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

Coming up on the program this evening...

French President Francois Hollande starts a two-day visit in China.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calls for greater economic and cultural links between China and South Korea's young people.

China unveils its first domestically produced large passenger jet to challenge foreign industry giants for prestige and market share.

In Business... China increases the central rate for the RMB by the largest amount in a decade.

Sports... . Agnieszka Radwanska secures the biggest title win of her career in Singapore.

In entertainment.... The latest rom Com premiers in Beijing.

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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TopFrench President Visits ChinaFrench President Francois Hollande has started a two-day visit in China.

He has met Chinese President Xi Jinping here in Beijing.

Topics on the table between the two leaders include bilateral trade and investment, political exchanges, as well as the forthcoming climate summit due to be held in Paris later on this year.

China, the most populous country and the biggest emitter of climate-warming greenhouse gases in the world, has promised it will try to cap its rising emissions before 2030 as part of its national pledge ahead of the Paris conference.

Hollande says that Chinese support was "essential" to reaching an effective deal at the Paris conference.

“It’s an exceptionally important moment for the international community to understand if it is capable of assuming its responsibilities. France has done everything to prepare for this meeting and I am not talking about the hospitality we will extend to the participants, I am talking about real preparation and I know that our discussions today will have an important bearing so that we can lead other countries towards a deal at the Paris conference."The two leaders are expected to issue a joint statement later on today.

As part of his time in China, Hollande has visited a Sino-French water treatment company in Chongqing to highlight cooperation in green growth industries.

The French President is among a list of European leaders who have recently made stops in China, including the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and German Chancellor Angele Merkel.

Professor Cui Hongjian is the director of the department of EU Studies with the China Institute of International Studies.

He says the frequent visits by European leaders show that China remains an attractive economic partner to the European market.

"We know, after 2009, European countries have suffered debt crisis and financial crisis. Although their economies are getting better in these years, but the sign of economic recovery is still comparatively weak. They think, China, as a representative of emerging markets, has a great potential. Thus they hope the emerging markets like China could help revive their economies."China and France have witnessed several important visits in recent years.

Last March, President Xi visited France as part of a European tour, and announced a decision with President Hollande to elevate bilateral relations to a close and lasting comprehensive strategic partnership.

And Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited France in June this year, when the two countries agreed to jointly cooperate in third-party markets in the areas of infrastructure, nuclear energy, aviation, agriculture, health and climate change.

Premier Li Encourages Cooperation of Younger Generation between South Korea and ChinaAnchor:

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is stressing the importance of the exchanges between the younger generation from China and South Korea, calling on them to make a joint effort in the field of innovation industry.

Premier Li made the remark while addressing a forum attended by young talents from the two countries, as he wrapped up his visit to South Korea.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

Stressing that communication among the younger generations is an important part of bilateral cultural exchanges, Premier Li Keqiang encouraged participants at the forum to seize the opportunity as both China and South Korea are seeking economic development driven by innovation.

"Now it is the best time for full cooperation between China and South Korea. There are some 60 thousand South Korean students studying in China, and the number of Chinese students in South Korea also reached that number. We hope that the number can continue to increase in the future, and these young students can start up their careers in the respective countries right after graduation. This could be a huge treasure for both China and South Korea."During Premier Li's visit to South Korea, the two countries reached agreements in a wide range of areas, including building up synergies between their own development strategies, and enhancing cooperation in innovation and entrepreneurship.

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn noted that cooperation among younger generations will be key to turn such initiatives into fruitful results.

"Since the two countries established diplomatic ties, cooperation between China and South Korea, based on the mutual friendship and trust among our leaders, have achieved unprecedented development. Now both the two countries are each other's strategic partners, and China is the largest trade partner of South Korea. We also signed the free trade agreement in June and the number of mutual visits has exceeded 10 million. In the future, cultural exchanges, especially among young people, will be important to deepen bilateral ties, and I wish this forum can play an important part to push for those exchanges in various fields. "The young leaders' forum gathers elites from the two countries in the fields of politics, economy, culture and also sports.

