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

Coming up on the program this evening...

President Xi Jinping calling for the revival of China's northeastern region....

China continuing to balance economic growth amid restructuring...

And Saudi Arabia arresting 431 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State cells....

In the 2nd half of the hour, we'll bring you our roundup of the biggest headlines this week in science and technology ...

In Sports... China beating the US to reach the finals of the World Volleyball Grand Prix....

And in Entertainment... 'Thanatos, Drunk' snatching Top Awards at Taipei Film Festival...

Top NewsXi eyes future of NE China, stresses role of SOEsPresident Xi Jinping has called for fresh efforts to revive China's northeastern region, once a major heavy industrial hub.

Xi Jinping made the remarks during an inspection tour to Jilin Province from Thursday to Saturday.

He urged the province to step up its efforts to foster emerging industries and boost the service industry while intensifying infrastructure construction.

He has also stressed the importance of innovation, quality and management in the development of state-owned enterprises.

China announced measures in early July to revive growth in its northeast, which is suffering a deepening economic malaise due to a decline in heavy industry.

The measures encouraged state firms in the northeast to direct state assets away from traditional sectors plagued by overcapacity and towards "crucial and strategic industries".

China Publishes Guideline for Internet FinanceAnchor:

China has published its first guideline for the development of Internet finance.

As CRI's Luo Wen reports, the country is expecting the development of the emerging industry to help encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

Reporter:

The guideline was jointly released by ten central government ministries and industry regulators, including the central bank, the Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

It was rolled out less than one month after the country unveiled an action plan for its "Internet Plus" strategy that is expected to bolster an innovative economy.

The guideline includes a raft of policies and measures that aim to standardize the development of Internet finance, encourage innovation and increase awareness of risk control among internet-based financial institutions.

It promises support for financial institutions to open online banking, insurance and securities businesses and Internet companies to set up online payment service, build online lending platforms and equity and crowd financing platforms.

It also says eligible institutions will be encouraged to get listed on the main board and growth board, while smaller institutions can enjoy tax concessions at the start-up stage.

Professor Yang Dong with Law School of Renmin University of China says the development of internet finance will benefit micro and small-sized enterprises with easier access to investment and wider channels to raise funds.

"To develop inclusive financial system to enable micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to get more financing conforms to the current economic situation of China and provides the foundation for the real economy to develop and for the masses of people to participate in starting new businesses and making innovations."Internet finance refers to loans, investments and other financial services provided through online channels rather than through traditional banks and other financial institutions.

Last year, the industry registered over 300 billion yuan, or nearly 48 billion US dollars, in business volume.

The sector involved about 390,000 employees last year and served more than 2 million enterprises, with about 60 million people working in relevant industries.

The guideline also stipulates that the people and organizations engaging in Internet Finance must abide by certain rules.

It pledges protection of consumers' rights and information security and underscores self-discipline among Internet finance players.

Yang suggests there should be a certain threshold for market entry.

"The platforms that are not up to the required qualification and incompetent in risk control and in internet technologies should be locked out of the market, leaving only the good ones that really serve the real economy, inclusive financial system, the common people and the sustainable development of the Chinese economy."According to the guideline, a credit information sharing platform will be built for market players, while the credits of online finance companies will be rated.

Meanwhile, it calls on government departments at all levels to actively encourage innovation in e-finance platforms, products and services.

Government departments are also urged to cut red tape and improve related fiscal and taxation policies to pave way for the industry's development.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

China continues to balance economic growth amid restructuringChinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says China must continue to achieve balance between growth and restructuring to adapt itself to the new normal of economy.

Zhu made the remark in London on the sidelines of a meeting of the Financial Stability Board, a regulator to strengthen financial systems and increase the stability of international financial markets.

Zhu says China has focused on the transformation of growth as well as economic restructuring in the context of its economic new normal.

"We must appropriately handle the relationships between stabilizing growth, economic restructuring, promoting reforms, benefiting people and preventing risks, so as to ensure that China's economy moves forward along the track of sustainable and healthy growth."The International Monetary Fund lowered the world's growth rate to 3.3 percent in its latest World Economic Outlook this month.

Zhu responds that the Chinese government is confident about a seven-percent GDP growth in 2015.

"Firstly, we will increase the deficit moderately in 2015, from 2.1 percent last year to 2.3 percent. Secondly, we will implement a structural tax break, cutting taxes to support small and micro-sized enterprises."Zhu says China will continue with a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy this year.

He adds the key task of the prudent monetary policy is to stabilize the currency and control inflation. And the RMB exchange rate has been stabilized on a generally reasonable equilibrium level.

Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei jointly promote clean energy for blue skiesAnchor:

North China's Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have teamed up to promote clean energy consumption in a bid to improve the environment of the region.

The initiative is part of the integrated development program of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

CRI's Xie Cheng reports.

Reporter:

The two municipalities and one province have launched a project to build wind, photovoltaic and power storage stations.

Zhangjiakou, a city in Hebei province, boasts more than 6,000 hours of effective winds annually and 3,000 hours of sunshine annually.

As an ideal place for developing renewable energy, the city has attracted more than 30 large new energy enterprises and wind power equipment manufacturing enterprises.

Guo Junfeng with the Zhangjiakou City Development and Reform Commission, says the city has formed a complete chain of production, such as wind power generators, wind mill vanes and tower poles.

"The city will have a total installation capacity up to 20 million kw to become the country's leading comprehensive innovation base for the use of renewable energy by 2020."Beijing has taken the lead in encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

Xu Xinchao with the Beijing Science and Technology Commission says authorities have provided financial subsidies for the purchase and use of electric vehicles, and will also reduce or exempt parking and toll fees for electric vehicle drivers in the future.

"We have shifted our policy priority from vehicle purchase to vehicle usage in 2015. We have decided to lift restrictions on electric vehicles. At the same time, we are now studying the possibilities of scrapping parking and toll fees for new energy vehicles."Tianjin has imported 370 million cubic meters of natural gas at a port in the east of the city.

Gao Huaiying, official in charge of the energy department in Tianjin, says the city plans to use natural gas for central heating in all residential quarters in the coming winter.

"We have improved the energy consumption structure in the city. According to the accountability agreement we have signed with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, we will reduce coal consumption by 10 million tons by 2017."According to plans, all refineries and chemical companies in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will be using clean energy by the end of 2017.

Besides, the three administrative regions have started to implement coordinated environmental legislation in an effort to improve regional air quality.

Zhou Ying with the standing committee of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress says the coordination will help to achieve more blue skies.

"It helps to break administrative barriers, reduce legislation costs and integrate legislation resources and provides institutional support and guarantee for coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province."The annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Hebei province dropped by 12 percent over the previous year, exceeding the national reduction target in 2014.

Authorities in the region have reached an agreement to reduce concentration of PM2.5 by 25 percent by 2017.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Taiwan's KMT Party Confirms Candidate for leadership bidHung Hsiu-chu has officially become the Kuomintang party's candidate for Taiwan's leadership election in 2016.

A convention of KMT delegates confirmed its nomination of Hung on Sunday.

Hung is currently deputy head of the island's legislature.

Addressing the party congress, Hung says that if she is elected, she will consolidate, deepen and promote peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Straits on the basis of the 1992 consensus.

She also promises to create a sustainable, stable and peaceful environment for both sides across the Straits, enabling all people in Taiwan to enjoy the dividends brought by peaceful development.

As the only contender for the ruling Party's leadership bid, she passed the required support in public polls with an average rating of over 46 percent in June.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party has endorsed the candidacy of its chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen for the 2016 election.

431 Allegedly Belonging to Islamic State Cells Under Arrest: Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabian authorities have arrested 431 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State cells.

Several attacks including 6 suicide operations on mosques as well as plots to target security forces and a diplomatic mission have also been thwarted.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Mansour Al-Turki lists some of the plots on mosques that authorities have foiled.

"Targeting worshipers in Al-Dalwah in Al-Ahsa, as well as the targeting of the Imam Ali mosque in al-Qadeeh and targeting Imam Ali Bin Al-Hussein in Dammam city."Other alleged offences cited by the ministry range from smuggling explosives, surveying potential attack sites, providing transport and material to bombers and smuggling in explosives from abroad.

The announcement comes after a car bomb explosion at a checkpoint near the country's highest security prison, killed the driver and wounded 2 security officials.

3 U.S. Governors Sign Executive Order to Protect National Guard MembersThree U.S. governors have ordered National Guard members at offices and other facilities to be armed.

This comes on the heels of fatal shootings at two armed forces facilities in Tennessee including at an Armed Forces Career Center, leaving 5 servicemen killed.

Florida governor Rick Scott says he'll do everything in his power to make sure every National Guard member is safe and that attacks such as the ones in Tennessee won't happen again.

According to his order, six guard offices in Florida located in storefronts will move into armories.

