Welcome to a special edition of the Beijing Hour, live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese Scientist winning 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine...

12 nations reaching a Trans-Pacific Partnership deal....

11 people dead and 4 missing after Typhoon Mujigae hit southern China...

In Business....US Finalizing Settlement Over BP Oil Spill...

In Sports.... We'll give you a recap of Tennis action at the China Open...

And in Entertainment....The first full illustrated color edition of Harry Potter book released today...

And in the second half of our program, we will bring you a holiday edition of People in the Know...

Top NewsChinese Scientist Tu Youyou wins 2015 Nobel Prize in MedicineAnchorThe Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has announced that China's Tu Youyou, Irish-born William Campbell and Japan's Satoshi Omura jointly won this year's Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Tu Youyou won half of the prize for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.

CRI's Chen Xuefei has more from Stockholm.

ReporterJan Andersson from the Nobel Prize Committee in Physiology or Medicine explained why Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize.

"Youyou Tu got half of this year's prize for her discovery of Artemisinin, and she did that from an herb, so she was the one who identified that Artemisia annua herb, the Chinese Artemisia branch contains a compound that has the best effect against malaria parasite. "Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by single-cell parasites which invade red blood cells.

It causes fever and in severe cases brain damage and death.

It claims more than 450 thousand lives every year, predominantly among children.

The other two scientists who won the other half of the Nobel Prize in Medicine are William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura.

"Together they collectively discovered a new compound in treatment of roundworm parasites infections. They infect a third of human population and generate chronicle warm infection, there are two kinds of infection, riverblindness infection, and Elephantia infection, 25 million riverblindness infection and 120 million elephantia infection."A statement released by the Nobel Assembly said that "the discoveries by the three has transformed the treatment of parasitic diseases. The global impact of their discoveries and the resulting benefit to mankind are immeasurable."Tu Youyou was born in 1930 in China.

She graduated from the Pharmacy Department at Beijing Medical University in 1955.

She is now Chief Professor at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

William Campbell was also born in 1930 in Ireland.

In 1957, he obtained a PhD from the University of Wisconsin USA and is currently a research Fellow Emeritus at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, United States.

Satoshi Omura was born in 1935 in Japan.

He has been Professor Emeritus at Kitasato University.

The trio will receive their prize on December 10 in Stockholm.

For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.

Chinese premier congratulates Tu Youyou on winning Nobel Prize for medicineChinese Premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory letter to herbal expert Tu Youyou, who became the first Chinese female to win a Nobel Prize.

In his letter, premier Li said that Tu's award signifies China's prosperity and progress in scientific and technological fields and marks a great contribution of traditional Chinese medicine to the cause of human health.

He also encouraged Chinese scientists to seek greater progress in the most advanced scientific and technological projects.

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12 Nations Reach TPP Deal, Intense Scrutiny Expected by CongressAnchorAfter five days of intense negotiations in Atlanta, the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries have reached agreement on TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a historical trade agreement that covers nearly 40 per cent of the world's economy.

The deal is set to face critical scrutiny by a skeptical Congress in the U.S.

CRI's chief Washington correspondent Xiaohong has more.

ReporterU.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman made the announcement Monday morning, to a loud round of applause.

(Act 1, 1005 Froman 1, in English)"We, the trade ministers of ... are pleased to announce that we have successfully concluded the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation."He also outlined the many benefits the deal will bring to the region, highlighting jobs and growth as well as protections in the fields of environment and labor.

"TPP brings high standards to nearly 40% of the global economy. We expect this historical agreement to promote economic growth, support high-paying jobs, and enhance innovation productivity and competitiveness, raise living standards, reduce poverty in our countries, and to promote transparency and governance, and strong labor and environmental protections."In hailing the deal, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a written statement that the pact will level the playing field for American workers and businesses and boost US exports.

The Obama administration also hopes that the pact could lay down new rules on global economy, which President Obama says can't be written by "countries like China."China, the second largest economy in the world and an undisputable economic power in the region is not included in this trade deal.

Several major international news outlets have pointed out this in their reports, saying that the TPP is a tight-knit economic bloc to counter China's influence in the Asia-Pacific.

And critics, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, described the deal as "disastrous" and pledged to do all he can to defeat this agreement in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnnell also vowed "intense scrutiny" of the proposed agreement. In a written statement, the chamber's top Republican hailed the deal as "potentially one of the most significant trade deals in history", but adding that some serious concerns have been raised on a number of key issues.

