Welcome to the Beijing Hour, live from the Chinese capital. Coming up on the program this morning...

Chinese authorities warning of an arms race in the South China Sea if the US doesn't pull back.

Day-2 of the smog red-alert is underway here in Beijing.

Free trade agreements between China, South Korea and Australia are taking effect as of today.

We'll have our weekly review of what's been taking place in sci-tech world this past week.

In Sports.... Guangzhou Evergrande to battle for 3rd at the FIFA Club World Cup later today in Japan.

In Entertainment.... Miss Spain has been crowned this year's Miss World in Hainan.

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.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghourFind us on WeChat by searching "beijinghour"Or email us directly at [email protected].

You can also visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top NewsChina Warns of Arms Race in South China SeaAnchor:

The Chinese government has issued a stern warning to the US, suggesting its most recent actions in the South China Sea are turning the area into a militarized zone.

CRI's Luo Wen with more.

Reporter:

The warning has been issued following word two US bombers conducted a suspected fly-over of Chinese-controlled territory in the Nansha Islands earlier this month.

China's Defense Ministry says the US has committed a "serious military provocation" by flying two B-52 bombers over a Chinese-controlled island and reef on December 10th.

The bombers flew within 2 nautical miles of the Chinese-controlled islands, prompting warnings from the Chinese crews on the ground.

Pentagon officials have suggested the planes may have veered off course due to bad weather.

However, Chinese military observer Wei Dongxu says that explanation seems highly unlikely.

"It was obviously a planned operation. We know there are B-52 bombers deployed on the US island of Guam in the western Pacific. It's hard to believe the bombers ended up veering that far off-course into the South China Sea without a plan. It seems obvious the US was trying to gauge Chinese defense capabilities and troop deployments in the Nansha Islands."The revelation of the over-flight is drawing a high-level Chinese response.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says its time for outside actors to show restraint when it comes to the disputes over the South China Sea.

"A few outside countries take an interest and are concerned about the South China Sea. We can understand this. But we hope that outside countries will do more to benefit peace and stability and support the efforts to find a resolution through talks, and not manufacture tensions or even fan the flames."China has overlapping claims over parts of the South China Sea with some member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The US insists that it takes no official stance on sovereignty claims in South China Sea.

However, the US has been conducting so-called freedom of navigation exercises through the area over the past few weeks, including sailing one of its naval destroyers within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-controlled territory in the South China Sea in October.

Among the issues are land reclamation projects underway in the Nansha Islands, which the Chinese government has consistently said are mostly for providing civilian services, including search and rescue outposts.

But while the Chinese government says flights and navigational freedom in the South China Sea will not be interrupted, it will not come at the expense of China's territorial sovereignty and security.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

Early alert helps public guard against pollutionIt is now Day-2 of the current red-alert for smog in Beijing.

This current red-alert, which took effect on Saturday morning, is the 2nd to be issued by authorities this month.

Many long-term residents in Beijing have been expressing surprise at the decision to issue the red-alert this time, as smog conditions are not nearly as bad as they have been in the past.

However, the decision by Beijing's environmental authorities is also being welcomed by many.

"I think it shows the government is more serious about its environmental policies. By issuing the alert early, it’s a good warning for people in the city, as the smog is going to be worse today and tomorrow. Even though the pollution isn't that bad right now, everyone knows it’s coming, so it's good."Its estimated pollution levels in Beijing dropped by some 30-percent in 10 hours after the first red alert was issued earlier this month.

Under the red-alert protocols, half the private vehicles are banned from the roads.

Outdoor construction projects are also put on-hold, and schools are told to shut-down.

China-Australia, China-South Korea FTAs to Take Effect TodayAnchor:

The much-heralded Free Trade Agreement between China and Australia is officially in-effect as of this Sunday.

Under the agreement, tariffs on 95 percent of Australian exports are being lifted.

At the same time, hurdles are being lowered for Chinese businesses to invest in Australia.

Chinese travelers are going to be granted more access to the country through an increased number of visas.

For more on the China-Australia FTA, CRI's Zeng Liang spoke earlier with Professor James Laurenceson, Deputy Director of the Australia-China Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney.

China-South Korea FTA comes into forceThe new free trade agreement between China and South Korea has officially come into effect as of today.

Park Tae Ho with Seoul National University says the signing of the free-trade pact makes sense for South Korea at this point in its development.

