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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank signing a formal agreement here in Beijing...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meeting top EU officials in Brussels...

And one person now confirmed dead in the park explosion and fire in Taiwan...

Business.... Chinese and Asian stocks take a nosedive today...

In Sports.... the world's top tennis players gear up for the grass at Wimbleton...

In Entertainment.... Chis Brown, Niki Minaj, and Beyonce the big winners at this year's BET awards...

TopChina gets 30 percent stake in AIIB as founding members sign its legal frameworkAnchor:

Delegates from 50 out of the 57 countries set to become the founding members of the China proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have signed a formal charter that will serve as a blueprint on the governance of the multilateral lender.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara has the details.

Reporter:

The signing of the Articles of Agreement or the mini-constitution for the AIIB at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing wraps up six-months of intense negotiations paving the way for the bank to become operational before the end of this year.

Australia was the first country to sign the formal charter creating the AIIB's legal framework that would determine the number of shares that each member would get and the bank's initial capital.

Seven other prospective founding members, including Denmark, Kuwait, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, South Africa and Thailand are still waiting for domestic approval before signing.

The AIIB led by China aims to fund energy, transport and infrastructure projects across Asia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met the delegates after the signing ceremony.

He said that much progress has been made towards the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank since the idea was first proposed in October, 2013.

"We are very happy today to see representatives of the prospective members of AIIB gathered together. This shows a spirit of unity and cooperation, openness and inclusion. I trust that if we continue with this spirit of multilateral cooperation, then the preparation work for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will be conducted successfully."The bank will have an initial share capital of 100 billion US dollars and China will contribute 29.7 billion US Dollars out of that.

This makes China the largest shareholder in the bank with a 30 percent stake. This will also give China 26 percent of the total vote.

Neighboring Asian heavyweight India is the second-biggest shareholder, but with just over an 8 percent stake. Russia and Germany will become third and fourth biggest contributors.

According to its legal framework, Seventy-five percent of the bank's shares will be distributed among Asian countries, while the other 25 percent will be assigned to members outside the region like the UK and France and many Latin American and African members .

The Articles of Association also specify that the bank's president must come from the Asian region and will serve a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. The bank will be headquartered in Beijing.

Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei says he was confident that the AIIB could start functioning before the end of this year.

"I'm confident that through our united cooperation and unremitting effort, we will successfully accomplish the next stage of preparation work as scheduled, so that the AIIB will be formally established by the end of this year and be put into operation at an earlier date than initially thought."Chinese authorities say the new bank will complement other established global lenders, like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The launch of the Beijing-proposed bank has been hailed as a diplomatic and strategic win for China.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

Key legal framework laid for China-initiated AIIBAnchor:

A signing ceremony for the official creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has been held today in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with representatives of the prospective founding countries of the bank gathered for the ceremony.

The China initiated bank is expected to begin operating later this year with start-up capital totaling around 100 billion US dollars.

For more on this, CRI's Brian Kopczynski earlier spoke with Mike Bastin, Senior Lecturer at Southampton Solent University, and Visiting Professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

…Back anchor: that was Mike Bastin, Senior Lecturer at Southampton Solent University, and Visiting Professor at the University of International Business and Economics, speaking with CRI's Brian Kopczynski.

Premier Li in BrusselsChinese Premier Li Keqiang has started his visit to Europe.

As scheduled, the Premier will co-chair the China-EU leaders' meeting today in Brussels with President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

The premier says he expects to have in-depth discussions with the new EU leadership on coordinating respective development strategies and broadening insights on cooperation.

He has also expressed hope to break new ground for China-EU all-round cooperation.

The two sides are expected to issue a document to outline their future cooperation priorities and a statement on climate change, as well as to sign several cooperation deals.

After Brussels, the Chinese premier will pay an official visit to France.

Premier Li Visits FranceAhead of Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun says the visit will further promote pragmatic cooperation between both countries.

