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

Coming up on the program this morning...

15th World Athletics Championships Opening in Beijing....

Chemical plant blast injuring 9 in east China....

And S. Korea, DPRK set to resume high-level contact after break....

In the second half of the show, we'll bring you a recap of the biggest news stories this week from the world of science and technology...

In Sports...Chinese shotputter Gong Lijiao taking silver at IAAF World Championships...

In Entertainment...'Straight Outta Compton' toping US box office on Friday...

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.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghourFind us on WeChat by searching "beijinghour."Or email us directly at [email protected].

You can also visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top News15th World Athletics Championships Opens in BeijingAnchor:

The 15th World Athletics Championships has opened in Beijing, with over 1900 athletes from 207 countries and regions around the world taking part.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the World Athletics Championships open at a ceremony held at Beijing's iconic 'Bird's Nest', the National Stadium.

"I now declare the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing open!"This year's world athletics championships, the largest in history, is the highest-ranking sports event held at the Bird's Nest since the 29th Summer Olympics was held there 7 years ago.

Speaking at the ceremony, Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing as well as chairman of the organizing committee, expresses his best wishes to the event.

"We sincerely hope that the charm of this historical city will leave an unforgettable good memory for friends from countries and regions all over the world. Friends, welcome to Beijing!'

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, as well as the outgoing International Association of Athletics Federation President Lamine Diack, also attended the ceremony.

A number of top athletes including Jamaica's Usain Bolt will compete in the event.

David Oliver, the famous American hurdler, says he loves to compete at the Bird's Nest.

"It's good to be back in China. I've been here several times in this stadium competing. I've always had a good time. The Chinese public loved the hurdle, so I hope to go out there and give my good show starting next Wednesday."In this year's event, 69 athletes will represent China, competing for 7 medals in 34 different events.

Zhang Guowei, who is set to compete in the men's high jump event, expresses his expectations.

"I hope to clear 2.34 to 2.35 meters during the event. I also expect to participate in the event in a healthy way, and give full play to the event in the Bird Nest."For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Women Soldiers Gear up for Military ParadeThe upcoming military parade on September 3 is set to include female soldiers in the guard of honor formation.

A group of 62 female soldiers have been in training since early June. Only 51 of them will be selected to take part in the parade in Tian'anmen Square.

Female guard of honor Cheng Cheng says her formation will bear great pressure during the parade.

"We're the first formation and will set the stride and speed for the rest of the paraders. So we certainly bear greater pressure. Also men have a bigger stature than women, so it's difficult for us to align with them."Meanwhile, another group of female soldiers will join the parade as part of the Chinese PLA Military Band.

The band, with more than one thousand members, will perform new songs and adjust their formation for the grand military parade.

The parade will see more than 24-hundred cadets and servicemen performing music.

They will sing nine classical songs and play 30 songs that prevailed during the wartime or reflected life during the period, such as the "Defending the Yellow River."Photos Show Overseas Chinese WWII ContributionAnchor:

Over 300 historical photos on the contributions made by overseas Chinese during World War II are on display in Beijing. As CRI's Wang Wei explains, these expats were involved in the war on both the Chinese and European fronts.

Reporter:

The exhibition is at the Overseas Chinese History Museum in Beijing.

It is to remember and pay tribute to expats who dedicated their lives and assets to the war against Japanese aggression in China.

The exhibition includes a series of photos about the Wuhan Chorus, led by a Chinese person living in Singapore. Museum curator Huang Jikai says the Chorus raised funds for the War during its tours in Singapore and Malaysia in 1938 and 1939.

"During the tour, they sang a lot of songs about the resistance against Japanese aggression like '800 Heroes' and 'Selling Flowers'. These songs spread extensively around Southeast Asia at that time. The Wuhan Chorus donated about 6 million yuan to the motherland in more than one year,"Some photos tell stories of overseas Chinese who returned to China to fight in the war.

