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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Debate about Japanese defense policies is underway in marking today's 70th anniversary of the Potsdam Declaration.

The Chinese navy is moving to try to ease concerns about the drills its currently running in the South China Sea.

The Afghan Taliban scores a major victory, convincing over a hundred Afghan soldiers to defect.

In the 2nd half of the hour, we'll bring you some of the stories making headlines in the world of science and technology this past week.....

In Sports.... China earns another gold at this year's FINA World Championships in Russia.

And in Entertainment.... an action-fantasy has officially overtaken "Lost in Thailand" to become the highest grossing film of all time in China.

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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Top NewsJapan's defense policies questioned ahead of Potsdam anniversaryAnchor:

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the delivery of the Potsdam Declaration.

To mark the anniversary, observers have been debating whether the planned changes to Japan's current defense policies might violate the spirit of the document.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

This July marks the 70th anniversary of the Potsdam Proclamation, a document issued by China, the United States and Britain on July 26, 1945 in demand of Japan's unconditional surrender in WWII.

In issuing the statement, the three nations put out an ultimatum, stating that if Japan did not surrender, it would "face prompt and utter destruction."Dennis Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center in the United States, notes the Japanese government chose to ignore the statement at its own peril.

"The Japanese government could have taken the opportunity in late July to end the war and prevented the atomic bombings in August which soon followed. But instead, the Japanese government passed up on the opportunity. United States government is often blamed for dropping the bombs, but the Japanese government deserves equal if not greater blame for not heeding the Potsdam Declaration when they had the opportunity."But beyond calling for an immediate end to the war, the Potsdam Declaration also outlined a series of steps Japan would have to take to bring itself out of the war safely.

These included provisions which would allow Japan to maintain industries and international trade, as long as the proceeds of which weren't used to re-arm later.

This provision of the Potsdam Proclamation eventually became part of the blueprint for Japan's pacifist constitution.

Ly Yaodong, Japanese studies researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to change the country's defense policies flies in the face of the spirit of the Potsdam Declaration.

"Japan accepting the Potsdam Proclamation and surrendering at the allies' discretion marked the end of the anti-fascism war. It also meant that Japan had to abide by the items in both the Potsdam and Cairo Declarations to help build post-war international order."Victor Pavlyatenko, a Japanese researcher with the Russian Academy of Sciences, suggests countries occupied or hurt by Japanese forces during the war need to speak out against what's happening right now in Japan.

"The series of moves made by Abe's cabinet have violated major postwar international laws, including main principles of the Potsdam Proclamation. And all those countries which had been hurt by Japanese militarism in the 1940s should now stand together to defend the post-WWII order."Despite originally ignoring the Potsdam Proclamation, Japan did eventually announce its surrender on August 15th, and formally signed the articles of peace based on the Potsdam Proclamation on September 2nd, 1945.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Japanese Experts Criticize Abe Government's Defiance of Potsdam ProclamationAnchor:

A number of Japanese obsevers are suggesting prime minister Shinzo Abe's proposed defense policy changes are an afront to the spirit of the Potsdam Declaration.

CRI's Victor Ning has more.

Reporter:

Mitsuaki Tamura, a retired professor on international relations, says the Potsdam Proclamation helps make Japan a pacifist country.

"The most important aim of the Potsdam Proclamation was demilitarizing Japan and making it a reliable country in the world. Japan admitted that too. I think it was the most important thing in the Potsdam Proclamation for Japan."Tamura made the remarks in response to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to deny Japan's aggression against other countries during WWII.

Tamura says Japan should be held responsible for the war.

"The Potsdam Proclamation denied the militarism and war path that Japan had followed. It stated that Japan's brutal war policy had made a lot of people suffer and that Japan should take responsibility for the war. Japan had admitted to this in its surrender."Tamura also insists that Japan should abide by the Potsdam Proclamation in order to prevent the repeat of its painful wartime past.

Meanwhile, Shinyichirou Shiranishi, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Japan-China Society, has slammed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for refusing to acknowledge the Potsdam Declaration.

Shiranishi says the Potsdam Declaration is in line with Japan's pacifist Constitution.

"It won't do for him to deny the Potsdam Declaration as the Declaration and Japan's Constitution based on these having a common ground. It does not hold water to deny the Declaration while acknowledging the Constitution."Shiranishi also criticizes Abe's attempt to revise the constitution by pushing a set of unpopular and widely condemned security bills through parliament.

Under the new bills being moved forward by the Abe administration, the Japanese military will be able to engage in armed conflicts overseas, and can also be sent in to help defend the country's allies, even if Japan isn't under direct threat.

Japan's Constitution, drafted by the United States after World War II, specifically restricts the Japanese military to self-defense only.

The proposed legislation still needs to move through the upper house of the Japanese parliament.

