic effort to solve the Syrian civil war.

"But we can't allow that difference to get in the way of the possibility of diplomacy and the beginning of　a final solution. And that is the significance of the decision that was earlier made here today was that even though we acknowledge the difference, we know it is urgent to get to the table and to begin the process of real negotiations."As the Chinese representative to the meeting, vice Foreign Minister Liu Baodong said the Chinese side had put forward its own proposals.

"And strongly we believe that the future of Syria must be determined by the people in Syria and we should start a political process as soon as possible. And the political process must be inclusive and widely participated by all the parties in Syria. And also we believe that we should start reconstruction process."The international talks gathered diplomats from key players including the United States, Britain and Russia, as well as other regional stakeholders.

They included Iran for the first time, making it the broadest gathering of nations yet to discuss Syria's future.

Tehran signaled it would back a six-month political "transition" period in Syria followed by elections to decide Assad's fate, although his foes rejected the proposal as a trick to keep the president in power.

The Vienna talks also see agreement on improving access to humanitarian aid into Syria, where 250,000 people are believed dead since the civil war began four years ago.

Diplomats also agreed to meet again in two weeks.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

Iran willing to work with international community to solve Syrian crisis – Iranian FMIran's Foreign Minister says his country is willing to work with the international community to end the conflict in Syria.

Mohammad Javad Zarif's comments follow a round of discussions among a group of a dozen different diplomats in Vienna who gathered on Friday evening to find ways to solve the situation in Syria.

Iran, a key ally of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was a party to the international talks for the first time.

"What we need is a recognition by everybody that terrorism and extremism cannot be used, even as temporary assets for anybody. That we need to all unite in fighting against Daesh and other extremist organisations. And we also need to accept, all of us, that the future of Syria can only be determined by the Syrian people."While no declaration has been made out of the meeting in Vienna, it's being reported the Iranian side has proposed a 6-month transition period to allow for nationwide elections to be held in Syria.

Its unclear at this point whether Damascus will back the proposal.

Over 4-years of fighting in Syria has left over 250-thousand people dead and 10-million others displaced.

It's also helped incubate the formation of the Islamic State, which now controls significant portions of Syria's northern and western regions.

US to send special forces into SyriaThe Pentagon has confirmed its planning on sending a group of Special Forces personnel into Syria to help battle the Islamic State.

Washington says less than 50 US soldiers will be sent into the Syrian theatre on an advisory role.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says the move does not signify a major shift in policy.

"And the president did make a decision to intensify that support by offering a small number of U.S. special operations military personnel to offer them some advice and assistance on the ground as they take the fight to ISIL. So this is an intensification of a strategy that the president announced more than a year ago."The US troops will be working with a rebel group known as the Syrian Arab Coalition.

Washington says they will not be engaged in front-line combat.

The decision does mark the first time US forces will be on-the-ground in Syria.

The U.S. and its Arab allies have been launching airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for over a year.

The Obama administration has been under pressure to ramp up US efforts against Islamic State, particularly after Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria last month.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Hold Joint Military ExerciseA series of exercises involving Pakistani and Saudi forces in northeastern Pakistan have come to an end.

The drills have been held to better-coordinate their respective battles against terrorists.

Qazi Khalilullah with Pakistan's foreign Ministry says the drills should be a warning to those in Pakistan who might support the Islamic State.

"As for Daesh, our position is very clear. We are against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and there is no footprint of Daesh in Pakistan. Our security and other agencies have said that even the shadow of Daesh will not be tolerated in Pakistan. Our position is very firm, and we will not tolerate any footprint of Daesh in Pakistan,"Five people were killed by an Islamic State supporter during a religious ceremony earlier this month in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan's tribal regions are considered hot-beds for fostering Islamic extremism.

Soon-to-open Shanghai Disney Resort Features Chinese CultureAnchor:

The Walt Disney Corporation has revealed its going to be adding a number of exclusively-Chinese elements to its soon-to-be-opened theme park in Shanghai.

CRI's Chi Huiguang has more.

Reporter:

Among the latest series of offerings to be available exclusively at the soon-to-open Disney Resort in Shanghai, Chinese kungfu shoes are most eye-catching, which are designed for the iconic Disney cartoon characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Chinese-style tea sets featuring the magical duo are not far behind.

Allen Au Yeung is Disney's creative vice president in the Greater China Region.

