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

Coming up on the program this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping voices support for economic integration when addressing this year's APEC CEO Summit...

China voicing "great shock" at reports saying a Chinese hostage held by the Islamic State had been killed...

French authorities taking steps to ensure security ahead of the upcoming Paris climate conference...

In Business.... Chinese tech firms racing into the online banking market...

In Sports....Rafael Nadal through at the ATP World Tour Finals with a victory over Andy Murray...

And in Entertainment.... A Chinese rock icon set to release an album next month....

Top NewsXi Jinping calls for closer regional integration among APEC membersAnchorAddressing this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in the Filipino capital Manila, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his strong support to regional economic integration and China's ongoing economic transition.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen reports.

ReporterIn his keynote speech, President Xi Jinping first reviewed the world economy, saying that it may take a long time for the global economy to regain complete health.

As such, Xi Jinping called for the Asia-Pacific area to initiate reform and innovation.

"We must push ahead with reform and renovation. Addressing underlying problems in the world economy, carrying out the monetary stimulus policies alone is not enough. We must make greater efforts in promoting the economic structural reform and make the supply system better adapted to the changing demand structure. The Asia-Pacific region should go ahead in the world, in that aspect."The latest statistics suggest growth among the 21 APEC economies has softened to 3.1 percent in the second quarter of this year, down 0.3 percent from a year ago.

That is one of the reasons why the APEC leaders have gathered in Manila on Thursday to address their common challenges under the theme of "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World."Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping reassured global business leaders that China's economy is proving resilient despite strong downward pressure.

"Overall, the enduring, positive trend of China's economic development has not changed. The characteristics of the economy being resident, full of potential, with ample room for maneuvering have not changed. The fundamentals and conditions supporting the continuing growth of the Chinese economy have not changed."His words come as the world's second largest economy has reported a 6.9 percent GDP growth in the third quarter of this year. This is the lowest since the 2nd quarter of 2009.

As China undergoes economic transition, President Xi says Beijing is planning to ease restrictions for foreign investors as one of the key financial reform measures.

"We will step up reforms of the foreign investors management system, substantially cut restrictions on market access for foreign investment, improve intellectual property rights protection, and foster an open, transparent, fair and highly efficient market environment."At the same time, President Xi Jinping has urged APEC members to push forward the process of setting up an Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, or known as FTAAP.

Last November, APEC members reached consensus on a roadmap to launch the study into the FTAAP during the 2014 APEC Leaders' Summit in Beijing.

This was seen as a historic step for APEC members to boost the openness of the Asia-Pacific economy and safeguard multilateral trade systems.

The Chinese President says nothing should be allowed to disrupt the development of the Asia-Pacific region and each member needs to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

China plays pivotal role in economic development of Asia-Pacific areas.

AnchorMeanwhile, as the 21 economies around the world gather in Manila for the 23rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, more attention has once again been placed on China's role in boosting and leading regional economic development.

CRI's Li Jianhua reports.

ReporterThe theme of this year's summit is "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World," with four key priorities.

They include enhancing the regional economic integration agenda, fostering small- and medium-sized enterprises' participation in regional and global markets, investing in human capital development, and building sustainable and resilient communities.

Harold Eddington, President of JPMorgan Chase in Australia and New Zealand, expresses the view that regional economic integration under the idea of building inclusive economies will be conducive to the long-term prosperity of countries within the Asia-Pacific areas.

"We've seen substantial economic integration in the Asia-Pacific areas and the APEC region. And that's going to continue. Initially that integration was around manufactured goods. Increasingly it's also about services. Tourism is a good example of that. And I think great economic cooperation and integration can be positive for everybody, for the more developing economies in Asia and for the major economies as well."Currently, economic development in the Asia-Pacific region has been slowing down, with an expected growth rate of 3.2%. This is the lowest since the economic crisis in 2008.

Therefore, China's economic transition has attracted most attention among enterprises in the Asia-Pacific areas. They hope China will continue leading the regional economic development.

