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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Economic growth in China in the second quarter is stronger than expected...

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao meets with Japanese war-displaced orphans who were raised in China...

The US president says the nuclear deal with Iran is the best alternative for avoiding additional wars in the Middle East...

In Business...China's securities watchdog targets false rumours about the markets, detailing six separate cases...

In Sports...A Chinese football star returns to his Super League team after six months in Germany...

In entertainment...a prominent role for a Chinese film maker at the Toronto International Film Festival...

Top NewsChina's economy grows 7 pct in Q2, slightly better than expectedAnchorChina's economy has posted 7-percent growth year on year in the second quarter of 2015.

National Bureau of Statistics data shows second-quarter GDP grew 1.7 percent over the previous quarter.

CRI's Qian Shanming has more.

The growth rate beat a median market forecast of 6.9 percent for the second quarter.

It has been a difficult year for China which is the world's second-largest economy.

Slowing growth in trade, investment and domestic demand has been compounded by a cooling property sector and most recently stock market turbulence.

Sheng Laiyun, statistics bureau spokesperson, analyzes the current situation at a news conference in Beijing.

"The domestic and the external economic environment remained fairly complex in the first half of the year. As for the global situation, the global economic recovery was comprehensively lower than the expectation. At present, it's showing a sign of slow recovery with obvious polarization."Chinese stock markets did not celebrate the news, however, with benchmark indexes down nearly 3 percent in morning trade on Wednesday.

The government is still trying to stabilize its exchanges, which lost as much as 30 percent in a few short weeks of panicked selling.

Sheng says a stable stock market was vital for China's economy and forceful measures taken recently to contain the meltdown were showing results.

"The Chinese government is capable and has confidence to prevent regional and systematic risks from happening, and it is capable and has conditions and the confidence to promote the stable development of the stock markets and domestic economy."He also predicts further improvements of the economy in the second half of the year as previous policy measures take effect, including several interest rate cuts.

Pan Jiancheng with the National Bureau of Statistics agrees and says China's economy has shown positive growth, which has huge prospect and potential.

"During the first half of the year , China introduced a series of measures to stabilize economic growth, including a large amount of public service investment, which will be implemented gradually during the second half of the year. In addition, a series of monetary policies including reduction of interest rates, deposit reserve ratio and taxes will be better implemented in the second half of the year. So I think the momentum to drive economy growth will be stronger in the second half."The government has forecast economic growth of around 7 percent for 2015, which would be the weakest rate in 25 years.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

Follow the economic growth storyFor more on China's economic situation, our reporter Zhao Yang earlier talked with Tim Condon, Head of Research, Asia, for ING Bank, on China's overall economy.

Back anchor: Tim Condon, Head of Research, Asia, for ING BankFormer Chinese leader Wan Li dies at age 99Former Chinese top legislator Wan Li, who played a pivotal role in the country's rural reform in the 1970s, has died in Beijing.

He was 99.

A native of Shandong Province, Wan become the Party chief in Anhui in 1977, after the end of the Cultural Revolution.

He was hailed for showing "extraordinary political courage" for giving huge support to the contractual household responsibility system -- a practice once regarded to be illegal but secretly done by local farmers to resist the egalitarian agricultural system and raise grain production.

The rural reform Wan led in Anhui has been hailed as a major breakthrough in the rural economic system, and a successful trial for the socialist economic system.

Wan took the position of chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 1988 and retired in 1993.

He paid great attention to the legislation work to back up the reform and opening up drive and safeguard a socialist market economy.

Greek Parliament Approves Debt Deal and First ReformsGreek lawmakers have approved reforms demanded by European in return for a new bailout to keep the country in the euro.

MPS have voted in support of a series of reforms including L tax hikes and pension reforms that are hard to accept for many in a country where unemployment has jumped above 25 percent and the economy has shrunk by a quarter in the course of two previous bailouts.　　　Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras himself also struggled to contain a backlash in his own leftwing party against the deal that he was forced to accept after talks in Brussels earlier this week.

Japan's National Security Advisor is due to visit China starting form today.

Japan's National Security Advisor is due to visit China starting form today.

Shotaro Yachi is due to have a high-level political dialogue with Chinese authorities.

