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

Coming up on our program this morning...

The Chinese President is reassuring local governments that the country's economy enjoys a promising outlook, despite downward economic pressure...

New details and charges against a group of lawyers accused of attempting to influence judges and trials...

ordinary citizens in Cuba and the US welcome the normalization of ties between the two countries...

In Business...17.5 billion yuan in lock-up shares become eligible for trade in China this week...

In Sports...support from the coach for a star player with Bayern Munich...

In entertainment...an actor who had a memorable role in The Godfather has passed away at the age of 79...

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

Xi Jinping made the remarks during an inspection tour in northeastern Jilin Province, which wrapped up during the weekend.

He urged the province to develop growth sectors in its economy while adapting to the "new normal" of slower economic development.

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

He adds the economy is undergoing steady restructuring with emerging sectors cropping up and driving growth.

Fresh details reveal seized lawyers' misconduct in, outside courtAnchorSeveral lawyers arrested last week have been officially charged with disrupting public order and violating court rules.

In making the announcement over the weekend, Chinese authorities also revealed more details about how these lawyers tried to sway court decisions by making a scene in and out the court, in the name of protecting rights.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security, the nine lawyers, and several other staff members, who have been charged are employed by the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm.

They were detained earlier this month for organizing protests outside courts to help get favorable verdicts for clients.

Zhou Shifeng, director of the firm, is in police custody and has pleaded guilty.

"We hired non-professional lawyers and former politicians in order to get more publicity and make the firm famous. Some of them did break the law or even committed crimes when they were dealing with specific cases."Xinhua has reported that many of the suspects have admitted to hyping up ordinary legal issues as human rights cases to get international attention.

Police say since 2012, Zhou's group has orchestrated more than 40 controversial court incidents.

Video from a court hearing in April in the northeastern city of Shenyang showed several defense lawyers shouting and screaming shortly after a trial opened, despite calls for order from the judge.

Police were also targeted, with Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu pointing fingers at court police and calling them "hooligans."Zhai Yanmin is one of the suspects who were allegedly paid by Fengrui to organize "human rights" demonstrations.

According to him, making a scene and then being forced out of court was the group's usual tactic, attempting to paint themselves as victims, induce sympathy, and hype cases among the public.

"Several times I saw Wang raising a row with court workers and forced out of court. When she was outside the court, she actively interacted with protesters there and joined them in holding up protest signs and shouting slogans. I guess she was trying to create pressure and sway court decisions by all means."Saturday's statement also revealed evidence pointing to possible tax evasion and bribing of officials in order to win cases.

The news has triggered wide reaction inside legal circle here in China, with many condemning such behaviors.

He Yong is a senior official with the Ministry of Justice.

"Lawyers are supposed to help push forward the rule of law, contribute to rule of law in our country, and set an example in respecting, observing, and applying the law. Acts of a minority of lawyers have gone far beyond ethics and legal limits."During an interview with Xinhua, Wang Jinxi, a law professor with China University of Political Science and Law, said "being a lawyer does not mean they can break the law, and no country allows people to carry out criminal activities just because they are lawyers."For CRI, this is Wang Mengzhen.

KMT Nominates Hung Hsiu-chu for Taiwan Leadership BidThe Kuomintang party has formally endorsed the candidacy of Hung Hsiu-chu in Taiwan's leadership election in 2016.

The party's representatives gathered at a convention in Taipei on Sunday and confirmed the nomination.

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.

You Zih-siang, spokesman for Hung Hsiu-chu, says the candidate has her own advantages to attract disappointed KMT supporters back into the party.

"In my opinion, what comes first is that we can persuade the public that were disappointed with Kuomintang in the past. The reason why they felt disappointed is that we were not confident and firm enough when we claimed our propositions, or we couldn't distribute benefits equally in earnest. If we can get their support back, we will lay a solid foundation for this election."As the only contender for the ruling KMT's leadership bid, Hung passed the required support in public polls with an average rating of over 46 percent in June.

Hung is set to face Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, who was nominated in April by the DPP for the election next January.

Ski-Resorts prove Beijing can host Winter OlympicsAnchorThe host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be revealed on July 31st.

The bid from Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which have jointly applied to host, is one of the frontrunners.

Our reporter Doris Wang takes a closer look at Chongli county in Zhangjiakou, where some major venues are located.