"Premier Li during the visit will discuss with French leaders topics of strengthening communication, deepening strategic cooperation and continuingly promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges as well as exchange opinions on a certain major issues of global concern."This is the first visit to France by a Chinese premier in nearly a decade.

It comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to France in 2014 upon the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, during which the two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a close and lasting comprehensive strategic partnership.

Li will visit the French cities of Paris, Marseilles and Toulouse, deliver a speech at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and attend the closing ceremony of a China-France business summit.

He is also expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and presidents of the French Senate and National Assembly during his four-day visit.

Xi to attend BRICS, SCO summit next weekChinese President Xi Jinping is set to attend the 7th BRICS summit and 15th SCO summit next week.

The two meetings will be held in the Russian city of Ufa.

It has been announced that Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS summit on July 8 to 9.

He is also scheduled to participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on July 9 to 10.

President Xi makes the visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

1 dead in Taiwan water park blazeOne of the nearly 500 people injured in a water park blaze in Taiwan has died in the hospital.

Doctors say the 20-year-old woman suffered burns to 90 percent of her body.

The fire broke out after a large amount of flammable powder exploded in the park in New Taipei City on Saturday night.

Some 200 people are severely injured.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

But it's believed the blaze was caused by an explosion of a colored theatrical powder sprayed on the crowds.

In light of the accident, mayor of New Taipei Eric Chu has ordered a complete moratorium on the use of carbon powder in the city.

Experts on Dust ExplosionAnchor:

Local authorities in Taiwan suspect that the tragedy during the Color Play Asia party in New Taipei was caused by a sudden explosion of a colored powder thrown on participants.

And in the meantime, some experts on the mainland are warning that blast risks do exist in similar activities, such as the popular Color Run.

CRI's XYee reports.

Reporter:

A dust or powder explosion is the rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air, often but not always in an enclosed location.

Experts says many materials can generate a dust explosion, such as coal, sawdust and magnesium, while many otherwise mundane materials can also lead to a dangerous dust cloud such as grain, flour, sugar, powdered milk and pollen.

Dust explosions can occur where any dispersed powdered combustible material is present in high enough concentrations in the atmosphere.

Li Jin with China Fire Protection Association says such blasts need certain conditions in order to happen.

"There are three necessary conditions for a dust or powder explosion. First, the powder is suspended in the air at a sufficiently high concentration. Second, there is an oxidant, typically atmospheric oxygen. And thirdly, there should be an ignition source."Li further warns that a spark generated when a household appliance starts is enough to cause dust to explode.

As an effect of a dust explosion, the heat produced by the combustion of the fine particles and any gases evolved from the explosion will cause a rapid increase in pressure.

The pressure wave can cause further dust which may have accumulated nearby to be thrown into suspension in air. And the additional fuel fed to the flame can lead to a disastrous secondary explosion.

Wang Zhi, head of the national metallurgy research team, notes that comprehensive precautions are essential for activities like the Color Run that has become very popular in major mainland cities.

"People should avoid excessive throwing of powder to keep the concentration under the explosive limit. And secondly, all possible ignition sources should be kept off with smoking strictly prohibited."Authorities in the New Taipei city have ordered a complete moratorium on the use of carbon powder.

The city mayor Eric Chu is further pledging a full investigation into the blaze.

Among the nearly 500 injured are two from the mainland and five from Hong Kong.

Their relatives have been notified, and are expected to arrive in Taipei in two days.

Authorities on the mainland have promised they will assist with the trips of mainland victims' relatives.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

Chinese government wastes less, malpractice remains: 2014 audit reportAnchor:

China's top auditor says that in 2014, the central government cut expenditure on overseas trips, vehicles and receptions, otherwise known as the "three public expenses."But as CRI's Yu Yang reports, bad working practices and outright corruption remain major problems.

Reporter:

Chinese authorities have investigated more than 2,200 government officials for involvement in major fiscal fraud for the year of 2014.