"I signed an executive order today. It is going to do the following things. Step one: we have six retail recruitment centers around the State-- one in Miami, two in the Jacksonville area, one in Orlando and two in the Tampa area. They are immediately closed down. Those recruitment officers moved to the closest armory. We have 55 armories across the state of Florida. They will not be reopened until we are comfortable that our National Guard members are safe."He added that Guard members who do not carry weapons should get them and obtain expedited concealed weapon permits, if necessary.

Scott also said bullet-proof glass and better video surveillance equipment are among the steps that should be considered to make recruiting offices safer.

Meanwhile, mourners have gathered at a makeshift memorial outside the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, where the fatal attack happened on Thursday.

Flowers and flags have been placed to honor the five servicemen, including 4 U.S. marines and a Navy sailor.

Greek Banks to Reopen on Monday as Tsipras's New Cabinet Takes OverAnchor:

Greek banks are expected to reopen on Monday, three weeks after they were shut down to prevent the country's financial system from collapsing under a flood of withdrawals.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has sacked several ministers as he looked to strengthen his position at home before starting new bailout talks next week.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reports.

ReporterGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday after nearly a quarter of the lawmakers from his radical left Syriza party voted against new austerity measures earlier this week.

Two ministers have been replaced and new posts have been assigned to another eight ministers and deputy ministers.

The reshuffle comes ahead of another parliamentary vote on further public spending cuts next Wednesday before Greece could secure a new bailout.

George Katrougalos, the new Labour Minister says his government would try to implement the bailout terms that include consumer tax hikes and further pension cuts, without hurting future growth.

"As we stood tall in the battle of the negotiations, we will stand tall in the battle of the implementation under the new measures in the most possibly social just manner. This is our mission. We are a government with the left at its core."But Greeks who rejected these new bailout terms at a recent referendum are angry that Tsipras's government is pushing ahead with the very austerity measures his government was elected to repeal.

An unemployed Greek resident Giorgos Kamilas says he is tired after five years of belt-tightening"I think they will be able to pass these measures, but this government has crushed our hope s, so many people voted for them and now their hopes have been crushed. So they will pass these measures but they will soon fall because they lied too much."After months of wrangling and brinkmanship, the Greek government finally agreed to the terms laid down by its creditors last week. Greece finally catapulted after being threatened to exit the Euro.

The European Union says it is ready to inject 86 billion Euros into the cash-strapped Greek economy over the next three years.

The EU has also agreed to provide a bridge loan worth just over 7 billion Euros by Monday until the bailout talks are finalized.

But almost two thirds of this amount will go into debt repayment. The International Monetary Fund has hinted it will not participate in any bailout talks until the 1.6 billion Euros owing to it is repaid. Another payment deadline worth 4.5 billion Euros is just around the corner.

Meanwhile, Greek banks that were closed for almost three weeks will open on Monday. The announcement comes after the European Central Bank approved emergency funding to shore up Greece's crumbling financial sector.

But the daily withdrawal limit of 60 euros remains.

Greece has relied on bailout cash for five years after it was locked out of international bond markets amid concerns over its ability to repay its debts.

Although austerity measures implemented by successive governments have reduced the annual budget deficit, Greece's debt burden has swelled to around 180 percent of its GDP as the Greek economy continues to shrink.

The biggest challenge facing Greece's new parliament is how to kick-start growth amidst crippling austerity cuts.

For CRI, I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

Families of Chinese Yale Students Cultivate Communal Vegetable GardenAnchor:

A flavor of China has been brought to New Haven, in the US state of Connecticut, in the form of a vegetable garden.

Ten years ago, family members of Chinese students at Yale University started the garden on a vacant plot near the school. Now it has transformed into a place where the garden's caretakers cultivate and harvest a sense of their homeland.

CRI's Victor Ning reports.

Reporter:

A decade ago, an influx of Chinese graduate students made their way to Yale University. Along with their academic pursuits also came their parents and other family members who were looking for a sense of home on foreign soil. Thus the Chinese vegetable garden was born.

Now, the plot of land owned by the University has been divided into patches of smaller plots, taken care by a number of families of current and past Chinese students at Yale. Available in the garden are vegetables and exotic herbs essential in Chinese cooking. Beyond producing food, the garden has also become a social venue for the Chinese families.

One caretaker Guo Zhirong says:

"Farming here make me feel like farming in my own homeland. Many Chinese people gather together here in this garden so that we can chat while we cultivate the vegetables. In my hometown, we pick whatever vegetables, corns we want to eat for meal directly from the garden we cultivated. It's quite fresh. "For some, the garden provided a new experience previously not available in China. Zhan Zaixian, another contributing member, tells her story.