Among them is one of China's best Go players Chang Hao.

"I think communication is one of the most important things for exchanges between countries. I'm very happy to see that there are a lot of go lovers in China, South Korea and Japan. I also hope that the game can work as a bridge or an envoy of peace, to enable us to have more exchanges and better relations."China and South Korea have agreed to hold mutual visits by 100 young talents from each country in the next five years, and the young talents' forum will be held accordingly.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

Chinese Premier calls for smooth China-Japan-S. Korea CooperationAnchor:

One of the events that attracted most attention during Premier Li's time in Seoul was a summit with leaders from South Korea and Japan.

Premier Li Keqiang expressed his hope that the trilateral cooperation to be free from 'disturbances'.

The meeting comes after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus.

CRI's Xie Cheng reports.

Reporter:

Premier Li Keqiang said the three sides had a frank exchange of views and reached consensus on a series of issues.

"We have agreed on facing history squarely, aiming towards the future and appropriately managing sensitive issues including historical issues. And we have agreed to promote healthy and stable development in all areas including trilateral cooperation and bilateral relations. We agreed to strive together for peace and stability in the region and also for regional economic integration in Northeast Asia."Premier Li also highlighted the significance of enhancing mutual trust.

"A good political mutual trust is an important foundation for deepening development, and it forms the premise of common ground on major issues, including historical issues. All the three countries should also take the responsibility of safeguarding regional stability, particularly peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, so as to build a pleasant environment for regional security and development."He added that the three sides should keep a firm grasp on the general direction of their relations, so as to push forward their cooperation and allow their just-resumed trilateral summit to proceed regularly.

In the meantime, Premier Li also suggested that the three nations should maintain regional financial stability, and expressed hopes that the free trade agreement signed by China and South Korea in June could take effect as soon as possible.

China will facilitate negotiations of the trilateral FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in a bid to promote regional integration.

For her part, South Korean President Park Geun-hye stressed the importance of maintaining regional peace and stability.

"We reconfirmed that maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula corresponds to mutual interests of three countries and that we must adhere to the aim of denuclearising North Korea, and we agreed to strive together for the quick resumption of meaningful six-party talks."A joint declaration released after the trilateral summit says the three countries reaffirmed their commitment to hold the trilateral meeting on a regular basis.

It also says the three countries have agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges so as to dispel negative national public sentiment among the three Northeast Asian neighbors.

The China-Japan-South Korea summit had taken place annually from 2008 to 2012 before it bogged down due to Japanese provocations on historical and territorial issues that angered both China and South Korea.

The next China-Japan-South Korea summit is expected to be held next year in Japan.

For CRI, I'm Xie ChengSouth Korea, Japan Agreed to Speed up "comfort women" TalksSouth Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to speed up talks on Japan's wartime sex slavery of Korean women.

Kim Kyou-Hyun, senior foreign affairs secretary to President Park, made the comment following a bilateral meeting between the two sides.

"President Park pointed out that the comfort women issue is the biggest obstacle in ameliorating the relations between the two countries. She emphasized the need for an expedited resolution that is acceptable to the victims and convincing to our citizens."Park and Abe held their first-ever one-on-one summit in more than three years in South Korea on the sidelines of a trilateral leadership meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

South Korea has called for Abe to make a "sincere" apology for Korean "comfort women," who were forced into sex slavery for Japanese military brothels during World War II.

But Japan claims that the issue was resolved in a 1965 treaty that normalized diplomatic ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

Several rounds of diplomatic talks have been held on the issue, ending fruitlessly.

It's estimated over 200,000 women, mostly from the Korean peninsula, were forced to serve as sex slaves during the devastating war.

Exchange mechanism between China, South Korea and Japan needs more follow-ups: ExpertAnchor:

For more on these diplomatic activities that have taken place in the South Korean capital, our reporter Zhou Jingnan earlier caught up with Francis Fukuyama, the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.

