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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Xi Jinping sending off a note to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of tomorrow's 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

A sizeable portion of Beijing's historic Forbidden City is set to be opened to the public for the first time tomorrow.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff dealt a setback in her attempt to avoid impeachment.

In Business.... a series of agreements have been reached in connection with a Chinese rail project in Thailand.

In Sports... Raphael Nadal continuing his strong play at the China Open tennis tournament.

In entertainment... a story about a woman's fight against cancer is China's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars.

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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Top NewsXi congratulates Kim Jong Un on founding anniversary of Workers' Party of KoreaXi Jinping, in his role as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, has forwarded a message of congratulations to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

In the message, Xi Jinping says the Chinese side is willing to work with North Korea to consolidate the friendship between the two countries, as well as play a positive role in maintaining regional and global peace.

Leading CPC official Liu Yunshan is now in Pyongyang to represent the CPC at the ceremonies on Saturday marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Liu Yunshan is due to spend 4-days in North Korea.

Senior CPC official arrives for DPRK visitLeading Communist Party of China official Liu Yunshan has arrived in North Korea to start a 4-day trip.

He's leading a delegation to attend the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers Party of Korea falls on Saturday.

China, Japan, S. Korea to hold new round of FTZ talksIt's been announced a new round of trilateral trade talks among China, Japan and South Korea are set to be held in December.

Shen Danyang with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce says the next round of talks are going to be held in Japan.

"Establishing the FTZ will help tap into our industrial potential, promote trade and investment, and boost the integration of the regional value chain. The three sides agreed that a high-standard FTZ is in the interest of all and will aid development and prosperity in the region,"The latest round of talks were held in Beijing last month, covering issues surrounding trade in goods and services, investment and the scope of the proposed FTZ.

Negotiations for the trilateral FTZ have been ongoing since 2012.

Combined gross domestic product and foreign trade volume of the three countries accounts for more than 20 percent of the world's total.

Japanese civil official apologize for wrongful accusation of Chinese tourist extorting moneyA Japanese official has issued a formal apology after wrongly-accusing a Chinese woman of trying to run a scam.

The elderly woman was hit by a car while walking in Kyoto.

She later settled with the driver.

However, an official in Kyoto later issued a statement, alleging the woman was running a scam.

Isochi Ohta with the Kyoto government says the statement wasn't issued with the authority of the local government.

"The notice has not been stamped or approved; this is the first mistake which means he took the liberty to issue the notice. Another thing is that, when writing this notice, he did not verify any fact. Here he wrote the lady did not get hurt, this is wrong."The incident has created a stir on the internet in China, which remains a major source of tourism revenues in Japan.

IELTS Authority Urged to Explain Cancelled Test ResultsAnchor:

Calls are being made across China for the release of the results of the latest English language proficiency tests in the country.

CRI's Luo Wen explains.

Reporter:

More than a thousand Chinese who took the International English Language Testing System test in July and August have been told their results would be delayed or permanently withheld.

The cancellation affects examinees mainly based in Changsha, Hunan Province and Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

The test operator, the British Council accused them of "breaching IELTS test rules and regulations," but without further explanation.

A student from Nanjing, surnamed Song, is among the accused.

"I have no idea what I've done against their regulations. Even if I had breached the rules, I should be told what mistakes I made. You know the exam is expensive for a student."Song has joined a Wechat group formed by the affected examinees.

The group has more than a hundred members. All of them have tried to get an explanation from the test operator, but all in vain.

An unnamed Shanghai student says he doesn't know what he can do now.

"Over the past two months, I have to think it over how to communicate with them every day. I've made phone calls and sent emails to any one that may help, but all in vain. I told the test organizer in my email that I would like to take an interview or a re-examination to prove my English capability. But they replied nothing but letting me wait."Over a month after the test, the examinees still see no progress.

It's reported the examinees' results were cancelled mostly because of their different performace in two consecutive exams.

However, some Chinese experts warn the rash decision may wrong test takers.

Xiong Bingqi with the 21st Century Education Research Institute.

"It's not a reliable way to say a student cheats in the test only based on their performance in the exam."Xiong Bingqi suggests the IELTS authority should fix loopholes in its scoring system rather than parrying the problem.