Liu Jiayi, head of the National Audit Office says the majority of violations took place in sectors involving public funds, state assets and state-owned resources, such as land and mining.

"Serious violations often involve the officials abusing their power and colluding with outsiders. Illegal gains were discovered by officials and their close affiliates who profited from privileged information concerning state-owned resources, development plans and stocks. Malpractice was also detected in news media coverage and in attracting foreign investment where "under-the-table deals were sealed in the name of public welfare and government policy implementation."Auditors have found that over 780 billion yuan originally earmarked for land transfers was misappropriated by crooked officials to fill administrative expenses gaps, used for granting loans, or used to construct new office buildings and venues.

Liu also says that government expenses have been reduced dramatically despite the problems.

"Auditing was carried out on 44 central government departments and 303 institutions and the financial budget of 221.35 billion yuan. The departments on the whole implemented the budgets for 2014 satisfactorily. The 'three public expenses' and conference expenses were reduced by 27 percent from the previous year. The reform on the use of government cars at the corresponding level was basically completed."Finance minister Lou Jiwei says that the decreases were mostly the result of the ongoing frugality campaign.

"The decrease was the result of the 'eight-point rules' and ongoing frugality campaign launched by the central government, as well as the downsizing or canceling of delegations traveling overseas and stricter management of government vehicles and official receptions."The "eight-point rules" championed by President Xi Jinping require government officials to strictly practice frugality and clean up undesirable work styles, including formalism and extravagance.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

China calls for further reform on the global credit rating systemAnchor :

China is calling for a new international credit rating system that is objective, just, rational and balanced.

The calls come as political leaders and business insiders gather at the World Credit Rating Forum here in Beijing.

As CRI's Guo Yan reports, economic experts say global credit chains have become more vulnerable and the world is facing the challenge of another credit crisis.

Reporter:

Guan Jianzhong, Chairman of Universal Credit Rating Group or UCRG points out that the forum is being held to raise awareness of the flaws of the incumbent world rating system and to promote reform of the system.

"The credit rating practice that has been proven as faulty in the credit crunch is still playing a leading role in directing international capital flow. In this context, increasing credit bubbles are very likely to trigger another worldwide credit crisis."He adds accusations on the faulty credit rating system have yet to be converted into a worldwide consensus and commitment to a global rating system reform.

In this case it is imperative for the international community to reach a consensus to building a renewed international rating system.

His appeal is echoed by former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin who is also the chairman of the International Advisory Council of UCRG.

Dominique believes that it's imperative to take the initiative because the world's economy is facing threats as never before.

"The first threat is dependency on debt that has in no way been reduced since 2008. Public debts keep growing despite the austerity policies particularly in Europe. Greece remains today an important political issue. The country is unable to pay for its debts without further destruction and damage for the Greek people. But the country is still unable to default on its debt because remaining in the Euro zone it will not boost its economy by a strong devaluation."Dominique points out that private and public debts are creating financial threats all over the world.

He adds the failure of risk evaluation has led the world to the situation it finds itself in today, while noting that the world's current credit rating system is highly monopolistic, with the top three raters all from the United States.

"The existing credit rating system is dominated by the big three credit rating companies S&P, Moody's and Fitch . They are all US-based who represent 96 percent of the rating's market. The existing system has failed in many ways. This risk evaluation has proved inefficient in the past in assessing the risks. These ratings are prove to have a pre-cyclical effect in the financial crisis, too high ratings before the crisis have produced speculative effects while quick down grading after the crisis in order to protect the credibility of the rating agencies has led to deepen the downward trend. "To face these difficulties and challenges, China's vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao notes that the country is ready to work with all other countries to push for the perfection of the existing credit rating system and the establishment of an Asian credit rating system and standards that suit regional characteristics.

"Our basic policy is to protect and perfect the existing global financial system to make it better promote global economic growth and the stability of the International financial market."Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov are also present at the meeting. The international guests are members of the International Advisory Council for the UCRG.