"In Beijing, I had no land and nobody ever taught me how to farm so I had no experience in my hometown at all. After I arrived here, one neighbour gave me one piece of land. I felt interested and then started to farm since then. The farm offers me home-flavoured vegetables, enriches my time, makes me happy, healthy"Fertilizers are allowed in the garden, while pesticides are not. Once a family leaves, their plot of land is passed on to the next willing family.

Chinese students account for a significant portion of Yale's international community. Last year, Yale had 680 international scholars, 516 graduate students and 58 undergraduates from China.

For CRI, I am Victor Ning.

Mindfulness for children - can it reduce future mental health problems ?

Anchor:

Mindfulness, yoga and meditation have gained popularity in recent decades, buoyed by studies showing their benefits to emotional, mental and physical health.

CRI's Guo Yan has more.

Reporter:

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present; both understanding the sensations in the body and calming the mind.

The centuries-old practices have roots in Buddhism and Hinduism, but Western culture has secularized them to focus on physical postures, breathing and relaxation techniques.

The idea behind mindfulness is that focusing on the present moment helps a person deal better with stress, difficult emotions and negative thoughts.

Next year around 6,000 children between the ages of 11 and 14 from 76 UK schools will take part in a study on this subject.

Some will be given special mindfulness awareness sessions, while others in a control group will have "teaching as usual".

Haroon Hussein, a pupil at UCL Academy in London, has been learning the techniques alongside his classmates.

"Usually when I'm coming from class or from lunch I usually feel hyper or energetic, but I use the 7/11 which is were you breathe in for 7 counts and breathe out for 11 and it helps you calm down and helps your blood flow through your body. So it helps me calm down so I can get on with my learning."Some schools are already using the techniques, and supporters of the practice believe rolling it out for more pupils could have a dramatic impact on the mental health of young people.

Teenagers are seen as particularly vulnerable because 75% of mental disorders begin before the age of 24, with half developing by the age of 15, say researchers behind the trial.

Professor Willem Kuyken, clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford, explains the benefits of mindfulness.

"Now if that hypothesis is borne out, seven years from now, what we will be saying is that a young person who is at risk for depression, we will potentially have altered their trajectory, so instead of them spiralling into a life of recurring depression, the impact that has on their work, their achievement, their marriage on their on parenting, we will have a kid who potentially has a different trajectory in their life."Paula Kearney, a geography teacher at UCL Academy, has been training some of the students in the technique.

However she says it's not for everyone.

"I think there is a danger of enforcing mindfulness and assuming that it is for everybody. I think it is for some people and not for others. But it is really important that young people and adults know what it is and know how it can benefit them."Researchers are also interested in determining whether mindfulness can have an effect on social relationships, school attendance and academic achievement.

The research programme will start in 2016 be carried out by teams at the University of Oxford, University College London and Cambridge University, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, over the course of seven years.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Chinese become main home buyers in AustraliaChinese home buyers have become the largest overseas investment group in the real estate market in Australia during the first half of 2015.

More Chinese tourists, dwellers and bilateral trade have led to the increase.

One third of new houses in Australia were bought by foreigners, with China overtaking the United States to become the largest overseas home buying group in Australia this year.

As for the commercial real estate market, Chinese investment is ranked in second place behind Singapore.

Statistics show that one fourth of Chinese overseas real estate investment was in Australia during the first quarter of the year. Sydney and Melbourne are the top two cities that overseas Chinese have the most interest in.

Tony Lu, president of Aushin Holding Ltd., says the exchange rate is beneficial for Chinese buyers.

"This might be related to foreign exchange. In the past, the Australian dollar-yuan exchange rate was 1:6, but now it is about 1:4.5 to 1:4.8, which means that the Chinese home buyers could enjoy a 30 percent discount when buying houses here."Chinese college entrance exam gains more recognition in overseas universitiesUniversities in more than 20 countries and regions have accepted Chinese students' applications along with their national college entrance exam results.

As the Chinese universities are busy with their annual admission process now, many overseas universities are also trying to attract Chinese students.

They have extended their application deadline on the Chinese mainland to allow students to apply with their Gaokao records.

Stanley Nel with the University of San Francisco says that Chinese students can apply with their Gaokao records, without taking the TOEFL or SAT exams.

"For the students who are applying through the Gaokao method, we look only at the Gaokao, and we test their English through an interview. They don't have to give us their high school records, or anything like that. They don't need to write letters or essays."Six U.S. universities and at least 26 Australian universities now accept Chinese students' applications with their Gaokao scores.