"With impressive achievements though, the South Korean economy only accounts for 1.8 percent of the global total. South Korea won't be able to lift its per capita income to 30,000 US dollars by relying on domestic market only. It should go global and exploit broader export markets. So it's a necessary choice for us to establish FTA."As part of the agreement, tariffs on more than 90 percent goods traded between China and South Korea will be eliminated over the next 20-years.

South Korean analysis suggests the country's manufacturers are going to see their overall export growth increase by 1.35-billion U.S. dollars over the next 12-months.

China is South Korea's largest trading partner, with South Korea importing around one-quarter of all their products from China.

Supply-Side Reform Becomes Top Priority of Economic DevelopmentAnchor:

As Chinese authorities continue to hash out next year's economic blue-print, it's being suggested consumers in China may start seeing changes to the quality of products being made available.

CRI's Niu Honglin explains.

Reporter:

Jiang Wan is a young mother living in Beijing.

Like many in her age demographic, she prefers to shop online, and gravitates toward foreign products for her baby girl.

"I usually choose to buy well-known brands in bulk. I think when it comes to children's products, foreign companies are a step ahead. I know a lot of things that have foreign labels are often produced in China, which shows we here in China have the ability to produce quality products. So, one has to think that it's a lack of motivation from a business perspective that prevents Chinese firms from manufacturing quality products."Jiang Wan's attitude reflects a prevailing attitude among many consumers in China.

While many products on the shelves are labeled "Made in China," many people still don't trust the items being put out by Chinese firms.

Niu Li, head of Macroeconomic Research with the State Council, says part of the problem is many manufacturers in China are still not willing to innovate and adapt to today's consumer demands in China.

"Many traditional manufacturing industries in China face problems, which includes excess production capacity. But even though we are pumping out a lot of products, many people are still looking toward foreign products. The demand for Japanese toilet seat covers is a good example. There is real demand for these types of advanced products, but our manufacturers are unwilling to make the switch to more value-added products. This is why we urgently need to strengthen our supply-side reform policies to promote innovation and improve product quality."At the annual Central Economic Work Conference which began on Friday, "supply-side reform" is one of the major topics up for discussion.

A series of new policies are reportedly being discussed to tackle issues which have dogged Chinese consumers for years.

They're said to include ways to improve production quality, as well as customer service.

Broader-based issues such as environmental protection and opening-up further to the global economic system are also said to be part of the plans.

The reforms also include ways to shed excess production capacity, particularly aimed at weeding-out companies which continue to pump-out cheap, low quality products.

Former London School of Economics and Political Science Professor Roger Tucci says the planned reforms should help streamline the Chinese economic structure.

What we see in the new five-year plan is a move what we call supply side economic management, where the condition of maximizing supply abilities, prices availability, logistics' transportation sect becomes top priority. The key to all these is not that other elements are being downgraded or less important, but about the focus of achieving levels of economic efficiency within the Chinese economy.

The Central Economic Work Conference is held every December.

It's meant to not only review the economic performance in China over the course of the year, but also map out a strategy for the coming year.

The underlying policy direction of the government should be made clear when the official economic policy document is released, which will come a few days after the annual session comes to an end.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Thailand, China launch railway projectAnchor:

A massive new rail project involving Chinese assistance has been officially launched in Thailand.

CRI's Li Jianhua the details.

Reporter:

The launch ceremony has taken place at the Chiang Rak Noi Station in central Thailand's province of Ayutthaya.

This is where the project's Operation Control Center will be located.

Saturday's ceremony comes exactly one-year after the Thailand-China Memorandum of Understanding for Railway Cooperation was first inked, and three months after the signing of an inter-governmental agreement on railway projects.

Thai deputy Prime Minister Prachin Chantong.

"Today last year, we signed an MOU between Thailand and China in cooperation on this train project. It's been only one year since our commitment and we can make it clear that this project is certainly going forward."The 845-kilometer-long line will pass through 10 Thai provinces and link the capital Bangkok with the northeastern city of Nong Khai, which is located near the northern Thai border with Laos.

The trains themselves are designed to operate at a top speed of 180 km per hour.

Thai Railways Minister Wutthichart Kalayanamitr says the link, once completed, will create significant economic benefits for the country.

"It will benefit Thai people, especially those living along the railway line, by creating job opportunities and increasing their income, as well as pushing forward tourism development and cutting transportation costs."The project itself is scheduled to be finished by 2018.

Both China and Thailand are financing the project, which is going to cost close to 470-billion US dollars when finally complete.

The link is part of a planned rail corridor running from Yunnan's capital Kunming all the way to the Malaysian peninsula.

Chinese state councilor Wang Yong.