ReporterIn the northwest of China's Hebei province and between the North China Plain and the Inner Mongolian Plateau lies Chongli County, a part of the city Zhangjiakou. The wintry climate of the area makes it ideal in hosting cold weather sports such as skiing.

Wei Qinghua is a specialist in China's ski industry and has over 13 years of experience in designing and operating ski resorts in China. He says Chongli's climate is the most attractive quality to national and international skiers.

"Chongli is a special place, where cold wave from the Northwest and thaw from the Southeast merge in winter. We have lots of snow there. The average total snowfall is around 1 meter, and there is always at least 80 cm of snowfall. It starts to snow in late September, and people have to get their padded jackets ready for use in October. The ski resorts are open to the public in November."The natural weather condition of Chongli makes the area a suitable place for training and perhaps, hosting international games. Wakatsuki Hitoshi, the director of Ski Association of Japan and the assistant general of the Department of Alpine skiing, agrees.

"Japan does have heavy snowfall but the snow isn't suitable for professional training. It's too soft for the standard of the International Ski Federation. We could only travel to America or Europe to practice in the past. But the conditions there aren't better than those in Chongli. In fact, Chongli is one of the best ski resorts around the world in November."Having suitable condition for skiing in November is not the only advantage that Chongli has over other cities in the race to host the Olympics. It also has abundant water resources and has favorable conditions for snowmaking.

As many other host cities have done in the past, Beijing and Zhangjiakou would probably need a huge amount of artificial snow to create conditions that meets the Olympic standards for winter sports. Mojca Ogris is the vice-president of Demaclenko Snowmaking, which has worked for Winter Olympics in the past. She believes that the climate in Beijing and Zhangjiakou is ideally suited by snowmaking.

"According to the standard of the ISF (International Ski Federation), density of the snow used in Winter Olympics must reach 600. But the density of natural snow is far below 600, so the snowmaking system provides a strong support for Winter Olympic Games. Take the downhill as an example. We need more snow in other ski resorts because we need to consider the melting rate of snow. But this is not a problem for Beijing. Beijing has a cold and dry winter."With many professionals and athletes optimistic about the long term development of the ski industry in Chongli and China, being able to host the winter Olympics is no longer a shadowy dream but a dream that could be realized in the near future.

Back Anchor: That was Doris Wang Reporting.

More Chinese students use gaokao scores to apply for overseas universitiesAnchorMore Chinese students have been using their results from this year's national college entrance exam, or gaokao, to apply to overseas universities.

As our reporter Qizhi finds out, this is because an increasing number of academic institutions around the world are including Gaokao scores in their admission criteria.

ReporterUniversities in more than 20 countries and regions now accepted Gaokao scores, and many of those schools are actively recruiting Chinese students.

Foreign universities have been holding interviews in major cities in China and extended application deadlines on the Chinese mainland to allow students to apply with their Gaokao records.

A candidate from southwest China's Sichuan province has just finished an interview in Beijing, and says Gaokao results are helpful.

"It provides me with a good opportunity and I don't have to make any extra preparations. I can directly apply with my gaokao scores."Xu Jing, a consultant with an overseas education consultancy agency, says the volume of online searches for information about overseas universities has seen a significant increase after this year's Gaokao.

"Statistics from our website show that the online searches for information about overseas universities rose by 43 percent after gaokao."Academic achievements come first when overseas universities evaluate students.

Stanley Nel, vice president of the University of San Francisco, says Gaokao provides them with an efficient way to evaluate students' capabilities.

"We think gaokao has many advantages. First, we look into mostly students who have achieved a score that's good enough to get into a tier one university. Second, obviously they've worked very hard because even if you're very smart, you're not going to get a good gaokao score without doing a lot of work."Nel says Chinese students can now apply for admission 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.

High school graduates with outstanding Gaokao scores are also welcome among top universities in South Korea and Singapore.

Chinese applicants' Gaokao scores are a prerequisite for applying to some European universities too.

For CRI, I'm Qizhi,Four detained over Beijing obscene video scandalBeijing police have detained four people in connection with a sex video, shot in a fitting room, that went viral online.

The four were detained on suspicion of "spreading obscene content".

One of them, a 19-year-old man, is suspected of having posted the sex video at Weibo.com, a major microblogging platform, while the other three were suspected of spreading obscene information.

The video shot on a smartphone shows a young Chinese couple having sex in a fitting room.

It's believed the footage was taken in a Uniqlo store in Sanlitun, an upmarket shopping district in Beijing.