He is here on the invitation of Chinese State Councilor Yang JiechiTopics on the table is said to be including bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

For more on this, we spoke earlier with Zhang Weiwei, Assistant Researcher Fellow, with the Department of Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation Studies, China Institute of International Studies.

Back AnchorThat is Zhang Weiwei, Assistant Researcher Fellow, with the Department of Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation Studies from China Institute of International Studies.

Chinese vice president meets Japanese orphans raised by Chinese familiesAnchorChinese Vice President Li Yuanchao has met with a group of war-displaced Japanese orphans who were raised by Chinese families after the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

ReporterMeeting with around 50 representatives of the group in Beijing, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao first shares his personal experience, saying a teacher from his childhood was also a Japanese "left-behind orphan", and was raise by a Chinese worker.

Li says he believes this kind of story sets a good example for the two countries' future relationship.

I'm very happy that you're all working actively to promote friendship between China and Japan. Just now, I've recognized some old friends who I've seen many times and have built good friendship with.

Many among the group point out that peace and friendship between China and Japan should always be cherished and upheld.

Ikeda Sumie is the director general of a Tokyo support group for the Japanese returned from China. Her Chinese still has the obvious accent of Northeast China.

"Coming back when my parents were still alive made me feel happy and warm, like being back home. Now, my parents have both passed away, but the local government's kindness has also touched my heart and made me happy. We do still feel like this is home and we want to come back more."Abandoned by their birth parents during the hasty retreat at the end of World War II in 1945, the orphans were taken in and raised by the Chinese residents of those northeastern provinces.

Before visiting Beijing, the group reunited with their foster families in Harbin of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Many of them said Japan is the motherland, but China is the hometown.

Noting that China will mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression this year, Li Yuanchao says China is willing to push for the improvement of China-Japan relations.

For most of the past 2000 years, China and Japan have always lived in peace and learned from each other. But the war of aggression Japan launched has made both Chinese people and Japanese people suffer. For China, in dealing with relations between us, we've always insisted on separating the Japanese people and Japanese militarism.

By the end of WWII, more than 4,000 children were left behind by their fleeing parents. Most of them returned to Japan in search of their families after 1972, when diplomatic relations between China and Japan were restored.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

South Africa VP Hopes to Learn China's Experience of IndustrializationAnchorSouth Africa is looking to China as a model in its process of re-industrialization.

The comment was made by the South African Deputy President in Beijing, before leaving for Qingdao, the second stop of his five-day trip to China.

CRI reporter Wu You has more.

ReporterDeputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says the driving force behind frequent exchanges between the leaders of China and South Africa is economic growth. He recalled that when China started the industrialization process in the late 1970s, Chinese leaders like Deng Xiaoping had traveled to Japan and Europe to seek investment and technological exchanges. That's also what he hopes to get from China.

"We want as much investment as we possibly can get from businesses that originate from China, but we also want innovation. We want them to come and invest and as they invest, they bring new ways of doing things. We give them the market, and we give them profits."As an example, Deputy President Ramaphosa cites the expansion in South Africa by Hisense Co Ltd, a Chinese multinational white goods and electronics manufacturer.

In addition to cooperation in telecommunications and infrastructure, the Deputy President says South Africa is also keen to get China's cooperation in the energy sector, especially nuclear energy.

"Because you have developed nuclear energy, and you've built up nuclear energy power station, and you advance in a very admirable way. So we'll be wanting to draw quite a lot of experience and a lot of participation from your side."He adds this would be a big project and South Africa is looking at a number of countries including China to expand his country's energy mix.

Ramaphosa says his visit in Beijing has been a learning experience, and he is deeply impressed with the ways that China's state-owned enterprises are run. He says the SOEs have contributed enormously to the growth of China's economy, which is also what he'd like to see in the context of South Africa's mixed economy.

"Those that are owned by the public sector are areas that we want to focus on, to see how we can get them to play a more meaningful role in the development of our own economy, create more employment, reduce poverty and inequality as well."China has been South Africa's single largest trading partner for many years, and South Africa is China's largest trading partner in Africa. The deputy president believes with the financial cooperation in the context of the BRICS New Development Bank and the two countries' co-hosting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation later this year in South Africa, bilateral relations will be further cemented.