Congress will have 90 days to review the final text of the deal before they vote whether or not to ratify the agreement. The vote is expected to take place early next year. But it will be a simple up-or-down vote under the fast-track legislation passed over the summer. Lawmakers are not able to amend the trade agreements.

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington DC.

Typhoon Mujigae leaves 15 dead or missing in south ChinaAt least 11 people have been killed since Typhoon Mujigae hit southern China.

4 people remain missing and 243 others have been injured.

Some 66 thousand residents in southern China's Guangxi have been evacuated due to the typhoon.

It is now moving northwest and is weakening in strength.

In neighboring Guangdong province, Mujigae has caused tornadoes that have damaged houses and destroyed other infrastructure in Guangzhou and Foshan cities.

Six people have been killed there.

A witness in Foshan City described a powerful Tornado.

"It was about 150 meters away from here. The tornado swirled up wires, accompanied with lightning, causing sparks, ripping down iron sheet."Mujigae landed in the city of Zhanjiang on Sunday, cutting off power and water in most areas.

NATO urges Russia to cease "attacks on Syrian opposition, civilians"NATO is calling on Russia to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians.

After a North Atlantic Council meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that Russian military actions in Syria are escalating tensions with the alliance.

"Russia's actions are not contributing to the security and stability of the region. I call on Russia to fully respect NATO airspace and to avoid escalating tensions with the alliance. I urge Russia to take the necessary steps to align its efforts with those of the international community in the fight against ISIL."The bloc also criticized Russian air forces for violating Turkish and NATO airspace.

Turkey said a Russian warplane entered its airspace over the weekend.

The incident prompted Ankara to scramble jets and summon the Russian ambassador in protest.

Russia's Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the violation happened due to poor weather conditions in the area.

"As you can see on the map, the Hmeimim airbase is situated close to the Syrian-Turkish border. The distance is about 30 kilometres. Under certain weather conditions the airbase approach is made from the north. That is why this incident occurred because of unfavorable weather conditions in that area. You shouldn't be looking for any conspiratorial reasons in this case."Russian air forces have performed over 80 missions, destroying around 50 terrorist facilities since Wednesday.

Russia says its airstrikes are directed against the IS group and al-Qaida's Syrian affiliates.

However the US and other Western countries have said that at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions.

Turkey president visits EU as refugee crisis high on agendaTurkey's president is seeking European backing for the creation of no-fly zones on the Syrian border, saying that such moves are key to ending the refugee crisis.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the proposals after meetings with EU leaders on the refugee issue in Brussels.

"One is to focus on training and equipment. The second, is to declare a safe zone that would be protected from terrorism, and the third is a no-fly zone."At a joint press conference, European Council President Donald Tusk says Europe stands ready to help Ankara with financial assistance, border and security resources and the possibility of easing visa requirements for Turkish citizens.

He also asks Turkey to manage to stop refugees flows to the EU via Turkey.

"It is indisputable that Europe has to manage its border better. We expect Turkey to do the same."Turkey hosts around two million refugees, many from Syria and Iraq.

The EU pledged at least 1 billion US dollars for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other countries last month.

Pentagon says Afghans ask for airstrikes in Kunduz that kills 22 civiliansThe Pentagon says Afghan forces had asked for U.S. airstrikes that killed 22 civilians in Kunduz, Afghanistan, amid outcry for an independent investigation into the incident.

Army General John F. Campbell, is the Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan.

"We have now learned on October 3rd Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from US forces. An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck. This is different from initial reports which indicated that US forces were threatened and the airstrike was called on their behalf."The airstrikes on the weekend hit a hospital run by the aid agency Doctors Without Borders.

Shortly after the Pentagon's remarks, the medical agency called for an independent investigation into the incident, despite pledges from the White House and the Pentagon to conduct transparent investigations.

Arrests in shooting dead of 2 Israelis in WBankIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that his country's forces have caught the attackers who shot dead two Israelis in the West Bank last Thursday.

Netanyahu added that a "heavy hand" was being deployed against what he called "terrorism".

He spoke as he was convening his security cabinet to discuss ongoing tensions in the Jerusalem area.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli troops fired at stone-throwing protesters, killing two Palestinian teens and raising fears about an escalation of violence.

The shooting comes at a time of growing diplomatic friction between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Recent tensions have been stoked by the mounting frustrations of a new generation of Palestinians after over nearly half a century of Israeli military rule.