"Once the railway takes shape, Thailand will become a key transportation hub of Southeast Asia, facilitating both the socioeconomic development of Thailand and its trade and exchange with China."It's expected the railway will help an additional 2-million Chinese tourists make their way to Thailand every year.

Construction is expected to begin this coming May.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

Rescue operation underway for ship in distress: Indonesian authoritiesIndonesian authorities have launched rescue operations to save over 100 people stuck aboard a stranded boat.

The ship, carrying 94 adults and 14 children, lost power off the southern portion of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi on SaturdayInitial reports had suggested the boat had gone down.

However, Indonesian officials say those reports are not correct.

The fate of the passengers remains unclear at this point.

US Aircraft Mistakenly Strikes Iraqi ForcesThe US government is reaching-out to the Iraqi government in the wake of a friendly-fire incident which has left 9 Iraqi soldiers dead.

US fighter jets accidentally targeted the Iraqi troops they had been dispatched to cover while they moved in on Islamic State targets near the city of Fallujah.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says he's been in-contact with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"I explained to him our regret and he and I agreed that this was an event that we both regretted and that there would be an investigation of it, but that these kinds of things happen when you're fighting side by side, as we are. And we recommitted ourselves to that campaign against ISIL. So it's a regrettable incident."Coalition air forces had been dispatched to cover the advance of Iraqi ground troops moving in on Fallujah, as Iraqi army helicopters were not able to fly due to bad weather at the time.

Putin says Russia may use "more military means" in SyriaRussian President Vladimir Putin has gone on-record saying more Russian "military means" may be used in Syria if necessary.

"We see how efficiently our pilots and intelligence agents work, how effectively they coordinate their efforts with various kinds of forces - the army, navy and airforce, how they use the most modern weapons. I want to stress that these are by far not all of our capabilities, what we use there is by far not all we have. We have more military means. And we will use them - if need be."Russia has been running air sorties to back Syrian government forces since the end of September.

In making the suggestion of more Russian involvement in the fight in Syria, Putin also says Russian forces are backing troops belonging to the so-called Free Syrian Army.

This is the main rebel group which has been fighting the Syrian government since the civil unrest erupted almost 5-years ago.

The Free Syrian Army has also been fighting the Islamic State, and has the backing of the United States.

Turkish President Vows to Eliminate Terrorism OrganisationsA major Turkish offensive against the PKK and the Islamic State has come to an end near the border between Syria and Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the 4-day campaign has left nearly 70 PKK and Islamic State militants dead.

"We need to annihilate exploitation machine called Daesh from Iraq and Syria. At the same time, we need to cut out the separatist terrorist organization who torments my Kurdish brothers and poses a threat for our country's stability without allowing any indulgence."Around 10-thousand Turkish police officers and soldiers have taken part in the sweep.

The PKK, or the Kurdistan Workers' Party, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey.

A 2-year ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK fell apart in July.

The PKK has been fighting a lingering battle for the creation of a Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.

Indian court declines to lengthen jail time for Delhi gang rape convictProtests have taken place in the Indian capital, New Delhi, demanding the courts halt the release of the juvenile offender involved in a fatal gang-rape in 2012.

Among those demanding the young man remain behind bars is the father of the 23-year old victim.

"I demand for an ordinance to stop this. Do anything, whether it's night or day, we have time within the next 24 hours, to stop his release."However, the court has already ruled the young man has to be released this Sunday under the current provisions in the law.

The teenager was part of a group of 6 men who gang-raped a 23-year old medical student, who later died of her injuries.

The case sparked nation-wide outrage, and also prompted a campaign to try to root-out sexual assault in India, which continues to be a major problem.

An annual report released by Indian authorities shows violent crimes against women is up some 9-percent compared to 2013 levels.

Lakes Faces Threat Affecting Their Ecosystem: ExpertsAnchor:

New analysis is suggesting many of the lakes around the world are facing a variety of threats brought about by different factors, including rising temperatures and algal blooms.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

A new study by NASA and the National Science Foundation has revealed that lakes around the world are rapidly being warmed due to climate change.

Based on temperature data from 235 lakes and analysis on temperature changes over 25 years, the study found that they are warming at an average of 0.34 degrees Celsius each decade.

Sam Hook, the Science Division Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-author of the study, believes that the temperature changes have resulted from many factors.

"It could be a reflection of there being less cloud cover; it could be a consequence of more glacial melt water coming into the lake. All these different processes taking place and they integrate them and they warm more gradually but the consequences of that warming can be very serious."Increase in lake temperatures can damage the ecosystems around the lakes, making it harder for fish to survive and for people to make use of the bodies of water.