"We know it's going through some important changes at the moment. The focus is moving from exports to domestic consumption. Those changes will take time. And we also know the economy in China is now 50 % services. And those changes also will take some time. But China has delivered remarkable growth in many ways over the last 30 years. And I have no doubt that it would continue to grow and prosper and be an ever more important part of the APEC area."Director of AERO Montreal, Susanne Nuba, believes that China's development will provide the Asia-Pacific areas with more commercial opportunities. And she is also expecting more cooperation between Canadian and Chinese enterprises.

"And because it's the market of today but more the market of tomorrow, you know it's growing so fast. You know it's so important China for the world, you know because you are the second economy of the world. And trade with your country is crucial, for Canada."The Asia-Pacific region, which is vital to global peace and development, accounts for 40 percent of the world population, 48 percent of world trade, and 57 percent of global output.

For CRI, this is Li JianhuaChina moves to make education fairer for allChina took a major step on Wednesday towards the equalization of rural and urban education.

The move comes as China's Cabinet, the State Council decided that government spending shall be the same for each rural student or migrant workers' child as their urban counterpart.

A statement from the State Council said China will set a unified benchmark for public funds per student in rural and urban areas starting in 2016.

Experts say the move will cost central and local governments more than 15 billion yuan (more than 2 billion U.S. dollars) over the next two years.

Currently, a large number of children who have migrated with their parents to cities are excluded from state-run public schools and could only go to private schools, which are often poorly-funded.

The new policy will ensure that these schools will receive the same level of funding from the government.

China says report of IS killing Chinese hostage to be further verifiedChina has voiced "great shock" about a report saying a Chinese hostage held by the Islamic State had been killed.

The IS group included gruesome images of the bodies of a Norwegian and a Chinese man in the latest issue of its English-language magazine 'Dabiq', saying they had been "executed."Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says in a press release that the Chinese side noticed the report and was greatly shocked.

He adds the information needs to be further verified.

Meanwhile, Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg has said their experts are examining the pictures but so far they have no reason to doubt its content.

Solberg told a press conference that this is an act of cold-blooded murder and the government strongly condemns the killing.

Earlier in September, the IS said it had captured a Chinese and a Norwegian hostage, who were identified by Dabiq as Fan Jinghui, a freelance consultant from China, and Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad from Norway.

The group did not specify when or where the two had been captured.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said then that the description given by the IS about Fan matches a Chinese missing abroad.

Hong Lei said the Chinese government had been trying to rescue the hostage with all-out efforts since the kidnapping happened.

China firmly supports Russia to safeguard national security, stabilityChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has said China firmly supports Russia's efforts to safeguard its national security and stability through anti-terrorism measures.

"China is willing to work with Russia, as well as the international community to increase cooperation in security, face together the threats and challenges posed by terrorism and safeguard world peace and stability."Hong Lei made the remarks in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's appeal to partners to find and punish the terrorists involved in the October 31 Russian plane downing over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Earlier the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed the crash was caused by a terrorist attack.

Hong Lei's remarks also come as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for joint actions against terrorism.

Addressing the APEC CEO summit in Manila, Medvedev says terrorism spreading is a global challenge that requires a joint response, featuring coordinated and concrete actions on the part of the countries involved.

Chinese air force deals with illegal droneChina's air force has detected and dealt with an illegal drone in the country's northern province of Hebei.

A helicopter unit of China's air force detected the illegal low-flying drone on Tuesday afternoon during training and forced it to land.

Preliminary investigation shows that the drone is owned by an aerospace technology company in Beijing.

The flight was not reported to or approved by related authorities.

China's air force is vowing to cooperate with related departments to improve the management and control of low-altitude and slow-speed small aerial vehicles in order to safeguard aerospace security.

To avoid possible collisions and ensure aerospace safety, aviation expert Song Xinzhi makes these suggestions:

"Specific zones should be designated for aviation enthusiasts to fly their drones or model airplanes. At the same time, drones controllers need to know the restrictions on the flight altitude, allowed areas, and duration."Illegal drones are increasingly posing threats to aircraft in Chinese skies.

In 2009, an airport in east China's Zhejiang Province was forced to close for 56 minutes and 18 flights were affected by an illegal small aircraft.

There have also been cases that have disturbed military flight training.

China's aviation regulation came into force in December 2013, simplifying application procedures but still requiring approvals for nine kinds of flights including drone flights.