After Beijing, Deputy President Ramaphosa will visit the coastal city of Qingdao and will then conclude his trip on Friday in South China's Shenzhen city.

For CRI, this is Wu You.

China's "Peony Pavilion" Wows American AudienceAnchorAfter its successful debut at the Lincoln Center in New York, the National Ballet of China continues its US tour in Virginia, about half an hour drive from Washington DC.

The original ballet "The Peony Pavilion" has continued to stun local audiences with its rich Chinese tastes.

CRI's reporter He Fei has more.

ReporterFor the first time, the Ming dynasty play "The Peony Pavilion" has been introduced to American audiences through ballet. Thousands have crowded the Filene Center in Wolf Trap, Virginia to enjoy the ancient Chinese love story.

Feng Ying, the director of the National Ballet of China.

"This is an opportunity to show our artistic skills and the Chinese humanistic emotions to the world."The story depicts how the girl Du Liniang pursues her true love despite the constraints of secular norms and even beyond the boundaries between life and death.

The ballet adaptation is inspired and expanded from the Kunqu Opera. It is a combination of East and West.

Fei Bo is the choreographer of "The Peony Pavilion'. He says the show is one of the thousands ways to depict ballet in the Chinese eyes.

"Ballet, in the world of dance, is like the English language to the world. It is an official communication language. This is how can we translate an ancient Chinese story into English, in a way to let the world understand us, and it allows us to better interpret Chinese thoughts and humanistic sensations in English."The show ends in climax, when Du Liniang is revived by the power of love. The audience stands up, applauding and cheering.

"First time I've seen the National Ballet of China. I think I had high expectations and they've definitely met them. It's beautiful. They're so amazing. And the live orchestra is just…it's unbelievable that they're able to bring that. " (female 1 in English)"It's novel to me. This is my first time to watch a ballet that combines Kunqu opera elements."Ma Xiaodong, one of the principle dancers of the troupe, is happy but also humbled to see the cheering crowds.

"I think the American audience still knows little about Chinese culture. We, as dancers, have the responsibility to promote and show our culture to them. The Peony Pavilion, in this case, is a combination of the Chinese culture and the Western's. And that's why we brought it here."The troupe is heading to Purchase and Saratoga Springs in New York State and will wrap up their US tour next Wednesday.

For CRI, I'm He Fei in Washington.

Greek parliament approves bailout billThe Greek parliament has approved tough economic measures required to enable a third international bailout for the country to go ahead.

The new legislation includes tax rises and an increase in the retirement age.

The vote passed despite a revolt from some hardliners in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' ruling left-wing Syriza party.

It now paves the way for starting negotiations over the new, 86-billion-euro bailout over three years.

Ahead of the vote, protesters clashed with police during an anti-austerity protest close to parliament, and police responded with tear gas.

Some 40 people have been detained.

Security Bills Approved in Japan's Lower House CommitteeAnchorA series of controversial security bills is due to be voted on in Japan's lower house of parliament later today.

The bills, passed in a special committee on Wednesday, are set to expand the role of Japan's military.

CRI"s Huang Shan reports more.

ReporterOn Wednesday, opposition lawmakers on the panel held banners reading "no to Abe's politics", aiming to stop the approval of the security bills.

Kiyomi Tsujimoto, a lawmaker from the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), said during the debate that the ruling bloc's efforts to push through the bills destroyed Japan's democracy and pacifism.

Outside parliament in downtown Tokyo, around 60,000 people protested against the dramatic change in Japan's defense policy.

"I think it goes against democracy by forcefully approving the security bill when professors who specialize in the constitution say it violates it. I think we must stop this.""What Abe's government is doing right now is definitely wrong, so I participated with the thought to stop what Abe is doing."Local media reports a recent poll shows that 90 percent of Japanese constitutional experts consider the bills unconstitutional.

A researcher with China's Institutes for International Studies, Teng Jianqun, further explains.

"Under the bills, Japan can dispatch its Self-Defense Forces overseas to directly engage in armed conflicts without any time and space limits. By this mean, Japan has changed its military's defensive nature. This violates the Article 9 of pacifist Constitution, which bans the Self-Defense Forces from combating abroad and using the collective defense right".

Lv Yaodong from the Japanese Studies Institute at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says the passing of the security bills may bring more uncertainties to the region.