"This is one of the most, kind of, interesting product we have done: kungfu shoes. As you see, how we marry our Disney creatives with a local product. This is a very good example of what we're trying to do for The Walt Disney Company in China."The company also plans to work with China Post, the country's official postal service, to issue stamps and first-day covers that incorporate both Disney characters and traditional Chinese patterns.

Other additions to its merchandise lineup will include Chinese calligraphy and ink painting works, China-themed gold jewelry, and Disney character-inspired moon cakes and Chinese snacks.

"We have a local artist here working with us in the team and he's quite enjoying Mickey and Minnie. So he really has a full understanding about the art and culture in China. And it's something that to him, kind of do some study, and that's how we come up with the scene, hopefully Mickey and Minnie."Robert A Iger, the chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company says that Disney has been delighting people at these parks and resorts around the world for 60 years.

"And here in Shanghai, we apply everything that we've learnt from 6 decades of relentless innovation and creativity to deliver a world-class destination. When we began this project, our goal was that to create something that was authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese."Robert explains that they have hired some culture analysts, in order to research the consumption customs of Chinese people.

They even went to visit some Shanghai people's homes to try a typical Shanghai dinner.

Every name of the product Shanghai Disney Resort offers has been given consideration to both the original English meaning and Chinese ideas.

The Shanghai Disney Resort is an under-construction theme park by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

It is the first Disney Park in the China mainland.

The Resort is to open in the spring of 2016.

For CRI, I am Chi Huiguang.

US to Launch Program to Reenact Hump Airlift Route of WWIIA ceremony is set to take place in just over a couple of weeks to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the disbanding of the India-China Division of the US Army Air Force.

This is the division which flew "The Hump" to supply Chinese forces battling the Japanese invasion during World War II.

"The Hump" is the name pilots used to describe their flight over the Himalayas from bases in eastern India and today's Myanmar into southeastern China.

To commemorate the years-long effort, a C-47 which flew during the War is going to make the trip, once-again, from Kokata, India to Guangxi's capital, Guilin, on November 17th.

Jame Whitehead is the head of the "Flying Tigers" historical organization.

He suggests the ceremonial flight might help take some of the tensions out of the current ties between the US and China.

"We fought there. We had tremendous relationship, trust with Chinese people, and respect. That's the only way we have relationship is through trust and respect. And it happened. That's the foundation we should build on today,"The US Army Air Force used around 22-hundred planes to fly over "The Hump" between 1941 and the end of the war in 1945 to supply Chinese forces.

Close to 600 of the planes never made it back, leaving over 16-hundred dead or missing.

Chinese Cultural Discussion Opens in ParisA cultural event is being held this weekend in Paris to try to help foreigners better understand the cultural background behind Chinese characters.

A select group has been invited to work with Chinese cultural experts to explain how certian Chinese characters came-to-be.

Yu Dan with Beijing Normal University says they hope the sessions will help give people a better understanding of Chinese culture.

"People tend to think Chinese characters are abstract and ideographic compared to the standard alphabet. Chinese characters can be difficult for non-Chinese people to understand. This is why we've put together this event. We want to help this group better-understand Chinese characters by relating the stories behind them."The event in Paris is being supported by UNESCO.

15 killed, 13 injured in S. Philippines market fireAt least 15 people, including 6 children, are dead after a fire rolled through a market early this Saturday morning in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga.

Over a dozen others have been hospitalized, some with potentially-fatal burns.

The fire tore through the clothing market after being set-off in the early-morning hours.

"When I woke up there were flames. I was wondering why it is so bright outside, when I went out the fire was so huge so I woke up my kids before we evacuated here, we were not able to save any of our belongings but at least we are all alive."Its believed the 15 killed belong to 3 different families who had been living inside their stalls at the market when the blaze broke out.

An electric short is the suspected cause of the fire.

It torched some 350 stalls in the clothing market before crews were able to put the fires out.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 2; tomorrow cloudy with a high of 18.

Shanghai, slight rain tonight with a low of 17; tomorrow, rainy as well with a high of 15.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 13; cloudy tomorrow with a high of 19.

Lhasa, scattered flurries tonight with a low of -2; tomorrow flurries continue with a high of 9.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, overcast tomorrow with a high of 27.

Kabul, cloudy, 16.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy with a high of 26.

Brisbane, cloudy, high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 26.

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

Headline NewsRussian civilian plane crashes in Egypt's SinaiA Russian airliner with 224 people on-board has gone down in Egypt.

Egyptian officials have confirmed wreckage of the Metrojet Airliner has been found in the Sinai Peninsula.

It's not clear yet if there are any survivors, though early indications are that all on-board have been killed.