The Forum will last into Tuesday while proposals including the establishment of an International rating regulatory systems and innovations regarding rating theory and criteria are also under discussion.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Greeks queuing outside banks to draw pensionsThe Greek government has announced the banks in the country will stay closed before July 6, one day after a planned referendum on bailout proposals.

In Athens, pensioners have queued outside banks to draw their monthly pension payment, but some of the retired Greeks who went to collect their money have found ATMs empty.

A pensioner says she is worried about the situation.

"Of course we are worried, I am not so insensitive as to not be worried, everyone is worried. But I am expecting even worse days."Cash withdrawals are limited to 60 euro per day for ordinary Greeks.

People are allowed to use their debit or credit cards for payments and transfers within Greece only, not abroad.

Tourists and visitors with foreign bank issued cards are permitted but the finance minister could impose restrictions on those if liquidity was at risk.

The European Central Bank has frozen vital funding support to Greece's banks after bailout talks between the Greek government and foreign lenders broke down over the weekend.

Germany's EU Commissioner on Greek DebtMeanwhile, Germany's EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has said that while the EU wants to keep Greece in the euro zone, the country's government is acting irresponsibly and that this might not be possible.

"We want to do everything to avert damage to Greece's population. We feel sorry for the Greek people. As of this morning one can see what it means when a government acts irresponsibly. By closing the banks, everyday life has pretty much come to a stand-still. But we want to keep Greece in the euro zone if that's possible. Whether that's possible is more than questionable."Greece has less than 48 hours to pay back 1.6 billion euros of International Monetary Fund loans, and a default would set in motion events that could lead to the country's exit from the euro currency bloc.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding an emergency meeting with the leaders of Germany's political parties to discuss the crisis.

But while Merkel has been wrestling with the question of whether to risk a "Grexit" and accept the financial, economic and geopolitical backlash it would surely unleash, others such as Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble have sent abundant signals that he could accept a euro zone that does not include Greece.

Zarif Returns to Iran for Consultations on Nuclear TalksIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew home to Tehran on Sunday for consultations over the ongoing nuclear talks with major powers ahead of a June 30 deadline.

Speaking shortly before he left the talks, Zarif said 'political talks' are important.

"It was important for us to have political talks here for two days and to give the necessary instructions to our colleagues in the negotiating teams as they work on the texts. It was the duty of our colleagues from the beginning and ministers were supposed to deal with political matters."Zarif added that 'political will' should prove helpful to reach a comprehensive deal.

"We have always said if the other side has the political will, reaching a comprehensive deal is completely possible."Zarif was scheduled to return on Tuesday to resume talks, the day the negotiations were originally supposed to end with a deal.

But reports say the talks will likely run into July as disagreements over several sticking points still remain.

39th session of World Heritage Committee opens in BonnThe 39th session of the World Heritage Committee has opened in Bonn.

The meeting comes as Islamic State militants have destroyed several heritage sites in Syria and Iraq in recent months.

WeatherBeijing expects thundershowers tonight with a low of 21 degrees Celsius; tomorrow cloudy with a high of 29.

Shanghai, showers tonight with a low of 22, tomorrow heavy rain with a high of 35.

Chongqing, heavy rain tonight with a low of 30, showers tomorrow with a high of 30.

Lhasa has light rain tonight with a low of 14, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 28.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, rainy tomorrow, 40.

Kabul, cloudy, 35.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney , cloudy with a high of 17.

Brisbane, rainy with a high of 20.

Perth, light rain, 20.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have light rain with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsKey legal framework laid for China-initiated AIIBDelegates of the 50 prospective founding countries of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have gathered in Beijing for the signing ceremony of an agreement, which will lay the legal framework for the multilateral institution.

According to the agreement, China will contribute nearly 30 billion US dollars of the bank's 100 billion capital base.

This makes China the largest shareholder within the bank, with 26 percent of the total votes under the current formula.