"Japan has abandoned pacifism. The legislation allows Japan to provide military assistance to its allies even if Japan itself is not attacked, and send Self-defense Forces to fight abroad for the first time since World War Two. As a consequence, Japan will uplift the strength of Self-defense Forces, which will certainly affect the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region."According to Japanese law, if a bill was passed in the lower house but vetoed by the upper house, it can still be enacted after securing over two thirds of votes in a new poll in the lower house.

Japan's ruling coalition, which groups Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its small partner the Komeito Party, consists of over two thirds of seats in the lower house.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

Obama: Iran nuclear deal 'best alternative' to avoid more Middle East warsUS President Barack Obama has again defended the Iran nuclear deal, saying the landmark agreement is the best way to avoid a nuclear arms race and more wars in the Middle East.

"The bottom line is this: this nuclear deal meets the national security interests of the United States and our allies. It prevents the most serious threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would only make the other problems that Iran may cause even worse."Obama was speaking at a nationally televised news conference, trying to sell the Iran nuclear deal to skeptical U.S. lawmakers and the American public.

He must also reassure nervous U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The US Congress has 60 days to review the agreement, and House and Senate leaders have already signaled they think the US made too many concessions in the nuclear talks.

WeatherBeijing will see thundershowers with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 21.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 29 and a low of 24.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 33 and lows of 23.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, moderate rain, 30.

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 36.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 34.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 28 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 28.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 14.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsGreek parliament approves bailout billThe Greek parliament has approved tough economic measures required to enable a third international bailout for the country to go ahead.

The new legislation includes tax rises and an increase in the retirement age.

The vote passed despite a revolt from some hardliners in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' ruling left-wing Syriza party.

It now paves the way for starting negotiations over the new, 86-billion-euro bailout over three years.

Ahead of the vote, protesters clashed with police during an anti-austerity protest close to parliament, and police responded with tear gas.

Some 40 people have been detained.

China reports better-than-expected Q2 growthChina's economy has posted a better-than-expected growth of 7 percent in the second quarter of 2015.

The growth rate, unchanged from the first quater, beat a median market forecast of 6.9 percent.

The National Bureau of Statistics has attributed the growth rate to the government's bold moves in macro-control and adherence to structural reforms.

Philippines' warship consolidation angers ChinaChina has protested against the Philippines' consolidation of a rusting warship on a Chinese reef in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says China is firmly opposed to the reinforcement of the warship which illegally landed on the beach of Ren'ai Reef of the Nansha Islands in 1999 under the excuse that it had been stranded.

China has since repeatedly lodged protests with the Philippines, demanding that the country tow the warship away.

Mania has not taken any actions, citing a "lack of parts."Hua Chunying is accusing the Philippines of increasing illegal activities on the reef in an attempt to occupy it.

8 killed, 18 wounded in renewed violence in eastern UkraineAt least eight people have been killed and 18 others wounded in renewed violence in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military says eight of its soldiers were killed, the highest daily casualties of the Ukrainian army since early June.

Meanwhile, the rebels are accusing government troops of resuming intensive shelling against rebel positions with heavy artillery.

Violence in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 6,500 lives since it began in April, 2014.

First close-up pictures of dwarf planet Pluto revealedNASA's New Horizons science team has revealed new images of distant dwarf-planet Pluto and its moon Charon.

This comes after the U.S. spacecraft sailed past Pluto in the distant reaches of the solar system on Tuesday.

Scientists say they are very confident that they have found water on the planet.

This could change scientists' understanding of the small world that was once considered icy and dead.

Biz reportsClosing numbers across North America and EuropeAnchorFirst, a quick check on the closing numbers across North America and Europe on this Thursday morning, here is our reporter Min Rui.

ReporterU.S. stocks reversed early gains to end slightly lower Wednesday, as investors digested Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's remarks delivered in Congressional testimony.

We'll have more on that in just a minute.

The Dow Jones ended slightly lower.

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq lost a fraction of a percent.

According to the Beige Book released Wednesday afternoon, all 12 Federal Reserve Districts indicated that economic activity expanded from mid-May through June.

The U.S. Producer Price Index for final demand advanced 0.4 percent in June, beating market consensus.