If a vote isn't held in the upper chamber within the next two months, it will be sent back to the lower house, where Abe's coalition government should be able to make the bills into law with a two-thirds majority.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

Xi Jinping delivers congratulations to Maldives on annivesrary of independenceChinese president Xi Jinping has delivered a message of congratulations to Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of Maldivian independence.

In his message, Xi Jinping has congratulated Yameen for helping reform the Maldivian economy and improving the livelihoods of its citizens since taking office.

Xi Jinping has also reflected on the fact that the two countries have agreed to develop a comprehensive partnership during his visit to the Maldives last September.

Xi Jinping says China highly values the relationship with the Maldives, and says he also hopes to personally work with Yameen in the future to help the country grow.

At the same time, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi also delivered a message of support to his Maldivian counterpart.

Chinese navy moves to ease concerns about South China Sea drillThe Chinese navy is moving to allay regional concerns about an ongoing drill in the South China Sea.

The Navy says the drill is part of its normal operations.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Navy says the annual drill is designed to test its soldiers' combat abilities and is completely in-line with international laws and practices.

As the same time, the Navy says -quote- "some powerful countries outside the region" are deploying vessels and aircraft on recon missions in the region, saying this is threatening China's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

While the United States was not mentioned specifically in the comments, the US has been increasing its reconnaissance missions over the South China Sea the past few weeks.

Rescue Continues in Northeast China's flooded mine, sign of life detectedThe death toll from a coal mine flooding in Heilongjiang has climbed to 4.

This follows the recovery of 2 more bodies.

However, rescue operations are still underway for the 11 others still trapped.

Searchers say they believe they have detected signs of life, even though 5-days have passed since the mine flooded.

"Two rescuers were drilling inside when they heard continuous knocking sounds on the pipeline which weren't coming from their drilling. So they stopped, and confirmed there was, indeed, some knocking sounds on their drill-pipe. They also knocked on the pipeline from the outside and got a response from inside the coal mine."Nutritional supplements are being inserted along the drill-line to try to keep the trapped miners alive.

Heavy rains are being blamed for the flooding, which took place on Monday afternoon in the city of Hegang, which is located near Heilongjiang's eastern border with Russia.

15 miners were inside the mine at the time.

Two managed to escape without injury.

One of the survivors says the mine flooded very quickly, giving him and his fellow survivor little time to escape.

Authority: Flight Delays Worsen in ChinaAnchor:

New stats from China's civil aviation authorities show flight delays are continuing to grow across the country this year.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

According to the figures from the CAAC, the average on-time rate for domestic airlines was just over 65 percent between January and June, compared to over 68 percent last year.

In other words, a passenger flying on a Chinese airline experiences a flight delay in one of every three trips.

The data shows that the on-schedule rate exceeded 72 percent in January, the highest in the first six months and almost at the same level as a year ago.

But the rate declined in the following months with June suffering the worst slide as it dropped to below 60 percent.

Gao Yuanyang with the aeronautics-focused Beihang University says many factors can affect the rate.

"Weather conditions, the management quality of an airline company, the scheduling of airport runway operations and airspace arrangements all play important roles. Sometimes, an unexpected small change is enough to spoil a well-designed flight plan."Meanwhile, a notable increase in passenger flow and unchanged air route capacity are believed to contribute to massive delays.

Stats show that the monthly increase of air passenger flow in China exceeded 10 percent in the first half of the year.

The airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have to deal with at least 90 take-offs and landings per hour, while the average amount of traffic on the country's busiest air routes exceeds 11-hundred planes a day, nearly double that seen in Europe and America.

Gao Yuanyang says delays are inevitable in the face of such busy air traffic.

"There must be a certain distance between two landing planes. If the distance is not long enough, the latter one will be ordered to wait by circling around in the air. And if the arrival airport is too busy to receive any more flights, the departure airport will postpone the take-off of the plane."Gao suggests that domestic air control authorities could expand air route capacity by allowing more aircrafts to fly in the same airspace but at different altitudes.

The CAAC also blames increasing extreme weather events this year for worsening flight delays.

The authority also revealed that it has received about 700 complaints about delays this year. Most complaints centered on getting stranded on board while waiting for take-off, slow information updates and unsatisfactory compensation for passengers.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Skiing schools promote winter sportsAnchor:

A new boom in the number of skiing instruction schools is being seen in the city of Zhangjiakou, which will be home to the alpine events for the 2022 Winter Games if Beijing's bid this coming Friday is successful.

CRI's Doris Wang has more.

Reporter:

Hao Shihua, is a 40-year-old Chinese alpine skier, who has won gold medals at the national games 9 times. She is also the headmaster of a skiing school named after her.

