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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Six economic fugitives living in Indonesia have been repatriated to China as part of this year's Fox Hunt campaign.

New technical guidelines are being put out to help Chinese shipbuilders fit civilian ships for potential military use.

Police in two US cities are investigating separate mass shootings.

In the 2nd half of the hour... we'll bring you a recap of some of the stories which made headlines in the world of Science and Technology this week.

In Sports.... China advances into the next round of the Women's World Cup football tournament in Canada.

In Entertainment.... this year's Shanghai International Film Festival is coming to an end.

Top NewsSix fugitives back to China from IndonesiaChina's Ministry of Public Security says 6 suspects wanted for economic crimes have been returned to China from Indonesia.

One of them is accused of contract fraud worth some 10-million yuan.

Around 30-million yuan worth of property and cash has been seized in the arrests.

Kurucyna Modi, who head's Jakarta's Criminal Investigation Bureau, says he's pleased with the level of cooperation the Chinese authorities provided.

"I think they did a good job. We are happy. We are grateful to have this kind of cooperation with Chinese Police. So we expect that in the future we can get the same treatment when we have our suspects escape to China. "This brings the total number of fugitives repatriated to China under the "Fox Hunt 2015" campaign to 256.

"Fox Hunt 2015" began in April.

It's part of a broader campaign to hunt down Chinese economic fugitives who have fled abroad.

Last year's campaign netted 680 suspects.

China's updated shipbuilding guidelines allows for military use of civilian vesselsThe Chinese government has drafted a new set of technical guidelines to help shipbuilders conform to the new rules connected to boat building in the country.

Under new policy requirements released by the government earlier this month, all new ships built in China have to be designed so they can be easily converted for military use if needed.

Yang Zhongmin with the China Classification Society says the new technical manuals being put out will make things much easier for shipbuilders.

"Under the previous national standards, shipbuilders had a difficult time building civilian ships that could be adapted to military use. The new technical guidelines make building civilian ships with convertibility much easier."At the same time, a draft of the National Defense Transport Law has been put on the agenda for the next session of National People's Congress.

In it, it says shipbuilders will be eligible for subsidies to cover the extra cost of making ships suitable for military use.

It also includes provisions for insurance in case the vessels are damaged during military operations.

There are currently around 172-thousand civilian ships in operation in China.

Around 26-hundred are ocean-capable.

El Nino brings much more rainfall to China: expertClimate experts here in China are issuing another warning about the effects El Nino is having on southern China at the moment.

The National Climate Center says the effects of the cyclical weather pattern are only going to strengthen as the summer moves forward.

Li Weijing, chief forecaster with the Center, says the effects are already being seen in a localized belt running across the middle-reaches of southern China since the annual flood season began in early May.

"The precipitation in the entire southern regions of the Yangtze River Basin and other parts of southern China ranges between 300 and 800 millimeters, which is 20 to 50 percent more than normal. The precipitation in the central and northern parts of Guangdong, the northeastern part of Guangxi, and the northeastern part of Jiangxi is more than a thousand to 13-hundred millimeters, which is two to three times more than normal."Economic losses from the heavy rains are already being calculated at around 25-billion yuan.

El Nino is a cyclical weather phenomenon in which where warmer ocean temperatures in the Pacific create high-pressure systems which keeps the jet-stream in a lower pattern than normal.

This keeps the monsoon rains from south Asia from dispersing normally, leaving southern China in the path of additional rain.

Man shot dead in north China's cityOne person is dead and another injured following a shooting in the city of Cangzhou in Hebei.

Authorities say four men in masks confronted the victim and another man after they were leaving a liquor store in the city, which is about 90-kilometers south of Tianjin.

One man was killed on the scene, while the other was wounded, but managed to escape.

Hu Wei with Cangzhou's Public Security Bureau says a full-scale manhunt is underway for the shooters.

"Five shotgun bullet casings have been collected by investigators at the scene have been sent to forensics for testing. We have also blocked and are checking major roads, intersections into and out of the city, as well as bus and train stations."Police have not said what they think the motive might be.

This is the 2nd fatal shooting in the Cangzhou area this month.

Five people were killed after a 40-year old villager killed two of his neighbors with a shotgun, then killed two police officers attempting to subdue him.

The suspect was later killed by police.

China, Russia enterprises sign contract on high speed railAnchor:

Chinese and Russian rail executives are hailing a new deal signed this weekend connected to the construction of the first high-speed rail-line in Russia.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

The deal inked this weekend on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will see Chinese engineers assist their Russian counterparts in the designing of a high-speed rail link connecting Moscow with the city of Kazan.

Kazan is around 770-kilometers southeast of Moscow.

The agreement, worth some 380-million US dollars, will see design engineers with the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group assist in the planning process for the new high-speed line for the next year-and-a-half.

Company executive Wu Limin.