Police say the couple admitted to having sent the video to some friends.

Further investigation is underway.

Coloring and Painting: New Trends for Stress ReliefAnchorColoring books for adults and "Art Jams" are becoming increasingly popular in China.

As our reporter Chi Huiguang finds out, drawing a picture has become a trendy way for office workers to alleviate stress.

ReporterAdult coloring books are enjoying a boom, and can be found among the top five best-selling books on Amazon and major shopping websites in the country.

More and more stressed-out white-collar workers say they want to benefit from the quiet zen that a coloring book can bring.

"I saw more and more posts on my WeChat timeline and was attracted to the books. Then I decided to order one online.""I spend time coloring every day after I go home from work, and also on weekends. I didn't have anything to do at home before. Now I feel a great sense of achievement after finishing each page."Coloring books are already out of stock at some stores in downtown Beijing and Shanghai.

Customers have to wait to about three days before the next batch arrives.

Sales of colored pencils are also in high demand.

Meanwhile, another method for stress relief and creativity recall is growing in popularity: Art Jams.

Go to a painting studio; pick up a brush in one hand, and a color palette in another, a non-professional artist can finish a work within several hours, under the instruction of the art teacher.

Zhu Jiang is a white collar worker in Beijing who got dozens of Likes under her painting on WeChat.

"I saw a friend of mine posted a picture drawn by others in Wechat timeline. I think it is very interesting. So I booked a drawing board in a studio of Art Jams. The experience turned out to be very refreshing. The last time I drew a picture was in primary school. This is the very first art creation in the past over 10 years. But the result satisfied me very much."Professor Peng Kaiping, the Dean of Department of Psychology at Tsinghua University, raves about the stress-relieving effects of coloring and painting.

"All kinds of creating activities can bring positive and happy feelings to us. As soon as we begin to do some creative works including painting, our brain will change into another mode of imagination and expectation, which will make us feel good. And after the creative activity, you will feel rewarding. This kind of sense of accomplishment is another source of happiness."Bck AnchorThat is CRI's Chi Huiguang reporting.

People in Both Countries Welcome the US-Cuba NormalizationAnchorCuba and the United States are expected to formally restore diplomatic relations and open embassies in each other's capitals.

As our reporter Niu Honglin finds out, this is set to bring many changes to people in these neighboring countries.

ReporterOspaldo hasn't been able to see his nephew and niece in the U.S. because of the travel restrictions that have been in place for decades.

With many positive acts being put to restore the relationship between the two countries recently, Ospaldo hopes he can have more opportunities to get in touch with his Cuban family members in the United States.

"Geographically, the United States is only 150 kilometers away from us. And almost every Cuban family has at least one family member over there in the U.S. So we hope we can stay together, and communicate. They should give us an opportunity to see how beautiful the U.S. is."Monday, the Cuban flag will be raised over its mission in Washington for the first time in 54 years. The U.S. embassy in Havana will also reopen, but no American flag will fly at the U.S. embassy in Havana until U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits to preside over a ceremonyKerry will meet Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, the first Cuban foreign minister to visit Washington in decades.

The two are due to hold discussions covering areas of possible cooperation, such as global health and the Cuban people's expanded "access to telecommunications," as well as points of contention, including Cuba's human rights record and U.S. fugitives sheltering on the island.

The developing normalization began in December and has been accompanied by the easing of U.S. travel restrictions to the island. Preceding the joint historic announcement in December, Cuban-Americans, Church groups and students gained greater access to Cuba, and U.S. airports were allowed to provide more services to the island.

Omar Everleny, an economist at the Centre for Economic Studies in Havana, says the uptick creates an opening for Cuban business.

"Cuba has to get ready. I think that we aren't prepared because tourism has mostly been developed outside of the capital. The statistics show that around 18,000 U.S. tourists come and stay in private homes. That creates a challenge; American tourists prefer to stay in hotels".

Cuban President Raul Castro has said Cuba is ready to peacefully coexist with the United States.

Meanwhile, when Obama is using executive powers to poke holes in trade barriers, Republicans who control Congress have made clear they will not let him entirely dismantle the embargo.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Pentagon chief visits Israel after Iran dealU.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has arrived in Israel for a visit aimed at deepening military ties.

He is the first US Cabinet member to visit the Jewish state since the Iran nuclear deal was clinched last week.