"The three photos tell the situation of overseas Chinese volunteers in the 61st Division under the 19th Army in the Battle of Shanghai. As part of the 19th Army, these volunteers defended the country with their blood and lives,"Meanwhile, there are also pictures showing a large number of Chinese expats who took part in the war against fascism in Europe.

Ouyang Jinhai was one of them. He took part in the Normandy landing when he was 18 years old, and was wounded twice. A photo of his father and himself, taken during the Second World War, is also displayed at the exhibition.

"After the war, the U.S. government granted him two Purple Hearts, the award for injured military personnel. In a 2006 domestic variety show, when asked what he wanted to say the most, he answered in one sentence, 'National reunification and world peace,' "The exhibition opened last Friday and is scheduled to last for one month.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.

Chemical plant blast injures 9 in east ChinaAn explosion at a chemical plant in east China's Shandong Province has left 9 people injured.

The explosion occurred at around 8:50 p.m.in Dongfu Village, Huantai County.

It has triggered a fire at the plant.

The city's firefighters are currently battling the blaze.

More firefighters from neighboring cities are heading to the area to help.

The injured are being treated in hospital.

The plant is a subsidiary of Shandong's Runxing group.

Among its products is adiponitrile, a colorless liquid that can burn when encountering fire giving off toxic fumes.

Death toll in Tianjin blast rises to 121The death toll from a warehouse blast in north China's Tianjin has risen to 121.

The powerful explosions occurred in Tianjin Port on the night of August 12.

The dead include 67 firefighters and seven policemen.

The death toll stood at 116 on Friday afternoon.

A total of 54 people remain missing, including 37 firefighters and four policemen.

So far 640 people remain in hospital, including 48 critically injured.

More than 151 people have been discharged.

Tianjin Police have conducted DNA tests on the 121 killed in the blast.

Two remain to be identified.

The city's environment monitoring center says the blasts have not contaminated surface water outside the blast site or offshore waters.

The warehouse was storing hundreds of tonnes of toxic chemicals at the time of the blast, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide.

Last survivor from Tianjin blast recovering in hospitalMeanwhile, the last survivor rescuers found at the blast site in Tianjin is still receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Han Fengqun, a man in his 50s, was rescued 50 meters away from the epicenter of the Tianjin blasts.

The hospital has set up a rescue team consisting of 17 medical experts to treat Han.

Zhang Lei, deputy director of the hospital.

"After a period of treatment, Han's conditions showed improvement. But because he got a blast injury to the lung, we invited the best blast injury expert in the army to conduct remote consultation for him. Based on the expert's suggestion, we gave the patient two lung lavage therapies. After the treatment, his condition got much better."Han is still receiving care in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

China releases new top 500 Chinese Enterprises listChina has released a new edition of the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises list with Chinese oil giant Sinopec Group topping the list.

Ranking behind Sinopec in second place is China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). State Grid, China's largest electric utilities company, came in third place.

Li Mingxing, deputy director-general of the China Enterprise Confederation says the influence of state owned enterprises is strengthening.

"Their coverage, influence, dominance, risk-managing ability and their competitiveness are strengthening. So their status and role in the national economy have not been reduced."The report shows a decline in both the number and profit of manufacturing companies, signifying that China is pushing forwards with its economic restructuring.

Professor Yang Du with Renmin University.

"In the past, we focused on selling our products. But in the future, we can sell equipment and technology. In this way, we can push forward internationalization. I think it is a way out to raise the profits of the manufacturing industry."A total of 207 private enterprises are on the list, up by seven from last year.

China-Currency Depreciation/Car ManufacturingThe depreciation of the yuan in the past week seems to have had little impact on China's domestic car manufacturing sector.

Yang Xueliang, Director of Public Relations of Geely Holding Group, says the impact so far is uncertain.

"The depreciation last week was good news to us. But compared with other countries, for example, the Japanese yen has been depreciating for the last three years, and its value has fallen a lot. Therefore, the prices of Japanese cars have decreased a lot. That's a big challenge for Chinese cars."Geely was one of seven Chinese car manufacturers listed on the Fortune 500 last year.