In Asia, China's economy posted better-than-expected growth of 7 percent in the second quarter of 2015, as the government's pro-growth policies and reform measures pave way for steady improvement in the latter half of the year.

Over in Europe,The British FTSE 100 closed flat.

France's CAC 40 gained 0.3 percent.

Germany's DAX added 0.2 percent.

China securities watchdog busts market rumorsThe China Securities Regulatory Commission has released six cases of information fabrication and vowed to work with the police to crack down on market rumors.

The securities watchdog started probing 16 cases of misinformation related to the stock market last month, and has found major evidence on six of those files.

Some institutions and individuals made profits from the rumors, which caused chaos for the shares of some listed companies.

The commission said rumormongers allegedly violated the law, and it has transferred the cases to the police.

The CSRC said China's ailing stock market is now very sensitive.

On Wednesday, Chinese shares fell back into negative territory despite better-than-expected second-quarter economic growth.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slumped 3 percent, with more than a thousand stocks dropping by the daily limit.

The Shenzhen Component Index dropped 4.7 percent.

The fall extended a retreat seen on Tuesday, reversing a rebound that had lasted for three consecutive trading days.

Yellen: First Fed rate hike likely later this yearThe Chair of the US Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, told Congress that she sees a number of encouraging signs that the economy is reviving after a harsh winter.

She says if the improvements stay on track, policymakers will likely start raising interest rates later this year.

"If the economy evolves as we expect, economic conditions likely would make it appropriate at some point this year to raise the federal funds rate target, thereby beginning to normalize the stance of monetary policy."A rise in the U.S. federal fund rate can be expected this year if the economy continues to evolve toward maximum employment and a 2 percent inflation rate.

Meanwhile, Yellen says the ongoing financial crisis in Greece poses risks to U.S. labor growth.

But with developments she says economic growth abroad could pick up more quickly than experts anticipated, providing additional support for U.S economic activities.

"And China continues to grapple with the challenges posed by high debt, weak property markets, and volatile financial conditions. But economic growth abroad could also pick up more quickly than observers generally anticipate, providing additional support for U.S. economic activity."The Fed's benchmark rate has been at a record low, near zero, since December 2008, pushing up both bond and stock prices.

China pledges to stabilize RMB exchange rate and stabilizing foreign trade growthThe State Council, China's cabinet, pledged on Wednesday to improve its foreign trade environment to ensure steady growth of imports and exports, and cultivate its advantages in international competition.

Clearance efficiency in port customs will be further increased, and a nationwide clearance system established.

The cabinet stressed increasing imports of advanced technology, equipment and key components in an effort to promote industrial upgrades.

It also pledged to stabilize the exchange rate of the yuan at a reasonable and balanced level, and to facilitate renminbi settlement to help enterprises avoid risks in cross-border trade.

Administrative and service fees in imports and exports will be regulated to prevent arbitrary charges.

Enterprises which successfully pass port inspections should be exempt from certain charges.

More firms established in H1 amid improving business environmentThe number of newly registered enterprises in China continued to rise in the first half of 2015.

Official data released yesterday shows the number of new firms jumped 19.4 percent from a year ago to 2.1 million in the first six months.

Authority says the growth shows that a creative, entrepreneurial spirit has been stoked by business reform.

The number of new firms registered in the service sector accounted for 80 percent of the total.

This is said to reflect improvement in China's economic structure, with the service sector playing a bigger role in growth and job creation.

China to deepen reform to boost innovation and entrepreneurshipChina will remove more vocational qualifications and certification requirements to support creation of new businesses and bring forth new ideas.

According to a statement released by China's State Council on Wednesday, a total of 62 vocational qualifications, including web advertising brokers and port cargo handling workers, will be abolished.

The qualifications used to be required as a threshold to for people to enter the profession.

The government also pledged in the statement to continue reforms to remove unreasonable constraints for market entities, to let the market play the key role in allocating resources.

Foreign fast-food chains in China going digital to lure customersAnchorForeign fast-food chains in China are joining the digital dining trend as part of the effort to draw more customers and boost slumping sales.

CRI's Min Rui has the details.

ReporterMcDonald's, the world's largest fast-food hamburger chain, is providing Shanghai customers with the opportunity to craft their own burgers with touchscreen kiosks.