Carter says he has no expectation of changing Israel's opposition to the Iran deal, but will instead seek to deepen security ties.

Increased U.S. military-related support is expected to be on the table.

Carter is scheduled to meet with his Israeli counterpart and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following Israel, Carter will also visit Jordan and Saudi Arabia, two U.S. allies whose leaders also are worried about implications of the nuclear deal.

The trip comes as the US is trying to reassure Israel and Arab allies that the Iran nuclear deal brings a safer Middle East.

Speaking to US media, US Secretary of State John Kerry again defended the deal.

"What we know however is that an Iran without a nuclear weapon is a very different country than a Iran with one and that a Middle East without a nuclear weapon is a safer Middle East. So we believe that Israel, we believe the region will ultimately be much safe because of this deal."However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains steadfast in opposing the Iran deal.

"This regime has just received a dream deal. It may get a deal that may block or delay Iran's path to one or two bombs for the next few years, assuming they don't cheat, but paves their way to many, many bombs after a decade or say because they become a threshold state with full international legitimacy."Israel fears that Tehran's economic gains from a lifting of Western sanctions could boost Iranian-backed guerrillas in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

There are also fears it could even lead to an arms race with Arab states unfriendly to Israel.

Merkel rules out debt write-off for GreeceChancellor Angela Merkel has again ruled out writing off part of Greece's massive debt of nearly 320 billion euros, which all sides agree is unsustainable without significant restructuring.

Speaking on German TV, Merkel suggested debt forgiveness would violate EU law.

"As we said, a classic haircut, a debt forgiveness of 30 to 40 percent, cannot happen in a currency union. Imagine if every country came about this way to the countries holding the least debt among the euro states, we would enter a hopeless situation."However, she also indicated she is open to discussing ways to lessen the burden on Athens.

"Well first of all, Greece has been granted relief. Private creditors were allowed a voluntary debt cut. Then, we extended credit terms and lowered interest rates. We can consider such measures again as they are part of the mandate."Merkel persuaded German lawmakers last week to give their overwhelming backing to another financial rescue package for Greece.

Though the broad outlines of the Greek bailout have been agreed by the eurozone's 19 leaders, the details are now being negotiated.

The discussions, which are expected to last four weeks, will include economic targets and reforms deemed necessary for Athens in return for an anticipated 85 billion euros over three years.

In Greece, banks are expected to re-open today with slightly relaxed withdrawal limits but bans on foreign transfers and with other capital controls remaining in place.

Over the weekend, new ministers in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government were sworn in after a reshuffle expelled dissidents from his cabinet, and ahead of a new phase of negotiations for the new bailout package.

Saudi Arabia arrests hundreds suspected IS militantsSaudi Arabia says 431 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State cells have been arrested, thwarting attacks on mosques, security forces, and a diplomatic mission.

The interior ministry made the announcement, after a suicide car bomb attacked a checkpoint near the kingdom's highest security prison last week.

The ministry did not elaborate on when the men were detained.　Suicide bombings targeting Shi'ite Muslim mosques in the country have killed dozens in recent months.

The Islamic State has been calling on supporters to carry out attacks in the kingdom.

The militants say their priority target is the Arabian peninsula and in particular Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's holiest places, from where it plans to expel Shi'ite Muslims.

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

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 21.

Shanghai will have slight rain with a high of 31 and a low of 26.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 36 and lows of 27.

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

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 31.

Kabul will be overcast with a high of 31.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 35 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 34 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 28.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 29 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 12.

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

Headline newsXi stresses strict management of troops in visit to NE army groupChinese President Xi Jinping is calling for strict management and training of the Chinese army to adapt to new situations and tasks and achieve the goal of a stronger army.

Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an army group during the weekend.

He stressed the army should keep up military training and combat preparedness.

The visit came just days ahead of Army Day, which is observed on Aug. 1 and marks the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army .

Japan's Mitsubishi makes war slavery apologyJapan's Mitsubishi Corporation has made a landmark apology for using American prisoners of war as forced labor during World War Two.

An executive from the Japanese company made the apology at a ceremony in Los Angeles to 94-year-old James Murphy, a former POW, and the relatives of other one-time prisoners.

It's believed to be the first formal apology by a Japanese firm to POWs, an important gesture ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two which will be marked in Japan next month.

About 500 American POWs were forced to work in the mines of the Japanese company, along with thousands of Chinese, Korean and Philippine prisoners who were pushed into slave labor by the Japanese.