Hao said that she enjoyed skiing in Chongli of Zhangjiakou city very much.

"I prefer to ski in Chongli since 2003. Though I've already been an athlete, I'm also a fancier of skiing. I love to ski in the woods in Chongli. So I gradually started my business here."Hao set up the Flower Ski School in 2012, the school independent from a ski resort. Her biggest concern for now is how to attract more people into skiing. She said that in Chongli, there is asset to promote winter sports.

"Chongli has a long snow fall period. It can last for over 150 days. This facilitates the skiing teaching. Besides, there are 5 world-class ski resorts here. We can have more communications about how to better training, so as to attract more skiing fanciers."Moreover, Chongli is close to both Beijing and Tianjin. They are the most powerful economic regions in China. This geographical situation provides a huge market for this skiing school. Hao is surprised at how fast her school is expanding.

"When we first started in 2012, we only had 10 coaches and around 200 students. In the second year, there were 20 coaches and over 1000 students. And last year, we had over 30 coaches and 3000 students. And now, we still need more coaches and our goal is to have 30,000 trainees in the near future."In China, there are a lot of fast-developing skiing schools. And in Hao Shihua's opinion, the number of Chinese skiing lovers will be growing rapidly.

"As far as I know, there are over 500 skiing schools in China. In each school, the number of coaches ranges from 100-500 and this increases every year. It's obvious that we will have much more skiing fanciers in the future and achieving the object of 300 million is just around the corner."Thanks to the Winter Olympics and the passion from all the skiing fans, the development of winter sports in China seems to have a bright future.

Back anchor:

CRI's Doris Wang reporting.

2015 Special Olympics World Games Kick off in LAAnchor:

The Olympic Flame is one-again lit, with the city of Los Angeles playing host to the 2015 Special Olympics.

CRI correspondent Xiao Hong has more from Los Angeles.

Ann:

US First Lady Michelle Obama was on-hand Saturday night to officially declare the opening of the Games.

"And now, on behalf of my husband the entire nation that is rooting for all of you, it is my great honor to say those magical words: let the 2015 Special Olympics World Games begin!"Mrs. Obama's opening of the Special Olympics has been greeted with euphoria, bringing many in the massive crowd to tears, including Ronald Weintraub, a fervent supporter of the Special Olympics.

"I cried. It was awesome! It was the best show! Over 60 thousand people in the Coliseum! It feels like a real Olympic Games. The Special Olympics is finally here. We did it!"The 60-thousand in attendence at the LA Coliseum has actually surpassed the numbers for the Opening Ceremony of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

China has 93 athletes involved in this year's Special Olympics, including 21-year old Xiao Zhiqiang from the city of Zhangzhou in Fujian, who is taking part in the basketball competition.

"We will do our utmost to play! We'll strive to win."Timothy Shriver, President of the Special Olympics, says sport has become a game changer for intellectually disabled people and their families.

"Too often sport is used to find out who is the best. We use sport to ask everyone to discover what is your best."Around 65-hundred athletes from 165 different countries and regions will compete in 25 different events over the next week.

Xiaohong, CRI, Los Angeles.

125 security personnel give up fighting to join Taliban in Afghan Badakhshan provinceAhead of another round of peace talks likely to take place sometime this week in Pakistan, the Taliban in Afghanistan has managed to secure a public-relations coup.

A group of 125 Afghan security personnel have defected to the Taliban following days of heavy fighting in the province of Badakhstan.

This is the Afghan province which shares a small border with China.

It's not clear what has prompted the Afghan troops to switch sides.

This has since allowed the Taliban to take control of a strategically-important valley in the area.

Badakhstan has been the scene of heavy fighting between Afghan troops and Taliban fighters for the past few weeks, after a group of Taliban soldiers took control of a key district in the region late last month.

The province itself is strategically-important, as its the only one linking Afghanistan with neighboring Tajikistan.

Most of the people living in the region are ethnic Tajiks.

The Tajiks fought against the Taliban during the Afghan civil war, which erupted after the fall of the Soviet-backed Afghan administration in the early 90's.

The defection of the 125 Afghan soldiers to the Taliban comes as the Taliban and the Afghan government prepare for their 2nd round of peace talks in Pakistan.

Initial talks took place earlier this month as part of a pledge by the Afghan government to try to reach out to the Taliban in an attempt to bring the group back into the fold.

The Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2002 until being overthrown, is made up mostly of religiously-devout fighters from the country's rural areas.

Colombia suspends bombing raids on FARCThe Colombian government has announced the suspension of bombing raids against FARC rebel positions in the country.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says the halt to the bombing comes with certain pre-conditions.

"I have issued the order to stop as of today bombing raids against camps where there are members of that group. This decision will be effective if FARC camps are far from cities, if they don't imply a threat for people or for the public forces, and they don't endanger infrastructure or take part in recruiting activities."The move follows an agreement earlier this month reached between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels to de-escalate and resume full-scale negotiations.