Merkel promises 2 bln Euros to boost India's clean energy sectorGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to invest two billion euros to develop India's clean energy sector.

The deal was part of 18 agreements signed between India and Germany during the German leader's current visit to New Delhi.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the investment will focus on increasing India's solar power generation capacity.

"I place great value on Germany's assistance of over one billion euros for India's green energy corridor and a new assistance package of over a billion euros for solar projects in India.

The pledge comes ahead of crucial UN climate talks in November.

The two countries also signed cooperation agreements in areas such as defense, higher education, civil aviation, railways and food safety.

Germany is the seventh-largest foreign investor in India.

But last year's bilateral trade between the two countries was valued at only 16 billion euros, well below the 20-billion-euro target set by Merkel four years ago.

PROMO HERERemains of Bodies Found from Warship Wreckage in NE ChinaAnchorArchaeologists said on Monday that they have found at least 7 remains of bodies from a century-years old warship wreckage in waters off northeast China.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

ReporterThe 50-meter-long Zhiyuan Warship, located 10 nautical miles southwest of Dandong Port, was sunken by the Japanese navy during a Sino-Japanese War about 12 decades ago.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage launched investigation and salvage work on the 1600-tonne ship in August.

So far over 100 items, including pieces of ship parts and belongings of the sailors have been successfully salvaged from the wreck.

Zhou Chunshui, head of the archaeological team said after months of work, they now know the overall status of the warship well.

He said they have found many splintered boards, bent iron boards and signs of burning.

"We know that it experienced flames of war and the Japanese improperly tried to salvage it in the 1930s, so it is not preserved very well. It is like a ship sinking into water and the whole hull of the ship began to sink. Actually it was buried by sand and the part above the shoreline disappeared."Zhou adds that further investigation is needed to decide whether to lift the ship, whose main structure has remained intact, out of the water.

Sa Su, a Chinese scholar of Japanese studies, said whether the ship would be salvaged depends on the hull's current condition.

"If the hull is integrated, we may consider salvaging the entire ship. If the hull was damaged severely, like 70 percent of the rivets have fallen, it's impossible to salvage the whole ship. Instead, we could salvage it separately. We also need to consider how to preserve it after it is brought out of water. If it is impossible to salvage it, we will get half the result with twice the effort."The Zhiyuan Warship coded 'Dandong No.1' was found during an underwater exploration for port construction in Dandong in Liaoning Province last year.

It was one of the 4 warships from the Beiyang Fleet, the imperial naval forces of the Qing Dynasty, which was defeated by the Japanese navy in the Battle of Yellow Sea back in 1894.

A total of 252 officers and soldiers were aboard.

Only seven survived the battle.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Xinjiang businessman devoted in Innovation on ethnic fashionsAnchorToday we continue our series of reports to help mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Our reporter Guo Yan has the story of a man from Xinjiang who has been trying to develop traditional ethnic costumes.

ReporterGao Hui is a costume designer and the director of a clothing apparel company in Xinjiang.

He's now busy in choosing clothes at one of his workshops located in the city of Changji, which is the seat of government for the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, which is located just 40-kilometers northwest of the regional capital, Urumqi.

"The costume this woman is trying on has been made especially for the show at this year's fourth Asia-Europe Fashion Week. Our model is now trying it on. Our four major styles for the fashion show cover designs for all four-seasons. The gown is a traditional robe from the Hui-ethnic minority group. Even though its a traditional design, we try to incorporate patterns which have a modern look. For example, the trousers are loose pants which are popular this season. And we also use popular fabrics and other fashionable materials."Coming from Hui ethnic minority himself, Gao says he believes the traditional designs of the Hui people in China are simple, but elegant.

Gao Hui heads the Changji New Rainbow Costume Company.

It's focus is exclusively on designing ethnic Chinese outfits.

His company has locations in Urumqi and Shanghai.

Gao Hui has been in the fashion industry for more than 20-years.

He got into ethnic designs in the early 1990s, shortly after he came out of college.

"I majored in costume design. The company I joined is one of the first to make ethnic outfits in Xinjiang. I joined the company straight out of school, and have been here ever since. I have always been in the business of making ethnic outfits."Gao Hui's home, Changji, is a city of around 400-thousand people, and home to some 30 different ethnic groups.

Living here, Gao says he enjoys the cultural diversity, and says he tries to include ethnic elements in all his designs.