Dozens of ambulances are still on the scene.

Its not known yet what may have caused the crash, though initial suggestions are it may be a mechanical issue.

Early reports are suggesting the pilot of the flight, which was destined for St. Petersburg, indicated the plane was suffering from mechanical problems shortly after take-off from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Shiek.

Reports suggest the pilot asked for an emergency landing in Cairo before the plane disappeared from radar just 20-minutes into the flight.

A search for the black-boxes is underway.

Egypt's government is setting up a special team to investigate the cause of the crash.

Premier Li arrives in Seoul for ROK visit, China-Japan-ROK summitChinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Seoul ahead of this weekend's trilateral summit among Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders.

Li Keqiang is due to hold talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and other South Korean leaders before the trilateral summit begins.

He's also attending a series of activities connected to economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Li Keqiang is attending the first trilateral summit among Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders in some 3.5-years.

The summit itself is expected to cover a wide range of topics, including economic and political ties.

Li Keqiang is also due to take part in a business-leaders exchange as part of his time in Seoul.

SW China earthquake damages over 12,000 housesOver 12-thousand homes have been damaged following a 5.1-magnitude earthquake Friday evening in the southwestern part of Yunnan.

The epicenter was located near the small town of Datianba, close to the border with Myanmar, shortly before 8pm on Friday at a shallow depth of just 10-kilometers.

No casualties have been reported.

However, some 850 people have been forced from their homes.

Relief crews have been sent into the region.

Twenty-seven killed in Bucharest nightclub fireTwenty-seven people are dead after fire broke out at a nightclub in Romania's capital, Bucharest on Friday night.

155 are being treated in hospital.

25 of them are said to be in serious condition.

Most are suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

Others are suffering from injuries caused by the stampede to get out of the club.

Hospital staff says most of the injured are between the ages of 14 and 16.

The fire is believed to have been caused by fireworks lit-off inside the club during a rock concert.

Weekly Biz RoundupWeekly Business ReviewAnchor:

It's time now for our Weekly Business Review.

In this edition, we will take you through the economic targets China has set for the next five-year plan and tell you about the partnership formed by China's two largest online travel agencies.

CRI's Wenjie has more.

Reporter:

China will target "medium-high economic growth" in the five years from 2016, according to a communiqué released on Thursday following a key meeting of the Communist Party of China.

Leaders decided at the four-day Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee that China will aim to double its 2010 GDP and per-capita income of both urban and rural residents by 2020 by ensuring more balanced, inclusive and sustainable development.

Cao Can, CEO of Shengya Capital, believes the target is not unrealistic.

The country will also promote greater sophistication in its industrial sector and significantly raise the contribution of consumption to economic growth.

The urbanization ratio calculated based on the number of registered residents will also rise at a faster pace.

///////////////////China is expected to attract more foreign investors by being clearer on the rules that apply to them.

The announcement has been included in the statement released on Thursday following the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Policy leaders have decided on nationwide adoption of the "negative list" model that outlines sectors and businesses that are off limits to foreign investment.

This can ensure protection of foreign investors' rights and better allocate their funding.

The committee has also encouraged coastal areas to get more involved in global trade, calling for more manufacturing bases and cross-border economic zones.

Meanwhile, the service sector in particular should be further opened to foreign investment.

During the first three quarters, the value added of the service industry accounted for over 50 percent of GDP.

////////////////China signed 13 trade agreements with Germany on Thursday after the bilateral talks between the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing.

The deals cover youth communication, finance, transportation, telecommunication, industry and medicine.

Among them is a 17-billion-euro deal in which China will buy 30 airbuses and a framework.

In the economy sphere, Li Keqiang suggested the two sides could explore new growth points on sectors of investment, finance and entrepreneurship and innovation.

"China and Germany should enhance innovation, as well as coordinate our "Made in China 2025" strategy with Germany's "Industry 4.0" strategy. On the one hand, Germany's industrial growth and technological developments needs bigger markets, such as China. On the other hand, China can learn advanced concepts and technological innovations from Germany, as well as help German companies broaden their markets. Both countries can compliment one-another. I've also committed that the Chinese government will protect German companies' intellectual property rights."For her part, Merkel said it's her country's hope China's ongoing economic transition will provide new opportunities.

"I certainly have confidence in China's economic growth. Each nation has different stages of economic development, along with some fluctuations. At this particular moment, Chinese economy is in need of innovative development, especially a larger investment on green economy. Germany can be acted as a great partner in this respect. Both nations have great potential for collaborations in industrial strategies, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as production of consumers' goods."At Li's invitation, Merkel is making an official visit to China from Thursday to Friday. It is her eighth visit to China since 2005 in the capacity of chancellor.