Negotiations, which have taking place the past few years in Cuba, have been stalled recently.

Observers on both sides say they're roughly half-way toward creating a long-term peace agreement.

Colombia's FARC insurgency, which began as a left-wing revolt in the Colombian countryside over half-a-century ago, has left around 220-thousand dead and 6-million others displaced.

Obama says US will work closely with Kenya to crush Al-ShabaabAnchor:

US President Barack Obama is pledging to help Kenya fight Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab has launched a number of deadly attacks inside Kenya in recent years in protest against Kenya's help in ousting it from power in Somalia.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara has more.

Reporter:

As President Obama wraps up his two day visit to Kenya, he pledged to work closely with the Kenyan government on counter-terrorism issues, particularly on crushing the al- Qaeda backed movement Al-shabaab that killed almost 150 students at a university in Garissa, just three months ago.

Obama said that security in Africa was a priority for both countries.

"Today we discussed deepening our security cooperation as part of our security governance initiative. Our governments signed an action plan yesterday, which will support Kenya's efforts to strengthen its judiciary, police, and border security."Obama also urged the Kenyan government to take tangible steps to curb corruption that was hindering development. He said that the United States was willing to offer technical assistance to strengthen anti-corruption institutions in Kenya.

His discussions with his Kenyan counterpart also focused on regional security issues affecting the stability of Kenya's neighbors.

"We also had an opportunity to discuss regional security issues and we focused in particular on the terrible conflict in South Sudan, which has taken so many lives that caused unbearable suffering for the South Sudanese people. We also discussed Burundi where the recent elections were not credible.

Another priority on the US president's agenda was to challenge the position of the Kenyan government -- and many other like-minded governments in Africa - on the issue of gay rights.

While Obama spoke strongly against discrimination, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Kenya had different cultural values.

"The fact of the matter is that Kenya and the United States we share so many values: our common love for democracy, entrepreneurship, value for families, these are things that we share. But there are some things that we must admit that we don't share; our culture, our societies doesn't accept. It's very difficult for us to be able to impose on people that, which they themselves do not accept. This is why I repeatedly say for Kenyans today the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue. We want to focus on other areas that are day-to-day living for our people."Obama also brought in $1 billion in new investments -- about half from government backed loans or grants -- to boost young entrepreneurs in Africa.

His visit to the largest economy in East Africa coincides with the hosting of the Global Entrepreneurship Forum in Nairobi.

The annual event, held in Africa for the first time attracted hundreds of young change-makers from around the world.

At the summit Obama said Africa's future will depend on young dreamers who could "offer positive alternatives to the ideologies of violence and division."Nairobi is the first stop on President Obama's historic trip to East Africa.

The trip is also Obama's first visit as president to the country where his father was born.

Obama will next head to EthiopiaFor CRI, I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

'Titanic of the Med' wreck lures thousands of divers to CyprusAnchor:

A massive iron and steel ship which sank off the coast of Cyprus some 35-years ago is quickly becoming one of the most popular destinations in the Mediterranean for amature divers.

CRI's Qian Shanming has more.

Reporter:

"This is one of the biggest wrecks in the world here, also it's very nice. The weather is good. You don't have any current so you just take pleasure in traveling all around the ship."16-year-old Andrei Pligin is a diving enthusiast from Russia.

He's one a growing number of underwater adventurers who have travelled to Cyprus to explore the MS Zenobia.

The massive cargo ferry, running nearly 180-meters in length, went down about 2-kilometers off the port of Larnaca in Cyprus in 1980 with around 300-million US dollars worth of cargo on it at the time.

Local legend has it that the boat's owner never collected on the insurance, deciding instead not to bother salvaging it.

True or not, the sinking of the Zenobia in rougly 40-meters of water has turned it into one of the most popular destinations for divers in the Mediterranean.

Cypriot authorities have since declared the Zenobia a marine-protected artificial reef, which is now attracting around 45-thousand divers a year.

Jonathan Wilson with the Cyprus Dive Centre Association says the Zenobia brings in revenues of around 15-million euros a year for them.

He says the massive revenues have sparked debate about creating another "Zenobia" in the area.

"Another wreck of around 100 meters long should bring in somewhere between 6 million. Even if you call it 3 million each year, it's a very small amount of money to buy a wreck and sink it for 300-thouand (euros) to bring in 3 million euros each year for the next 20, 30, 50 years."Beyond the tourism revenues, the wreck is also benefitting the local biodiversity, and is said to be helping restock dwindling fish life around Larnaca.

This has led to calls for a fishing ban around the Zenobia to try to preserve, what has turned into, the biggest coral reef off Cyprus.