But as time goes by, Gao Hui says he's worried the younger generation are less and less interested in designs which have an ethnic flavor to them.

He says he's trying to change that through his designs.

"Ethnic minorities have a splendid design culture. But in reality, less and less people are wearing them. What's the problem? One of the reason is it's somewhat problematic to dress in traditional clothing. Another problem is the clothes aren't overly conducive to modern life, and don't really blend in well with modern culture. Young people nowadays, even if they hail from an ethnic minority, want to wear something fashionable to express themselves. Unfortunately, they feel traditional outfits, as well as the accessories, lack that sort of thing."But Gao Hui says he's hoping to change that.

He notes many of the traditional ethnic designs and dying techniques passed down through years remain unique, and says it would be a great-loss if those designs and techniques are lost through time.

Gao Hui is working on a number of new innovations to try to make ethnic Chinese outfits suitable for modern life.

"We are focused on two aspects. In one respect, we want to highlight some of the more attractive parts of the ethnic designs, while weeding-out some of the more typical elements. At the same time, we're trying to combine them with popular fashion trends from both at home and abroad. We're trying to tailor our designs to fit with what will be trendy, in terms of style and design, at the "big four" fashion weeks around the world."One way Gao Hui is trying to set his work apart is by using photographs to incorporate the landscapes in Xinjiang on scarves he's been developing.

He says the silk scarves have been selling well so-far.

"We put the spectacular landscapes of Xinjiang on them using modern digital dyeing and painting techniques. They've turned out to be quite popular, especially for tourists. We're seeing more and more tourists coming to Xinjiang. They generally want to bring something back as gifts. The scarves are a beautiful gift to give to someone. They are also useful. I think this is what's making them quite popular."Gao Hui says he's also hoping to look beyond Xinjiang, saying he believes there is huge market potential outside Xinjiang for his products.

The company he works for has already set up branches in certain coastal cities in China.

They're also eyeing the overseas market.

Gao Hui says Central Asia is one of the targets, particularly given the opportunities being offered through the "One Belt, One Road" initiative the Chinese government has adopted.

"Certain ethnic groups in Xinjiang share cultural similarities with countries in Central Asia. The Kazakhs from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz people from Kyrgyzstan and the Uzbeks from Uzbekistan share cultural similarities with their ethnic minority cousins in Xinjiang. This includes the way they dress. As such, when we have very little issues when we deal with them in our business."Gao hopes that with the "One Belt, One Road" program, they'll be able to promote their products across Central Asia, and the rest of the world.

For CRI I'm Guo Yan.

US Finalizes Settlement Over BP Oil SpillThe US Justice Department and five states have finalized a settlement of more than 20 billion US dollars over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The deal announced Monday resolves all civil claims against oil company BP, British Petroleum.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the settlement at a Justice Department news conference.

The settlement finalizes an agreement that was first announced in July.

On April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon drill platform caught fire and exploded, killing 11 workers and triggering one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

China open Men's and Women'ssingles matches kick outThe Men's and Women's singles matches at the China Open kicked off on Monday.

China's Zhang Ze beat Denis Istomin with 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, he is expected to meet Novak Djokovic in the next round.

And today,China's Wu Di will face Rafael Nadal,Meanwhile in the women's singles.

China's Han Xinyun lost to Italian player Flavia Pennetta with 5-7, 6-4, 4-6.

Zhang Shuai lost to German's Mona Barthel with 3-6, 2-6And this afternoon,Chinese player Wang Qiang will face former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki from Damark.

Harry Potter's 1st illustrated book to hit Chinese marketThe first book of the illustrated full-color edition of Harry Potter will hit bookstores in China today.

It is part of the global launch of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The series is illustrated by British award-winning artist Jim Kay.

The rest of the series is expected to be released annually.

WeatherBeijing will see foggy with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 15.

Shanghai will be overcast with a high of 24 and a low of 20.

In Chongqing, it will have slight rain during the daytime with a high of 23 and lows of 18.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 33.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 22.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 21 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 23 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 27.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 19 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will have slight rain with a high of 23.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 23 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

4 dead, 16 missing as typhoon Mujigae hits south China....

17 people have died after flash flooding hit French Riviera..

Russian air strikes hitting ten IS targets in 24 hours...

In Business.... Aviation Industry Corporation of China building country's first aviation industrial base...

Stay tuned for a special edition of People in the Know, coming up in the second half of the program...

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