////////////////Over the last weekend, China's central bank once again cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) of banks and benchmark interest rates.

From last Saturday, 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.

The reserve requirement ratio for all financial institutions has also been slashed by half a percentage point, to further reduce the cost of financing.

At the same time, the central bank has decided to remove the 50 percent ceiling for banks' deposit rates.

PBoC says 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 fifth RRR reduction in nearly nine months and the sixth round of interest cuts in nearly 11 months.

//////////////China and the U.S. began negotiating a bilateral investment treaty on Wednesday.

China's Ministry of Commerce says both sides have agreed to speed up negotiations.

This is the 22nd round of talks, which are taking place in the city of Qingdao.

Talks this time follow the exchange of initial negative list offers during the previous session.

Negative lists detail which sectors of the economy will be closed to foreign investment.

Authorities have not said when they expect a new bilateral investment treaty will be completed.

Once finished, the BIT will give the two largest economies in the world greater access to one-another's markets.

//////////////////On Tuesday, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced China has drafted a province-level old-age pension plan.

Up to now, more than 30 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities as well as Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have introduced their own province-level pension plan.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security Li Zhong says China is studying the cases in order to formulate a state-level plan.

"Currently, we have made calculations based on relevant pensions and formed a rough draft of the state-level old-age pension plan. We plan to make further discussions and report it to the State Council or the central government at a proper time."In addition, over 90 percent of Chinese cities have formed city-level unified medical insurance systems.

This has solved 60 percent of the nation's reimbursement problems resulted from receiving medical treatment in different places.

On the same day, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security also announced that China's pension funds will be ready for investment in stocks and equities next year after the government sets rules to regulate the change.

Around 2 trillion yuan or 315 billion U.S. dollars of the funds' total assets can be invested in various products.

///////////On the corporate front,China's two largest online travel agents, Ctrip.com and Baidu-backed Qunar, announced a deal on Monday to effectively form a partnership after a share swap.

Under the agreement, Baidu will own shares representing 25 percent of Ctrip's voting interests, while Ctrip will own nearly 45 percent of Qunar.

Meanwhile, four representatives from Ctrip will be appointed to Qunar's board of directors.

Baidu chairman Robin Li and vice president Tony Yip are expected to join Ctrip's board.

Ctrip has a market valuation of around 13 billion U.S. dollars, while Qunar was valued at some 6 billion U.S. dollars during Monday's trading.

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

SportsGuangzhou Evergrande win their fifth CSL championship titleIn football,Guangzhou Evergrande has taken this year's China Super League title, downing Beijing Guo'an 2-nil this afternoon.

The victory negates 2nd place Shanghai SIPG's 2-1 victory over Liaoning today.

Evergrande only need a draw to secure the title.

Its the club's 5th CSL Championship.

Meanwhile, Beijing's loss also means Guo'an will not be in the Asian Champions League next year.

This is because Shandong Luneng downed Shijiazhuang 3-1 this afternoon to finish in 3rd.

And in the battle to stay out of relegation, it was Guizhou Renhe sealing its own fate, drawing 2-2 Changchun Yatai.

A victory by Guizhou this afternoon would have pulled the club out of relegation, as Liaoning's loss this afternoon to SIPG would have put them into relegation by goal-differential.

Instead, Guizhou and Shanghai Shenxin are moving down into the 2nd division next season.

English Premier League PreviewSeven matches on the docket tonight in the English Premier League.

Game-day 11 gets underway tonight at 8:45 Beijing-time with Liverpool on the road in Chelsea.

Defending Champions Chelsea come into tonight with just 11-points after 10-matches.

Liverpool haven't fared much better so far this season, sitting mid-table at 3-5-2 for 14-points.

--The later matches will see league-leaders Manchester City entertain Norwich.

--Newcastle will attempt to pull themselves out of the relegation slot as they play host to Stoke.

--Manchester United is on the road at Crystal Palace.

--Its Watford at home to West Ham United.

--Leister City takes on West Brom Albion--And its Arsenal looking to make it 5-away wins on the season as they battle Swansea.

The late matches get underway at 11pm Beijing-time.

South Korean moves into tie for 1st at LPGA stop in HainanIn golf,Another tough day on the course has set a new name at the top of the leaderboard at this weekend's LPGA event in Hainan.