Seven prospective founding members of the new bank didn't sign the agreement today, as they are awaiting domestic approval of their memberships.

The China-proposed bank is expected to begin operating later this year headquartered in Beijing.

Premier Li in BrusselsChinese Premier Li Keqiang has started his visit to Europe.

As scheduled, the Premier will co-chair the China-EU leaders' meeting today in Brussels with President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

The two sides are expected to issue a document to outline their future cooperation priorities and a statement on climate change, as well as to sign several cooperation deals.

After Brussels, the Chinese premier will pay an official visit to France.

1 dead in Taiwan water park blazeOne of the nearly 500 people injured in a water park blaze in Taiwan has died in the hospital.

Doctors say the 20-year-old woman suffered burns to 90 percent of her body.

The fire broke out after a large amount of flammable powder exploded in the park in New Taipei City on Saturday night.

Some 200 people are severely injured.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

2 dead, 5 missing in E China floods, landslidesTwo people have died and five others are missing after heavy rain caused floods and landslides in Anhui province.

Six people were swept away by floods in Jinzhai County over the weekend.

Rescuers have found two bodies in the past 24 hours. `The weather has affected nearly 120-thousand people and 25-hundred more have been evacuated.

Direct economic losses are estimated to top 130 million yuan.

The National Meteorological Center has predicted that heavy rain will hit several central and eastern provinces, such as Anhui, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and the city of Shanghai.

Tsinghua University, Peking University Vie for High-score ApplicantsWith the scores of China's college entrance examination officially being released, the country's top universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are busy grabbing high-score applicants.

The two universities have vied for top students of this year's exam in several provinces across China.

Teachers of both universities even travel to high schools nationwide to try to convince potential applicants.

It's been reported that admission faculty staff from Peking University took a more aggressive approach by initiating private interviews with some student applicants.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

Turning now to business news.

First a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets to close out this Monday evening.

Chinese stocks took a nosedive today, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 3.3 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost nearly 5.8 percent.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, slumped by close to 8 percent.

During Monday's trading, more than 15-hundered stocks fell by the daily limit of ten percent.

Stocks relating to transport equipment, medical care, information security, e-commerce, smart home appliances and smart power grids led the losses.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index sank 2.6 percent.

For more on the stock performance, we are now joined on the line by Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

…Back anchor: Thank you very much Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japanese stocks fell on the day with the benchmark Nikkei stocks index seeing its biggest point drop this year amid concerns over a Greek debt default.

At the close, the Nikkei plunged 2.9 percent.

All industry categories lost ground, with decliners led by glass and ceramics and insurance.

In South Korea, the Kospi lost 1.4 percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index dived 1.1 percent.

Finally, Australia's ASX 200 ended down 2.2 percent.

China's Legend Holdings Edges up in Hong Kong DebutChina's Legend Holdings Corporation, the parent company of the world's biggest PC maker Lenovo Group, debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday.

Shares of Legend Holdings rose slightly on the day after the company raised nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars in an initial public offering (IPO).

The IPO was priced near the top of a 39.8 Hong Kong dollars or about 5.1 U.S. dollars to 43 Hong Kong dollars per share marketing range.

Legend Holding's Chairman and Executive Director Liu Chuanzhi attended the ceremony to mark the company's listing at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

He says he is focused on the long-term development of the company.

"I am excited because this is a new milestone for myself and my colleagues. I am calm because we do not pay too much attention to the ups and downs of the stock market. What we care about is our long-term future."The company secured 950 million U.S. dollars worth of commitments from 24 cornerstone investors.

Among them are Hong Kong tycoons Cheng Yu Tung and Walter Kwok, mainland Chinese investors such as Fosun International, CITIC and the asset management unit of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

China Plans for up to 30% Pension Funds to Enter Stock MarketIt's being reported that China will release a plan as soon as this week that will allow pension funds to be invested in the country's stock market.

According to China Business News, up to 30 percent of pension funds are likely to be freed up for investment in the stock market.