The "Create Your Taste" campaign was launched by the company at the end of June to let people choose ingredients for their burgers from self-ordering kiosks.

Though the customized meal set is much more expensive than McDonald's usual combo, many customers have been attracted and are giving it a try.

"It's a lot of fun, and you can't get it elsewhere. Here, I can choose from a large number of ingredients and leave out those I don't like. I think it's cool and different."Elsewhere, KFC has teamed up with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to allow customers in Beijing, Shanghai and the province of Zhejiang to pay for their meals using mobile payment tool Alipay.

Many consumers believe the new service will add convenience to their dining experience at KFC restaurants.

"Sometimes I don't have enough cash with me when I am shopping, so I would ask if a store accepts Alipay mobile payment. Whether a shop accepts it affects my decision as to which shop I will visit, as it is more convenient if it does."These digital services are viewed by many as the latest move by foreign fast-food chains to prop up sluggish sales in China.

Hao Fangfang, a senior analyst at iResearch, says the change in customer preferences in the fast-food business is a major reason for declining sales.

"The herd behavior was often found in public consumption behavior in the decade starting 2000. But what those born after 1985 or even 1990 pursue is individuality, uniqueness and being different. That's why the once massively popular fast-food chains have been losing ground to those offering niche services like theme restaurants."She also warns that digital services alone are not enough to help them restore growth.

Other than meeting customers' needs, business decisions and better management are required also.

With more than 130,000 offline businesses across China accepting Alipay mobile payments, going digital is now becoming the major trend in China's retail sectors.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

SportsZhang Xizhe returns to Beijing Guo'anZhang Xizhe has re-signed for Beijing Guo'an after six months at Bundesliga's Wolfsburg.

Zhang narrowly made the deadline before the transfer window closed in the Chinese Super League.

Beijing Guo'an had been working on Zhang's return but had to wait for the approval of Wolfsburg.

Zhang will arrive in Beijing later today and immediately report to the club.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder joined Wolfsburg from Beijing Guo'an at the end of last year and signed a two-and a half year deal.

He didn't get a chance to play during his time in Germany, which prompted his return to his old club.

Wolfsburg came in second in the Bundesliga and won the German Cup last season.

CSL recapBeijing Guo'an welcomed Zhang's return with a defeat in the Chinese Super League.

Its 11-game winning streak was terminated by Shanghai Shenhua, 3-1.

It could dampen Beijing's hopes of winning the League title as the teams behind are closing in on points.

Beijing is still leading with 39 points after 19 games. Second-placed Guangzhou Evergrande trails by one point after a 1-all draw against Henan Jianye.

But Shanghai SIPG is also at 38 points and a win tonight could lift it to the top of the table.

Other action from last night,Changchun Yatai defeated Liaoning Hongyun 2-1,Chongqing Lifan took out Hangzhou Greentown 3-1,Shandong Luneng drew against Shanghai Shenxin with 2 goals apiece,Finally Shijiazhuang Ever Bright beat Jiangsu Shuntian 2-1.

Jamaica, Costa Rica through to quarter-finals at Gold CupMore football action, over in the Americas,Costa Rica has progressed into the quarter-finals after a goalless draw against Canada at the Gold Cup.

Costa Rica made it through with three points from three draws.

Canada is out after failing to score in any of its games.

Jamaica, from the same group, progressed earlier after a 1-0 victory against El Salvador.

El Salvador will have to wait for results from the other two groups to find out if it can advance.

Former winners tee off to honor traditions at Open ChampionshipIn golf,Twenty-seven former winners competed in the traditional Champion Golfers' Challenge on the eve of the Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Seven teams of four competed in a four-hole challenge in the celebratory event.

The contest finished in a four-way tie for first place.

Five-time champion Tom Watson has announced this will be his last appearance in the Open.

At 65, Watson is still hoping to be in contention for the tournament.

"It's not a ceremony at all. I'm still trying to compete against these players out here. The other part of it is the final walk over the Swilcan Bridge. If it's Friday, it's Friday, and if it's Sunday, it's Sunday. I'll be walking over the bridge with my son Michael on the bag, which will be a very special time, and I hope I'm fighting for the top 10 going across that bridge. That's what I hope."As Watson prepares for his swansong, the crowd is eager to find out if Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth can win the first three major titles of the year.