"After several years' development, a complete design standard and specifications for Chinese high speed railways is now available. Russia has yet to build any high speed rail lines which can accommodate speeds of 400-kilometers per hour. So we hope we can share our thoughts and experiences with our Russian partners and help them to build their own system to standardize high speed railway construction."Alexander Misharin, vice-President of Russian Railways, says they believe China was the best place to look for help in designing the Moscow-Kazan line.

"China has gained a lot of experience in high-speed railway construction, as well as technology research and development. China currently has the longest system of high-speed rail lines in the world, with over half the total mileage in the world. As such, Russia is going to benefit greatly from China's experience."On top of the tangible benefits for Russia, the new agreement is also being viewed as a benefit to China's long-term economic strategy.

Li Yongquan with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says the deal will help develop the Chinese government's "One Belt, One Road" Initiative, as the Moscow-Kazan line is part of the Beijing-Moscow high-speed transport corridor.

"The successful implementation of the high-speed railway project in Russia is a landmark in bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the infrastructure construction field. It's got decisive meaning for the expansion of the project in the future."The Eryuan Engineering Group outbid around 100 different companies to secure the design rights for the new rail line from Moscow to Kazan.

The roughly 30-billion US dollar project will eventually cut travel time between the Russian capital and Kazan to around 3-and-a-half hours.

For CRI, I am Xie Cheng.

Booming border trade in the Sino-Kazakh Cooperation CentreAnchor:

A new cross-border passenger train service is set to open this coming month running from the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu into Kazahkstan.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more on the potential benefits the new line is going to bring to a free-trade zone currently in operation along the border.

Reporter:

The Sino-Kazakh International Cross-boundary Cooperation center was first established in 2012 as a joint free-trade zone linking China and Kazakhstan.

It's located on the border in the northwestern border city of Khorgos in Xinjiang.

Khorgos is a Special Economic Zone, with 5-square kilometers on the Chinese side designated as a duty-free area.

Even though the new passenger train service from the city of Lianyungang in Jiangsu to the Kazakh city of Almaty won't be operational until next month, business in Khorgos is already booming.

Around a million people have already made their way through the cross-border cooperation center so far this year, which is double the number of people during the same period last year.

Border trade in the free-trade zone has also shot up by some 90-percent this year.

Nie Yongle with the Khorgos Merchants Group says much of this is thanks to the development of transportation infrastructure in the region.

"The airport in Yining, which is the capital of the Ili Kazakh prefecture, is now being enlarged. At the same time, the expressway between Lianyungang and Khorgos has been opened up, and the construction of another expressway linking Khorgos and Almaty is underway. Once its done, it will be a highway network linking China with Central Asia and Europe."The links between the far northwestern region of China and the country's coast in Jiangsu is already drawing new businesses.

Qi Xing, who runs a textile company in Jiangsu, set up operations in Khorgos 3-months ago.

He says while the benefits of the border crossing are obvious, more still needs to be done to make Khorgos a more active cross-border trading area.

"Every day, people from the Kazahk side have to stand in line for at least one to two hours to get into Khorgos. I think the customs clearance procedures are still complicated and can be simplified by the authorities on the Khorgos side."Mahira Amraeva from Kazakhstan runs a grocery store on the Chinese side with her boyfriend, and often goes back and forth between the two sides for supplies from the Kazakh side.

"Right now, we have some trouble when going through the custom clearance procedures. Due to the language differences, sometimes it's difficult to communicate with the Chinese custom officers."Chinese authorities have been introducing new steps to make customs clearance procedures more efficient.

Meanwhile, major construction projects are still underway on the Kazahk side of the border crossing.

Authorities say once that work is completed, it should help foster even more cross-border trade.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

3 more cases of MERS reported in S Korea3 more cases of MERS cases are being reported in South Korea.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 169.

Kwon Deok-cheol, South Korea's assistant Minister of Healthcare Policy, says they're expanding the scope of their testing to ensure the virus hasn't spread to other people not thought to have contact with MERS carriers.

"We have done MERS genetic tests not only for suspected patients who were in contact with confirmed MERS cases and showed MERS symptoms, but also for patients who are suffering from severe respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, even though they were not in contact with MERS cases. There are no patients who tested positive for MERS within that community so far."South Korean authorities say they still believe the spread of the virus is under control, despite the new cases this Sunday.

The death toll from the virus in South Korea stands at 25.

It was confirmed in the country on May 20th after an elderly man showed up in hospital with respiratory problems after returning from a trip to the Middle East.

Two shooting incidents happen in the U.S on the same dayAuthorities in two different US cities are now dealing with mass shootings.

In the city of Detroit, a 20-year old man is dead and nine others have been injured, after someone opened fire during a block party in the city.

Police in Detroit say they're working under the assumption there may be two shooters involved in that incident, and that one individual may have been the intended target.

Of the 9 people hurt in the Detroit shooting, one remains in critical condition.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a similar incident has taken place, with bullets being fired into crowds at a block party in that city.

Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker says they're still trying to figure out what happened.

"we know we have seven people shot at this point, two of those are kids, one is at two years old and one at ten years old. Both are children, both are critical at this point, two year old is shot in the neck. It's been chaos trying to stabilize this two-year-old on scene with the medics. We're just getting things under control. We're going to work through the investigative part of it and try to figure out what actually happened out here"The mass shootings in Detroit and Philadelphia come just days after the mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina which left 9-people dead.

That incident has prompted US President Barack Obama to try to reignite debate in the US over gun control.

However, legislation to bring in tougher gun-control laws is unlikely to pass through the Republican-controlled Congress.

Some 12-thousand people a year in the US die in gun-related incidents.

World Refugee Day takes places against backdrop of worsening global crisisAnchor:

The United Nations has released a new study to coincide with this weekend's World Refugee Day, suggesting over 42-thousand people a day became refugees last year.

This is prompting additional calls for countries around the world to shoulder the responsibility of caring for them.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara has more.

Reporter:

Stark warnings over the inability of the international community to cope with record numbers of refugees forced to flee war zones provided the grim backdrop to events marking World Refugee Day on Saturday.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees almost 60 million have been displaced by conflict and persecution around the world. More than half of them are children.

This makes every 1 in 122 people in the world a refugee, an internally displaced person or an asylum seeker.

Angelina Jolie, the UN Special Envoy for refugees says the current international refugee crisis is caused by a breakdown in global security and governance.

"Our world has never been richer or healthier or more advanced yet never before had so many people been dispossessed and stripped of their basic human rights. We should call this what it is. This is not just a refugee crisis, but a crisis of global security and governance that is manifesting itself in a world refugee crisis that is the worst ever recorded. This is a time, we are living at a time of mass displacement."Jolie visited a Refugee camp in Midyat near Turkey's border with Syria that has seen a massive influx of people fleeing persecution by the Islamic State, to mark World Refugee day on Saturday.

Last year, Turkey overtook Pakistan as the biggest refugee-hosting nation in the world, largely as a result of conflict in Iraq and Syria, where the war has entered its 5th year.

Turkey now hosts more than 2 million refugees and spends more than US$6 billion on helping Syrians alone.

Ahmad Lubbadah, a Syrian Refugee at the camp says he is dreaming of the day when he can return home.

"Today, we have lost our country. Our houses have been demolished and our children have been killed. We hope that we will be back home soon and that the situation will become stable. This is what I want."With nearly four million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, a heavy toll has been placed on the local population. Basic infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water supplies, has been placed under enormous strain.

It is less wealthy developing countries that host 86 per cent of the world's refugees.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres warned that the scale of the current crisis was overwhelming international humanitarian organizations, and was threatening to destabilize the poorer host nations.

But some countries that have the capacity to help are instead shutting their gates to people seeking asylum.

More people have been forced to flee their homes last year than at any time since the United Nations started keeping records, and they predict the situation was likely to worsen still further.

For CRI, I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

International Yoga Day InauguratedAnchor:

The first-ever International Day of Yoga is coming to an end in the western hemisphere, with people around the world being called-on to give the ancient Indian exercises a shot.

CRI's Guo Yan has more.

Reporter:

People across India have been practicing their sun salutations, mudras and breathing techniques ahead of the inaugural International Yoga Day.

Every morning, many groups of elderly residents gather across Mumbai to breathe in unison and stretch their arms and legs to achieve a sense of wellbeing and peace.

Ram Bhavnani, a yoga enthusiast.

"It's a very good thing because in the whole world they have been celebrating Mother's Day, then Daughter's Day… many other occasions are there, and to celebrate this yoga I think it will put India on the world map."Yoga has been practiced in India for centuries, many of the names of the asanas, or poses, come from the ancient language of Sanskrit.

Prabha Garg says her daily yoga practice helps to keep her youthful.

"I am devoted to yoga. I do yoga every day. Would you believe I am now 75 years old and by the grace of God I have no disease."Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a day dedicated to yoga during his speech to the United Nations' annual assembly of world leaders last September.

The resolution was co-sponsored by a record 177 countries and adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 11, 2014.

Professional practitioners say modern yoga practice, with synchronized breathing and body movements, has the ability to improve physical fitness and mental wellbeing.

Physical trainer and professional body builder Karuna Waghmare runs a fitness studio.

She says that contrary to popular perception, yoga is the "most difficult" form of exercise.

"You need lot of focus, you need lot of concentration, and this is the only form of exercise where you connect your mind, body, soul - all three together."Since yoga techniques trace their origins to ancient Hindu scriptures, some Muslim groups say the practice is against Islam.

But many other Muslims disagree and say that the physical discipline of yoga transcends religious identities and makes you calmer and healthier.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj says participation in Yoga Day events will be voluntary, but she hopes a large number of people will come out and demonstrate their yoga skills.