Tibetan Plateau Getting WarmerAnchorA new report is suggesting the Tibetan Plateau has been getting both warmer and moister over the past 50 years.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

ReporterThe Chinese Academy of Sciences has issued the report, which has looked at climate data from the Tibetan region from 1960 to 2012.

Researcher Xu Baiqing with the Academy says they've looked a number of different areas when making their assessment.

"The factors we looked at include the climate, which means temperature and rainfall changes. Water, which refers to changes in glaciers, rivers and lakes. Ecological system, which mainly refers to changes in forest and wetland ecosystems. We also factored-in the influence humans have had on the ecology and the effects environmental protection has had."The report suggests the annual temperature on the Tibetan Plateau has increased by as much as 0.4 degrees every 10-years over the past 5-years, which is double the average for the rest of the world.

The analysis suggests temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau are going to increase by an average of 4-degrees over the next 100 years.

Researcher Xu Baiqing says warmer temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau may create problems outside the plateau.

"Generally speaking, a warmer and moister environment is good for the Tibetan plateau itself, especially for its ecological systems. But on the other hand, it will also create problems, including the acceleration of the melting of glaciers. This will increase river flow rates and raise the water level of lakes over the short term. But over the long term, if the glaciers melt too quickly, it could lead to the exhaustion of the upstream water resources. Increased rainfall might also lead to more disasters such as mudslides and landslides."The Tibetan Plateau's glaciers contribute water to a number of rivers in China and other parts of Asia, including the Yangtze and Mekong Rivers.

According to the report, glacier on the Tibetan plateau has been backing off since the 20th century due to rising temperature, and at a faster speed since 1990s.

Glacier loss on the plateau is most prominent in the Himalayan Mountains and the southeastern Tibet, whereas glacier stays relevantly stable, even progressing, in the Karakoram and Western Kunlun region due to increasing precipitation.

The report warns that about 81 percent of the permafrost on the Tibetan plateau will possibly disappear around the year of 2100, while natural disasters, like landslides, floods and avalanches will be harder to prevent and extinguish due to global warming as well as increased human activity.

However, it shows China's environmental protection efforts in the region have partly paid off as the ecological environment along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway, is recovering after its first five years of operation.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

More than 50 killed as suicide bombers hit phone market in Nigeria's Kano StateA dozen people are reportedly killed after two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at a busy mobile phone market in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kano.

The local police authority has declined to give official figures of casualty. But witnesses have counted more than 50 dead bodies littering the market.

Kano police commissioner Muhammad Katsina who was earlier at the scene of the incident, describes the situation:

"The operation is still ongoing. I may not be able to speak in details until I secure the environment. What we know from eye witness account is that a Sharan vehicle came with six women, all of them dressed in niqab. Two of them were dropped here and the other four left with the Sharan. The first woman came here and planted this explosive while the other woman exploded outside. All of them because they were suicide bombers died in their adventure."Witnesses say the bombs went off as local people were gathering for evening prayer at the market.

One of the bombers is said to be aged just 11 and the other 18.

Investigations and rescue operations have been launched.

The twin blasts come less than 24 hours after 34 people were killed and 80 others injured in a similar attack at a market in Yola, capital of the northeastern state of Adamawa.

No group has claimed responsibility for the string of attacks so far.

But the Nigeria-based terror group Boko Haram is suspected to be behind the attacks.

Boko Haram has waged a campaign of violence in Nigeria since 2009 in an effort to establish an Islamic state.

IS shows photo of alleged bomb behind Russian airliner crashThe Islamic State has released a photo of an improvised bomb it says was used to down a Russian airliner in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last month, killing all 224 people on boardThe photo, which was released in a latest version of the group's English-language magazine, Dabaq, showed an improvised explosive device made of three parts: a soda can, something of a detonator and a remoter.

Also included in the magazine were pictures of purported passports that the IS said were obtained from Russian victims, with debris of the downed Russian plane as the background.

Moscow has said it had seen those pictures released by the IS and is still investigating.

The group had previously claimed to have downed the plane, which was mainly carrying Russian tourists.

France to ban massive marches during climate conferenceFrance is going to ban massive marches scheduled during the upcoming climate change conference in a bid to avoid additional risks.

Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said the government has decided not to authorize climate marches planned in public places in Paris and other French cities on Nov. 29 and Dec. 12.

His remarks came after coordinated terrorist attacks killed 132 people and injured more in Paris last Friday.

However, Fabius said demonstrations organized in closed spaces or in places where security can easily be ensured will be allowed.

Despite growing security risks, France decided to go ahead with the high-profile conference.

About 40-thouand visitors, including more than 3-thousand journalists, are expected to take part in the United Nations' 21st conference on climate in Paris.

French Police Raid Terrorist Cell in ParisFrench police raided a terrorist cell in northern Paris on Wednesday morning. At least two suspects were killed, while eight others were arrested.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins says police are interrogating those arrested.

"In total eight interrogations - seven men and one woman - are ongoing. Right now the identities of the people who were arrested in the building have not been formally established, however I will underline that Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Salah Abdeslam are not among those arrested."Abaaoud and Abdeslam were two of the major suspects of the Paris attacks last week. Molins did not rule out the possibility that they were killed during the raid.

Molins said police fired around 5-thousand rounds during the hour long raid, and five officers were injured.

British warship to support French aircraft carrier in fight against ISBritain's royal navy warship HMS Defender will support the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the fight against the Islamic State.

The British Ministry of Defense said the ship will provide air defense cover for the French carrier to tackle IS.

IS claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13.

In a statement, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said IS is "a threat to the security in the UK, as well as to France and the rest of Europe.

HMS Defender is capable of carrying out anti-piracy and anti-smuggling activities, disaster relief work and surveillance operations as well as high intensity warfare.

Germany returns migrants to Kosovo and Albania94 migrants were deported Wednesday from Munich airport to Tirana in Albania and Pristina in Kosovo.

Spokeperson for the German Federal Police at Munich airport, Albert Poerschke, said the repatriation goes on smoothly.

"We have been doing these repatriations for a couple of weeks now. Since then there have been no problems. We have the impression that people accept their situation and understand that this is the last step in a long chain of administrative acts. People accept that and therefore we don't have any problems with them."German lawmakers passed a bill in October aimed at streamlining the country's asylum system by speeding up deportations of rejected applicants.

Under the legislation, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro will be deemed safe states, meaning their citizens can be sent back faster.

US, Cuba sign first environmental accordCuba and the United States signed on Wednesday the first accord on environmental protection since announcing plans to re-establish diplomatic relations.

The accord will link up marine sanctuaries in both countries to cooperate on preservation and research.

The chief of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Kathryn Sullivan Kathryn, said the agreement will help the two sides better manage ecological significant ocean places in both countries.

"Thanks to this we will know more about the health of our shared ocean, we will fully educate the next generation of ocean users and scientists and we will instill a collective sense of stewardship in our communities for the ocean. All of these outcomes, and others, will help us better manage some of the most ecological significant ocean places in both countries."The US and Cuba announced the resumption of diplomatic ties in December 2014, and formally took the step in July.

Beijing Tackles Excessive LED Screen AdvertisementsAnchorBeijing's commercial hub Xicheng district has recently launched an offensive to the excessive numbers of LED advertisement screens on the streets, in a bid to remove eyesores on the cityscape.

CRI's Li Ningjing with more.

ReporterXicheng District in Beijing is where the most traditional meets the very modern. It has courtyard houses standing across street against glass windowed high rises of the financial center. Business is robust in the region. However, an excessive number of LED advertisement screens have popped up unnoticeably over the past couple of years, which are often installed by individual businesses. What they advertise ranges from budget hotels rooms, herbal medicine to adult products. For the local residents, they have become eyesores.

Now the district has decided to take some action.

Zhao Yuliang, Deputy Director of a Law Enforcement Team under the Xicheng District Law Enforcement Bureau, is telling a business owner that the LED advertisement boards outside her store have to be taken down as they violated the city management regulations.

The car tyre store on Zhanlan Rd. installed two pieces of LED screens at the entrance, with the larger one ten meters long. While watching law enforcement team dismounting the LED screens, this business owner accepted the ruling.