Meanwhile, some people believe a depreciation of the RMB may affect the sales of imported cars. Johnson Jin is from TNS Sinotrust, a market research firm.

"The depreciation of the Renminbi makes car importers very cautious about the market for the second half of this year and next year. Many dealers pay for cars in free-trade zones based on the real-time exchange rate so they suffer immediate losses once the cars come ashore and are purchased at regular prices,"China's car exports were down a total of 14 percent in the first seven months of this yearSales of foreign cars fell 23 percent in the first half of this year.

Chinese banks urged to provide more support to major projectsChinese authorities have issued documents calling on banks and other financial institutions to provide greater support to major projects in key sectors.

The document has urged lenders to optimize credit management and policies, and intensify innovation so as to provide better financial services.

Ye Yanfei is the inspector of the Policy Research Department of the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

"The major projects are those that are urgently needed in future development, that are very effective in stimulating economic growth, that are very effective in improving the people's livelihood, and that are well-targeted in restructuring."The "One belt, one road" initiative, the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt are included in the projects.

This move is meant to further elevate the level of infrastructure, better cope with the downward pressure of the economy, and increase the potential power for the long-term economic growth.

Turpan Grapes celebrated at festival in XinjiangAnchor:

The annual 24th Silk Road Grape Festival in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's Turpan city kicked off on Thursday, displaying the country's grape varieties and attracting tourists from across China.

The festival, which will run into September, also marks the busiest season for the grape harvest and best season for travel.

Our reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

The festival provides visitors with grand music as well as traditional dance shows.

More than 160 types of grapes are on show, offering visitors an opportunity to taste delicious grapes in Turpan, which is considered to be the largest grape base in China.

Qimenguli is a local resident who has attended the festival over a dozen times.

"I come here to join the event every year. The first time I took part in the event was twenty years ago. At that time I was in high school. I'm very proud of our grapes. And I think Thompson seedless grapes are the best."A traveler surnamed Zhou who is on her first trip to Turpan, says she's surprised that there are so many different types of grapes.

"Turpan has more grape varieties. I like red grapes and honey red grapes and many other varieties. This is the first time I have visited Turpan and I think I will come here again in the future. "Akram is a farmer living in a small village in Turpan. He and his family have operated a grape planting business for decades. The 43-year-old has been dedicated to growing grapes since he was a teenager.

He says he is proud of this traditional local business, adding that Turpan boasts plenty of natural advantages to develop the sweet business.

"Our grapes are much sweeter than anywhere else. We have plenty of sunshine all year round and we have enough sources of water. And we don't use pesticides. So our grapes are healthy and natural. You can eat without washing them. "He adds that local authorities have also invited experts in agriculture and introduced modern techniques to help boost output and improve varieties.

Isha Barat is a local official in Ya Er village in Turpan where nearly 90 percent of villagers make their livelihood from planting grapes. He says local authorities will provide more facilities for local farmers to boost their profits from the business.

"I believe local authorities will invite more investment into this industry and bring in more researches to improve the quality of the grapes."Turpan is located to the southeast of Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang.

Apart from being the "Home of Grapes" in China, Turpan is also an ancient trading center along the Silk Road with a history of almost 6-thousand years.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Funeral of Chinese Blast Victim Held in BangkokThailand is preparing to hold a funeral for four of the Chinese victims killed in the explosion in Bangkok on Monday.

Among the 20 people killed in the blast, 7 were Chinese, while 24 out of the 120 injured were Chinese. The Chinese embassy in Thailand says relatives of all seven deceased victims have arrived in Bangkok.

Some families of the injured Chinese are also in Bangkok, having visited their loved ones in hospitals upon arrival.

An official with the embassy says staff has been in close contact with the Thai government regarding treatment of the injured Chinese nationals and has held detailed discussions regarding compensation for those who were injured in the bombing.

Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Thai junta, says the government has started issuing compensation to the families of the victims.

"The Ministry of Justice has given compensation to 15 victims. Thirteen of them were foreigners and two were Thais. Bangkok Administration also gave compensation to 9 wounded people."Thai officials have said in the last couple of days that the investigation of Monday's blast is making progress, but details haven't been revealed.