"It should be with one's own willingness and intent that people come and participate, and this is our primary message."For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Zhongguancun's Environmental Technologies Shine at CIECEAnchor:

A series of new technological innovations developed by companies based in Beijing's Zhangguancun area, dubbed China's Silicon Valley, have been unveiled at an environmental exhibition in the Chinese capital.

CRI's Li Ningjing has more.

Reporter:

This year, new technologies that combine geo-information, environmental protection, urban planning and urban management stole the spotlight at this year's China International Environmental Protection Exhibition & Conference--the most prestigious environmental show in China.

One piece of technology that was the highlight of the show is a smart garbage-collecting system that uses cloud computing and "Internet of things," or IOT, technology to manage garbage collection in a city.

A mini-sized garbage truck is equipped with environment monitoring devices. The information collected will be processed through a cloud base, which will effectively connect the geo-information, the garbage truck and urban managers.

This system was developed by the Zhongguancun-based Sound International Environment and Hygene Research Group. The system's developer, Chong Zhongyi, introduces the functions of the mini-garbage truck.

"It can monitor the levels of temperature, humidity and noise of the environment. It can also monitor the air quality, such as the PM2.5 level of a specific spot. Our cloud system can also detect it when the garbage bin is full, and alert us."On the cloud map, it clearly shows where the garbage trucks are located. The system can efficiently manage the time and work of the garbage men, while guaranteeing timely disposal of household garbage.

In a crowded and sprawling city, parks with ponds and greenery set along waterways are quite often the leisure center for urbanites who want to have a break from the city's hustle and bustle. However, these waterways are often plagued by an overgrowth of algae because of pollution. If allowed to go untreated, the water becomes murky and foul-smelling. The new environmental technology developed by the Beijing Ai-er-si, or I Love Earth Environmental Engineering Company, specifically addresses this issue.

Here's Zhou Jingshan, the company's Beijing Regional marketing director:

"When the algae and moss overgrows in the water, the bottom sediments will be covered. Our remediation technology can bring the eco-chain of the water system in urban parks back to order, restore balance of the bottom sediments' eco-system. Then, the water will become clean and transparent again."At the moment, this water treatment technology has already been put to use to treat the dragon-shaped water system behind the Bird's Nest, which is Asia's largest man-made water system, and the Macaohe river system in southern Beijing.

Both technologies are developed by businesses from the Zhongguancun National Science and Innovation Industrial Park. This year, they have brought over 100 smart city projects to the exhibition.

Zhongguancun used to be the incubator for new tech startups and innovation businesses in Beijing. Today, environmental technology companies have been set up in the area, second only to electronic and information technology companies. Last year, new energy and environmental businesses earned a total of 525.6 billion yuan, or around 84.7 billion dollars, in revenue.

China International Environmental Protection Exhibition & Conference, which concluded recently, is the largest, longest-running show in China for environmental technologies, products and services.

Hopefully, the application of such environmental and IOT technologies will make the Chinese capital a "smarter" and cleaner city.

For CRI, I'm Li Ningjing.

Various Folk Activities Held to Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival in ChinaAnchor:

Various activities have been held across China to commemorate this weekend's Duanwu, or Dragon Boat Festival.

CRI's Wang Wei has more.

Reporter:

Racing of traditional longboats is the centerpiece celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival across the country.

Hou Shaoqiang, a spectator in a local dragon boat racing in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, says the atmosphere is good.

"I was absorbed in the race, and the atmosphere makes me want to join the game myself."Dragon Boat festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a poet and minister from the Warring States period who committed suicide in a river in central China.

The boat racing tradition originates from the fishermen who raced to save the fallen statesman.

With the wide popularity of the traditional cultural activity in modern times, even more and more foreigners are fascinated with it.

Lobo, a young man from Bulgaria, attended a dragon boat race in Shanghai.

"We are here for a second time, the last year was again the game from this event. And we are like this event of dragon boat, because the dragon boat is a very new discipline in our country. "In Hong Kong, a grand dragon boat race was held, with about 4-thousand competitors of over four hundred teams from all over the world.

Eating zongzi, a sticky rice delicacy wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, is also an indispensable part of the festival.

In a community in northeast China's Liaoning Province, volunteers taught younger community workers how to make zongzi.

A resident shared her ideas about the experience.

"We joined in this activity to learn making zongzi from the elders. Before, we didn't know how to make zongzi, and usually bought and ate the ready-made ones. Through this activity today, we have learned the skills of making zongzi, and will pass this great Chinese cultural tradition to next generations."Also in Liaoning, children in a kindergarten have learned about the art of making zongzi from a group of skilled residents.

The children also wore five-color threads, also known as long-life thread, on their wrists to mark the festival.

In east China's Jiangxi Province, people are celebrating the holiday with another form of activity, Caijie, which literally means walking on streets.

But it also means more than that.

Over one-thousand people paraded in over 30 formations, holding various folk goods.