45 people killed in fighting in Yemen's Aden45 people have been killed in deadly battles between Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed fighters in the southern port city of Aden.

About 170 others were wounded in the latest fighting, two days after the exiled government announced the "liberation" of the city.

Most of the victims are said to be civilians.

The Houthi militia launched attacks in Aden's northern entrance on Sunday to try to retake the strategic city from pro-government fighters supported by the Saudi-led coalition forces.

The United Nations announced a ceasefire last week to allow delivery of desperately needed aid to Yemeni cities.

However, no warring parties honored the truce.

600,000 Chinese doctors sign petition against hospital violenceSome 600 thousand Chinese doctors have signed their names to an online petition calling for the end of violent attacks on medical workers.

The event was organized after a physician was injured by her patient in Guangdong last week.

The suspect attacked the doctor because he believed that the doctor's prescription made his illness worse.

The provincial health authorities are demanding hospitals put up surveillance cameras and install police alarm equipment.

Police presence is also to be strengthened in local hospitals.

Biz reportsMARKET WEEK AHEADAnchorFirst let's get a preview of what we can expect on the markets this week.

Here's CRI's Min Rui.

ReporterInvestors will focus this week on home sales data and home price index numbers, and with the situation in Greece now a little more stable, markets will switch focus to earnings.

IBM, Apple and Microsoft headline a big week for results and 126 S&P 500 companies are set to report.

On Tuesday, the iPhone maker Apple is expected to report revenue and profit above estimates, helped by strong sales. Apple sold 61.2 million iPhones in the second quarter.

Same day, Microsoft, Yahoo, Verizon Communications, and E-commerce company Amazon.com will report second-quarter earnings.

American Express, the world's biggest credit card issuer, Coca Cola, the world's largest beverage maker, and airplane maker Boeing post quarterly results on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Visa, the world's largest credit and debit card company, reports third-quarter earnings.

China will be a hot topic for General Motors executives when they report second-quarter results on Thursday.

Car sales in China have slowed sharply posing a challenge to the Detroit automaker.

On Thursday, footwear company Under Armour is expected to report second-quarter sales above analysts' estimates.

No. 1 U.S. railroad Union Pacific Corp reports second-quarter results on Thursday.

The dollar should be supported by expectations for firmer rate policy, compared with the euro zone and Japan.

The equity market has been riding high, led by tech names, and could rise further on the back of a strong set of earnings reports from the big tech companies.

Financial data firm Markit will release its preliminary Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index on Friday.

New U.S. home sales data, also due Friday, is expected show a 0.1 percent fall.

Data on home resales and from the Home Price Index is due on Wednesday.

Over in Europe, Greece is due to make its 3.5 billion euro plus interest payment to the European Central Bank.

Lock-up shares worth 17.5 bln yuan eligible for tradeIn this week, lock-up shares worth 17.5 billion yuan, about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars, will become eligible for trade on China's stock market.

According to Southwest Securities, around one billion shares from 23 companies will start trade.

Under China's market rules, major shareholders of lock-up shares are not eligible to trade those holdings for one or two years.

Shanghai Beite Technology will see shares worth around 65 million yuan unlock on Monday, the largest number of lock-up shares to hit the stock market this week.

RMB to Be 4th International currency in 2 yearsAnchorA report says the Chinese yuan will replace the Japanese Yen in fourth place on the list of international currencies.

The report is published by Renmin University and Bank of Communications.

It also points out that RMB is likely to be included in the Special Drawing Right currency basket this year.

By the first half of this year, the RMB internationalization index stands at 2.9 percent, less than one percentage point lower than the internationalization index of the Yen, which is ranked fourth on the list.

For more on the internationalization of RMB, we are now joined by Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

Talking points:

1) How significant is this milestone, of overtaking the Yen on this currency list?

2) Will the "belt and road" initiative influence the internationalization of RMB?

3) The report says that the internationalization index of US dollar, British pound, Euro and Yen is decreasing, while that of Australian dollar, Canadian dollar and some other emerging currencies are ascending. How do you see the trend?

4) If RMB is included in the IMF's Special Drawing Right currency basket, how will that affect the world currency structure?

Back AnchorMike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

Chinese Internet finance players to experience growing pains under new rulesChinese Internet finance players are having mixed feelings about a raft of new policies designed to regulate the rapidly growing sector after the authorities rolled out guidelines on Saturday.