Taiwan's Candie Kung has moved into a first-place tie with South Korean Kim Sei-young at even-par following a 1-over-73 today at Blue Bay.

Kim carded a plus-2 on the day to move her down into the tie for the lead.

First-round leader Lin Xiyu finished her 3rd round at plus-3, moving her into a tie for 8th at 3-over.

Taiwan's Hsu Wei-Ling had the best round of the day, overcoming the wind to card a 4-under-68 to move into a tie with Lin Xiyu at plus-3.

--At the PGA stop in Malaysia.

American Brendan Steele has moved into the share of the lead with compatriot Justin Thomas at 20-under after a minus-6 round today.

A-Radwanska through to the final of the WTA FinalsIn tennis,Agnezietsa Radwanska is into the WTA Finals in Singapore.

She's advanced to the Championship match after downing Spain's Garbine Muguruza in a 3rd set tiebreaker, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5.

Its Radwanska's first crack at winning the WTA Finals.

The other spot in the championship match is being set tonight, with Maria Sharapova taking on Petra Kvitova.

On the doubles front...

Top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza advanced to the final after beating the Taiwan duo of Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan 6-4, 6-2.

Over to the men's side,Rafael Nadal has rode another comeback win to make his way into the Swiss Indoors semifinals, beating Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 earlier today.

Third-seeded Nadal trailed by a set and a break before getting his third three-set win this week.

In other action,American Jack Sock continues his impressive march through the tournament with a three-set win over compatriot Donald Young.

Home town favorite Roger Federer is also through.

The top seed needed a 3rd set as well to get past Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Raphael Nadal will face Richard Gasquet in the semi-finals, while Federer will be up against Jack Sock in the other.

Australia and New Zealand set for Rugby World Cup finalIn Rugby,The southern Pacific is a buzz tonight, as Australia and New Zealand head into tonight's final of the Rugby World Cup.

Defending champions New Zealand come into tonight's match as the slight favorites.

However, seasoned rugby observers are suggesting if the Wallabies can play solid defense, and keep the All-Blacks under 20-points, they have a good shot at the title.

Australian head coach Michael Chieka says they're anticipating a tough forward push from the Kiwi's.

"And also (it is about) resilience, not just fitness - resilience for the contact. We know it is going to be extremely physical and we want to be able to last that (80 minutes). I believe we have prepared accordingly; once the 80 minutes starts, not only will your preparations take a hold but a lot of the reasons that are driving you, mentally, I think that takes over the physical part and you only feel the physical parts later."Tonight's final of the Rugby World Cup gets underway at midnight, Beijing time.

Earlier today,It was South Africa taking the consolation round, ending its World Cup run in 3rd place, downing Argentina 24-13.

Basketball: New CBA season starts off with Beijing taking on XinjiangThe 2015-2016 Chinese Basketball Association regular-season is underway as of tonight.

The defending champion Beijing Ducks are at home to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

Xinjiang comes into this season with some strength, with newly-signed Andrew Goudelock and Li Gen in the line-up.

Beijing-favorite Stephon Marbury is back in the line-up for the Ducks, along with fellow American Randolph Morris.

This season sees a couple of new editions to the CBA, including North Control Beijing and Shenzhen Yikan.

Both those clubs will get their season started with the rest of the league's action tomorrow night.

Over to the NBA,LeBron James had 29 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over his former club, the Miami Heat, 102-92.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 25 points.

--Defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, have secured their second win of the season, downing Houston 112-92.

--Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 91-points in Oklahoma City's 139-136 double-overtime victory over Orlando.

--Washington came back from a 13-point deficit to beat Milwaukee Bucks 118-113.

--Detroit has move to 3-0 on the season after edging the Chicago Bulls 98-94.

--It was Toronto over Boston 113-103.

--Atlanta edged Charlotte 97-94.

--San Antonio hammered Brooklyn 102-75.

--Minnesota downed Denver 98-75.

--Sacremento did the capital city proud in today's "battle of California," hammering the Lakers 132-114.

Rajon Rondo leading the Kings with 21-points.

--And it was Phoenix over Portland 110-92.

National Women's volleyball League Matches kick off todayIn volleyball,The National Women's Volleyball League is underway.

In the opening match between Fujian and Shandong this afternoon, Nicole Fawcette notched 26 points to lead Fujian over Shandong 3-sets-1.

4 other matches are being played-out today.

14 teams are competing for the Championships this season.

The finals are set for the end of January.