Chinese high school graduates are also welcomed by top universities in South Korea and Singapore with high Gaokao scores.

Gaokao scores must be provided by Chinese applicants for some European universities.

Headline NewsChina's economic growth outlook still promising: presidentChinese President Xi Jinping has reassured local governments that the economy still enjoys a promising outlook despite downward growth pressure.

Xi Jinpin made the remarks during a discussion with provincial officials after an inspection tour to Jilin from Thursday to SaturdayHe urged the northeastern province to strive for breakthroughs while adapting to the "new normal" of slower economic development.

The Chinese President points out the Chinese economy is in good condition with unchanged factors, including sound economic fundamentals, remarkable flexibility, huge potential and room to growth.

He added the economy is undergoing steady restructuring with emerging sectors cropping up to lend fresh steam to drive growth.

China FDI growth to pick up amid challenges: vice ministerVice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen has said foreign direct investment in China will rebound in 2015 on the back of a robust expansion during the first six months.

Wang expects the FDI in China for the whole of 2015 to grow around four percent to 125 billion U.S. dollars, compared with a 1.7-percent expansion recorded in 2014.

FDI in China rose eight percent in the first half of the year to 68.4 billion U.S. dollars, accelerating sharply from 2.2 percent in the same period last year.

Taiwan's KMT Party Confirms Candidate for leadership bidHung Hsiu-chu has officially become the Kuomintang party's candidate for Taiwan's leadership election in 2016.

A convention of KMT delegates confirmed its nomination of Hung on Sunday.

Hung is currently deputy head of the island's legislature.

As the only contender for the ruling Party's leadership bid, she passed the required support in public polls with an average rating of over 46 percent in June.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party has endorsed the candidacy of its chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen for the 2016 election.

Fresh details reveal seized lawyers' misconduct in, outside courtChina's Ministry of Public Security Saturday released the latest case details concerning lawyers seized by police earlier for organizing paid protests to sway court decisions in the name of so-called rights protection.

The statement revealed that the nine lawyers and several other suspects have been placed under "coercive measures", which include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest.

The group was led by Fengrui Law Firm.

They were suspected of being involved in disrupting public order and seeking profits by illegally hiring protesters and swaying court decisions in the name of supposedly "defending justice and public interests."Since July 2012, the group has organized more than 40 illegal controversial incidents.

Sci&Tech (Sunday)Anchor:

It's time now to check on the latest updates from the science and technology sector in the past week in our Weekly Sci-Tech feature.

Chinese scientists have created a car that can be controlled only with brainpower.

Zoologists have identified two new species in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

And Researchers in the U.S. have created a new strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon.

Let's catch up on all the latest with CRI's Wen Jie.

Reporter:

The CBERS4 remote sensing satellite, jointly developed by China and Brazil, has become fully operational.

The satellite can be used in land resources exploration, forest protection, hydropower projects and disaster prevention.

It was sent into orbit by a Long March 4B rocket from north China's Taiyuan last December.

A number of in-orbit tests have since been carried out.

A senior space program official says that the satellite will have its application promoted among over ten developing countries, especially those in Africa.

It has taken over 200-thousand images of the Earth with its four cutting-edge cameras, including the infrared multispectral scanner and wide-field imager.

It is the fifth in the CBERS satellite series since 1999.

Images obtained by CBERS satellites have been used in many areas in Brazil, such as deforestation control and environmental monitoring in the Amazon region.

The program's next satellite, CBERS 4A, is under development and is scheduled to be launched in 2018.

***************Chinese scientists have created a car that can be controlled by nothing more than brainpower.

The new vehicle, developed jointly by a research team from Nankai University in Tianjin and Chinese car maker Great Wall Motor, made its debut to the world this week.

The car is controlled via a headset with 16 sensors that send impulses from the user's brain to the car's processing system.

The recognition system analyzes brain signals captured by the sensors, and translates them into driving instructions and then sends them to the car.

Duan Feng, associate professor at NanKai University's computing and control engineering department, says that the car has functions built in to safeguard the user's safety.

"The brain signals are different when the driver is over tired or drunk. The car can stop automatically when it receives impulses from the driver's brain."Duan also says the technology could transform driving and help disabled people drive.

***************China's leading mobile network carriers have announced plans to release a 4g plus network. This new network will not only be faster but also cheaper than the current 4g.

China Mobile's 4g plus networks are located in downtown Shanghai and will feature speeds of 300 mbs, which is double the speed of current 4g. 4g plus is currently only set to be released in Shanghai. Current iPhones do not support 4g plus technology, but Apple has said in a statement that the next generation iPhones will. More than 20 other smartphone brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo have already unveiled phones that will support the 4g plus network.