United States Pacific Commander Visits ChinaThe Commander of the United States Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris is currently in China for talks with Chinese defence officials, amid tensions over issues concerning the South China Sea.

Harris's visit comes as the US naval destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Zhubi Reef in the South China Sea last week, without notifying the Chinese government.

The intrusion prompted strong protests by the Chinese side.

The Chinese Defense Ministry earlier revealed that Admiral Harris' visit was pre-scheduled before the incident.

But experts note that such direct dialogues will help the two countries to manage differences.

Military observer Zhang Junshe.

"Admiral Harris is coming to China as part of the annual exchanges plan between the two military forces. It is pre-set. But at a time when the US dispatched their ship into the South China Sea without permission from Beijing's permission, his visit shows that the two sides both have the consensus on how to manage the differences in a constructive manner, both having the wiliness to contain the contradiction. And I think that is the main goal for his time in China. "It's been reported that Admiral Harry Harris will spend three days in China.

Revealed topics for discussion include personnel exchanges between the two forces and China's participation in the 'Rim of the Pacific' military drill.

China debuts first large jetlinerAnchor:

China has unveiled its first domestically produced large passenger jet as the country seeks to develop its domestic sector and challenge foreign industry giants for prestige and market share.

CRI's Luo Bin has the details.

Reporter:

The C919, a narrow-body homemade jet which can seat 158 passengers, has been rolled out of the final assembly line after going under production at a facility in the commercial hub Shanghai for over a year.

Mavis Toh, Asia air transport editor for FlightGlobal, says it is an answer to the industry giants Airbus and Boeing's aircrafts.

"The C919 is targeted as a competitor to the Airbus A320 and also the Boeing 737. This is a very significant programme for China because it's basically their – it's a major push for the country as they want to be known as a major player in the aviation manufacturing sector."The plane, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, has a standard flight range of 4,075 km.

The company said it has won 517 orders from 21 customers home and abroad for the aircraft.

The aircraft featured 102 new applications of technology and materials, including third generation aluminum-lithium alloy materials, which were used for the body.

Li Xianping, deputy chief designer of the aircraft, says the design was coordinated by a digital prototype this time.

"Before, our designing was coordinated by a physical prototype, but now we use a digital prototype to coordinate the process. With the help of it we can visualize the overall structure and over 10-thousand parts of the aircraft."China is the world's largest civil aviation market, with its 21 largest airports seeing annual throughput exceeding 10 million passengers.

Wu Xingshi with the Project Expert Advisory Committee believes the plane will benefit the industry as well as the country's economy.

"Building a competitive industry through the independent development and marketing of the passenger plane will help push the transformation of the economic growth mode and the development of industrial technologies, strengthen national comprehensive strength and international competitiveness, and accelerate the pace of modernization."The C919 is scheduled to make its maiden flight next year and then begin test flights for about three years before putting into commercial use.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

China denies immediate validity of two-child policyChina's top family planning authority has stressed that the current one-child policy is still valid until legislators ratify a new policy allowing all couples to have two children.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission urged local authorities in each province not to carry out the two-child policy "willfully".

The ruling Communist Party of China announced the abolition of its decades-old one-child policy at the close of a key meeting at the end of October, in an attempt to balance population development and offset the burden of an aging population.

A final plan for the policy change will be ratified by the annual session of China's top legislature in March.

China starts fourth one-percent national sample censusChina has started its fourth one-percent national sample census, covering a population of about 14 million.

The census takers are to be equipped with a personal digital assistant or PDA for the first time.

Lu Liping is the head of the Population and Employment Statistics Department under the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau.

"The census takers will use the PDA to submit the data directly to the data server of the National Bureau of Statistics through wireless internet. This method reduces the census cost, protects privacy, and enhances accuracy and timeliness of the data."The sample census will help find out changes in the number, quality, structure, layout and housing conditions of the country's population since China conducted its last national census in 2010.

The census will end on Nov. 15.

China, the world's most populous country, has so far carried out six national censuses since 1949.

According to the last census, China's population totaled 1.37 billion as of Nov. 1, 2010.