"Other businesses have installed their LED advertisement screens on their own. It's common practice. We just followed suit. Now there's a regulation about it, I will abide by the law."According to city management officers, businesses who want to install LED screens outside their stores will have to file an application to local city management bureau. Upon approval, they can call the professional services to install them.

Zhao Yuliang, Deputy Director of a Law Enforcement Team under the Xicheng District Law Enforcement Bureau, explains that the illegally mounted LED screens can also pose danger to pedestrians.

"Beijing has very strong wind in Winter. If not properly fixed, the LED screens could fall off and hit passers-bys. Also, the wires could decay and cause fire."The offensive against LED screens in the Xicheng District started in May. Up until now, the Law Enforcement Bureau, along with Xicheng District Environment Bureau and Xicheng District Urban Management Commission have together removed over 3,000 illegally mounted LED screens.

Guo Yanbo from Xicheng District Urban Management Commission says they will take the action against illegal LED advertisement screens one step further.

"Next we'll continue our inspections and extend our campaign from major streets to far-off Hutongs."According to the regulation, repeat violators of the rule against LED advertisement screens will subject to 1,000 yuan's fine.

Hopefully, with eyesores removed, Beijing's cityscape will become more beautiful.

For CRI, I'm Li Ningjing.

Sightseeing helicopter flights over North Korean capitalHelicopter rides over Pyongyang are the newest attraction for visitors to North Korea, as the country continues to try to boost its tourism industry.

18-year- old Nicholas Gibbins is one of the passengers. He's an aviation enthusiast from Sydney, Australia.

"It's a new experience for me, a Russian aircraft, military, it's not something you get usually, it's crazy."The flight covers major landmarks of Pyongyang.

WeatherBeijing will see slight rain with a high of 5 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 1.

Shanghai will have slight rain with a high of 16 and a low of 13.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with during the daytime with a high of 19 and lows of 15.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 24.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 24.

Over to North America,New York will see slight rain with a high of 20 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 21 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 30.

Toronto will have slight rain with a high of 15 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 22.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsXi voices full support to work of HKSAR chief executive, governmentChinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday voiced full support to the work of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and the HKSAR government.

Xi Jinping met with Leung on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which is being held in the Philippine capital.

He said the central government fully affirms and supports the work of HKSAR chief executive and the HKSAR government, which has shifted its focus onto the economy and people's livelihood in Hong Kong.

Xi Jinping expressed his hope that the HKSAR government could seize the opportunity of the formulation of the 13th Five-Year Plan and the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative to advance Hong Kong's long-term development.

Death toll rises to 35 in east China landslideDeath toll of the landslide in east China's Zhejiang Province has risen to 35, with 2 still missing as of Wednesday afternoon.

The landslide buried 27 homes in a village of Lishui City late Friday night, leaving 38 missing. Only one person has been rescued and is now in stable condition. More than 300 villagers have been relocated.

The city government has decided on a location for new buildings. A land replacement plan for the affected farmers will be completed in a week.

The city had received more than 4 million yuan, or 663 thousand U.S. dollars, in public donations by Tuesday evening.

Chinese scholar wins Germany's top research awardDr. Zhuang Xiaoying, a young researcher from Shanghai, is one of this year's winners of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award, among Germany's most valuable research prizes.

Zhuang was among six international research talents to be conferred the award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.

The 32-year-old associate professor of Tongji University is the seventh Chinese to win this award since 2002.

She said at the awards ceremony on Wednesday that she would start her research project focusing on nano-composite materials in December at the Institute of Continuum Mechanics, University of Hannover.

UN chief to travel to Malaysia, Malta, FranceUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday for the 7th ASEAN-UN Summit.

A UN spokesman said on Wednesday that Ban Ki-moon is expected to meet with leaders in the region, including the Malaysian Prime Minister.

The secretary-general will also attend the signing ceremony of the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Community and the Declaration on ASEAN 2015.

The secretary-general will leave for Malta next Thursday to host the Commonwealth Heads of Governments' meeting, and to take part in a special session on climate change.

Ban will travel to Paris from Malta on November 28 for the opening of the Climate Conference, and will return to New York on Monday.

Biz ReportsTurning onto business news. First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe as well as a recap on the Chinese market.