One of the negative consequences is that the rising temperature could lead to algal blooms, which sometimes contain harmful toxins and therefore lower the water quality.

Meanwhile, Russian experts have discovered that endemic species in Lake Baikal in Siberia are facing a threat brought about by different toxic algae.

According to results tested from samples of water and flora from 4 meters deep, endemic sponge, a natural water purifier, is declining significantly.

Lyubov Chernogor, a researcher at the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, says such sponges play an important role in keeping the lake water clean.

"Sponge is a multicellular purifier organism. According to the different scientific data, sponge is purifying around 20 liters of water per day. Can you imagine how much water it can clean? In other words sponge is banishing through itself and filtering all the water that is in the Baikal."She added that it's impossible to find any visually healthy sponges, which they used to be able to find 6 years ago.

For his part, Igor Hanna, Team Leader of Diving and Underwater monitoring, says an up-to-date purification plans is required to alleviate the lake's situation, since none of existing purification plants are effective.

"After diving into the different parts of Lake Baikal I can say that we are seeing that the situation is deteriorating. Negative events that only exist in some parts of Baikal before we were witnessing is now spreading to the entire water area of Baikal."Lake Baikal is listed as World Heritage Site and covers 20,000 square miles, holding a fifth of all the fresh water in the world.

For CRI, I'm Xie ChengChinese scientists develop material for super-powered batteryChinese scientists have reportedly developed a new supercapacitor, which is said to have better energy capacity through the use of nitrogen and grapheme-like carbon.

A research team at the the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics has developed the new material, which it claims will allow electric vehicles travel 35 kilometers after charging for just seven seconds.

Details of the research have been published in the latest issue of the journal "Science."Panda Defecates Syringe Needle after Accidentally Swallowing ItA young panda at a zoo in Taiwan doesn't appear to be any worse-for-wear after swallowing a syringe.

Eric Tsao with the Taipei Zoo says "Yuan Zai" ate the needle when her handlers were drawing blood from the 2-year old.

"The syringe itself is over 3-centimeters in length. However, the needle itself is less than two centimeters long."Veterinarians were able to locate the needle in her digestive tract through X-rays, and were able to take steps to ensure the animal's esophagus wasn't going to be damaged.

But rather than conducting an invasive procedure to get the syringe out of "Yuan Zai," the vets decided to allow nature to take its course, as giant pandas have fast intestinal tracts.

She eventually passed the needle without incident.

WeatherBeijing will have smong today with a high of 4 degree Celsius; tonight smog with a low of -5.

Shanghai, slight rain with a high of 12, rain continues tonight with a low of 8.

Chongqing, cloudy with a high of 10 and a low of 6.

Lhasa, cloudy, a high of 8, clear tonight with a low of minus 8 degrees Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy, 16.

Kabul, cloudy, a high of 3.

Over in North America,New York will be cloudy today with a high of 2 degrees Celsius.

Washington DC, cloudy, 8.

Honolulu, slight rain, a high of 26.

Toronto will see slight rain today with a high of 6.

In South America,Buenos Aires, cloudy with a high of 30.

And Rio de Janeiro will have a little bit rain with a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsU.S. flight near islands "serious military provocation": Chinese defense ministryChina has accused the US of sending two B-52 bombers to the area near the Nansha Islands in the South China SeaChina's Defense Ministry called the flight on December 10 as a serious military provocation.

China demanded the United States immediately adopt measures to prevent such dangerous actions in order to prevent damaging relations between the two militaries and countries.

Thailand, China launch railway projectThailand and China launched a railway project Saturday, marking the beginning of bilateral cooperation to develop Thailand's first standard-gauge double-track railway line.

A launching ceremony was held at Chiang Rak Noi Station in central Thailand's Ayutthaya province.

The two sides are collaborating in building a medium-speed railway line, with trains operating at top speeds of 160-180 kilometers per hour.

The 845-kilometer line will link the Thai capital Bangkok with the northeastern city of Nong Khai near the border with Laos.

China, Vietnam launch joint inspection on waters outside Beibu GulfA ceremony has been held to mark the launch of joint inspections in the waters beyond the Beidu Gulf claimed by both China and Vietnam.

The two sides will conduct joint research to clarifying the resources and geology of the area.

A Chinese ocean research vessel is being tasked with heading the inspection, with experts from both countries on-board.

Its part of an agreement reached between the two sides during Chinese President Xi Jinping stop in Vietnam last month.