Egypt Plane Crash Happened Mid-airMore than 140 bodies of victims from the crashed Russian airliner has arrived in Russia.

Initial investigation has suggested the plane broke up at high altitude, scattering fragments of wreckage over a wide area of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

Victor Sorochenko, Executive Director of Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee, has confirmed the destruction of the plane appears to have happened in the air, but he could not confirm any further details.

"It is early to talk about any particular conclusions. Now we see that the ruination has happened in the air and the debris has scattered across a big space, that's the only thing I can share for this moment."The Russian jet was carrying holiday makers from a Red Sea resort to St Petersburg when it crashed in the Sinai region on Saturday.

All 224 people on board were killed during the crash, including 214 Russians, at least three Ukrainians and one Belarusian.

Two black box recorders have also been found, and sent for analysis.

The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said it could take several months to establish the truth behind the crash, though his country was cooperating with Russia to aid investigations.

S.Korea, U.S. agree to joint operation plan against DPRK's nuke, missile threatsDefense chiefs from South Korea and the United States have agreed to joint operational plans against any nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo announced this after meeting his US counterpart Ashton Carter on Monday.

"We have decided to strongly and jointly respond to any of North Korea's provocative threats in the future, based on the robust South Korea- U.S. alliance."The annual talks resulted in a 16-point joint statement, which approved a so-called "4D operation plan" to detect, track and destroy North Korea's ballistic missiles mounted with nuclear or biochemical warheads.

The joint strategy involves using U.S. surveillance assets to closely monitor movements in North Korea, so as to hit targets in the North in times of crisis with precision-striking weapons from both Seoul and Washington.

Turkey's ruling AKP wins snap elections, sets to form gov't by itselfTurkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, won back a parliamentary majority in Sunday's elections.

The results will pave the way for the AKP to form a government on its own for the next four years.

The AKP gained nearly 49 percent of the votes, and received 315 seats in the 550-member parliament.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu declared the AKP victory in his initial statement after the polls.

"There are only winners today. And that is our country; our people; our republic. We will make our way into everyone's hearts, whether or not they voted for us. Together, we will build a new Turkey."The Republican People's Party won about 25 percent, while the Nationalist Movement Party showed a sharp decrease in its share of votes with nearly 12 percent. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party secured more than ten percent of votes.

Security officers were deployed during the elections, as the polling was carried out following renewed clashes between the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party and the Turkish government.

EU gives 28 mln euros in humanitarian aid to JordanThe European Commission has announced that it will give 28 million euros to Jordan to support Syrian refugees there.

European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides says that the EU would step up the level of humanitarian aid as the coming winter is expected to bring additional hardships to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

"This money will assist for the urgent needs of Syrian refugees and their host communities. Only a political solution can bring the Syrian crisis to an end. Only then the people of Syria will be able to look forward to a brighter future."The funds are expected to be used to meet the refugees basic needs such as health care, clean water, shelter and education.

The latest aid raises the overall EU humanitarian assistance for refugees to 198 million euros since Syria's conflict broke out in 2011.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that over four million Syrians have fled the country's civil war.

And Jordan says it has taken in 1.4 million Syrians fleeing the war but the UNHCR puts the figure at 600-thousand.

Around 80 percent of Syrians in Jordan live outside camps.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 4; tomorrow sunny to cloudy with a high of 17.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 12; more clouds tomorrow with a high of 20.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 15; same skies tomorrow with a high of 20.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of -1; tomorrow sunny with a high of 14.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, slight rain tomorrow with a high of 22.

Kabul, slight rain, 12.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have moderate rain with a high of 21.

Brisbane, cloudy, highs of 30.

Perth, cloudy, 26.

And finally Auckland will be overcast with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsFrench President Francois Hollande visits ChinaChinese President Xi Jinping has met his French counterpart Francois Hollande here in Beijing.

Hollande is now in China for a two-day visit, the second one since he took over the presidency in 2012.

He is expected to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang tomorrow.