The IELTS test is organized by the University of Cambridge along with the British Council to verify candidates' proficiency in English.

It is an examination that one has to appear before applying to study or work in most of English-spoken countries.

Around two million people take the exam globally every year.

More than 600 thousand Chinese sat the test last year.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

IMF's Lagarde: China's slowdown is 'healthy'

Anchor:

The head of the International Monetary Fund has gone on-record suggesting the current economic downturn in China is not nearly as concerning as some are making it out to be.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

Speaking to reporters as part of the IMF and World Bank's current meetings in Lima, Peru, IMF chief Christine Lagarde says suggestions the Chinese economy may be at a point of crashing are misplaced.

Lagarde says its the IMF's belief the slowdown is mostly because of the current economic shift in China away from export-led growth to a more consumer-driven model.

"A growth model that is no longer based on either massive export relative to domestic massive investment projects as opposed to consumption is a good transition."Lagarde is also praising the Chinese government for taking the steps to rebalance the economy, saying a more sustainable growth model is welcome, even if there are bumps along the way.

The IMF is currently forecasting GDP growth in China for this year to come in at 6.8-percent.

But at the same time, its downgraded its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.1 percent.

Deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Zhu Min, who is also in Lima for the meetings, says structural reforms are key if emerging markets hope to maintain sustainable growth.

Today, in the whole world, although we all operate under the potential growth, we have negative output gap, but we don't have very much aggregated demand policy space, we don't have a fiscal policy, we don't have monetary policy space. So we all have to move to supply side policy as the structural reform. On the product market reform, pension level market reform, investing in education, investing in the smart SMEs, innovational companies, I think all those things will be able to support long-term sustainable growth for emerging markets."Zhu Min notes the service sector in China outperformed the industrial sector for the first time last year.

But at the same time, the IMF is also calling on the Chinese government to do more to internationalize the Chinese currency.

Deputy director Zhu Min says this is a key step in having the renminbi added to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket.

"So this, as they review, will make it clear, we only review the RMB. We will not review something else, whatever the other currencies. This is clearly, say we pay attention on RMB issues and we're still in the process. It's still a very much data driven process. We try to collect all the data to see whether the RMB meets all these criteria."The Special Drawing Rights basket is a collection of international currencies the IMF uses establish exchange rates.

Its currently dominated made up of the US dollar, the Euro, the British Pound and the Japanese Yen.

A number of countries use that basket as a reference guide for their own currency exchange rates.

Chinese authorities are hoping the addition of the Renminbi to that basket will create more confidence in the Chinese currency.

Though many had expected the Renminbi to be added to the IMF's SDR basket this year, it’s expected that move is now likely to take place sometime next year at the earliest.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

Forbidden City Opens More Areas to PublicAnchor:

Anticipation among history buffs in China is peaking, as officials with the Palace Museum, better known as the Forbidden City, are set to open the western section of the former Imperial Palace to the public for the first time in 90-years tomorrow.

CRI's Xiao Yi has the details.

Reporter:

The four western areas of the Palace are being opened to the public for the first time since the Palace Museum first opened 90-years ago.

One area of great interest is the Cining Palace.

This is the home of the former Emperors' mothers, and was last home to the late Dowager Empress Cixi.

The Cining Palace has been depicted in numerous TV series' and films.

Eight displays featuring the former Emperors' treasures will also be on display in the newly-opened areas.

A sculpture exhibition will also be available for viewing in the main hall of the Cining palace.

Feng Hejun, researcher with the Palace Museum, says the exhibits come from a variety of different collections.

"The exhibits mainly come from previous royal collections, as well as treasures unearthed during archaeological excavations. Others have been donated by domestic cultural institutions and individuals."The Palace Museum currently has around 1.8-million items in its vast collection.

However, less than 1-percent are currently on display.

Researcher Feng Hejun says this is what makes the new displays so intriguing.

"Every exhibit is a masterpiece. Every work has a story behind it. Among the highlights is a Han Dynasty sculpture of a couple kissing each other which was unearthed in Sichuan over 70-years ago. It's full of local color from the region where it was discovered."All of the works are being displayed in the open, and without the protection of a glass case.