Disputes over maritime sovereignty in the area have strained ties between the two sides.

However, both the Chinese and Vietnamese governments have been taking steps to try to ease tensions.

Rescue operation underway for ship in distress: Indonesian authoritiesIndonesian authorities have launched rescue operations to save over 100 people stuck aboard a stranded boat.

The ship, carrying 94 adults and 14 children, lost power off the southern portion of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi on SaturdayInitial reports had suggested the boat had gone down.

However, Indonesian officials say those reports are not correct.

The fate of the passengers remains unclear at this point.

WTO Nairobi meeting ends with major breakthrough on global tradeA meeting among world Trade Ministers has come to an end in Nairobi, Kenya with the adoption of the WTO Nairobi Declaration.

As part of the agreement, developed members of the World Trade Organization are to eliminate all export subsidies.

All WTO member countries will have to limit their export subsidies to the average of what they've been supporting individual products over the past 5-years.

The meeting in Kenya has also seen Liberia and Afghanistan enter the WTO.

Tsinghua University lab explosion occurs in hydrogen experimentWork safety officials in Beijing are suggesting a lab explosion at Tsinghua University on Friday appears to be the result of a hydrogen experiment.

The explosion rocked a lab at Tsinghua on Friday morning when a post-doctoral researcher was conducting an experiment.

He was killed in the incident.

Sci&Tech ReportsAnchor:

Time to check back with what's been taking place this past week in the science and technology sector.

In this edition of our Sci-Tech report, a Chinese scientist is singled-out for his work in gene research, and Chinese space authorities launch a new satellite to search for dark matter.

Here's CRI's Wenjie.

===========================================A Chinese scientist has been featured as one of the ten people who mattered in science this year by the world-renowned journal Nature.

Junjiu Huang, a biologist at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, has been working in human embryo with edited genes.

Huang published the first report of his study in April, which sparked a global debate on the ethics of such research.

In his study, Huang and his team used spare embryos that could not progress to a live birth, and modified the gene in the embryos.

They used a powerful technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 to get through the task.

Huang said that he wanted to edit the genes of embryos because it "can show genetic problems related to cancer or diabetes, and can be used to study gene function in embryonic development."Nature's Chief Features Editor said that this year's list highlights individuals who have played important roles in areas ranging from climate change to gene editing to research reproducibility.

===========================================China's online search giant Baidu has announced that it will put its self-driving cars into use in the near future.

Already the company has set up a new business unit after the successful test drive of its self-driven car earlier this month.

Baidu's senior vice-president Wang Jin gives details on the development plan.

"We plan to put self-driving cars on the roads in the next three years, and mass-produce the vehicles within five years. The car is supposed to be less expensive than any traditional vehicles nowadays. "Wang also indicated that 80 percent of the newly produced vehicles would be equipped with self-driving technologies in ten years.

Baidu has cooperated with BMW AG to launch self-driving cars from 2014, and Baidu will focus on research and development of artificial intelligence.

In addition, China's Alibaba Group and Leshi Internet company are also moving into car-related businesses.

=============================================China's home-grown submersible to be used for tourism has begun trial operations in the southern Chinese city of Sanya this week.

The submersible "Huandao Jiaolong" can reach 40 meters under water, and accommodate up to 12 people at a time.

Head of the China Ship Scientific Research Center Weng Zhenping says that factors related to the submersible's performance had been fully considered.

"Given that the tourists are untrained, we attach great importance to the submersible's reliability, safety and comfort level. They are the keys in the design of the submersible."In order to provide an unobstructed view of the undersea world, cabins of "Huandao Jiaolong" are made of polymethyl methacrylate, compared to the metal of conventional submersibles.

"Huandao Jiaolong" is made by the same researchers of China's manned "Jiaolong" series.

The deep-sea research "Jiaolong" submersible can dive to over 7,000 meters under water.

===========================================China has for the first time sent a space telescope into orbit in a fresh search for signals of dark matter, the invisible material scientists believe to make up most of the universe's mass.

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite, named 'Wukong' after the famous Monkey King from the ancient Chinese classical fiction 'Journey to the West', was launched this morning on a Long March 2-D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The 1.9-ton desk-sized satellite has entered a sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 500 kilometers to observe high-energy particles' direction, energy and electric charge.

Li Huawang, the chief designer of the Dark Matter Probe Project, explained the mission it will undertake over the next 3 years.