Before his arrival in Beijing, Hollande visited the southwestern city of Chongqing, where he inspected a local sewage plant, a joint project between Chinese and French companies.

The French President is among a list of European leaders who have recently made stops in China, including the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and German Chancellor Angele Merkel.

China "sorrowful" over Russian plane crashChina has extended its condolences over the deaths of 224 people in the Russian plane crash in Egypt over the weekend.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Chinese people stand side by side with the Russian people at this sorrowful moment.

According to the spokesperson, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have sent messages of condolence to their counterparts.

An Airbus A-321 operated by Russian airline Kogalym-avia crashed with no survivors in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday morning. It was carrying 217 passengers, mostly Russians, and seven crew members.

China's first home-made big passenger plane rolled off lineChina's first homemade large passenger aircraft, the C919, has been rolled out of the final assembly line in Shanghai.

The plane is designed to have 158 seats and a standard flight range of 4-thousand seventy five km.

It has been developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC.

The C919 aircraft will make its maiden flight next year and then begin test flights for about three years before going into commercial use.

COMAC says it has already won 517 orders from 21 customers home and abroad for the aircraft.

President Xi Jinping has expressed his congratulations to developers and called for careful preparation for a maiden flight.

S.Korea, Japan agree to speed up "comfort women" talks during summitSouth Korean President Park Geun-hye and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have reached a consensus on speeding up talks on Japan's wartime sex slavery of Korean women.

The two leaders held their first-ever one-on-one summit in Seoul on Monday, after an extended diplomatic freeze.

After the meeting, Park's office said they had agreed to speed up "comfort women" talks to reach an agreement on the issue at an earliest possible date.

The summit was held on the sidelines of a trilateral leadership meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that was held in Seoul on Sunday.

Biz ReportsTime to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers in Asia.

Chinese shares dropped sharply on Monday, weighed down by lackluster factory activity data released over the weekend and an official investigation over insider trading.

The drops came after the National Bureau of Statistics announced on Sunday that the official PMI stayed at 49.8 in October, signaling contraction in factory activity and lingering pressure on the economy.

Meanwhile, the market was impacted by the general manager of Shanghai-based Zexi Investment is under investigation for suspected insider trading.

Companies in the oil refining, ship making and property sector also led the declines.

At the close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dipped 1.7 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index slipped 2.1 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises went down 1.9 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng Index fell 1.2 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares also closed lower on Monday.

The majority of categories on the main section lost ground, led by iron and steel, shipping and nonferrous metal-related issues.

The benchmark Nikkei dipped 2.1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI was up 0.3 percent.

Singapore's Straights Times decreased 0.8 percent.

And finally,Australia's ASX/200 lost 1.4 percent.

China gives currency largest boost in a decadeChina increased the central rate for the RMB by the largest amount in a decade on Monday.

The country adjusted the mid-rate of the Chinese currency upwards by 0.54 percent against the US dollar.

China now allows the currency to trade up or down 2 percent from the centrally set daily rate on the domestic foreign exchange market.

The authorities moved the yuan almost 5 percent lower in one week in August.

This was part of broader reforms aimed at shifting towards a more flexible exchange rate.

The move also comes as the country seeks to promote the yuan as a global reserve currency alongside the dollar.

China mulls allowing individuals to invest more abroadAnchor:

China is considering relaxing limits to allow individuals to invest overseas in stocks and property.

The central bank is now studying the possibility of allowing qualified individuals to directly buy overseas assets, including businesses, stocks and real estate through the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

Currently, Chinese citizens can only make overseas investments through third parties including banks and securities firms.

Meanwhile, China will increase the exchange quota for its citizens in the zone. At the moment each citizen has an exchange quota of 50-thousand U.S. dollars every year.

The zone will also allow more institutions and individuals to buy securities and futures in the domestic and overseas markets.

However, the timetable for the measures has not been announced.

The planned move is part of a package of financial reform measures for the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

For more on this, CRI's Spencer Musick spoke with Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center based in London.

Caixin China manufacturing PMI rebounds in OctoberThe Caixin General China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rebounded in October.