Shan Jixiang, curator of the Palace Museum, says they hope this will give visitors to the new exhibition more access to the unique pieces of Chinese history.

"It's the first time we're going to showcase our cultural relics out the use of glass. We hope it will give people a more close-up look at the items we're putting on display."The newly opened areas also include a garden, a hall for worshipping Buddha, as well as the Shoukang Palace.

This was built for Emperor Qianlong's mother.

Qianlong, the grandson of the Qing Emperor Kangxi, ruled China from 1735 to 1796.

Saturday's anniversary will also see the opening of both the Meridian and East Prosperity Gates.

This will allow visitors to walk on the walls of the Forbidden City for the first time every.

Saturday's unveiling of the western portions of the Forbidden City will make around 65-percent of the Palace Museum open to the public.

Officials say they hope to have over three-quarters of the massive complex open by the end of next year.

Construction of the Forbidden City was finished in 1420 at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

After its construction, which took some 14-years to complete, the Imperial Palace in the heart of Beijing was home to all the Ming and Qing Emperors until the fall of Dynastic China in 1912.

It was converted to the Palace Museum, which opened on October 10th, 1925.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet awarded Nobel Peace PrizeThe Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet – a coalition of civil society organizations - has been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize for its role in helping Tunisia's transition to democracy.

Announcing the prize, Kaci Kullmann, chair of the Nobel committee, says the group has made a "decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy".

"The quartet was formed in summer of 2013 when the democratization process was in danger of collapsing as a result of political assassinations and widespread social unrest. It established an alternative peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war."The Tunisian quartet is made up of four organizations: the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

The group is among 273 names submitted this year for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Federal Audit Court Ruling Fuels Bid to Impeach Brazilian President Dilma RousseffNew signs are suggesting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will end up having to face an impeachment vote.

A federal audit court in Brazil has determined her administration violated accounting practices and financial laws this past year connected to the country's mounting budget problems.

Carlos Pereira, former fellow of Latin American Studies with the Brookings Institute, says the ruling is a significant blow to Rousseff.

"So three members (of the court) out of nine, three have been appointed by the current administration and all of them voted against the government. So it provides a lot of strength to the idea of the impeachment. I think that if I was able to bet, I would bet that the president would probably face a hard time for (the) president of keeping in power for that long period of time (meaning until the end of her presidency in 2018)"The ruling, while non-binding, has been sent to the Brazilian Congress for its review.

Rousseff's administration has been under-fire amid allegations it used unauthorized loans from state-run banks in Brazil to fill gaps in the country's budget.

Brazil's economy has been in significant decline over the past 2-years amid problems with corruption and slack consumer spending.

The International Monetary Fund is predicting Brazil, host of next year's Olympics and one of the five members of the BRICS grouping of emerging economies, is likely going to be mired in its current economic downturn for the next 3-years.

UN proposes unity government for Libya after months of talksAnchor:

An 11th hour deal has been struck at UN-brokered peace talks in Libya designed to create a national unity government and end some 4-years of civil strife across the North African country.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara with the details.

Reporter:

After months of difficult negotiations between Libya's two rival governments, a UN backed peace process as managed to produce a list of candidates for a national unity government.

Names in the list include members from the Islamist-backed government based in Tripoli and another internationally recognized government in the country's east.

Fayez Sarraj, a member of the Tripoli-based parliament has been named as the prime minister for the new government.

Bernardino Leon, the UN Envoy to Libya says he believes that the list of proposed ministers for the unity body "can work.""This was not an easy task. We have been listening to many people inside and outside the dialogue and we believe that this list can work but as I said we encourage the Libyan people to understand that the options were not infinite and that perfection maybe was not a possibility, but I think that it is a quite reasonably good list of names, politicians, personalities that will do their best I'm sure to take their country out of this crisis."The two rival parliaments based in Tripoli and the eastern city of Tobruk each have to approve the list.

Mussa al-Kouni, one of the three proposed deputy prime ministers on the UN list says he is doubtful the outcome.

"Now the real work starts. Basically, now it is up to the Libyans and the parliament to decide upon this government. Without that we can't do anything."The oil rich North African country has suffered years of unrest since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya's politicians have faced increasing pressure from the West to reach agreement on a unity government.