S. Korea, DPRK to resume high-level contact after breakSouth Korea and North Korea have agreed to resume ongoing high- level emergency contact after a break from the 10-hour marathon talks.

The South Korean presidential office says the senior-level contact lasted from 6:30 p.m. Saturday to 4:15 a.m. Sunday at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas.

It says both sides comprehensively discussed ways of resolving the recent situation and developing inter-Korean ties.

The high-level contact will be resumed from 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Top military aides to the leaders of the two Koreas attended the closed-door meeting, along with high-ranking officials in charge of inter-Korean relations.

Kim Kyou-hyun, South Korean Presidential Vice Chief of the National Security Office, earlier confirmed the attending line-up.

"The South and the North agreed this afternoon that South Korean National Security Office Chief Kim Kwan-jin, South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo, North Korean Director of the Korean People's Army's General Political Department Hwang Pyong So and North Korean Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yang Gon met at 6 p.m., South Korean time, at the Panmunjom Peace House regarding the current South-North relationship situation."Tensions started to escalate in early August after South Korea accused the North of planting landmines that wounded two South Korean soldiers near the border.

South Korea then began broadcasting anti-north propaganda through loudspeakers near the border. The two sides exchanged fire earlier in the week near the border, but no casualties were reported.

French gov't raises vigilance to secure public transport after train shootingAnchor:

The French government has called for vigilance and tighter security after a heavily armed gunman injured three people on a high-speed train before he was overpowered by passengers.

CRI's Luo Wen has the details.

Reporter:

An attacker with an assault rifle hurt three people on a train bound for Paris. The gunman was overpowered by passengers and arrested on Friday after the train stopped in northern France.

In a news conference in Paris on Saturday, the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the gunman may be a suspected Islamist militant, but this is not confirmed yet.

""If the identity that he gives is confirmed, it would correspond to the identity of a person of Moroccan nationality, aged 26, brought to attention by the Spanish authorities to the French intelligence services on February 2014, because he belonged to an extremist Islamic movement."The minister added that a preliminary investigation shows the attacker had a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an automatic pistol with accompanying ammunition clips and a box cutter knife.

The incident began when a French passenger ran into the heavily armed suspect while trying to enter a bathroom and the gunman fired a weapon.

Two U.S. servicemen were among the passengers who stopped the gunman.

Alek Skarlatos, a member of the U.S. National Guard, says his friend Spencer Stone, who suffered knife wounds, played a crucial role in tackling the attacker.

"Spencer ran a good ten meters to get to the guy and we didn't know that his gun not working or anything like that, Spencer just ran anyway and if anybody would have gotten shot it would have been Spencer for sure and we're very lucky that nobody got killed, especially Spencer."At the same time, a British passenger also helped subdue the attacker.

The man Chris Norman says this was his motivation.

""I think it was actually very rapid reasoning, if you like, because he had a Kalashnikov, he had a magazine full…. I don't know how many magazines he had and my thought was, ok, I'm probably going to die anyway, so let's go. I'd rather die being active, trying to get him down, than simply sit in the corner and be shot."Norman says he has never been trained to confront armed men; and he realized it was a possible terror attack when he saw the gunman taking an AK-47.

The other injured reportedly include French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade and a French-American traveler.

Currently, the French anti-terrorism prosecutor is investigating the incident. But the gunman's exact motives are still unknown at this point.

A Spanish counter-terrorism source reveals that the suspect had travelled to Syria and later returned to France.

Further investigations are underway.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

UK & Iran Reopen EmbassiesThe Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed on Saturday that the United Kingdom's embassy in Tehran will be reopened after four years on Sunday.

Speaking to Iran's state TV, Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond will arrive in Tehran on Saturday to hold talks with Iranian officials on various political, regional and economic issues.

Takht-Ravanchi had this to say about the event.