Mobile internet is already reaching a stage that allows users to use high bandwidth functions on the streets, and it seems that 4g plus will be the next big step forward in this process.

***************Zoologists have identified two new species during a survey in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The researchers found a new type of Pallas pit viper in Jilung County and a new type of cascade frog in Zayu County.

They were named after the location of their discovery.

The families of the newly-discovered venomous snake and the frog are both endemic to Asia.

Scientists have also confirmed for the first time that there are over 20 endangered species, including falcons and barking deer, living in Tibet.

Thus the number of recorded vertebrates in the plateau region has now been raised to more than 800.

The survey also shows that the number of Tibetan antelope and black-necked crane, among the best-known wild animals in Tibet, are on the rise.

The Tibet survey was started in 2013, and undertaken by more than 100 zoologists.

***************Robots are no strangers to the Japanese, but at the Henn na Hotel which translates as "Weird Hotel" there's a robot at every turn.

From a humanoid meet and greeter to a friendly dinosaur, checking in is a fully automated affair.

Guests needn't worry about losing their door keys. The hotel uses face recognition to allow people in and out of their rooms. A feature installed because, despite giant leaps in technology, the robots here are still not at a stage where they can help individuals find a lost key.　The concierge cannot call you a cab either, but it can spool off breakfast and event information in both Japanese and English.

Staff disagreements are minimal here, but that's only down to the expertise of the programmers, otherwise there may well be robot wars according to Henn na architect and project leader, Yusuke Hara.

"Various robots from different makers are part of this project, and so these robots all have different characteristics. To have these robots in one location, we cannot eliminate the reality that there will be clashes in their sensory systems. So in creating such atmosphere, it is important that we understand each robot's functions to fit in this structure. Architecturally, this is an extremely difficult task."Hideo Sawada runs the hotel as part of an amusement park. He insists using robots is not a gimmick, but a serious effort to make use of technology and achieve efficiency.

"My first reason to have built this hotel was that I wanted to make the world's most efficient hotel. The second reason is because the world has become an age of many explorations, so people go out to see the world. Now there are far more tourists and it has become common.　However, hotels in big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, New York, London are raising the hotel prices resulting in people not being able to fully enjoy their stay at affordable hotels. The rich can afford a five-star hotel, but for those who can't, I wanted to offer a cost efficient and entertaining hotel for them."　Room rates at the Henn na Hotel start at 9,000 yen, or 80 US dollars, a bargain for Japan, where a stay in standard hotels can easily cost twice or in some cases three times as much.

One area the hotel still relies on human beings for is security.

The place is dotted with security cameras, and real people watch everything through a monitor to make sure guests stay safe and no one makes off with one of the expensive robots.

Sawada says the hotel still has a long way to go, as the robots cannot make beds or do any cleaning at this stage.

He has big ambitions for his robot hotel concept and wants to open another one soon in Japan, and later more abroad.

He says he is also keen to add other languages, such as Chinese and Korean, to the robots' vocabulary.

***************Researchers in the U.S. have created and patented a new strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon.

The succulent red marine algae, called dulse, grows quickly and is rich in protein.

It is also packed full of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

Langdon is a professor at the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.

He has been growing dulse for the past 15 years.

He says that he originally intended to create a super-food for abalone, though there always has been an interest in growing dulse for human consumption.

Now researchers can grow up to 14 kilograms of dulse a week within two large tanks.

Langdon plans to increase the weekly production to 45 kilograms.

Dulse grows in the wild along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines of the United States.

It is usually sold in dried form as a cooking ingredient or nutritional supplement.

***************And that brings us to the end of this edition of our weekly science and technology report.

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoyed the show.

I'm Wenjie. See you next week.

SportsVolleyball: China beat U.S. on Their Way to World GP FinalsIn volleyball action from the World grand Prix,China sailed into the final round after edging the United States 3-2 in the preliminary round on Saturday.

China beat the U.S. 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12 in a hard-fought battle at Hong Kong Coliseum.

Chinese attacker Zhu Ting, winning 23 points in this match, was voted the most valuable player in the match.

Both China and the US qualified for the finals, which starts on Wednesday; they will join Brazil, Italy, Russia and Japan.

China will face Brazil to start the day. Italy will go up against Russia and hosts US will battle Japan.

The World Grand Prix Finals, a 23-year-old event, is the premier annual international women's volleyball tournament.