The manufacturing activity indicator moved up to 48.3 last month from 47.2 in September.

A figure above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 represents contraction.

Analysts suggest that the data shows the weakening of manufacturing industry has slowed.

China's home prices continue to rise in OctoberThe latest data shows that October's new home prices here in China have continued to rise.

The average price per square meter in 100 sample cities rose 0.3 percent month on month to over 10-thousand yuan, or nearly 17-hundred U.S. dollars, in October.

The figure was slightly up from 0.28 percent in September.

At the same time, new home sales in 10 major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, surged nearly 7 percent year on year in October.

China's housing market took a downturn in 2014 due to weak demand.

The cooling has continued into this year, with both sales and prices falling and investment slowing.

LeTV to release its first electric vehicle in 2016China's Internet company LeTV Holdings is expected to release its first electric vehicle next year.

The vehicle, called Mule Car, has completed testing in the US.

A small scale trial production will be carried out by LeTV's car division Le Auto.

At the same time, LeTV has formed a partnership with Aston Martin, the British premium car brand, to further explore the electric car market.

Mule Car is set to be released at the 2016 Beijing auto show in April.

Jingdong Group to build China's biggest e-commerce zoneChinese e-commerce powerhouse Jingdong Group is set to build an e-commerce industrial park in Hebei.

The business park will be located in Langfang City.

It is expected to be built with Jingdong's investment and technology, while the Langfang government will help with infrastructure.

The two sides have also agreed to cooperate in government purchasing.

The park is set to serve as an important logistics center for Jingdong Group.

The group is a major e-commerce player in China.

Its subsidiary JD.com accounted for a quarter of the country's online 'business-to-consumer market' during the first half of this year.

Chinese carmaker Dongfeng general manager under probeGeneral manager of Chinese carmaker Dongfeng Motor, Zhu Fushou, has been put under investigation.

China's top anti-corruption body announced on Monday that Zhu is being probed for alleged "severe disciplinary violation".

He is also the company's deputy party chief and board member.

The details of the investigation have not been released at this point.

The Hubei-based Dongfeng Motor is a state-owned commercial and passenger vehicle enterprise.

The Shanghai-listed company also deals in auto parts and vehicle manufacturing equipment.

Mercedes-Benz recall over faulty seat belts, softwareGerman high-end car maker Mercedes-Benz is recalling vehicles in China over faulty seat belts and software.

The company has started a recall of 2014-2016 S 500 4-MATIC and S 63 AMG 4-MATIC vehicles, manufactured between April, 2014 and February, 2015, because of concerns over defective seat belts.

Meanwhile, Mercedes is recalling some 2013-2015 S 400 L HYBRID vehicles over faulty fuel system software from next Friday.

Dealers here in China will replace the faulty parts free of charge.

The total number of vehicles being recalled has not been revealed.

SportsRadwanska wins Singpore Openand in the world of tennis:

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Petra Kvitova in three sets on Sunday to secure the biggest title win of her career in the WTA Finals in Singapore.

Kvitova had won six of their previous eight meetings.

Radwanska took the first set 6-2 and broke in the opening game of the second set.

She continued her to play well as she secured the biggest title of her career with a, 6-2 4-6 6-3.

In doing so, the Pole moved above Kvitova into fifth place in the year-end world rankings.

Radwanskas next target will be a first Grand Slam triumph with the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on January 18th.

Federer claims 7th win at Swiss indoorsand in more tennis news:

Roger Federer won the Swiss Indoors for a seventh time on Sunday, beating Rafael Nadal in the final's three sets.

Top seed Federer, who had a record six Basel titles before the match, took the upper hand with a break of Nadal's serve in the fifth game.

In the second set, Nadal pushed back hard trying to level the score.

But with the Swiss fans firmly behind him, Federer raised his game to claim victory with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

After the game, Federer spoke a few words about his Swiss Indoors experience.