Nicos Kouyialis, Cypriot Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, says the government of Cyprus is fully aware of the site's potential.

"We are in the process of creating a network of marine-protected areas and artificial reefs. We will definitely spend money in the area close to the wreck there."The Zenobia site is somewhat unique, as its depth level allows for both beginners and more experienced divers to enjoy it.

Beginner divers can easily access the outside of the ship, while veteran divers can explore the inside of the Zenobia, which sank with numerous pieces of cargo in it.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

More need to be Done to Recycle used ClothesNew research has found that over 20 million tons of used clothes are either wasted or left unused annually in China.

The analysis is also suggesting that number is on the rise.

Right now, only around 10-percent of all clothing in China are recycled.

Guan Aiguo, deputy director of the China Resource Recycling Association, says better clothes recycling programs needed to be promoted.

"The government should incorporate the recycling of used cloths into its development plan. It should formulate supporting policies ranging from recycling, disposal and studying relevant technologies."Observers are suggesting if the number of recycled clothes can hit around 60-percent, some 10-million tons of chemical fibers will be saved.

That's the equivalent output of around a dozen large chemical fiber factories.

weatherBeijing has scattered showers tonight with a low of 23 degrees Celsius; more showers tomorrow with a high of 31.

Shanghai has some clouds tonight with a low of 27; thundershowers tomorrow with a high of 36.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 26, more clouds tomorrow with a high of 35.

Lhasa will be cloudy tonight with a low of 12, still cloudy tomorrow with a high of 26.

Headline newsXi Jinping delivers congratulations to Maldives on anniversary of independenceChinese president Xi Jinping has delivered a message of congratulations to Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of Maldivian independence.

In his message, Xi Jinping has congratulated Yameen for helping reform the Maldivian economy and improving the livelihoods of its citizens since taking office.

Xi Jinping has also reflected on the fact that the two countries have agreed to develop a comprehensive partnership during his visit to the Maldives last September.

Xi Jinping says China highly values the relationship with the Maldives, and says he also hopes to personally work with Yameen in the future to help the country grow.

At the same time, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi also delivered a message of support to his Maldivian counterpart.

17 Chinese tourists injured in bus accident in Thailand's PhuketA bus carrying a group of Chinese tourists has overturned in Thailand, leaving 17 Chinese tourists hurt.

One of them is in serious condition, after the bus overturned on the resort island of Phuket.

The Chinese consulate in Phuket is now involved in helping the victims.

The cause of the bus crash hasn't been determined.

An accident involving a bus full of Chinese tourists on Phuket took place back in late-March, leaving 3 Chinese nationals dead.

1 dead, four injured in northwest China chemical plant fireOne person is dead and 2 others are missing following a fire at a chemical plant this Sunday morning in Gansu.

Four others managed to survive the blaze, which broke out at a chemical plant run by PetroChina in the city of Qingyang.

It took crews around 5-hours to put out the fire, which began around 7am.

It's unclear what sparked the blaze.

Unruly passenger detained after fight onboard flight to GuangzhouA passenger has been detained for disrupting a flight early this Sunday in Guangdong.

Authorities say the rowdy passenger attempted to damage the Shenzhen Airlines flight into Guangzhou, which originally took off from the city of Taizhou in Zhejiang.

The passenger had to be overpowered by the flight crew and other passengers.

The flight later landed safely in Guangzhou.

Two people who were injured in the incident were sent to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.

It remains unclear what prompted the outburst of violence by the passenger.

Airport operations at Guangzhou's Baiyun Airport continue to operate normally, despite the disruption.

3 killed after small plane crashes in Tokyo suburbAt least 3-people are dead following a small plane crash into a residential area in suburban Tokyo.

The plane went down near a small, regional airport in the suburb of Chofu early this Sunday morning.

Two people onboard the aircraft, as well as one person in the home the plane crashed into, are dead.

Another person was pulled to safety from the crash site.

It's unclear if that person was on-board the plane or inside the house at the time of the crash.

The crash of the light plane also sparked a subsequent fire, which crews have since put out.

Sci&Tech (Sunday)Anchor:

It's time now to check in with what's been happening in the world of science and technology this past week, which has included NASA discovering an earth-like planet in our galaxy and the development of a washing machine which can understand and speak "Mandarin."CRI's Wen Jie with our weekly Science and Technology segment.

Reporter:

Scientists using NASA's powerful Kepler telescope have found a planet beyond the solar system that is a close match to Earth.

John Grunsfeld is associate administrator of NASA's science mission directorate.