But winning the Open could mean something else for Spieth himself.

I don't look as this as trying to win three in a row, I look at this as trying to win The Open Championship at a very special place. That's the hardest thing for me is trying to forget about where you are because being here at St. Andrews and looking at the past champions and who wins Open Championships here, that's elite company, and that's something I'm just going to have to forget about more than the other two majors, I think."Spieth is one of the early starters on Thursday morning. Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose will tee off later in the day.

Cycling recapIn cycling,Tinkoff-Saxo's Rafal Majka has won stage 11 of the Tour de France, the second of three back-to-back summit finishes in the Pyrenees.

Majka was among an eight-man group before he broke clear on the legendary Tourmalet, one of the toughest climbs on the route.

Majka held on to the gap despite a late surge by Dan Martin, who finished second.

Chris Froome led the group of favorites safely across the line.

Froome retained his yellow jersey but found himself caught up in an array of off-field troubles.

He was questioned after his demonstration of strength in the previous stage, where he dropped both Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador on the climb.

His training data had earlier been stolen and published after Team Sky's computers were hacked.

A furious Froome and his team believe it was done to allege that he was cheating.

In other action,Matia Gavazzi has won stage 10 of the Tour of Qinghai Lake.

Adria Mobil's Croatian rider Radoslav Rogina toppled leader Hossein Alizadeh and took the yellow jersey by two seconds.

Badminton Taipei Open resultsIn badminton,The first round of competition has wrapped up at the BWF Taipei Open.

Both China's Chen Long and Lin Dan brushed off resistance from their opponents and made it through in two straight sets.

It was an easy victory for Malaysia's Lee Chong-wei.

All four players competing in the women's singles, including Li Xuerui and Wang Yihan are through.

In men's doubles, Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan defeated their South Korean opponents. But Chai Biao/Hong Wei are out.

And both China's pairs in women's doubles made it through.

EntertainmentChinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke named to lead Toronto film festival's inaugural juryChinese film director Jia Zhangke will head the inaugural three-person international jury at the upcoming 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The new jury, known as Platform, opens this year to champion film directors' works from around the world.

The jury also includes Claire Denis of France and Agnieszka Holland of Poland.

The Platform will shine the spotlight on up to 12 films of high artistic merit that demonstrate a strong directorial vision.

A prize of 25-thousand Canadian dollars or 20-thousand U.S. dollars will be given to the best film in the section at the awards ceremony on Sept. 20.

Jia Zhangke was honored with the "directors of the decade" award by the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.

Founded in 1976, TIFF is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, and it is considered a launch pad for many studios to begin "Oscar-buzz" for their films.

NICONICO to Air Films on Japan's Aggression HistoryNICONICO-the largest video website in Japan, has announced a set of documentaries and movies related to Japan's aggression in some Asian countries during the Second World War.

Chinese film-"City of Life and Death", also known as-"Nanjing Nanjing" and documentary "The Memory of Nanjing in 1937" are among those to be aired starting from later this month.

"City of Life and Death" and "The Memory of Nanjing in 1937" deal with the "Nanking Massacre" and its aftermath during Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

All these films and documentaries failed to hit Japanese theaters previously.

NICONICO says the move is to meet common people's needs to know the true history.

First to be aired is the documentary-"Japan & Korea - the Ties That Bind".

It revolves around "the comfort women issue and "territorial disputes" between Japan and South Korea.

Teenage son of Nick Cave DeadIt's been reported the 15-year-old son of Australian singer Nick Cave has died after falling from a cliff on England's south coast.

Cave and his wife Susie confirmed the death in a statement, saying the teen was their beautiful, happy, loving boy."Police say the teenager was found on a path below the cliff at Ovingdean Gap in Brighton on Tuesday with "life-threatening injuries."He died later at a hospital in Brighton, about 50 miles south of London.

Nick Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Melbourne in 1983, and has had a successful career as a singer, composer and actor.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Economic growth in China in the second quarter is stronger than expected...

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao meets with Japanese war-displaced orphans who were raised in China...

The US president says the nuclear deal with Iran is the best alternative for avoiding additional wars in the Middle East...

In Business...China's securities watchdog targets false rumours about the markets, detailing six separate cases...

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