"From now on, the non-resident charge d'affaires will become resident charge d'affaires and they will be present in both countries at the level of resident charge d'affaires and continue their activities."This will be the first trip by a British foreign secretary to Iran in about 14 years.

Takht-Ravanchi said the Iranian embassy in London would fully reopen at the same time.

Iran Unviels New MissleIran unveiled a short-range solid fuel ballistic missile on Saturday, an upgraded version that the government say can pinpoint targets more accurately.

The surface-to-surface Fateh-313, or Conqueror, was unveiled at a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani marking Defense Industry Day.

President Hassan Rouhani assured the press that these weapons were for defensive purposes only.

"Our missiles, equipment, aerial, ground and naval forces are not against any country. We are not going to occupy any country, nor are we going to interfere with any country. They are to be used for protecting our land and our interests. Meanwhile, our power will benefit regional countries too."State television showed footage of the missile being fired from an undisclosed location.

The TV report says the missile is a newer version of the Fateh-110 and has a quicker launch capability, a longer lifespan and can strike targets within a 500-kilometre range.

Mirgrants saved from Ionian SeaAn Italian Border police vessel rescued 287 migrants from the Ionian Sea and brought them to the Italian port of Messina on Saturday.

The 287 included 55 women and 34 children.

Paolo Zottola, Italian Border police commander, says there has been an increase in arrivals in recent weeks.

"In the last weeks, we have seen an increase of arrivals, especially from southeastern regions such as Egypt, and other countries, apart from Libya. We are being coordinated by Frontex, the European agency to protect the borders, and we are working with our vessels in southern Lampedusa and at the Ionian Sea, where we rescued these people."The migrants, who have fled various countries in Africa, arrived in Italy in good health, according to Paolo Zottola, Italian Border police commander.

WeatherBeijing will see slight rain today with a high of 27 degrees Celsius, overcast tonight with a low of 20.

Tianjin will have slight rain with a high of 27 and lows of 22.

Shanghai will see moderate rain with a high of 25 and a low of 23.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 34 and lows of 25.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, slight rain, 28.

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 33.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 29.

Over to North America,New York will be overcast with a high of 28 degrees.

Washington, overcast with a high of 30 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 29.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 13.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChinese President pledges fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Winter GamesChinese President Xi Jinping has met with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in Beijing.

Bach is here in Beijing attending the world athletics championships.

The Chinese President says the Chinese government has always attached great importance to sport.

Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Games at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31.

Xi said that the 2022 Winter Olympics will increase Chinese people's enthusiasm towards the Olympic Movement and get more Chinese involved in ice and snow events.

He says China will honor its commitments made during the bidding process and deliver a fantastic Winter Games.

For his part, Bach congratulated Xi on Beijing's successful 2022 bid, hailing the bid efforts made by China as valuable support to the Olympic Movement as well as to the IOC.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has also met with IOC President Thomas Bach in Beijing.

Chemical plant blast injures 9 in east ChinaAn explosion at a chemical plant in east China's Shandong Province has left 9 people injured.

The explosion occurred at around 8:50 p.m.in Dongfu Village, Huantai County.

It has triggered a fire at the plant.

The city's firefighters are currently battling the blaze.

More firefighters from neighboring cities are heading to the area to help.

The injured are being treated in hospital.

The plant is a subsidiary of Shandong's Runxing group.

Among its products is adiponitrile, a colorless liquid that can burn when encountering fire giving off toxic fumes.

Pakistan calls off meeting with IndiaAn Indian representative said late on Saturday night that Pakistan's decision to call off talks regarding national security with India was "unfortunate."Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted: "Pakistan's decision is unfortunate. India did not set any preconditions."In another Tweet, Swarup reiterated that Pakistan should respect the "spirit" of previous agreements made with India.

Pakistan reportedly called off the talks after India insisted that no meeting was held between Pakistan officials and separatists in Indian-controlled Kashmir during the talks.

India has also detained some Kashmir leaders who had flown to New Delhi to meet Pakistan's top security advisor.

7 killed in aircraft crash in south BritainSeven people have been killed and several others injured after an aircraft crashed at an airshow in west Sussex, southern England on Saturday.