Peter Millett, the UK Ambassador to Libya downplayed the opposition from some hardliners from the Tripoli based government who had tried to stall the UN process since the beginning"There are a lot of moderates from the GNC (General National Congress) who are part of this and who want to be part of this. Most of the political parties are also behind this. I think there is no better chance and there is no alternative to this approach and to this sort of government which tries to balance a lot of different interests.

A new unity government - if established - has multiple challenges, including an economy near collapse and disarming a number of active militia groups.

The UN estimates close to two-and-a-half million people in Libya — nearly 40% of the country's population — are in need of protection and some form of humanitarian aid.

The violence and political chaos has also turned the Libyan coast a haven for human traffickers who want to send tens of thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraSyria Launches Large-scale Operation Against ISAnchor:

A large-scale military operation against the Islamic State has been launched by Syrian Armed Forces.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

The Chief of General Staff of the Syrian Arab Army Ali Abdullah Ayyoub made the announcement via video on Thursday.

"Today the Syrian Armed Forces began a large-scale attack on terrorist organizations, in order to liberate the regions that have come under the plague of terrorism."He says the government's army has regained the initiative in the fight against the terrorists, and the extremists' combat ability has been weakened due to the ongoing Russian airstrikes.

Thousands of extremists have fled under the Russian airstrikes while some rebel forces have also retreated from strongholds.

The Syrian Armed Forces have initiated small-scale ground attacks alongside the Russian air support and have regained control of four towns in the central Syrian province of Hamah.

In the meantime, the cruise missiles launched by Russian warships have hit the provinces of Raqqa and Aleppo in the north, where the IS group has strongholds, and also Idlib province in the northwest.

Mazen Bilal, a Syrian political analyst, stresses the importance of cooperation between Russian airstrikes and Syrian ground attacks.

"The cooperation between the Russian airstrike and Syrian ground attack is very important. The U.S. airstrikes only cut the supply line of the extremists, which is very different from now. Now the Russian air strikes have ground support."For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news conference in Moscow that coordination between Western countries and the Syrian Army is a necessity in fighting IS.

"We say that we flew there first at the request of the Syrian government. And what is most important, we coordinate our actions with the Syrian army that resists IS on the ground. This is a key point. And we say that the actions of the coalition are not effective in our view for this very reason, because it is not possible to fight IS from the air. One can fight IS only joining forces with those who fight on the ground. In Syria it is undoubtedly the Syrian army."She adds that Russia has no plans to bring in ground forces.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

US President Touts Immigration Reform in SpeechUS President Barack Obama has put out a new call for immigration reform.

Speaking at a meeting of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Obama is calling on US lawmakers to take a reasonable approach to the question of immigration.

"You can't just feed on fear. You should be feeding hope. You should be for fixing our immigration system. You should be for allowing DREAMers and their parents who've been here for years to live without fear in the country they love. You should tell the truth, which is that illegal border crossings are lower than they've been in decades. And that economists agree that immigration does not hurt our economy, it grows our economy, creating jobs, raising wages for Americans."Hispanic voters in the United States are being viewed as a key demographic both the Democrats and Republicans are hoping to court.

Though traditionally a more conservative group, the Hispanic population in the US, which numbers around 50-million, has been mostly voting Democrat the past few election.

Dispute Emerges amid Cuba Peace TalksPeace talks between the Coumbian government and the country's FARC rebel group appear to have hit a snag.

Negotiators for the rebels are accusing the Columbian government of violating a previous agreement inked last month.

FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez claims government negotiators are backing away from previous pledges connected to human rights violations.

"Shamelessness cannot be an instrument of peace. The (Colombian government's) chief negotiator has no shame. What he should do is make sure there is no impunity for those who consider themselves 'sacred cows' because they hold power."Humberto de la Calle, Chief Negotiator for the Colombian government, is accusing the rebels of backing away from previous agreements.

"It's the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) which is being dishonest. There was a firm 10-point agreement. As for the longer version, it was never agreed that this was a closed and un-modifiable accord. What's important in the face of the FARC's unjustified verbal assault, using offensive language which the government rejects, is to make it clear before the public what the principal points are that we have not accepted."At issue is who might ultimately be held responsible for crimes connected the half-century insurgency in Columbia.