U.S. stocks posted solid gains Wednesday, as Wall Street assessed the Federal Reserve's October meeting minutes released in the afternoon.

The Dow gained 0.8 percent.

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were up 0.9 percent.

The minutes of the Fed's Oct. 27-28 meeting showed "most" participants felt conditions for a rate hike "could well be met by the time of the next meeting."Earlier, two Fed officials expressed confidence that they will be able to pull off a relatively smooth interest-rate hike when the time comes.

On the economic front, U.S. privately-owned housing starts in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.06 million, below market estimates.

In corporate news, shares of Apple jumped 3.2 percent after Goldman Sachs issued a bullish note on the iPhone maker.

Over in Europe, major indices ended mixed as security issues remained a focus for investors.

The British benchmark FTSE 100 increased by 0.2 percent.

Germany's Dax edged down a fraction of a percent, while the French CAC 40 fell 0.6 percent.

Quick recap on the Chinese markets, mainland markets turned lower with securities leading the drops.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index declined one percent.

The smaller Shenzhen index went down 1.8 percent.

China Europe International Exchange launched in FrankfurtA Sino-German joint venture named China Europe International Exchange was launched on Wednesday in the German city of Frankfurt.

The venture kicks off the trading of Renminbi-denominated exchange traded funds.

The exchange offers ETFs based on Chinese mainland's underlying assets and a broad range of RMB-denominated bonds.

Two new RMB-denominated ETFs became available, namely the SSE 50 ETF and the Money Market ETF, issued by Commerzbank in partnership with Bank of China International and China Construction Bank International.

The SSE 50 ETF is the first ETF in Europe tracking the SSE50 A-Share-Index while the Money Market ETF is the only RMB money market ETF available in Europe.

Another new corporate RMB bond issued by Bank of China Abu Dhabi is also being offered.

Chinese Tech Firms Race into Online Banking BusinessAnchorChinese tech company Tencent's online finance arm WeBank is reportedly seeking to raise some one billion U.S. dollars to expand its financial services.

The Wall Street Journal reports that WeBank is in discussions with outside investors for investments that could value it around 5 billion U.S. dollars.

This after Internet search provider Baidu announced a partnership with CITIC this week to set up a direct bank, which is a bank without any branch network, offering its services mostly online.

At the same time, Taiwan-based Foxconn is also getting into the financial services business.

The firm says it's planning to start bundling the loan agreements it has with electronic component suppliers and begin selling them as derivatives.

The company set up 6 financial-services operations in China last year, which provide loans and other financing services to its suppliers.

For more on Chinese tech firms venturing into the online banking sector, we are now joined on the line by Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

[Talking points]

Q1: Compared with ordinary banks and online banks like WeBank, how is Baidu-CITIC's direct bank different? What changes will these online banks bring to China's financial sector?

Q2: Analysts say this type of banks have not been very successful since its launch in China two years ago. What do you think is behind the lukewarm performance of such banks in China?

Q3: What do you think the investments of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent in this sector will give them in the way of returns?

Back Anchor:

Thank you very much, Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

Chinese airline's acquisition of Swissport approved by EUChina's fourth-largest airline, Hainan Airlines Group has received approval from the antitrust body of the European Union to takeover airport luggage handler Swissport International.

Swissport is a major provider of airport ground handling, cargo handling and related ground handling services to airlines in Europe and abroad.

The Hainan Airlines Group, based on China's southern tropical island, has developed into one of China's major airlines since it was established 22 years ago.

Hainan Airlines purchased Swissport at the price of 2.7 billion U.S. dollars from PAI Partners SAS in July, saying it would run the operator as a stand-alone business within the group.

The company entered the global fortune 500 list this year, with annual revenues of 25 billion U.S. dollars.

Chinese car-hailing app Didi part of 500 mln USD funding for Indian peer OlaChina's ride-hailing and ride-sharing app Didi said on Wednesday that it was among a group of investors channeling 500 million U.S. dollars into Indian ride-sharing app Ola.

The Chinese startup declined to specify how much it had invested to the fund that was also featured backers including Baillie Gifford and Falcon Edge Capital, among others.