"The Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite will search for the evidence proving the existence of dark matter. The satellite will try to calculate the dark matter particles' annihilation or decay that are in space, and then infer the existence of dark matter through those results using a method called 'reduction ad absurdem.'"The new satellite's observation spectrum is approximately nine times wider than the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer onboard the International Space Station, while its energy resolution is at least three times higher than its international peers.

The four detectors it consists of, are mostly self-developed, and the payload could be as high as over 14-hundered kilograms.

Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced some upcoming projects after the Wukong satellite is launched in the future.

"After the successful launch of dark matter particle explorer satellite, next year we'll also launch a satellite for quantum science experiments, a hard X-ray telescope, and the SJ-10 satellite for microgravity research and space life science. Our exploration on sun, Mars and black holes is also on the way."He added that the successful launch is regarded as a new step in China's multi-billion-dollar space endeavor.

Dark Matter and dark energy are believed to account for some 95% of the total mass-energy of the known universe.

Dark matter has become widely accepted in the physics community though its existence has never been concretely proven.

Its exploration could give a clearer idea about the past and future of galaxies and the universe.

China also runs an underground dark matter lab in the southwest province of Sichuan, some 2,400 meters under the earth's surface.

Yue Qian, an associate professor from Tsinghua University, explains why the lab is built so deep underground.

"The mountains could obstruct a great amount of cosmic rays from the universe, and greatly lower the amount of useless, interfering signals, thus the possibility of our discovering dark matter through the detectors could increase."Thursday's launch is the 221st mission by the Long March rocket series.

The country sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 to achieve manned space travel independently. In 2008, astronauts aboard Shenzhou-7 made China's first space walk. There are plans for a permanent space station, expected around 2022.

==========================================At the just concluded annual Internet of Things event in Dubai, the theme is how cities can become smarter and incorporate technology into their daily services.

The so-called Internet of Things is a network of physical objects which are all connected and able to exchange and collect data.

Amr Saleh is Global Managing director of Smart Cities at Cisco, one the main sponsors of the event.

"So the IOT world forum is an industry event that brings together through leaders in the industry that are interested in the Internet of things and how the internet of things plays a role in every industry that we have today from financial sector to manufacturing, transportation, smart cities and so on."The forum is looking at how cities can use the Internet to provide services that could make it "Smart".

Cisco says that being smart is more than just providing services but to help improve lives.

"Smart City is not a destination, it's a journey. When you start investing in the infrastructure you start investing in making it more attractive for people to live in. You start addressing physical, daily life challenges and try to leverage technology and the digital transformation to convert that into a digital process. That is the beginning of a smart city journey."One of the cities turning smart is Dubai.

The UAE hopes to be fully smart by 2017 providing services like phone apps that could help everyday life in Dubai from parking to automated street lighting.　Abdullah AlMadani is the CEO for technical support services for the Roads and Transport Authority Dubai.

"We want to be a role model for the region. We want not only the region but the entire world as our ambition is to be the smartest city in the world not just in the region."Cisco says that regardless of political issues it will continue to work in the region.

"Irrespective of the political situation of the environment, people still live in cities and interact in cities and they want to improve the quality of life, so the investment in infrastructure and leveraging technology to be delivering services more efficiently is something that will always happen irrespective of the stability or the status of the region."Cisco is working with many cities around the world including Kansas City in the U.S. and Hamburg in Germany.

"Many examples of Smart cities, every mayor I talk to or every city I engage with has a smart city agenda because the opposite is a stupid city and nobody wants to be that."And that brings us to the end of this edition of our weekly science and technology report.

I'm Wenjie. See you next week.

SportsGuangzhou Evergrande Ready for FIFA Club World Cup third place playoffIn football,Guangzhou Evergrande are set to battle for 3rd place today at the Club World Cup.

Captain Zheng Zhi says their match-up against Sanfreece Hiroshima could well be a good test for them for next year.

"We have learned a lot from the last match which can improve our level for the future. Moving forward, this is our last game and it's against a Japanese club which can potentially be our opponents in next year's AFC Champions League during the knockout stages. Both sides have played two matches each and both are ready for a third place finish. We have the dream and the ability to finish third. And I believe we can prove that on the pitch tomorrow against them."Following the Evergrande match, it will be Barcelona looking for its 3rd FIFA Club World Cup title as they take on South American Side River Plate in the final.

Barca striker Luis Suarez.

"River Plate is definitely a strong team because they are the South American club champions. Any team that wins the Copa Libertadores is certainly a good team as it's very difficult to win that tournament. But we will do our best to become the Club World Cup champions."--In last night's action from the English Premier League,League leading Leicester has grabbed its 4th road-win in a row after getting past Everton 3-2 last night.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri.