The New York Mets beat Kansas City Royals 9-3 in game 3 of World SeriesIn baseball,The New York Mets have climbed back into the World Series after a resounding 9-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals earlier this morning.

The Royals still lead the series 2-games-1.

However, Mets manager Terry Collins says going down 3-nothing wasn't something his squad wasn't willing to do.

"Sure, when you get down 3-0 it's really difficult, I just thought it was a real big game for us. When we set up the rotation, the way Noah (Syndergaard) had been pitching, you kind of look at that game three as a pivotal game, anyway, you're one-one or down two, and he delivered, he came through exactly how we expected him to and we really believe Steven Matz (Mets game four starting pitcher) will go out tomorrow night and do the same job."The Mets will try to square the series in Game Four in New York tomorrow morning.

New York will start left-hander Steven Matz, who is set to become the first New Yorker to start a World Series game for the Mets.

Kansas City is going with 36-year old Chris Young, who threw 56-pitches in the Royals' Game-1 victory a week ago.

First pitch is set shortly after 8am, Beijing time.

EntertainmentJun Ji-hyun, JYJ receive Korean Popular Culture and Arts AwardSouth Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun has received a Presidential Commendation for the first time since her debut in 1997 at this year's South Korean Popular Culture and Arts Award.

Boy trio JYJ, singer IU, actress Park Shin-hye and actor Lee Jong-suk have also been awarded with the Prime Minister's Commendation at the coveted ceremony, which was held at the South Korean National Theater on Thursday.

Jun, whose latest flick "Assassination" attracted over 12-million viewers, is honored for her memorable silver and small screen roles, including "My Sassy Girlfriend" in 2001, "The Thieves" in 2012 and TV drama "My Love from the Star" in 2013.

The South Korean government has awarded 29 stars and icons for their contribution to pop culture in Korea and abroad.

K-pop girl group Girls Day and Kim Junsu of JYJ will performed at the ceremony.

Reese Witherspoon Praised as 'Modern Day Feminist' at American Cinematheque FeteThe American Cinematheque honored Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and DreamWorks Animation honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg at the organization's annual fundraising gala Friday night at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

Witherspoon received the American Cinematheque Award, reserved for an extraordinary artist currently making a significant contribution to the art of the Moving Picture.

Specifically not a lifetime achievement prize, it is meant for mid-career recognition.

Witherspoon is the first woman to win the American Cinematheque Award since Julia Roberts in 2007, and only the fifth to receive it in the gala's 29-year history.

Recent honorees have included Matthew McConaughey, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Samuel L. Jackson.

Jessica Jung Begins Filming For Chinese Movie 'Love Parcel' Opposite William ChanFormer South Korean "Girls' Generation" member Jessica Jung has been spotted in Beijing this week shooting for a new movie titled Love Parcel.

Jessica's role in the romantic comedy has not been announced yet, but the film began shooting way back in September. More details should be announced as the 2016 release date nears.

Ever since departing from the popular girl group Girls' Generation last year, Jessica has been exploring different creative activities, including acting and fashion designing.

Jessica is currently the managing director for Blanc & Eclare, a fashion brand that has seen quite successful. A new winter collection will be launched in the coming months.

She has also been focusing on China when it comes to her efforts to build a solo entertainment career.

Adele scores the biggest No.1 in three years with her comeback single 'Hello'

Adele has scored the biggest number one single in three years with her comeback track "Hello", selling a massive 333,000 copies since its release last Friday.

That means Adele now has the biggest single since James Arthur's X Factor winning single 'Impossible'.

The song has gone straight to the tops spot in the UK music charts.

Meanwhile Justin Bieber is forced to settle for number two with his new single 'Sorry', which has over a 100,000 copies in its opening week.

The singer has also beaten his own streaming record, racking up 4.5 million streams. But Adele has overtaken him with over 7 million streams.

Elsewhere Drake swoops in to claim number three with 'Hotline Bling', while Sam Smith's Bond theme 'Writing's On The Wall' climbed seven places to numberfour. The Weeknd's 'The Hills' completes the Top 5.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 2; tomorrow cloudy with a high of 18.

Shanghai, slight rain tonight with a low of 17; tomorrow, rainy as well with a high of 15.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 13; cloudy tomorrow with a high of 19.

Lhasa, scattered flurries tonight with a low of -2; tomorrow flurries continue with a high of 9.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, overcast tomorrow with a high of 27.

Kabul, cloudy, 16.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy with a high of 26.

Brisbane, cloudy, high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 26.

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

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

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

A Russian airliner with over 200 people onboard has gone down in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

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