Didi said in late September that it had an undisclosed stake in the Indian company, following a 100 million dollars investment in Lyft, a ride-sharing service in the United States and 350 million dollars joint investment in Grabtaxi in Southeast Asia.

Alongside battling Uber in China, Beijing-based Didi has chosen to invest in Uber's rivals in other countries to compete globally.

Didi is currently valued at 16.5 billion dollars after CEO Cheng Wei announced in September the startup had secured its next round of funding -- to the tune of 3 billion dollars.

SportsArgentina Beats Colombia 1-0 in World Cup QualifierSome football news:

Argentina has won its first victory at the ongoing 2018 World Cup Qualifier after defeating Colombia 1-0.

Lucas Biglia scored the only goal for Argentina in the 20th minute of the game.

Angel Di Maria shot wide of the far post late in the first half, and Paulo Dybala hit the post for the visitors in the 89th minute.

Gerardo Martino, Argentina coach, expressed his joy after the match.

"I think we could have had one more goal. But my happiness and peace of mind is for this group of players, which is what they were asking me about before, what would I have said if we hadn't won today? But I am very happy for the players because it's the same effort that many of them have been putting in for ten years."Ahead of the game, the two teams also paid a silent tribute to the victims killed in the deadly terror attacks in Paris.

Blatter, Platini's Appeals against Bans Rejected by FIFAFIFA's appeal committee has rejected Sepp Blatter and Michael Platini's appeals against their 90-days bans for financial wrongdoing.

The ban issued last month pended full investigations into a 2 million U.S. dollars payment which Blatter approved for Platini in 2011 as backdated salary.

However, Platini is reportedly set to appeal again at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

CBA ResultsTake a look at some basketball news, at the Chinese Basketball Association:

Guangdong has beat Guangxia 102-91 at the seventh round of the CBA league held last night.

Zhu Fangyu, the first player to score over 10000 points in CBA career, has returned with 12 points winning after missing the previous 6 matches.

His debut in the new season has been delayed to the 7th round due to waist injury.

Former NBA player Yi Jianlian contributed 20 points and 9 rebounds for Guangdong.

In other action:

Bayi beat Beijing Beikong 91-84.

Tongxi defeated Shanxi 107-92.

Beijing Ducks downed Qingdao 120-109.

And Jilin defeated Shanghai 95-72.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Several NBA games coming up later this morning.

The Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics.

The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Toronto will play against the Utah Jazz.

And the Chicago Bulls are the Phoenix Suns.

Rugby Winger Jonah Lomu DiesSome sad news in the world of rugby:

Famous New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu has passed away in Auckland at the age of 40.

The rugby legend has been battling against serious kidney disease for nearly two decades.

Many of his teammates as well as opponents have expressed their grief and condolences.

Former Scotland Rugby Union player Scott Hastings says Lomu is down-to-earth despite having a superstar status.

"A huge loss actually. He was, I reckon, rugby's first global icon. He took the world by storm. Magnificent in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 1999 he was equally as an amazing man on the field. I got to know him off the field. When you speak to people about Jonah Lomu, he had the time and the humility to get involved with so many charities, people, he was very shy person, incidentally, but an incredible man."Hastings played against Lomu at the 1995 World Cup, when Lomu captured global attention by scoring four tries against England during the event's semi-finals.

Lomu scored 42 tries in 73 matches for New Zealand between 1994 and 2004.

Rafael Nadal Beats Andy Murray at the ATP World Tour FinalsIn tennis, at the ongoing ATP World Tour Finals in London:

Rafael Nadal has won his second straight match after defeating Andy Murray in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, closing in on a spot in the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament.

Nadal broke Murray at the 10th game to win the first set, and then again early in the second set to take control and finally seal the victory.

Andy Murray reflected on his straight sets loss at O2 Arena.

"I think Rafa always practices pretty hard from what I see and he's won alot more matches in the second half of the year. He's clearly playing better tennis than a few months ago. I didn't help myself out there today. I served an extremely low percentage, maybe the lowest I've served all year in any match. It was in the low 40s in the second set, like 35 percent."The world number five Nadal is now in pole position to reach the last four of the tournament since he has won both of his two games so far.