"today was a difficult, difficult, difficult match. Everton is a very good team, very good. They move the ball so quickly. But we we very, very concentrated, don't leave them too much space. The first half we didn't react very well when we get the ball. In the second half it was much better."Leicester currently remains top of the Premiership with 38 points, followed by Arsenal and Manchester City.

------Elsewhere,Chelsea edged Sunderland 3-1 in the club's first match after the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho.

--It was Tottenham blanking Southampton 2-0.

Manchester United went down to Norwich 2-1.

Crystal Palace got past Stoke City 2-1.

Newcastle United drew with Aston Villa 1-1.

And it's West Bromwich Albion going down to Bournemouth 2-1.

----Two games on deck tonight.

The early one will be Watford up against Liverpool.

The other match will see Swansea against West Ham United.

Zacher and Chapuis triumph in InnichenIn skiing,Qi Guangpu has taken gold in the men's Ski World Cup Aerials event here in Beijing.

On the women's side, Zhang Xin has taken silver behind a competitor from the United States.

------------In Europe,Germany's Heidi Zacher has won the women's Big Final at the FIS Ski Cross World Cup event in Italy.

"Yeah, I tried to pass but there was no chance. But then into the last real turn, they tried to pass and all three girls crashed. So I got my chance. And then I passed all three. And now I have won and it is great."The victory is Zacher's second world cup trophy.

-----On the men's side,It's 2013 World Champion Jean Frederic Chapuis from France claiming the title.

Brady Leman of Canada finished second and Austria's Johannes Rohrweck was third.

Another victory for China's men's team at Water Polo Asian ChampionshipsIn water polo,China's men's team is set to take on Kazakhstan later on today in the Asian Championships.

The Chinese side is undefeated so-far after rolling over Iran on Saturday.

The winner of the tournament will secure a ticket to the Rio Olympic Games.

China's women's team is already through after defeating Japan.

Schempp, Dahlmeier Win PursuitsGermany's Simon Schempp has won the World Cup biathlon 12.5-kilometer pursuit to take his third World Cup victory of the season.

This is also the eighth win of his career.

World Cup leader Martin Fourcade of France finished second and Russia's Anton Shipulin was third.

---Germany's Laura Dahlmeier won the women's 10km pursuit for her second World Cup win of the season.

Renolds Keeps Lead at Philippine OpenIn golf,Lindsay Renolds has the lead heading into final round of the Philippine Open.

The Phuket-based Canadian has a one-stroke lead at 10-under-par.

--------Former Open champion Paul Lawrie has been named this year's recipient of the PGA Recognition Award for his outstanding contribution to golf.

The Scot has collected the honor at The PGA's annual fundraising luncheon in London.

Singapore Slammers Beat Indian Aces 27-21In tennis,The Singapore Slammers edged the Indian Aces 27-21 at the Singapore stop of the International Premier Tennis League tournament.

With the victory, The Slammers have moved into second place in the standings.

Stan Wawrinkahelped the Slammers with a win in men's singles over Australia's Bernard Tomic.

"It's great for us to be in the final tomorrow. I hope that everybody is going to come tomorrow at 4pm to support us."The Premier Tennis League Tournament includes some of the world's best players matched up on different teams.

The tournament itself makes stops in 5 different cities.

NBA, CBA PreviewIn basketball,One game on the NBA has already got underway.

It's L.A. Lakers battling the Oklahoma City Thunder. [scores update]

Four NBA games on the schedule later this morning.

Jeremy Lin and the Charlotte Hornets are on the road in Washington to take on the Wizards.

--The New York Knicks are at home to the Chicago Bulls.

--Los Angeles Clippers are looking for their 5th win in a row against Houston.

--And it's the Indiana Pacers up against the Memphis Grizzlies.

--Here in China,League leading Guangsha is looking to extend its winning streak to 13 games as they play host to Zhejiang Chouzhou tonight.

-----Second place Xinjiang are on the road in Changchun to take on Jilin, hoping to get their game together.

The flying tigers suffered their 3rd defeat this season at the hands of Liaoning on Friday.

-----After suffering back to back defeats, Guangdong is looking to get back on-track against Shanxi.

The Southern Tigers currently sit third at 14-5.

-----Elsewhere,The Beijing Ducks are on the road to take on Tianjin, looking for their 6th win in a row.

-----In other action,Beikong is home to Liaoning.

---Jiangsu looks to end a 4-game losing skid at home to Qingdao.

---Sichuan will host Bayi.