Meanwhile, activities like dragon worshiping, evil spirit dispelling and swimmers scrambling to catch a duck were also held as parts of the festivity.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional holidays here in China, falling on the fifth day in the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21 degrees, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 31.

Shanghai will have slight rain overnight with a low of 21, also rainy tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, then turn to overcast, high of 31.

Lhasa will have showers tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 25.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have slight rain with a high of 38.

Kabul, cloudy, 31.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have slight rain with a high of 17.

Brisbane will also have slight rain with a high of 19.

Perth, cloudy, 14.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have be cloudy with a high of 13 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsSix fugitives back to China from IndonesiaThe Ministry of Public Security says six suspects wanted for economic crimes have been returned to China from Indonesia.

One of them is accused of contract fraud worth some 10-million yuan.

This brings the total number of fugitives repatriated to China under the "Fox Hunt 2015" campaign to 256.

"Fox Hunt 2015" began in April.

It's part of a broader campaign to hunt down Chinese economic fugitives who have fled abroad.

Investigation into deadly Guangdong highway collapseA 3rd party investigator has been brought in to determine the reasons behind the collapse of a highway overpass in Guangdong on Friday which left one person dead and four others injured.

Four vehicles, loaded with around 100 tonnes of cargo, plunged to the ground after giving way in the city of Heyuan on Friday morning.

Officials in charge of the road say they believe the combined weight of the 4 trucks surpassed the maximum capacity of the bridge, causing the overpass to buckle and collapse.

The highway itself, which links Guangdong to the neighboring province of Jiangxi, is less than 10-years old.

It opened for traffic in late 2005.

Chinese Economy to bottom out in Q3: think tank reportA new academic study is suggesting the current downturn of the Chinese economy is going to bottom out in the third quarter of this year, and then begin picking up.

The analysis from Renmin University is suggesting economic growth will begin to pick up slightly in the 4th quarter through a rebound in the property market and consumer purchases.

The Renmin study says increasing incomes and a revival of foreign trade are expected.

The report also predicts steady economic growth by 2017.

2 planes stolen in Russia, one lands, the other unaccounted forReports out of Russia are suggesting at least one suspect may be behind the theft of at least two light aircraft in the country's south.

Russia's TASS news agency is reporting a person took off in a small plane without permission from an airfield earlier this Sunday in the city fo Tyumen, which lies just east of the Ural mountains in Siberia, near the Kazakh border.

The reports suggest the suspect was then forced to land at a small airport in the same area after the plane began suffering from mechanical problems.

TASS is reporting the suspect then stole another plane and took off from the airfield with another person onboard.

It's not clear at this point if the 2nd person is an accomplice or a hostage.

The 2nd plane remains unaccounted for, though reports have been suggesting it may be headed northwest toward the Moscow area.

Russian authorities, at this point, have not offered up any information about the suspect or the possible motivation behind the bizarre scenario.

Sci&Tech (Sunday)It's time for our weekly Science & Technology reportThis week, we'll tell you about deep-sea drilling in the South China Sea and new techniques being developed to help remove brain tumors.

Here's CRI's Wen Jie.

>>>>> China's first home-grown submersible deep-sea driller has completed its first trial run last weekend.

The driller, called "Sea Bull", drilled 60 meters into the seabed 3-thousand meters underwater in the South China Sea.

The six-meter tall Sea Bull weighs eight tons and has a circumference of 10 meters.

It went through rigorous compression tests before Sunday's trial.

Luo Bowen is the associate professor of Marine Resources Exploring Equipment Laboratory of Hunan University of Science and Technology.

"In the high pressure chamber of our lab, all these items will go through a test of 50 Mpa. Then they can withstand water pressure under 5,000 meters."The Sea Bull has 24 drill rods as its weapons, each measuring 2.5 meters long.

Huang Xiaojun is the professor of Marine Resources Exploring Equipment Laboratory of Hunan University of Science and Technology.

"We have designed three kinds of drill rods. One is for hard rocks, the other for soft rocks mainly consisting of sediments. The last one is for drilling without taking any samples."It took the Sea Bull 10 hours to drill 60 meters into the seabed to collect samples.

Zhou Yangrui, leader of the Sea Bull inspection team, says the success will significantly boost Chinese deep sea technology.

"The successful experiment means that we have independently collect samples in deep water. This technological application will significantly promote our technologies in deep sea marine geological science and geotechnical engineering."China is now the fourth country in the world to have the technology.

>>>>> Chinese space authorities have announced plans to develop an electronic propulsion system for its satellites.

The Chinese Academy of Space Technology says it expects to launch its first satellite with the new technology in the next 5-years.

Electronic propulsion involves using electricity to stimulate the particles of a satellite's propellant, normally Xenon gas, to generate thrust.

The advantage is that it can make the satellites much lighter than using conventional propellant technology.

It can also extend the life of a satellite for many more years.