"Today we are announcing the discovery of an Exoplanet that as far as we can tell is a pretty good, close cousin to the earth and our sun. This is about the closest so far, and I really emphasize the so far because the Kepler data set is very rich and the science community has full access to be able to extract future discoveries out of the data set, but today we are announcing the closest twin, so to speak, to earth or earth 2.0 that we found so far in the data set."The planet, which is about 60 percent bigger than Earth, is located about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.

While similarly sized planets have been found before, the latest one, known as Kepler-452b, is circling a star that is very similar but older than the sun at a distance about the same as Earth's orbit.

Jon Jenkins, Kepler data analysis lead tells what it may be like on the planet.

"It would likely have a mass about five times that of earth and the surface gravity of twice that of earth, so you and I would weigh twice as much as we do now, but only until we walked around a few weeks and lost some serious pounds. We also expect the atmosphere to be thicker and have more cloud cover and this planet would likely still have very active volcanos."Based on its size, scientists believe Kepler-452b is rocky and Earth-like and positioned at the right distance for liquid surface water, which is believed to be necessary for life.

The research will be published in an upcoming issue of The Astronomical Journal.

////Galanz, a Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer, recently released the world's first smart washing machine which can "understand and speak" Chinese.

The product, dubbed as "G+Didi", will be launched in China's e-commerce platform JD.com in mid-August.

It's like a Siri, a part of Apple Inc.'s iOS which works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator, installed in the washing machine.

Users can voice-control the product without touching the function buttons. At the same time, the machine can respond to user's orders. Users can control the washing machine through an app on smartphones.

The seniors who cannot use the roller washing machine just need to talk to their machine. When users are out, their smartphone will remind when the laundry is over.

Experts pointed out that the smart home appliances can make people's life more comfortable and convenient, and it will bring tremendous vitality to the industry.

////IT industry insiders said that there is enough innovation in the industry for service robots to become a reality for many people very soon.

Yang Xu, president of Intel China made the remarks during the ongoing 19th competition event of football robots also known as RoboCup 2015, in Hefei city of east China's Anhui Province.

"Everyone is looking for that sweet spot -- what the service robot is capable of doing for our household today. So I think that's going to happen very soon. And I think there's enough innovation and there's enough products already out there."RoboCup uses soccer to promote the advancement of robotic science and technology, with the ultimate goal of building a soccer team that can compete against human World Cup teams by 2050.

Entrants to Robocup 2015 said that the robots at this year's competition were more human-like because of stricter entrance rules.

This year's tournament, which attracted participants and spectators from 47 countries and regions, started on Sunday and finished on Thursday.

////Researchers from Nankai University in Tianjin have carried out an experiment, trying to control a car by the driver's brain alone.

The driver puts on equipment similar to headphones which collect brain signals from 16 points. It then is converted to orders and sent to the car.

Under the system, the car moved straight forward, backward, stopped, got locked and unlocked in the trial carried out on campus.

Researchers say the brain-controlled car requires faster and more accurate collection of brain signals.

Researchers believe that the technology has great potential in the future, because it not only enables people with disabilities to drive, but also enhances the safety of driving by ordinary people.

However, it will take long to see such an automobile on the market.

////3D scanning technology has been employed to restore the Buddha statues unearthed last December in southwest China's Chengdu City digitally.

Yang Sheng is a researcher from Chengdu-based archeological institute.

"Because they have some missing parts, under such circumstances, we did not carry out ordinary, conventional restoration based on guesswork, subjective restoration. Then, by means of this kind of restoration method, in this 3D virtual space, we restored them to make a display."The approximately 100 stone statues, 10 to 30 centimeters in height, are believed to date back to China's Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Tang Dynasty, more than a thousand years ago.

The restoration is still ongoing and the statues will be put on display at the end of this year.

////Scientists from UK say they've discovered a binge eating gene in teenagers.

The research found that young people with the particular variation are 20 percent more likely to be over eaters.

The discovery could help cut the cost of obesity to the UK's National Health Service, estimated to be around 9.3 billion US dollars a year.

Professor Paul Gately, who helped develop weight loss camps for obese children, thinks genetics could play a part in tackling Britain's obesity epidemic.

"What our children and families tell us is there are lots of different factors which drive their behaviors and so, in essence, being able to pinpoint through research what those different contributing factors are to different children is the way forward. And we've got to move away from this one size fits all approach, this blame culture that we have. The way we make children and parents feel as though they're greedy and they're lazy. That's been the narrative for so long."The team behind the analysis thinks it could show which children might benefit from extra help.

It is estimated that a third of the UK population are projected to be obese by 2030.

////Engineers in Germany have built a biologically inspired artificial hand with muscles made from bundles of 'smart' wires.

An electric charge is all that's needed to make these wires tense or relax, meaning the hand can operate without the bulky and cumbersome electronics that often make artificial prosthetic hands impractical.

The muscle-like fibres are made from strands of nickel-titanium wire, each about the width of a human hair.