---Fujian is on the road against Tongxi.

---And it's Shandong up against Shanghai.

EntertainmentMiss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo crowned winner of Miss World 2015 at the Beauty Crown Grand Theatre in Sanya, China"Miss Spain," Mireia Lalaguna Royo, has been crowned this year's "Miss World" at the ceremony in Hainan.

"Miss Russia" finished as the runner-up this year.

The winner has been announced to a television audience of around 1 billion people.

Lalaguna Royo takes over the crown from last year's winner, Rolene Strauss of South Africa.

Miss World is the oldest surviving beauty pageant in the world.

It was supposed to be a one-off event as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951.

'Star Wars' Explodes at Global Box Office With $250 Million"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is already on the verge of surpassing the worldwide box office records set by "Jurassic World" earlier this summer.

The much-anticipated 7th edition in the Star Wars franchise has already earned around 130-million US dollars since hitting non-North American theatres on Wednesday.

That puts it within striking distance of the international opening weekend record of 316.1 million US dollars and the record for a worldwide opening weekend of 524.9 million US dollars set by "Jurassic World".

"The Force Awakens" brought in a record 120 million-plus US dollars in its first day at the North American box office, so its worldwide or global total is roughly 250 million US dollars.

It posted the biggest opening day ever in both the U.K., and Germany, the top two foreign markets, followed by France and Australia.

"The Force Awakens" opened this weekend in virtually every major market, except China.

Star Wars fans here in China will have to wait until January 9th.

New 'Twin Peaks' trailer releasedA new trailer for the reboot of the 1990's cult hit "Twin Peaks" has been released.

The teaser itself is 50-seconds long.

In it, parts of Snoqualmie, Washington are put on display.

This is the community where the original TV series was filmed.

"Twin Peaks" only ran for one season in 1990.

However, the David Lynch-produced series generated a cult-like following because of its abstract story lines and unusual narratives.

The new series, which will see lead actor Kyle MacLauchlan reprising his role as FBI agent Dale Cooper, is set to begin airing on Showtime sometime in 2017.

Paul McCartney stars in music video for climate change charity single 'Love Song to the Earth'

Former Beatle Paul McCartney stars in music video for climate change charity single 'Love Song to the Earth'.

McCartney and an eclectic crew that includes Colbie Caillat and Natasha Bedingfield urge viewers to save the planet in the climate change charity single billed as "the first song that earns royalties for Earth."Clad in all white, McCartney and his fellow crusaders deliver earnest verses and bask in nature's bounty in shots that wouldn't be out of place in a prescription drug commercial.

The Trey Fanjoy-directed video, debuts Friday on Rolling Stone's website.

The star-studded production, which also features voices from the unseen Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and Fergie, premiered this month at the Paris climate change summit.

It will donate sales proceeds to the environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth and the UN Foundation.

Tom Hanks' 'Sully' Biopic of Heroic Pilot Gets Release DateA date has been set for the release of the latest Clint Eastwood-directed biopic.

"Sully" is set to hit North American theatres on September 9th.

Tom Hanks is staring as airline pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.

He's the pilot who successfully landed a U.S. Airways flight in the Hudson River in New York in January of 2009 after both of the jet's engines were disabled by a flock of Canadian geese shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.

Sullenberger is credited with saving the lives of all 155 people onboard after he quickly determined that there was no time return to LaGuardia or find another airport.

Instead, he managed to safely ditch the jumbo-jet in the Hudson River.

"Sully" also stars Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Jerry Ferrara, Autumn Reeser, Sam Huntington and Max Adler.

The Palace Museum to Launch Digital Gallery on December 22The Palace Museum in Beijing, housed inside the Forbidden City, launches its new digital gallery on December 22nd.

The gallery is located at Duanmen Gate, the main entrance to the imperial palace grounds, and features screens displaying cultural relics and explaining architectural features.

The first exhibition will introduce the palace using a digital architectural model, giving visitors a chance to get closer to the museum's priceless treasures, many of which are too fragile to display physically.

The Duanmen digital gallery was completed on Friday, and will be piloted until January 17th.

Visitors can make reservations to visit the gallery for free through the Palace Museum's official website.

The gallery can also be accessed by mobile phones and on other devices.

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

A recap of your headlines:

Chinese authorities warning of an arms race in the South China Sea if the US doesn't pull back.

Day-2 of the smog red-alert is underway here in Beijing.

Free trade agreements between China, South Korea and Australia are taking effect as of today.

On behalf of co-host Bob Jones and the rest of the Beijing Hour team: This is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together.