The paper also says that the National Council for the Social Security Fund may take the helm for such investments.

The ministry has made no comment so far on the matter.

Pension funds account for about 90 percent of China's total social security funds.

Official stats show China's urban and rural pension funds amounted to 3.5 trillion yuan or about 563 billion U.S. dollars at the end of last year.

However, they face a severe depreciation risks as they earn interest at an annual rate of only two percent.

U.S. Cosmetic Giant Estee Lauder Lowers Prices in ChinaU.S. cosmetic giant Estee Lauder Companies is set to reduce the price of some of its most popular products in China from July 1.

It comes after the Chinese government lowered import tariffs to stimulate domestic consumption.

The price cut will cover all skincare and make-up brands owned by the company, including Estee Lauder, Clinique, La Mer, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown and Lab Series.

The reduction in price ranges from 11 percent on a best-selling La Mer facial cream to 23 percent on an Origins essence.

In May, French cosmetic company the L'Oreal Group announced that it will reduce the price of most of its imported products.

Analysts say the move is considered to be a countermeasure to the slowdown in the Chinese market.

Nikkei to Sponsor Asian PMI SeriesFinancial research group Markit says Japan's Nikkei business daily is set to sponsor the Asia purchasing managers' indices.

The sponsorship with Nikkei branding includes ten PMI surveys in the Asia-Pacific such as Hong Kong Whole Economy PMI, India Manufacturing PMI and Japan Manufacturing PMI.

It also includes two new PMI surveys for Malaysia Manufacturing and Singapore Whole Economy.

Compiled by Markit, the Asia PMI series are based on data collected monthly from 5-thousand purchasing or other senior managers in the region.

The PMI surveys provide advance indications of economic developments by tracking variables such as new orders, employment and prices.

China's Huawei to offer more training opportunities for African studentsChinese telecom equipment and service giant Huawei is going to offer more training opportunities for African students in the next five years.

The company is planning to enroll over one thousand students across Africa into a "Seeds for the future" program and fund them to travel to China.

Training opportunities will be given to top students from across Africa who are majoring in information and communications technology.

The program aims to help build information and communications technology capabilities in Africa.

GAC to Launch Two Industrial FundsGuangzhou Automobile Group is going to launch two industrial funds namely Emerging Industry Acquisition Fund, and Automotive Industry Investment Fund.

The Emerging Industry Acquisition Fund has a total capital of 5-hundred million yuan or some 80 million U.S. dollars.

The fund will invest mainly in strategic emerging industries such as the upstream and downstream sectors of automotive industry, advanced manufacture, and financial services.

Meanwhile, the Automotive Investment Fund has a total capital of one billion yuan.

The fund will focus on the innovation and technology of automobiles.

SportsTop Players Reunite at Wimbledon 2015The first round of this year's Wimbledon Championships is expected to kick off at 8 p.m. Beijing time today, one week later than its traditional schedule.

The third Grand Slam of the year has seen the world's top players reunited after a longer than usual break from the clay courts at Roland Garros.

On today's No.1 court,America's Serena Williams is going to face Magarita Gasparyan of Russia.

Italy's Simone Bolelli is set to take the court against Japan's Kei Nishikori.

Grigor Dimitrov will take on Federico Delbonis of Argentina.

On center court,Serbian Novak Djokovic is against German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Russian Maria Sharapova will face Johanna Konta of the UK.

And it is Stan Wawrinka of Sweeden going head to head with Joao Sousa.

Novak Djokovic denies 'cheating' claimsIn tennis,World number one Novak Djokovic has denied claims of receiving illegal coaching during his matches.

On the eve of his Wimbledon title defense, Djokovic is facing questions over reported comments made by coach Boris Becker, who suggested that he and the other backroom staff have ways of signaling to the Serbian.

ATP rules specifically forbid any kind of communication between a player and a coach, but Djokovic was quick to defend himself against allegations of cheating.