Last month's initial agreement signed in Havana, Cuba, has been considered the closest the two sides have come to hammering out a lasting solution to end fighting, which broke out as an armed peasant revolution in rural Columbia in 1964.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 8 degrees. Tomorrow will be cloudy too with a high of 17.

Shanghai will have clouds overnight with a low of 16. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 19. Tomorrow, cloudy, high of 25.

Lhasa will see showers tonight with a low of 5, overcast tomorrow with a high of 18.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have sunshine tomorrow with a high of 32.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 24.

Brisbane, cloudy, high of 22.

Perth, cloudy, 31.

And finally Auckland will see some rain with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsXi congratulates Kim Jong Un on founding anniversary of Workers' Party of KoreaXi Jinping, in his role as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, has forwarded a message of congratulations to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

In the message, Xi Jinping says the Chinese side is willing to work with North Korea to consolidate the friendship between the two countries, as well as play a positive role in maintaining regional and global peace.

Leading CPC official Liu Yunshan is now in Pyongyang to represent the CPC at the ceremonies on Saturday marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Liu Yunshan is due to spend 4-days in North Korea.

China's top graft-buster exposes decadent officialsThe CPC's discipline arm has unveiled its latest list of officials caught up in the current crackdown on graft and extravagance.

The list includes names of nearly 200 officials accused of embezzling of public funds, using public funds for banquets, accepting bribes and holding lavish banquets, among other violations.

Those on the list are mainly low-level officials.

They include mostly village chiefs and the heads of local police departments.

Punishments range from warnings to outright dismissal from the Party.

Over 2-thousand officials caught up in corruption have been publicly-shamed by the CPC's discipline inspection division since 2014.

Asian political parties to meet about Belt and Road initiativeThe Communist Party of China is set to host a conference next week connected to the Chinese government's Silk Road Economic Belt plan.

The meeting in Beijing will include over 50 political parties and organizations from more than 30 different countries on Wednesday and Thursday.

Its designed to try to create a better understanding of the Chinese-backed initiative, as well as to try to foster better cooperation among the countries involved.

Meetings among business and media organizations are also set to be held on the sidelines of the session.

Iran's top military advisor killed in Syria's AleppoA senior Iranian military advisor has reportedly been killed in Syria.

General Hossein Hamadani, a commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, has reportedly been killed in the Aleppo area by a group of Islamic State militants.

Details behind his death have not been made clear.

Hamadani has been serving in Syria as both an advisor to the Syrian government and as an advisor to the Syrian government's elite forces.

Iran has been a leading supporter of the Syrian government.

Australian PM makes New Zealand first overseas visitAustralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is making his first official visit to New Zealand in his new post.

Turnbull is set to meet with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Saturday.

Among the discussions will be the recent deportation of New Zealander nationals from Australia.

About 300 New Zealanders remain held in Australian detention centers or have been deported since the Australian government instituted strict new visa rules last year which call for the deportation of convicted criminals.

Biz ReportsChina, Thailand Reach Multiple Consensuses on Railway CooperationChinese officials say significant headway has been made in-connection with plans for a joint rail project in Thailand.

Shen Danyang with the Ministry of Commerce says the headway made in the latest round of talks should pave the way for a framework agreement to be signed later this month.

(bjh/soundbites/1009 Shen Danyang thai/male/mandarin)"The two sides have fully negotiated issues connected to feasibility, design details, engineering contracts, joint venture plans, financing and the creation of an inter-governmental cooperation framework agreement for the China-Thailand Railway. We've established a lot of consensus."The China-Thailand Railway will be linked up with the current railway connecting China and Laos.

Once finished, it will run through northern Thailand, through Bangkok, and all the way to the southern end of Thailand along the Malay Peninsula.

Its expected construction could begin before year's-end.

China to Build Chargers to Power 5 mln Electric Cars by 2020Chinese authorities have unveiled new plans to rapidly increase the number of electric-vehicle power stations across the country.

A new set of guidelines have been unveiled, which suggest plans are being produced to create enough charging stations across the country to satisfy the power demands of 5-million electric vehicles by 2020.