Internet finance refers to loans, investments and other financial services provided through online channels rather than through banks and other financial institutions.

Though specific rules are still to be unveiled, many market players expect an end to the previous unregulated wild growth through enhanced competition and a market reshuffle.

The Internet finance sector has seen rapid growth as financial institutions and companies rushed to roll out Internet-based wealth-management products due to a great demand of affluent Chinese looking for higher returns than bank deposits.

Peer-to-peer lending, or lending done without a traditional financial intermediary such as a bank, saw transaction volume almost double in the first half of this year with average annual returns of about 15 percent.

China's H1 crude oil output slightly upChinese crude oil output edged up 1.7 percent year on year to more than 100 million tons in the first half.

The National Development and Reform Commission said that China refined 235 million tons of crude oil during the first half, up 3.6 percent year on year.

Output of refined oil products rose 5 percent, while consumption of refined products rose 3.2 percent.

In the same period, natural gas trade and consumption increased.

China's mobile phone users 94.5 pct of populationThe latest data shows the number of Chinese mobile phone users accounted for nearly 95 percent of the population as of the end of June.

In the first half, China saw nearly 7 million new mobile phone users, bringing the country's total mobile phone users to some 1.3 billion.

The ratio of mobile phone users to population was higher than 100 percent in nine provincial-level regions, including Beijing and Shanghai.

The number of users choosing 3G and 4G services reached 52 percent of all mobile phone users.

The 4G mobile network, which offers faster Internet access, witnessed explosive user growth last month.

SportsGuardiola wants Goetze to say with BayernBayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola says he wants Mario Goetze to stay with the club.

Guardiola supports Goetze, who scored the World Cup winning goal for Germany but has been in doubt about his forms ever since.

"Mario Goetze has a contract with us, he is a player of Bayern Munich, he is my player. And in this club I have learned that everything that happens with the player, all the transfers, are decided by the player and the club, not the coach. The coach has his opinion, but it's still decided by the club."Goetze has been linked with possible moves to Juventus and Manchester United.

The German Bundesliga champions are in Shanghai preparing for a game against Inter Milan as part of the pre-season China Tour.

Bayern had a comfortable 4-1 win against Valencia in Beijing, where Goezte didn't play.

Guardiola says the player will be hitting the field in Shanghai barring any problems ahead of the game.

CSL recapIn the Chinese Super League,Visiting team Guizhou Renhe came from 3 goals down to beat Tianjin Teda 4-3.

Shandong Luneng defeated Guangzhou R&F 4-2.

Shanghai Shenhua downed Chongqing Lifan 2-0,Jiangsu Shuntian drew 1-1 against Changchun Yatai,Henan Jianye and Hangzhou Greentown played to a goalless draw,And it was the same result for Shanghai Shenxin and Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

Beijing Guo'an and Shanghai SIPG close the round of play tonight and the result will decide the top of the league standings.

Jamaica, US in Gold Cup semifinalsMore football action, in the United States,Jamaica beat Haiti 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Jamaica will face host nation the United States in the semi-finals.

Next up, Trinidad & Tobago will play Panama, and Mexico will take on Costa Rica to decide the other semi-final match-up.

Golf recapIn golf,Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, and Irish amateur Paul Dunne share the lead, at 12 under, after the third round of the Open Championship.

Dunne has a chance to become the first amateur player to win the Open in 85 years.

It is a surreal experience for the 22-year-old Australian.

"yes it's really (unbelievable) leading the Open but I can easily believe that I've shot the three scores that I've shot. If we were playing an amateur event here, I wouldn't be too surprised by the scores that I've shot. It's just lucky that it happens to be in the biggest event in the world. Hopefully I can do it again tomorrow. Whether I do or not, I'll survive either way."Jordan Spieth remains in contention to complete a season opening Grand Slam as he stormed his way up the scoreboard and is currently one stroke behind the leaders.

For Spieth the possibility of winning it is something he will have to think about later.

"I haven't had it creep into my head yet. I don't think it will because I'll solely be focusing on, 'How can I win this tournament? Who's around me? What holes will they have left? Do I need to birdie the next couple or do I need to play to where I have a chance for birdie but par at worst?' I think there's enough going on on this golf course, and especially if the conditions are tough, there's enough battle in my head anyways. The rest of the stuff won't come in until maybe the last hole or so."The final round will tee off on Monday morning local time.