China's Female Fencers Earn Gold in Epee World ChampionshipsIn more Chinese sports news:

China's women's epee team bagged their second-ever World Championship gold metal in Moscow on Saturday after defeating Romania 45-36.

China became just the third country to win the gold medal at the world championships as reigning as Olympic champions in the event.

The win also earns Chinese fencer Xu Anqi her third epee medal and first gold, after claiming two silver medals in the women's team epee in 2011 and 2013. Xu also claimed the bronze medal in the women's individual epee earlier in the tournament.

Team China remain the only non-European team to win gold in the epee event at the World Championships, when they first upset France for at the 2006 final. With their second gold in women's team epee now clinched in Russia, China join Hungary (8), France (4), Russia (4) and Romania (2) as the only teams with multiple world championship epee gold medals.

Chinese Super League UpdateIn the Chinese Super League:

Going on right now,Chongqing Lifan is taking on Shanghai ShenhuaGhaungzhou R&F are on the pitch against Shandong LunengTianjin Teda are facing off against Guizhou RenheAnd kicking off right about now:

Henan Jianye are playing against Hangzhou Greentown.

Jiangsu Sainty are battling Changchun YataiAnd Shanghai Shenxin are meeting Shijiazhuang.

In action from last night:

Guanzhou Evergrande leapfrogged Shanghai SIPG to take 1st place in the standings after beating Liaoning 3-1.

Football Action from Gold Cup, Int'l Champions CupIn more football action:

Over at the Gold Cup taking place in the United States:

The hosts dismantled Cuba 6-0.

U.S.A. forward Clint Dempsey scored a hattrick in the lopsided victory, two of which were in the second half, which already saw the Americans up 4-0 over the Cubans.

The win puts the Americans on a collision course with Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz are through after edging Haiti 1-0 to enter their first Gold Cup semifinal since 1998.

In football action from the International Champions Cup:

Italian Serie A club AS Roma defeated La Liga giants Real Madrid 7-6 on penalties after a scoreless 90 minutes in front of more than 80-thousand spectators in Melbourne, Australia.

And Paris Saint-Germaine edged Portuguese club Benfica 3-2 during their match in Toronto, Canada. PSG's Lucas Digne netted the game-winner from 10 yards out in the 79th minute.

Bartomeu Officially Elected FC Barcelona PresidentIn off-pitch football news:

Josep Maria Bartomeu was confirmed as president of La Liga winners Barcelona after elections were held in Camp Nou on Saturday.

Bartomeu received 54.63 percent of the votes, with over 25-thousand members backing him, while former incumbent Joan Laporta, president of the Catalan club from 2003 to 2010, took about 33 percent.

Bartomeu took over in January 2014 from Sandro Rosell who stood down following a probe into the signing of Brazil striker Neymar.

Barca's new president says this about his newly-won presidency:

"We will try to make up the level of trust to the members from the previous presidency and the important challenges of the 21st century. We will work with rigour and we will sweat our shirt like Puyol, Xavi, Avidal, and Messi have always done. So that Barca can continue to be, in titles, in style and in earnings, and in values, the biggest club on the planet."Bartomeu will now preside over Barca's championships for the next six years after winning Saturday's election.

Tennis: Davis Cup RecapIn Davis Cup tennis action from around the globe:

Belgium reached the semi-finals after doubles success on Saturday gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead over Canada.

Belgian duo Ruben Bemelmans and debutant Kimmer Coppejans defeated Daniel Nestor and Canadian newcomer Adil Shamasdin 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Ostend for a 3-0 lead.

On Friday, Steve Darcis beat Frank Dancevic and David Goffin overcame Filip Peliwo to give the Belgians a commanding 2-0 lead ahead of Saturday's doubles.

Belgium will next meet Argentina, who are through after beating Serbia 3-0.

The Argentine pairing of Carlos Berlocq and Leonardo Mayer dominated Serbians Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 to shut out the Serbs.

And Great Britain are up 2-1 lead over France following a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-1 victory for Andy and Jamie Murray over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Mahut at Queen's in London on Saturday.

The Brits head into Sunday's reverse singles matches needing just one point to make it to the semi-finals for the first time since 1981.

Golf RecapIn golf:

After play finally resumed after a delay of 10 and a half hours in the second round of the British Open on Saturday, America's Dustin Johnson maintained his composure to birdie the 18th and maintain a one shot lead over England's Danny Willett.

Organisers called the players off at around 0730 local time because of howling 50mph winds that buffeted the iconic Old Course layout at St Andrews.

The third round will now be played on Sunday, local time, with the final 18 holes on Monday.