One person who was sent to hospital for treatment is in a critical condition.

The aircraft in the accident is a Hawker Hunter single-seat fighter jet, a mainstay of the Royal Air Force through the 1950s and early 1960s.

It is still not clear if the pilot ejected or not before the plane hit the ground.

Sci&TechAnchor:

It's time now to check some of the week's headlines from the science and technology sector.

China has tested the power system for its new Long March-5 carrier rocket;A third Generator Unit a Nuclear Power Plant in northeast China is set to go into commercial operation ;A bionic lens made in Canada could eliminate the need for laser eye surgery, contact lenses, or eyeglasses.

Here's CRI's Wen Jie.

Reporter:

Chinese scientists on Monday successfully tested the power system of the Long March-5 carrier rocket, which is scheduled to launch the Chang'e-5 lunar mission around 2017.

Using non-toxic and non-polluting liquefied propellant, the engines of the rocket were fired during a ground test. The successful firing marks the conclusion of research work on the new rocket.

Lou Luliang is the deputy chief designer of Long March-5, at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

"The next step is going to the launch site. The production will be carried out in such process, making sure the maiden flight next year."Lou adds that the rocket is significant for China's future space exploration projects.

"Long March-5 is the country's new generation of carrier rocket. The aim of its design is heavy thrust, zero toxins and pollutants. It will serve the country's follow-up space projects, such as the Lunar Exploration program, the manned space station, as well as the survey of deep space in the future."With a payload capacity of 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, Long March-5 has the largest carrying capacity under development in China.

The third generator unit at the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Station in Liaoning province will start commercial operation soon following its 168-hour model operation.

Yu Jianfeng, deputy general manager of the State Power Investment Cooperation, says the operation of the unit is of great significance for the country's clean energy.

"The operation of the unit proves that the technology of the million-kilowatt nuclear power unit along with its capacity and construction are gradually mature. The operation index is pretty good as well."The third generator unit, using self-designed pressurized water reactor technology, can satisfy a quarter of the annual electricity consumption in the port city of Dalian.

The other two generators at the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Station were put into operation in 2013.

Three more power generator units are currently under construction at the plant.

China now has 26 power generator units currently in operation that greatly cut the emission of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.

A Canadian optometrist and inventor has said he is on the brink of producing and marketing a bionic lens that could eliminate the need for laser eye surgery, contact lenses, and eyeglasses.

The device invented by Dr. Garth Webb could boost a person's sight to three times better than the standard 20/20 vision "even at age of 100".

It will only be available to people over 25, since eye structures aren't fully formed until that age.

Once approved and in production, the bionic lens surgery would cost roughly the same as laser eye surgery of today.

Webb noted that the bionic lens would last for life and never decay like our natural lenses and would never require surgical upgrades.

The lens could be available in Canada, U.S., Asia and Europe within a few years.

A high-speed train service started operating on Monday linking some of the northernmost cities in China.

The new line links Harbin, the capital of northeast Heilongjiang province, with Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang's second largest city.

The service will have 28 trains designed to endure severe cold - up to minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Huang Lei is a senior official with the Harbin Railway Administration High Speed Train Department and says the new trains are prepared for the low temperatures.

"We used such materials as low temperature valves and grease to resist the low temperatures, so that we can resolve and fix any breakdown caused by cold weather and ensure the security of the trains."Average temperatures for Qiqihaer and Harbin in January are around minus 18- or-19 degrees.

The trains run at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour.

It will cut the traveling time between the two cities from 3 hours down to 85 minutes.

The high-speed train service is expected to transport 8 million passengers per year.

American scientists are developing DNA kits to detect bacteria that causes food poisoning.

A pilot program is being rolled out across ten US states, aiming to tackle poisoning outbreaks by decoding the DNA of harmful bacteria.

Robert Tauxe, head of the pilot 'genome sequencing' program, believes a success is looming.