The one drawback in the technology is that electronically-enduced propulsion technology is slower than conventional methods, meaning it will take longer to move the satellites into different orbits.

>>>>> The second Chinese Robotics Conference has recently been held in Tianjin.

One of the key highlights of the event is the household robot by a research unit promoted by the National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone in the city.

When the robot was unveiled, a representative of the team gave the following explanation of its features.

"You can use the remote control access and take control of the robot. It communicates with members of the household and the information from the conversation can be used to help family leader monitor the elderly and infants. These functions help it give your home added safety."This cute miniature robot assistant is able to participate in educational dialogue with children, set reminders, take pictures and be remotely controlled by the user despite them not being home, offering them surveillance pictures of their home.

Ben Proctor is a British Computer Science Major at Brunel University in London.

"Robotic's is a fascinating part of computer science right now, after i read about the news in Tianjin. I was really interested to see how robotics is advancing in China, and I firmly believe that robots will eventually change the way we manage our households."Besides, this cute, mini house keeping robot can be integrated with other technology.

This robotic device is controllable via a third party software, such as a smartphone or tablet device.

British Computer Science major Ben Proctor also believes in significance of integrating robot technology.

"The integration of technology is also incredible, the fact that new third party hardware can now easily be controlled by an ipad or a smartphone, means when these products hits the market they will be easily accessible to the user."Other products shown off at the products exhibition included robots that are able to do household chores such as hovering, cleaning windows and wiping tables.

The National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone in Tianjin is looking to build 10 more intelligent manufacturing sites, promote intelligent manufacturing equipment.

They also hope to start 50 new technology start-up enterprises. The investment being put into this field will allow for rapid advancement in international robotics.

>>>>> A U.S. study shows that a new imaging technology can help surgeons take out as much brain tumor as possible.

The technology, called quantitative optical coherence tomography, or OCT, is expected to improve survival time for brain cancer patients.

Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa is the clinical leader of the research team at the Johns Hopkins University.

He says that if a neurosurgeon takes out too little of a brain tumor, the cancer could come back; too much, and the patient can be permanently disabled.

He also points out that OCT can provide surgeons with a color-coded map of a patient's brain showing which areas are and are not cancer.

The OCT was first developed in the early 1990s for imaging the retina.

It operates on the same echolocation principle used by bats and ultrasound scanners.

But it uses light rather than sound waves and generates a higher-resolution image than ultrasound does.

>>>>> The 51st Paris Air Show has opened at the Le Bourget airfield out Paris this week.

Low emission helicopters and electric planes displayed at the show provide a glimpse of greener and cleaner future for aviation.

Airbus is displaying its E-Fan electric plane, which the company claims has zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Didier Esteyne is an E-Fan test pilot.

"Starting from now, from 2015 and in the following years we will be capable to make and fly purely electrical planes, without CO2 exhaust and with an extremely reduced noise impact, and that is a very important environmental challenge".

Airbus is currently developing two-seat and four-seat versions of the plane, aiming to release the two-seat pilot trainer in 2017 as the first electric plane to meet international certification standards.

The company intends on marketing the small planes for entry-level pilot training, which Esteyne maintains will be more efficient with regards to costs.

But Jean Botti, the Chief Technical Officer of Airbus, says the company has even greater ambitions for the future.

"Our objective here is to make a hybrid - electric hundred seater for the future, it will be original aircraft, and this electric power aircraft could be (available) within fifteen years; we are hoping to make a prototype that will be visible and functional."Also on show in Paris is Airbus' H160 helicopter, a prototype expected to go on the market in 2018.

It will go on offshore oil-and-gas missions, search-and-rescue missions, and be used for first class travel.

Airbus anticipates the new helicopter will burn 15 to 20 percent less fuel than its competitor, the Agusta Westland AW139.

Airbus aims to begin taking orders for the new helicopter next year.

The event will display 150 airplanes from over 40 countries and run until 21st this month.

And that concludes this week's sci&tech report, I'm Wenjie, see you next week!

SportsChina Beats Cameroon 1-0, Enters Last 8 of WWCKicking things off with Women's World Cup action:

China is into the final eight of the tournament after beating Cameroon 1-0.

It was Wang Shanshan who scored early for the Steel Roses, getting the ball off an assist from Chinese defender Li Dongna and sending it past Cameroon goaltender, Annette Ngo Ndom.

Li Dongna says her side had to then weather a tough Cameroon attack to get the win:

"As we have studied our opponent well before the game, we know that they are very good in individual abilities.　After we scored the goal, they launched massive attacks as they want to equalise. By that time, we felt big pressure from the opposition. We played relatively conservatively when they were attacking with three forwards at the front."The loss ends Cameroon's historic run; the Lionesses were just the second African team to make it into the last 16 at the Women's World Cup. Nigeria first did it back in 1999.

Cameroon captain Christine Manie reflects on the loss:

"It is a very difficult match. We tried our best but China played very well and their defence was very well organised. We lost a lot of chances so we missed the opportunity to progress to the quarter-final."China will next face the winner of this week's match between the U.S. and Colombia.