Djokovic, who opens on Centre Court Monday against Philipp Kohlschreiber, ridiculed the notion that Becker or any of his team could make overt signals to him.

But he revealed that there were more subtle ways for coaches to get their message across.

WWC: England return to Edmonton after reaching semi-finalsIn football action from the Women's World Cup:

England head coach Mark Sampson wasn't concerned about local fans turning against them and said his team were "more than happy to play that pantomime villain role" after knocking out hosts Canada.

England striker Jodie Taylor says the team felt good the day after such a big win.

"Last night there was obviously a lot of happiness and celebration. Woke up this morning for the flight focused and ready to go for Wednesday."She adds their Women's World Cup semi-final opponents Japan were "a great team".

"They are a great team, got a lot of respect for them, admire them as footballers. I've watched them for years. There's something special going on in our team right now. We have a lot of belief in how we are playing and progressing in the tournament. Should be a good game."England has arrived in Edmonton with goalkeeper Karen Bardsley looking healthy.

Its first choice goalkeeper has made a rapid recovery from the mysterious eye swelling that forced her out of the team's 2-1 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-final win over Canada.

CSL recap: Beijing Guo'an takes leadIn football,Beijing Guo'an has broken the tie in the standings and become the sole leader of the Chinese Super League after a 2-0 home victory against Chongqing Lifan.

Guangzhou Evergrande drew 1-all against Shijiazhuang Ever Bright on the same night and now trails Beijing by two points.

Other scores from last night,Shandong Luneng beat Changchun Yatai 2-1,Henan Jianye took out Tianjin Teda 3-2,Guangzhou R&F downed Hangzhou Greentown 2-0,And finally it was a draw with one goal apiece in a city derby between Shanghai Shenxin and Shanghai Shenhua.

Portland Timbers beat Seattle Sounders 4-1 in MLSIn major league soccer,The Timbers hosted their Cascadia rivals again on Sunday in a regular season MLS match.

Fanendo Adi scored twice in less than two minutes to help the Portland Timbers defeat their rivals, the Seattle Sounders, 4-1.

Their advantage lasted 25 minutes as Seattle's Tyrone Mears curled a free kick into the box and Lamar Neagle volleyed it in.

Portland had to wait until the 74th minute to re-take the lead.

Portland defeated Seattle 3-1 in U.S. Open action on June 16th in a match punctuated by three Sounders being sent off, including USA captain Clint Dempsey for snatching the referee's notebook and tearing it apart.

Bubba Watson beats Paul Casey in playoff to win Travelers ChampionshipIn golf,Bubba Watson made an eight-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat England's Paul Casey and win the Travelers Championship for the second time on Sunday in Connecticut.

Brian Harmon at 14-under took a one-shot lead into the final round over two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and Canadian Graham DeLaet.

Watson, who won the 2010 Travelers Championship, lifted his second shot from the rough over a tree to four feet of the pin at the 2md.

England's Paul Casey holed his approach shot from 126 yards at the 3rd to pull to within two shots of Watson for the lead at 13-under.

The final round of the U.S. PGA Tour's Travelers Championship took place yesterday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

This was the sixth time since 2004 the tournament has been decided in a playoff.

Justin Gatlin qualifies for upcoming world championshipsIn track & field,Controversial Justin Gatlin has set the stage for a world championship showdown with Usain Bolt when he won the 200 metres in a blazing 19.57 seconds at the U.S. trials in Oregon.

Only four people, including world record holder Bolt, have ever run faster than the 33-year-old, whose previous best was 19.68 seconds.

Isiah Young was second at 19.93.

The wind was an allowable 0.4 metres per second.

In the women's 200 metres Jenna Prandini claimed a win with a time of 22.20 to qualify for Beijing with Candyce McGrone finishing second and Jeneba Tarmoh third.

The men's 110 metre hurdles also held it's final late on Sunday with David Oliver crossing the finish line first in 13.04 seconds, followed by Ronnie Ash and Aries Merritt.