Well it's, very cool.... fact to win my seventh here. Eighty-eight in my career's my favourite number to. Playing against Rafa here in Basel was always going to be very special. Yeah, I played in front of 50-thousand people throughout the week here, so it was a very nice finish, for all of us. Rafa, as gracious as ever. (It) Felt like he also won, just by showing up, making a finals and he got a great ovation at the very end.

This is Federer's sixth tournament win of the yearIt also takes his career tally for single wins to 88.

Rosberg claims 1st in Mexico's F1 Grand Prixand in the F1 racing world:

Nico Rosberg has won the first Mexican Grand Prix since 1992 on Sunday, for his fourth victory this season.

After the race, Rosberg addressed the massive crowd who were in attendance.

“Hola, catal Mexico (hello, how are you Mexico)? Yeah amazing. Amazing day, a great race, a great battle with Lewis (Hamilton), who drove really well and just really, really happy to get the win and this is really the best podium of the year, so what a place to do it."Rosberg finished ahead of his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, denying his bid to tie the Formula One record of 13 victories in a season.

Hamilton currently has 10 victories, with only two races left.

In third place was Williams' Valtteri Bottas, with 4th being Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat.

The next race is scheduled to be in Brazil from the 13th-15th of November.

Rugby's Steve Hansen unsure about coaching after 2017and in some Rugby news:

The winning team of the Rugby World Cup might see some changes in the years to come as Head Coach Steve Hansen's contract is due to be up in 2017.

The news comes as New Zealand successfully defended and won their 3 Rugby World cup title.

When asked by the Press whether he would continue to coach after 2017, Hansen gave an ambiguous response:

"Well there is a reason that it goes until 2017, because I'm not sure about that. I wouldn't say no, but I'm certainly not saying yes either. You only get 10 years for murder back home, so there's not much point! I like the idea of changing the guard halfway through the four year cycle which has the World Cup in the middle of it.

Other players are also under question.

Richie McCaw, who has captained New Zealand to two World Cup trophies, has also stated, that he isn't sure how much longer he will continue to play.

Mary Keitany & Stanley Biwott claim 1st in New York Marathonand now let’s run into some news from New York:

Mary Keitany and Stanley Biwott finished 1st in the New York Marathon on Sunday in New YorkMore than 50,000 runners of all ages and abilities assembled on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City for the start of the 45th New York Marathon.

Sara Moreira led through the early stages of the women's race but the tempo lifted at 30 kilometres where Mary Keitany and Tigist Tufa took the lead.

Keitany then pushed hard at the 5 kilometers left mark and won to take back-to-back victories for Kenya in two hours 24 minutes and 25 seconds.

After the race, Keitany spoke with the press about how she felt coming back to New York to defend her title.

"Maybe what I can say is that I was very confident in coming to New York City Marathon. When I was at home, my training was okay. It was perfect. I wanted to come and try to defend my title. I knew the field was very tough because we had the London champion and also the 2013 champion. So I knew already the race was tough. But I understood the course. I know New York.

and for the men's race:

It started at a slow pace with Dare Kamal, in the lead group for the first 30 kilometres.

But towards the end it was Stanley Biwott who proved the strongest in the closing stages to win his first major marathon title after finishing second in London last year.

Biwott crossed the line in two hours, 10 minutes and 34 seconds.

Gymnast Simone Biles recieves 10 world titles in gymnasticsIn some gymnastics news:

Simone Biles won her record 10th world title at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow on Sunday.

Biles nearly fell off the beam in the individual all-around, but she was flawless on Sunday as she took her second gold in the event.

The 18-year-old American was clear of the Netherlands' Sanne Weavers with German Pauline Schaefer taking the bronze.

In just three world championship appearances, Biles has won 10 golds which is more than any other female in the history of the sport.

There will be no world championships next year due to the Rio Olympics, but Montreal will host the event in 2017.

Entertainment"Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials" Releases Chinese SpecialA Chinese special trailer to promote the upcoming film "Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials" has just been released today.

In the one-and-half-minute special, major film stars describe how much of a challenge it was to make this new sequel.