In other Women's World Cup action:

Germany thrashed Sweden 4-1; the German's notched their final goal with a slide-tackle looper from Dzsenifer Marozsan that cleared the Swedish keeper to hit net.

Football: CSL RecapIn the Chinese Super League,Right about now, Guizhou are on the pitch against Shijiazhuang.

In CSL action from last night:

Guangzhou Evergrande defeated Shandong Lunenga 2-1 in Jinan on Saturday.

Zou Zheng and Zheng Long each netted a goal for Guangzhou.

This marks their first win under new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

In other action,Beijing Guo'an beat regional rivals Tianjin Teda 3-nil.

Hangzhou Greentown beat Jiangsu Sainty 2-1.

Chongqing Lifan beat Guangzhou 2-1.

Shanghai Shenhua beat Liaoning Whowin 3-1.

Henan Jianye blanked Shanghai Shenxin 5-nil.

And on tap for tonight,Guizhou takes on Shijiazhuang.

Football: Argentina, Uruguay Advance to QF of Copa AmericaAnd in the Copa America:

Argentina downed Jamaica 1-0 in a game that was also the 100th international showing for star Lionel Messi.

However, the hero of the match was striker Gonzalo Higuain, who scored in the 11th minute to send Argentina into the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Joining Argentina are Uruguay, after they drew 1-1 with Paraguay. But the rematch of the 2011 final saw defending champs Uruguay blow multiple chances to pull ahead of Paraguay.

Golf: 4-way Tie for 1st at End of Round 3 at U.S. OpenAustralia's Jason Day shot a two-under 68 for a four-way tie for the lead at the U.S. Open with Masters champion Jordan Spieth, American Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace of South Africa on Saturday at Chambers Bay Golf Course.

Dustin Johnson's tee shot at the par-three third hole led to a birdie to get back to four-under.

Spieth, trying to become the first player since Tiger Woods to win the year's first two majors, birdied second and third holes to grab a three-shot lead at seven-under.

South Africa's Branden Grace set up a birdie with his bunker shot at five to move to five-under.

Australia's Jason Day played the third round after collapsing with a case of vertigo on his final hole of the second round. Day has had trouble with vertigo in the past.

He made bogey at 11 before making four birdies in his final seven holes, the last of them at 18 to move into a tie for the lead at four-under.

Hockey: Song Andong 1st Chinese to Enter NHL DraftIn off-ice NHL news,China's Song Andong is to make history by entering the 2015 NHL draft.

He would become the first ever Chinese player to be selected by the NHL in the league's history if drafted.

It's reported that the New York Islanders have shown great interest in him.

The 18-year-old led Beijing to victory in the 2006 Bell Capital Cup.

He also helped Beijing win the Chinese National Hockey Leauge Championship this year and captained the country's U18 team.

CCTV will air live coverage of the NHL draft on June 27th at 10 p.m., Beijing time.

Tennis RecapIn tennis:

At the Halle Open in Germany:

Top seed Roger Federer earned a hard-fought win over no. 8 Ivo Karlovic, winning out two tie-breaks to beat the big-serving Croation in straight sets.

He is set to meet Italian Adreas Seppi, who advanced his match against second-seeded Kei Nishikori when the Japanese retired with a calf injury.

At the Aegon Championships,In women's action at the Aegon,Fourth-seed Angelique Kerber beat fellow German Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3.

She will meet No. 6 Czech Karolina Pliskova, who beat France's Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets.

MLB: Wash. Nats Pitcher Max Scherzer Gets One Strike Away from Perfect GameIn Major League Baseball action:

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter and near perfect game against the Pittsburgh, as the Nats downed the Pirates 6-0.

One out away from a perfect game, Scherzer clipped pinch-hitter Jose Tabata on the elbow with a breaking ball. Scherzer then retired Josh Harrison on a deep fly to leftfield to finish out the no-hitter in Washington's win.

Max Scherzer on his performance:

"You know, I just felt, I felt great. I knew my arm felt great, I felt strong. I knew I could come with my best fastball. So I was ready to be aggressive, ready to take it to them and I was able to execute pitches."Scherzer dominated in retiring the first 26 batters and was one strike from throwing the 22nd perfect game in major league history since 1900.

Fighting: Shawn Porter Beats Adrien Broner by UD, MMA RecapIn fight news:

First, from the boxing world:

Welterweight Shawn Porter beat former champ Adrien Broner by unanimous decision last night in Las Vegas. Porter dominated the match for most of the fight, but Broner dropped Porter with a left hook early in the 12. But the knockdown wasn't enough, and Porter handed Broner the second pro loss of his career.

And in mixed martial arts:

Polish fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk successfully defended her Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight title against challenger Jessica Penne in Berlin. Jedrzejczyk used her world-class muay thai to leave Penne left so bloody that the referee stopped the match at 4:22 in the third round.