The State Council's initiative is calling for private investment to lead the charge.

As part of the plan, Chinese authorities are going to issue corporate bonds and try to court funding through pension funds as well.

Shares of Shenzhen Auto Electric Power Plant's jumped by one-percent following the announcement earlier this Friday.

Expert on China's Auto IndustryAnchor:

Observers are suggesting a series of questions still need to be asked in connection with Volkswagon's current emissions scandal.

The company's CEO in the United States, Michael Horn, has testified before the US Congress that it was a number of individuals, and not the corporation, which created a system to bypass emission testing standards in the company's diesel vehicles.

Horn's testimony before a US Congressional committee on Thursday marks the latest in the scandal, which has seen Volkswagon's share price plumet by around one-third since the scandal broke.

But it’s not just Volkswagon which has been taking hits in the global auto industry.

Chrysler's 40-thousand employees are set to vote later on this Friday on whether or not to accept a tenative labor agreement.

The rank-and-file in the United Autoworkers Union rejected the last offer put to them.

Here in China, automakers such as General Motors and others have been scaling back their production amid the first slowdown in passanger vehicles sales in China in years.

For more on what's been happening with the auto industry, CRI's Zhao Yang earlier spoke with Xing Lei, Chief Editor of the China Auto Review.

BHP Sets Iron Ore Price on MySteel IndexBHP Billiton has set its price for two shipments of iron ore for the first time using the Chinese price index published by MySteel.

The company has traditionally used the Platts price index, which is set through data compiled by non-Chinese firms.

The MySteel index is set through surveys done through Chinese steel companies and traders.

Reports are suggesting a number of other international iron ore producers are also interested in pricing through the MySteel index.

China Resources Unit to Sell Wal-Mart China Store Stakes for $525 millionIt's being reported a unit of the China Resources Corporation is planning to sell its minority stake in 21 Wal-Mart outlets around China.

The sale would be worth some 525-million U.S. dollars.

It is not clear why the unit is selling the stake, which makes up around 35-percent of the ownership of the jointly-controlled outlets.

The sale comes as Wal-Mart and other major retailers face intense competition in China from fast-developing online rivals.

Wal-Mart says the sale should not impact its ongoing business in China.

Alibaba to Open Second Silicon Valley Data CenterAlibaba's cloud computing arm Alicloud has opened a second data center in Silicon Valley.

The new center is AliCloud's 9th in the world, and 2nd in the US.

The new center will have the same level of services as the existing facility in California.

Alibaba's cloud computing centers are meant to try to help clients mostly working in the gaming, multimedia and mobile Internet sectors.

Standard Chartered CEO Plans to Cut about 1,000 Top StaffStandard Chartered's new CEO is warning around one-quarter of the bank's most senior staff are going to be laid-off to reduce costs.

Bill Winters says the move is likely to result in the loss of around a thousand top jobs.

The job cuts will include board members and senior bankers at managing director levelsStandard Chartered is also planning on reducing its client lists to accomodate for the loss of personnel.

SportsRafael Nadal enters the semi-final of this year's China OpenIn tennis,On the men's side at the China Open,Third seeded Rafael Nadal is into the semi-finals after downing American Jack Sock 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Nadal will be up against Italy's Fabio Fognini, who knocked who got past Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas in a 3-set match.

Later tonight, its World number one Novak Djokovic taking on American John Isner in the quarter-finals.

On the women's side,Rising Swiss star Timea Bacsinszky is through after dumping Italian Sara Errani 0-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Agnieszka Radwanska is also through after cruising past Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

International team rally with the American in day 2 of Golf Presidents CupIn golf,The international team has made a comeback through Day 2 of the President's Cup in South Korea.

After going down 4-1 through the first day in Incheon, the international squad has rallied through the 4-ball event this Friday, winning three matches and halving another to cut the USA's lead to one, at 5.5 to 4.5.

The day did come with a bit of controversy.

American Phil Mickelson ended up dropping a hole during one of his rounds after an official told him he was disqualified from the hole after using a different ball than the one he originally started out with.