Shaanxi Province Wins One-horse Race to Host 2021 National GamesNorthwest China's Shaanxi Province has been chosen by China's sports authorities to host the 14th National Games in 2021.

The province was the only candidate province to host the event, thus its successful bid means it wins in a one-horse race.

It's rare to have only one candidate bidding for the event since the competition has always been fierce with at least two candidates in past years.

Shaanxi was also one of the candidates for the 13th National Games in 2017 which are to be held in Tianjin Municipality.

EntertainmentChina's Rock Icon Cui Jian to Release New Album 'Guang Dong'

Cui Jian, widely known as China's "Godfather of Rock", is set to release a new album next month, while announcing his joining of Sony Music on Wednesday in Shanghai.

(Cui Jian clip)Cui Jian rose to fame in China with his 1986 performance of 'Nothing to My Name', setting off a nationwide rock craze.

The 54-year-old rock star says this new album is in a break from Cui's iconic style, which will stress melody and include no rap.

Entitled 'Guang Dong', meaning 'movement of light', this upcoming album marks Cui Jian's music comeback almost 10 years after his last release.

Cui Jian says he hope this album "can make the audience forget bondage and rumpus".

The iconic rocker star will also team up with director Feng Xiaogang, to perform at the Mr.Six Concert held in Beijing this Saturday, which is in promotion of the namesake movie.

Cui Jian's latest album 'Guang Dong' is set to be released on December 18th.

Jia Zhangke Brings 'Mountains May Depart' to Taipei Golden Horse Film FestivalChinese director Jia Zhangke has brought his latest film 'Mountains May Depart', also known as 'Shan He Gu Ren' in Chinese, to the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

The director walked the red carpet along with his film's leading cast including actress Zhao Tao, Sylvia Chang, and actor Dong Zijian.

(Mountains clip)'Mountains May Depart' will compete for the upcoming 52nd Golden Horse Awards, with seven nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress.

Marking Jia Zhangke's comeback to the big screen following his Cannes-winning film 'A Touch of Sin', this latest drama tells the story in three time frames, representing the past, present and future.

It depicts a family's lives, loves, hopes and disillusions over two generations from China to Australia, in a society changing at breakneck speed.

The film has already pulled in around 30 million yuan, or roughly 4.7 million US dollars, in ticket sales some 20 days since its release in China.

The 52nd Golden Horse Awards will kick off on this Saturday in Taipei.

Cate Blanchett Honored at MoMA's Eighth Annual Film Benefit in NYCOscar-winner Cate Blanchett has been honored by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, for her contribution to film.

Speaking at the event, the 46-year-old actress says the Museum of Modern Art has had a great influence on her.

"I have been so influenced by, you know, moving through the Museum of Modern art as a tourist, as someone who is lost in the city, as someone who is searching for a bit of inspiration and also so grateful to the film archives here and the film department for reminding us all that cinema is, and can be, an art form. You know, we strive for this."Blanchett received the honor at MoMA'S eighth annual film benefit, which raises funds so that important cinematic works can join the museum's collection.

Previous honorees include Baz Luhrman and Tim Burton.

Anna Paquin and Sam Elliott Premier 'The Good Dinosaur' in LAAnna Paquin and Sam Elliott premiered their 3D animated film 'The Good Dinosaur' in Los Angeles.

The 33-year-old Oscar-winning actress is thrilled to be a voice in the film, as she finally has a film to share with her kids.

"When they were pitching Ramsey to me as like a concept and a character and I think they were slightly worried I would be offended that it wasn't like something girly. I was like 'are you kidding? That's so cool!' She's like this really tough, strong, sassy, razor-sharp, sort of cool lady and I like that".

Directed by Peter Sohn, this film features an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

The 71-year-old actor Sam Elliott shares his insights into the film, as it puts a new spin on the classic boy and his dog tale.

'The Good Dinosaur' will open in the US on next Wednesday.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping voices support for economic integration when addressing this year's APEC CEO Summit...

China voicing "great shock" at reports saying a Chinese hostage held by the Islamic State had been killed...

French authorities taking steps to ensure security ahead of the upcoming Paris climate conference...

In Business.... Chinese tech firms racing into the online banking market...

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