"The first questions I got asked is that are you happy about getting out of the maze? You know, no more running? It's so funning, you know, cause we are not just running, we are running through sand storms.""It has been very active: falling off the ground, because things are exploding. It's been fun for sure. So for me it's like a whole new experience, have done a whole lot of action stuff.""It's part of the process, it's part of the journey that all these kids are on.""It's been very tough. Lots of jumping, avoiding bullets, flying explosion and stuff. Lots of running, lot more running than the first film."The film picks up the story immediately after the previous installment, with Thomas and his fellow Gladers battling the powerful organization W.C.K.D, while facing the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with dangerous obstacles.

The movie is set to hit Chinese theaters this Wednesday.

Besides "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials", two other Fox film are about to meet Chinese audiences this month. The animation film "The Peanuts Movie" based on the famous comic strip will open on the sixth, while the big selling science fiction film "The Martian" will open on Nov. 25th.

"The Last Women Standing" Premieres in BeijingThe Chinese premiere for romance film "The Last Women Standing" was held in Beijing yesterday, with the leading stars Eddie Peng and Shu Qi showing up to promote their movie.

The film focuses on the story of a single, career-driven woman, who is facing various struggles in her mid-thirties, but falls in love with a charming young man.

It is based on a novel of the same name, which was first released in January 2011. The book won readers' hearts as it shared thoughtful insights into the struggles confronted by many female white-collar workers, and was seen to send out an inspiring message.

The 33 year old author of the best-selling novel, Luoluo, turned director to bring her own book to the silver screen.

'The Last Women Standing' will hit big screens in China on Friday.

Will Smith, Robert De Niro among honorees at the Hollywood Film AwardsWill Smith was honored Sunday at the Hollywood Film Awards for his work in "Concussion." He plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who uncovered the fatal effects of head trauma in football.

The Grammy-winning rapper-turned-actor, who recently appeared on a remix of the song "Fiesta," discussed his return to music after a decade-long hiatus.

"It's such a new exploration for me. The most fun that I have. There's nothing that compares to being on the stage with a hit record. So you know I've been performing a little bit with (DJ Jazzy) Jeff. We've been sneaking out and going to places and working out a little bit. So I think it's going to be magnificent."The awards show, which has raised eyebrows for giving honors to unreleased films, was not televised this year after dismal ratings in 2014.

Still, honorees including De Niro, Jane Fonda and Amy Schumer turned out for the dazzling gala of the Hollywood Film Awards, which dubs itself the "official launch of the awards season."Taylor Swift Sued over Shake It Off LyricsPop star Taylor Swift is now being sued for 42 million dollars for allegedly stealing the lyrics to her hit 2014 song "Shake It Off".

US R&B singer Jesse Braham has claimed in legal papers that Swift stole the words from a song he wrote in 2013 called Haters Gone Hate, which contains the phrase "Haters gonna hate, players gonna play."Graham told media that Swift uses the phrase about 72 times in her song and says that "If I didn't write the song 'Haters Gone Hate,' there wouldn't be a song called 'Shake It Off.'"Besides compensation, the musician also pleas to be named as a writer on "Shake It Off," and also requested that Swift take a selfie with him.

Representatives for Swift have yet to officially comment on the legal case.

Shake It Off topped music charts around the world and reached number two in the UK. The video for the song has been watched more than 1.1 billion times on YouTube.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 4; tomorrow sunny to cloudy with a high of 17.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 12; more clouds tomorrow with a high of 20.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 15; same skies tomorrow with a high of 20.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of -1; tomorrow sunny with a high of 14.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, slight rain tomorrow with a high of 22.

Kabul, slight rain, 12.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have moderate rain with a high of 21.

Brisbane, cloudy, highs of 30.

Perth, cloudy, 26.

And finally Auckland will be overcast with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

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

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

The French Presidents starts an official visit to China.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calls for greater economic and cultural links between China and South Korea's young people.

China unveils its first domestically produced large passenger jet to challenge foreign industry giants for prestige and market share.

On 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...