Entertainment18th Shanghai International Film Festival ClosesThe closing ceremony for this year's Shanghai International Film Festival is underway.

Chinese celebrities including international stars Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing are running the red carpet.

British actress Rosemond Pike from "Gone Girl" is also one of the A-list celebrities attending the closing ceremonies.

A total of 14 films are competing for the coveted Golden Goblet award for Best Picture.

This year's film festival in Shanghai has seen a few new additions from previous events, include a 'Jackie Chan Action Movie Week,' as well as the screening of all six "Star Wars" movies for the first time in China.

"12 Citizens" Wins Big at China Movie Channel Media AwardCrime drama "12 Citizens" has taken home a total of 5 awards at the China Movie Channel Media Awards at this year's Shanghai Film Festival.

The awards include Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Actor He Bing has also taken home the Best Actor award for his role in the film.

"12 Citizens has 12 actors playing together. Today Han Tongsheng and I are here to receive the awards. But other 10 actors are scattered around the world, striving for their livelihoods and dreams. Brothers, Han and I are actually on behalf of you to receive a collective acting award. We miss you."Han Tongsheng has been given the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on "12 Citizens."The film itself details the lives of 12 people who are asked to discuss a murder case like a jury in a virtual court in a college.

Other winners from the China Movie Channel Media Awards have included Yang Zishan for Best Actress in the film "Miss Granny."The 29-year old first shot to fame after starring in actor-turned-director Zhao Wei's first film "So Young.""Inside Out" Enjoys Joyful $34 Mln Opening, "Jurassic World" Eyes $400 Mln RecordNew stats show Pixar's new 3D animation "Inside Out" has generated around 34-million US dollars through its first day in theatres in North America on Friday.

The solid opening of "Inside Out" has put the film on-track for an estimated 90-million US dollar weekend.

"Inside Out" is an action-comedy about the personified emotions of a young girl who is coping with life after she and her family move to a new city.

It features the voices of comedians Amy Poheler, Bill Hader and Lewis Black, among others.

"Inside Out"'s premier has managed put a lasso around the neck of "Jurassic World."However, the film still managed to generate 29-million US dollars on Friday.

Estimates put its weekend performance at around 100-million US dollars.

"Jurassic World," staring Chris Pratt, has already broken a few records, including largest opening weekend and quickest film to surpass the 300-million US dollar benchmark in North America.

Oscar to Have More Diversified Vote MembersNew reports are suggesting changes may be coming to the voting procedures for the Academy Awards.

The board of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is preparing for its annual late-June meeting.

The agenda is said to include proposals to make the voting pool more diverse.

It's believed the board is going to decide whether to send out more invitations this year to a more diversified community, including larger proportion of female voters, foreign-born artists, and people with various races and ethnic backgrounds.

The Oscar nomination process has been criticized in recent years for its rigidity and lack of diversity, which observers say isn't in-touch with the younger audience.

At the same time, the Academy's board is also likely going to discuss the growing call to limit the number of nomination options for "Best Picture" to five, rather than the current 10.

The Academy increased the number of nominations to 10 in 2009, and has been rebuffing calls since then to return the number back to 5.

Amy Winehouse's Ex: "I Didn't Ruin Her."Late British singer Amy Winehouse's ex-husband is moving to rebuff suggestions he's one of the factors which led to her untimely death.

Blake Fielder has given an interview with Time Magazine, denying suggestions he was the one who sent her on the path to her eventual death from alcohol poisoning in 2011.

Fielder and Winhouse were married in 2007, but split up 2-years later.

In the Time article, Fielder says he "feels guilty" over what happened.

However, he insists it's unfair to pin all the blame on him, even though he's widely viewed as the person who introduced her to hard drugs.

Winehouse's father once described Fielder as -quote- "the biggest low-life scumbag that God ever put breath into."The Blake Fielder article has been printed ahead of the release of a new documentary about Amy Winehouse's life, which follows her story from childhood to her death.

The documentary, titled "Amy" is set to air on July 3rd.

Sam Smith Announces Surprise Return After SurgeryBritish singer Sam Smith has announced plans to return to the recording studio.

The 23-year old has been recovering from surgery on his vocal cords in May which forced him to cancel numerous concert dates.

In making his announcement on social media, Sam Smith is also suggesting another collaboration with British electronic duo Disclosure could be in the works.

Sam Smith became a known-quantity in late 2012 when he was featured on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch," which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart.

Smith has since gone on to win 4 Grammys for his solo work.

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

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

Six economic fugitives living in Indonesia have been repatriated to China as part of this year's Fox Hunt campaign.

New technical guidelines are being put out to help Chinese shipbuilders fit civilian ships for potential military use.

Police in two US cities are investigating separate mass shootings.

In Sports.... China advances into the next round of the Women's World Cup football tournament in Canada.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour, and open a window to the world together.