EntertainmentChris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce win big at BET AwardsChris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce win big at BET Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Beyonce, who did not attend the event, won three awards including video of the year for "7/11."Chris Brown took home the viewer's choice Award and the trophy for best male R&B/Pop artist.

Minaj, who shared the fan-voted viewer's choice award with Brown, brought her mom onstage when she collected her sixth consecutive best female hip-hop artist award.

Smokey Robinson was honored with a lifetime achievement award.

Janet Jackson received the Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual award.

Kanye West's Glastonbury headline set gets interrupted by stage crasherDuring Kanye West's set at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, England, on Saturday a man rushed the stage and began mocking the rapper.

The man -- since revealed as English comedian Simon Brodkin, who performs as the character Lee Nelson -- came onstage during West's performance of "Black Skinhead."West continued rapping briefly, then stopped, throwing his hands in the air, as a security guard removed Brodkin. West then started the song all over again.

Brodkin, as Nelson, tweeted about why he interrupted the performance, saying that it was in response to festival goers' petition to remove West from the lineup. He also boasted that he had "Kanyed Kanye," an apparent reference to the rapper's now infamous tendency to interrupt other performers on stage at top music industry events.

The petition, signed by almost 135,000 people, requested that West be replaced by a rock band.

Back in September 2009, Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift as she accepted an award in the Best Female Video category for "You Belong With Me" at the Video Music Awards, which beat out Beyoncé's Single Ladies.

Then again in February 2015, the star crashed Beck's celebrations to make a point about giving his Grammy to Beyonce.

Yes co-founder Chris Squire diesBass Guitarist Chris Squire, a founding member of progressive British rock band "Yes", has dies at the age of 67 in Phoenix after battling leukemia.

Squire had been the constant in an ever-changing lineup since 1968, the only member to appear on every single studio album made in 45 years.

He was responsible for some of the group's greatest hits, including "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "I've Seen All the Good People."The band has released 20 studio albums over 45 years, most recently 2014's "Heaven & Earth," which bore Squire's imprint.

Squire's death drew tributes from musicians spanning eras and genres, including Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Dave Mustaine, Tom Morello and Joe Satriani.

"Hua Xu Yin: City of Desperate Love" to be premieredThe highly anticipated fairy drama "Hua Xu Yin: City of Desperate Love" is finally arriving.

After four years of preparation, filming, and delayed schedules, the tragic fantasy will finally be premiering on July 9.

"Hua Xu Yin: City of Desperate Love" is adapted from the best-selling novel "Hua Xu Yin" by Chinese writer Tang Qi Gong Zi.

Starring Kevin Cheng, Lin Yuan, Jiang Xin, and Yuan Hong, the fairy drama is about the dream weaver Jun Fu, a resurrected princess, and her inspiring but tragic love story with Mu Yan, the reluctant Crown Prince for the Kingdom of Chen.

Ciwen Media group purchased the rights to adapt Hua Xu Yin in 2011, but the script took over two years to write due to the long length of the novel.

"Hua Xu Yin: City of Desperate Love" is one of China's most expensive and grand dramas to-date, costing over 100 million yuan, around 16 million US dollars.

WeatherBeijing expects thundershowers tonight with a low of 21 degrees Celsius; tomorrow cloudy with a high of 29.

Shanghai, showers tonight with a low of 22, tomorrow heavy rain with a high of 35.

Chongqing, heavy rain tonight with a low of 30, showers tomorrow with a high of 30.

Lhasa has light rain tonight with a low of 14, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 28.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, rainy tomorrow, 40.

Kabul, cloudy, 35.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney , cloudy with a high of 17.

Brisbane, rainy with a high of 20.

Perth, light rain, 20.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have light 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...

Founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank signing a formal agreement here in Beijing...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meeting top EU officials in Brussels...

And one person now confirmed dead in the park explosion and fire in Taiwan...

Business.... Chinese and Asian stocks take a nosedive today...