"Sure enough, there is a one ball rule. See the PGA of America doesn't have a one ball rule..you play two different ball, you play eighteen different balls, brands whatever on 18 different holes on the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, so this threw me for a little bit...that we had a one ball rule. We've never really had it and I didn't think much about it but it's my responsibility to know that. I should have at least asked before I teed off, it's just that it had never been a thought for me, but as a player that's your job to know that".

However, it turned out to be the officials fault, as Mickelson should have been allowed to play the hole out.

Mickelson and his playing partner, Dustin Johnson, eventually halved the round.

Another set of 4-ball action will take place tomorrow.

Chile beat Brazil in opening 2018 World Cup qualifierIn football,The latest World Cup qualifiers in the South American Zone have taken place earlier today.

It was Chile upsetting Brazil 2-nil.

Chilean head coach Jorge Sampaoli.

"The rival has virtually no chances on goal and we are talking about a team like Brazil, that usually create chances. They know than this game was really important for us, to get what we are looking for in this stage is going to be really hard and just a big step because we beat a team that always beats us. That help us to the next game with Peru"The Brazilians were without star striker Neymar.

He's currently serving a 3-match international suspension.

In other action,Argentina was also handed a setback, going down to Ecuador 2-nil as well.

The Argentinians were without star Lionel Messi.

It was Uruguay taking a 2-nil away victory over Bolivia.

Columbia downed Peru 2-nil.

And it was Paraguay upsetting Venezuela at home, 1-nil.

Messi will face trial as judge overules public prosecutorSome off-pitch footbal news.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi will be facing three counts of tax fraud in the Spanish courts.

The decision comes just days after prosecutors in Spain suggested they would not be pursuing charges against the world's top footballer.

Spanish officials claim Messi failed to report over 4-million euros in taxable income between 2007 and 2009.

If convicted, he could face as much as 22-months in jail, though under Spanish law, a jail term is highly unlikely.

Messi is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

He's expected to be out of action until at least mid-November.

Royals, Jays drop first games of ALDSIn baseball,The first games of the American League Divisional Series' have taken place, with the statistical underdogs both gaining advantage on-the-road.

The Kansas City Royals, who finished at the top of the American League, dropped the opener of their best-of-5 series to Houston 5-2.

Collin McHugh went 6-innings, despite a rain delay, allowing only 4-hits in earning the victory.

Game-2 of the series goes tomorrow morning, 3:45am Beijing-time.

--The other ALDS matchup saw the Texas light-up Toronto starter David Price for 5-runs off 5-hits as the Rangers downed the Blue Jays 5-3.

Toronto stars Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista, as well as the Rangers' Adrian Beltre all left the game with injuries.

However, all are expected to be back for Game-2 of the series, which will go early this coming morning, 12:45am Beijing time.

--The National League Division Series will begin this morning as well.

St. Louis will be at home to Chicago, while the LA Dodgers will play host to the New York Mets.

NBA preseason recapIn the preseason NBA action,The Boston Celtics have wrapped up their tour of Europe, beating Madrid 111-96 earlier this morning.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says their final stop in Spain should help them gain momentum heading back to the United States.

"I thought that was a great test for our team. I thought it was great.... energy, physicality. They made us pay for a bunch of mistakes, as we knew they would, and I thought our guys did a pretty good job throughout the whole night. I mean I thought, that was a good atmosphere and a good game to have to play in.... and I think that, hopefully that will be a game that will help us moving forward."In other action from this morning,The Toronto Raptors rolled over the LA Lakers 105-97.

Kobe Bryant had 16-points in the loss.

It was the Indiana Pacers edging Orlando 97-95.

Denver spanked Chicago 112-94.

Portland made easy work of the defending champion Golden State Warriors 118-101.

Philadelphia upset Lebron's Cleveland Cavaliers 115-114.

And it was Sacramento over San Antonio 95-92.

Colts down Texans in Thursday night NFL actionFrom the National Football League,Veteran reciever Andre Johnson was on the recieving end of a pair of touchdown passes from veteran QB Matt Hassleback to help lead the Indianapolis Colts over the Houston Texans 27-20 earlier today in the NFL Thursday night game.

Andre Johnson was picked up by the Colts after being released by the Texans at the start of the season.

40-year old Matt Hassleback, who is filling in for the Colts' injured starter Andrew Luck, threw for over 200-yards in the victory.