The metal wire, known as shape-memory alloy, has the highest energy density of all known actuation mechanisms, which allows it to perform powerful movements in restricted spaces.

The term 'shape memory' refers to the wire's ability to return to its original shape after being deformed.

The team hopes the technology could eventually be used to create prosthetic limbs that function and feel more like natural ones.

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

Thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the show.

I'm Wenjie. See you next week.

SportsChina Storms Diving Events on Day 2 of FINA World ChampionshipsStarting things off with diving news from the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Chinese olympic champion Wu Minxia and two-time world champion Shi Tingmao clinched their second-straight world title in the three-meter women's synchronized springboard event.

Wu Minxia now has eight world titles in as many world championship showings with the latest win. At 29 years old, Wu is also the oldest champion in this event.

Notching a score of 351.30 points, the pair--who won at the previous world championships in Barcelona--nabbed China one of the two gold medals it won yesterday.

In the mixed 10-meter platform dive, China's defending women's 10-meter champ, Si Yajie, and Tai Xiaohu stayed ahead of the pack from start to end in their event, to clinch gold.

Scoring 350.88, the two stayed well ahead of second-place Canada, who scored 309.66 and Australia, who scored 308.22 to get bronze.

With the two diving golds and one synchronized swimming bronze, China currently sits at the top of the medals count.

Chinese Super League UpdateIn football action from the Chinese Super League going on right now:

Looking to jump back into the top three, Beijing Guo'an is taking on Guizhou Renhe(UPDATE)Chongqing Lifan is battling second-place Shanghai SIPG:

(UPDATE)And Guangzhou Evergrande, coming off their shootout win against Bundesliga champs Bayern Munich, are back to CSL business. They are facing Hangzhou Greentown.

(UPDATE)Football: Mexes Scores Year's Best Goal in Milan's 1-0 Win Over InterIn the latest Milan Derby clash, which took place in the Chinese city of Shenzhen last night,AC Milan beat crosstown rivals Inter Milan 1-0 with one of the most dynamic goals of the year so far.

Milan defender Philippe Mexes scored an wonderful volleyed goal off Giacomo Bonaventura's corner on 61 minutes. The French defender jumpkicked the ball from 25 yards out, catching Inter goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo unawares as the shot hit the back of the net.

Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic says the win is the first step to returning his team to former glory.

AC Milan will next meet La Liga giants Real Madrid on July 30, followed by a clash with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.

Int'l Champions Cup RecapIn other football action from the International Champions Cup action:

English Premiere winners Chelsea beat French League 1 toppers Paris Saint Germain 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out to win their International Champions Cup match in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday.

With the match ending 1-1 after 90 minutes, it was Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who was the hero.

He saved Brazil's Thiago Silva's try before he smashed the winning kick past the Chelsea keeper to win it 6-5.

And Barcelona lost 3-1 against Manchester United in Santa Clara, California.

Wayne Rooney opened scoring for Man U with a header off Ashley Young's corner kick.

Jesse Lingard doubled Man U's lead in the second half. Barca got on the scoreboard late in the match, but Adnan Januzaj popped in a goal immediately after to put the Premiere league squad up 3-1.

Gold Cup: Panama in 3rd After Edging U.S. 3-2 in ShootoutAnd in football action from the Gold Cup in North America:

Panama are the third-place winners at the CONCACAF tournament after downing heavy favorites and hosts U.S.A. thanks to a 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory after drawing 1-1 in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Panama's Luis Mejia saved two penalties, while one went wide as they edged the U.S. 3-2 in the shootout.

The Gold Cup final between Mexico and Jamaica takes place tomorrow.

World Cup 2018 Qualifiers Draw ReviewIn football news:

The 2018 World Cup qualifying draw has been announced in St. Petersburg.

Making the headlines have been the newly-announced European draw--specifically two big-time clashes.

France will take on the Netherlands in Group A, while European heavies and long-standing rivals Spain and Italy will battle in Group G.

Another notable matchup is Scotland versus England.

China have already begun their World Cup campaign, beating Bhutan 6-0 in the first leg of their meeting back in June. China are also favored in their coming qualifiers against the Maldives and Hong Kong--but the team expected to give them the most trouble is Qatar.

The African nations are competing in two-legged matchups. The 20 winners from the second round will enter a five-group playoff. The winners of each group will qualify for the World Cup.

In CONCACAF top two teams in each group will face off in a six-team mini-league. The top three in that tournament qualify, while the fourth will head into the intercontinental playoff between the South American, Oceana, and Asian runners-up.

Golf RecapIn Golf:

English pair Matt Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett go into the final round of the European Masters neck and neck on 12 under par after a roller-coaster third day at on Saturday.