Elsewhere, in Ohio,Ha Na Jang from South Korea is leading the LPGA's Marathon Classic at 9-under after round three.

Britain, Australia in semi-finals of Davis CupIn tennis,Andy Murray has led Great Britain into the semi-finals at the Davis Cup after defeating Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 in singles.

Murray's earlier victories in doubles with his brother Jamie and singles against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga secured Britain a 3-1 win overall against France.

Australia conquered Kazakhstan 3-2 to make the semi-finals thanks to veteran Lleyton Hewitt's comeback in the decisive singles match.

Belgium and Argentina complete the last four.

Andre Greipel wins stage 15 of TdFIn cycling,Andre Greipel has sprinted to victory in stage 15 of the Tour de France.

It is the German's third stage win in this year's Tour.

Chris Froome retained his yellow jersey and is holding a 3 minute, 10 seconds gap over Nairo Quintana.

The peloton goes into the Alpes today for five grueling stages.

Badminton Taipei Open resultsIn badminton,Chen Long from China has claimed the men's singles title at the BWF Chinese Taipei Open.

Chen defeated local favorite Chou Tien-chen in three sets.

In other action,Wang Yihan knocked off Olympic champion Li Xuerui in an all-Chinese final to win the women's singles title.

And China's Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan blitzed past their Indonesian opponents to win the men's singles.

In women's doubles, Defending champions Nitya Krishinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii from Indonesia held off Chinese twins Luo Yu/Luo Ying for the title.

The mixed doubles went to Ko Sung-hyung and Kim Ha-na of South Korea.

EntertainmentAlex Rocco, Character Actor in 'Godfather,' 'Facts of Life,' Dies at 79American veteran actor Alex Rocco, who played casino owner Moe Greene in "The Godfather" died of cancer on Saturday in California. He was 79.

Often appearing as a heavy, a hood, or a cop, in "The Godfather," he had the famous line, "Do you know who I am?".

The actor appeared in several episodes of 1980s TV show "The Facts of Life".

He had recurring roles on other shows including "The Famous Teddy Z," for which he won a supporting actor Emmy in 1990.

He also did voices for animated shows including "The Simpsons".

China's single-day box office hits record high of 400 mln yuanChina's total box office sales surpassed 400 million yuan, about 64.4 million U.S. dollars on Saturday, a record for a single day.

The biggest contributor was domestic fantasy-comedy "Monster Hunt," which brought in 180 million yuan Saturday.

"Jian Bing Man," a domestic comedy that tells the story of an actor's experience in the film industry, came in second, grossing 149 million yuan.

"Monkey King: Hero is Back," the 3D animated adaption of the classic epic "A Journey to the West," took in 62 million yuan to be the third biggest contributor on the day.

Total ticket sales on Saturday broke the 383-million-yuan record made on April 12, when "Fast and Furious 7" opened on Chinese screens.

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words' releases trailerThe trailer for the 2015 Swedish documentary film "Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words" has been released.

The film directed by Stig Bj?rkman tells the story about the Swedish actress, who is best remembered for her roles as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca and as Alicia Huberman in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Notorious.

The trailer features some contemporary star power with Alicia Vikander of Ex Machina reading Bergman's words.

The film was screened in the Cannes Classics section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a special mention for documentary film award " The Golden Eye".

Swedish audiences will get to see it on the 28th of August.

There is no news yet as to when it'll arrive in the U.S. and China.

U2 Perform 'October' for First Time in 26 YearsU2 kicked off an eight-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and midway through the show they gave hardcore fans a little gift by breaking out the title track to their 1981 LP October.

It was the first time they had played the song since the New Zealand leg of the Lovetown tour in November of 1989.

The stark song was played by just Bono and the Edge on the E stage.

Salman Rushdie, Jon Bon Jovi and Harry Belafonte were in the audience.

U2's Innocence + Experience tour has seen the rockers dust off a handful of fan favorites for the first time in many years.

"In God's Country" was performed for the first time in 14 years and "Gloria" was heard for the first time in over a decade.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

The Chinese President is reassuring local governments that the country's economy enjoys a promising outlook, despite downward economic pressure...

New details and charges against a group of lawyers accused of attempting to influence judges and trials...

ordinary citizens in Cuba and the US welcome the normalization of ties between the two countries...

In Business...17.5 billion yuan in lock-up shares become eligible for trade in China this week...

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.