The Colts now move to 3-2 on the season, while Houston falls to 1-4.

Entertainment"Go Away Mr. Tumor" to represents China in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscar'sChinese romance film-"Go Away Mr. Tumor" has been submitted to compete for this year's Academy Awards for the Best Foreign language Film.

The submission of the tear-jerking real life drama comes as a surprise to many.

Critics and film industry insiders were betting on either "Wolf Totem" or "Mountains May Depart" to be China's official submission to the Oscars.

"Go Away Mr. Tumor" features the final years of a cartoonist and her fight against a malignant tumor until she loses the battle at the age of 30.

It grossed over 500 million yuan, or some 80 million US dollars at the Chinese box office.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong has submitted "To the Fore" to the competition and Taiwan has picked Hou Hsiao Hsien's "The Assassin" as its entry.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced in January, 2016.

The Oscars will be held in late feburary at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Fast& Furious 8 Hires Straight Outta Compton's DirectorStraight Outta Compton's F Gary Gray has revealed that he is moving full speed ahead to take the helm of Fast & Furious 8.

News of Gray's hiring was leaked by franchise star Vin Diesel. That puts end to conflicting rumours that Diesel himself wanted to direct the film.

It had been previously reported that Justin Lin and James Wan both passed on a chance to direct the latest edition of the top grossing Fast & Furious franchise.

Diesel also recently announced that the Fast & Furious series will end with "one last trilogy".

The next film is expected to be set in New York, with Jason Statham likely to return as the international assassin Deckard Shaw.

An "Ant Man" Sequel Is in the cards!

Marvel has announced a sequel to this summer's blockbuster-"Ant Man".

The sequel-"Ant-Man and the Wasp", will see Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return as the MCU shakes up its Phase 3 plans.

It will mark the first time a Marvel movie will include the name of a female character in a title.

The sequel is set for release three years later, sometime in 2018.

Meanwhile, Ant-Man has grossed over 409 million US dollars at the worldwide box office.

It will hit Chinese theaters next Friday.

Daniel Craig's Done with Bond RoleActor Daniel Craig says he wants to move on from the James Bond franchise and that, for now, he would rather slit his wrists than do another Bond movie.

In an interview with Time Out magazine, the actor says the all-consuming role has kept him from pursuing other projectsHe added that he doesn't know and does not want to think about his next step, and that if he were to do another 007 movie, it would "only be for the money."The 47-year-old is reprising his role as the British spy for the fourth time in the upcoming "Spectre.""Spectre" is set to premier in the UK on October 26.

It's due to open in China on November 13.

Kool and the Gang get star on Hollywood Walk of FameThe members of popular pop band Kool and the Gang have received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dennis Thomas from the band says he's glad that their songs keep people happy and has become synonymous with good times.

"We're very blessed that our music touches peoples' hearts and minds, and keeps you dancing and tries to keep you happy on this planet."The band behind the hits "Jungle Boogie," "Hollywood Swinging" and "Ladies Night" was formed in 1964 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Blending pop, funk, disco, soul and jazz, the band won two Grammys and seven American Music Awards and has sold over 70 million albums so far.

Pop star Selena Gomez has got chemotherapy to treat lupusUS Pop singer Selena Gomez has revealed that she's battling a debilitating immune system disorder lupus and is receiving chemotherapy.

Concerns about the 23-year-old's health were first raised in 2013 when she canceled the Asian and Australian legs of her Stars Dance tour.

The singer says in an interview with Billboard magazine that her break was about her lupus diagnosis.

Lupus causes inflammation of internal organs, skin rashes and joint pain.

Despite her health situation, Gomez is currently promoting her new album 'Revival'.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 8 degrees. Tomorrow will be cloudy too with a high of 17.

Shanghai will have clouds overnight with a low of 16. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 19. Tomorrow, cloudy, high of 25.

Lhasa will see showers tonight with a low of 5, overcast tomorrow with a high of 18.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have sunshine tomorrow with a high of 32.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

In the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 24.

Brisbane, cloudy, high of 22.

Perth, cloudy, 31.

And finally Auckland will see some rain with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

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

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

Xi Jinping sending off a note to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of tomorrow's 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, I'm 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...