While the world's top golfers were battling winds at St. Andrews, the rest of the PGA Tour was in Alabama dealing with the heat during the third round of the PGA Tour's inaugural Barbasol Championship.

Ricky Barnes and Scott Piercy each shot 6-under 65 on Saturday to share the third-round lead in the inaugural tournament.

And in the LPGA's rain-delayed Marathon Classic:

South Korea's Ha Na Jang shot a 2-under 69 on Saturday leaving her a stroke ahead with one round left.

Entertainment'Thanatos, Drunk' Snatches Top Awards at Taipei Film FestivalThis year's Taipei Film Festival has just concluded with Drama film "Thanatos, Drunk" taking home six awards including the Grand Prix – the awards show's highest honour.

The Grand Prix was chosen from the winners of four categories, including feature, documentary, short and animation.

"Thanatos, Drunk" was the first feature to claim the prize in six years.

Directed by Golden Horse-winning director Chang Tso-chi, the film also won best feature, best leading actor, best supporting actor and actress, and press award.

The film follows the story of a mother, a pair of brothers and a tenant who live under the same roof.

The best director award went to Taiwan-based Tsai Ming-liang for his work "No No Sleep".

Japanese actress Nagasaku Hiromi took home the best actress award for her role in "The Furthest End Awaits."This year's jury was headed by Hong Kong director and producer Fruit Chan.

'Monster Hunt' Takes in 492 Mln yuan in Three Days, Sets New RecordChinese fantasy film 'Monster Hunt' has set a new record at the Chinese box office with takings of 492 million yuan, around 72 million US dollars in just three days.

It has become the quickest Chinese movie to break the 400 million yuan record.

Directed by Raman Hui, "Monster Hunt" is a 3D live-action adventure set in a fantasy world where humans and monsters battle to rule the land.

The production stars Jing Boran, Bai Baihe, Eric Tsang and Sandra Ng.

Chinese movie goers also set another record yesterday, contributing 435 million yuan in a single day.

The previous record was 383 million yuan in April 12th when "Fast and Furious 7" hit movie theatres across the country.

Comedian Apologizes for Hero AdaptionChinese comedian Jia Ling has offered an apology for a widely-criticized sketch adaption of ancient female hero Hua Mulan.

The comedian took to her official Weibo account to apologise. She said it was inappropriate to adapt the beloved Hua Mulan into a comedy sketch.

Hua Mulan is a legendary female warrior in the Southern and Northern Dynasties between 4th and 5th century China.

Her story of joining the army to replace her old and sick father was compiled into a poem.

However, Jia Ling's comedy sketch turned Hua Mulan into a woman who bears no ambitions and fears death.

The sketch was first aired on June 27th on Oriental Television.

It was widely criticized by viewers.

An organization named Mulan Culture Research Center issued an open letter calling for the comedian and television station to apologize.

Following Jia Ling's apology, the television station announced it was halting the programme for one week to make improvements.

'Trainspotting 2' in the WorksIconic British film "Trainspotting" is getting a sequel 20 years after its premiere.

Ewan McGreggor is returning to lead the sequel, joined by his fellow actors Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller.

44-year-old McGregor shot to fame after his role in the 1996 film as lead character Renton, a drug addict.

Directed by Danny Boyle, the film was adapted from Irvine Welsh's novel of the same title.

Boyle will also return to helm the sequel, which is expected to be widely adapted from Welsh's novel "Porno".

Filming is set to take place next year, mostly in Scotland, just like the previous film.

"Trainspotting 2" is expected to open in theatres next year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1996 classic.

X-Factor Boyband 'Stereo Kicks' Announce SplitX-Factor boy band "Stereo Kicks" have announced they are splitting less than a year after forming.

The group were formed in 2014 from contestants in UK talent show 'The X Factor'. The members had originally entered the competition as solo artists but were brought together by mentor Louis Walsh to create the 8 member band.

They were eliminated during the quarter-final stage of the competition.

The band remained unsigned after leaving the show and released only one single 'Love Me So'.

In a statement to their fans, the band wrote they "have learnt first-hand just how tough the industry is for an unsigned act."The band's last performance will take place on July 25th.

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

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

President Xi Jinping calling for the revival of China's northeastern region...

China continuing to balance economic growth amid restructuring...

And Saudi Arabia arresting 431 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State cells...

In Sports... China beating the US to reach the finals of the World Volleyball Grand Prix....

And in Entertainment... 'Thanatos, Drunk' snatching Top Awards at Taipei Film Festival...

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