Both sit two shots ahead of France's Raphael Jacquelin.

At the PGA Tour's Canadian Open:

David Hearn moved into pole position to become the first home player to win the Canadian Open in 61 years, taking a two-stroke lead over Bubba Watson and Jason Day after carding 4-under 68.

And at the Meijer LPGA Classic:

Lizette Salas, Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee were tied for the lead at nine under par at the start of the day, but by the end Salas would sit alone in first, clear of the field by four strokes at 7 under part 64.

U.S. Win 1st World GP Volleyball Title in Three YearsIn volleyball action from the FIVB World Grand Prix in the U.S. city of Omaha:

The United States won their first Grand Prix finals championship since 2012 after downing two-time defending champ Brazil on Saturday.

With a 25-16, 25-22, 25-21 sweep of the Brazilians, the U.S. remain undefeated throughout the five-day tournament.

The U.S. still has one more match to play, and that's against China, who swepty Russia 27-25, 25-20, 25-19.

Entertainment'Monster Hunt' Beats 'Lost in Thailand' to Become the Highest-grossing Chinese FilmFantasy film "Monster Hunt" has officially out-paced "Lost in Thailand" to become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time.

"Monster Hunt" has grossed north of 1.27-billion yuan as of this Sunday, setting the new record just 10-days after opening.

It took "Lost in Thailand" 21 days to break the old record in 2012.

"Lost in Thailand" Xu Zheng has offered his own form of congratulations to the people behind "Monster Hunt."He's posted a photo of on his Weibo account showing one of the monsters in the film dancing on top of Xu Zheng's head, wearing a crown.

"Monster Hunt" has already broken records in China for best opening day revenues and best first-week revenues.

The film is also the quickest film to break the one-billion yuan mark, which it did in just 8-days.

Industry observers are suggesting "Monster Hunt" may end up taking in revenues of around 1.5-billion yuan, which is around 240-million US dollars.

US Box Office: 'Pixels' Trails 'Ant-Man', 'Minions' Comes ThirdNew analysis is suggesting Adam Sandler's new video game comedy "Pixels" is looking at a 25-million US dollar opening weekend after taking in 9-million dollars in North America on Friday.

"Pixels" Friday numbers outpaced Marvel's "Ant-Man" by some 2-million US dollars.

However, "Pixels" isn't being well received, with critics and viewers alike panning the film for not having any real substance.

Many reviews have been suggesting "Pixels" is trying to capitalize on the key demo's nostalgia for video games, with the comedy said to be very derivative.

Meanwhile, animated comedy "Minions" has managed to generate 6.7 million dollars on Friday, putting it on-track for a 22-million US dollar weekend.

This should put its overall gross at around 260-million US dollars by the end of this weekend in North America.

Coming-of-age film "Paper Towns" currently sits in 4th in the weekend box-office rankings, with a 19-million US dollar weekend projection.

"Paper Towns" took only 12 million dollars to produce.

By comparison, "Pixels" cost 88-million US dollars to produce because of its reliance on CGI.

'Harry Potter' Director Wants to Make Another InstallmentAmerican director Chris Columbus, the man behind the first two "Harry Potter" movies, has gone on-record saying he'd like to direct another Harry Potter film.

In making the suggestion, Columbus says he's always wondered what happened to the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione in the 19-years after they beat the great villain Voldemort.

The books and films both have a nearly 2-decade gap, and jump from their victory over Voldemort to the scene where the trio send their own kids on the train to the wizard school at Hogwarts.

Author J.K. Rowling has published a number of short stories to try to fill in the gap.

However, she's also been busy developing a spinoff titled "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," which is going to feature Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne.

A stage play called "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is also in the works.

Chris Columbus says he has yet to approach J.K. Rowling about a possible film, but does say he is eager to know what's on her mind about those missing years.

Comedy Central's 'Key & Peele' to End after 5 SeasonsThe sketch comedy duo of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have announced their current season of their hit show "Key & Peele" on Comedy Central is going to be their last.

Season 5 of the show will end in September.

In making the announcement, Keegan-Michael Key says their departure has nothing to do with Comedy Central, suggesting instead that both he and Jordan Peele are looking at doing other things, both together and separately.

The two mixed-race comedians teamed up for "Key and Peele" in 2012, and quickly shot to fame for their ability to poke fun at both sides of the racial divide in the United States.

The show itself has been nominated for 7 Emmy Awards.

Keegan-Michael Key appeared alongside with US President Barack Obama at this year's White House correspondents dinner to act as his "anger translator" 'Luther.'

The sketch, which has 'Luther' saying the things Obama would "really" like to say, has helped make "Key and Peele" famous.

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

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

Debate about Japanese defense policies is underway in marking today's 70th anniversary of the Potsdam Declaration.

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