"With this new test, the DNA sequencing, we are finding three times as many outbreaks as we found before and we're finding them when they're smaller, an average size of four, almost half the size that they were before."Tauxe says the final aim is to stop contamination before it spreads to a large group of people.

"Testing foods and testing the environments in food production facilities which our colleagues at FDA (Food and Drug Administration) are doing, means we can tie up these outbreaks with more precision than ever. So we're finding more, and we're finding them when they're smaller and stopping them."Food-borne illnesses are often costly and potentially deadly. No retailers are immune.

It's estimated about 50 million Americans get sick every year from food poisoning and about three thousand die.

China's first indigenously developed breast cancer PET scanner has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration for clinical use.

The high resolution device can be used to detect breast cancer at a very early stage, even if patients have not shown clinical symptoms.

Li Lin, an associate research fellow at Institute of High Energy Physics under Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) explains:

"Structure imaging is the traditional method in clinical application. But in the process of developing cancer, functional change happens before structural change. Our breast PET system allows us to detect abnormalities of functional metabolism, which appear at a much earlier stage of cancer development."The institute embarked on the research and development of the scanner in 2007, and ever since has achieved major breakthroughs on key technologies. The intellectual property rights of the core technology and system integration of the scanner have been registered in China.

The device is expected to help break the monopoly of foreign companies in China's high-end medical device market.

The 30th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest kicked off Thursday at Asia World-Expo in Hong Kong.

More than 500 young talents from China's 31 provincial-level regions, and 12 other countries including Germany, Sweden, and Brazil, compete and exchange ideas over a four-day period.

In addressing the opening ceremony, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said Hong Kong has the unique advantage of "one country, two systems" and plays the role of "super connector" between the mainland and the world in science and technology fields.

Leung also said he hoped participants would deepen friendship and common efforts in technological innovation to make contributions for the country and the human society.

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

I'm Wenjie. See you next week.

SportsChinese Shotputter Gong Lijiao Takes Silver at IAAF World ChampionshipsHitting the starting block with athletics action from last night at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing:

Chinese athlete Gong Lijiao came away with the shot-putting silver in a dramatic duel for first against eventual winner, Germany's Christina Schwanitz.

Gong put her rivals to the test in the final when she stepped up in her first throw to hit a length of 20.30 meters, but Schwanitz's third throw hit 20.37 meters. That won her the gold, while Gong came in second. Michelle Carter of the U.S. got third.

Gong Lijiao says that it was a disappointing finish:

"The process has been really tough. I feel this finish is a real pity. I should be able to get the gold medal, but I took silver. Anyway, this is an experience that I will remember. I hope in the Olympic Games next year I can overcome my weakness."In other action:

Eritrea's Ghirmay Ghebreslassie became the first from his nation to take gold at the World Championships when he won the marathon event. At 19 years old, Ghebreslassie is also the youngest athlete to win a road event at the Worlds.

Mo Farah of Great Britain won his sixth-straight distance-running title after winning the 10-thousand-meter run, overcoming Kenyans Geoffrey Kamworor and Paul Tanui.

Farah clocked in at 27 minutes, 1.13 seconds--the third-fastest Worlds finish in history.

Mo Farah on the win:

"Yeah. The race was really exciting. I knew from the start that it was not going to be easy. They guys worked as a team and I knew that was going to happen. So it was a matter of just staying at the back and staying out of trouble. A couple of times I nearly got tripped up but thank God I didn't get tripped up. And I managed to stay on my feet."And in the 100-meter heats:

American Justin Gatlin stormed to victory in the sixth heat in 9.83 seconds, the best time of the day at the Bird's Nest stadium.

World record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica responded by winning the final heat in 9.96.

Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian qualified in the first heat with a time of 10.03.

Football RecapIn football action from the Chinese Super League:

Last night:

Henan Jianye defeated Shandong Luneng 1-0.

Coming up tonight:

It's Chongqing Lifan vs Shijiazhuang Ever Bright;Guangzhou R&F takes on Jiangsu Sainty;Guizhou Renhe faces Hangzhou Greentown;Tianjin Teda will battle Liaoning;And Shanghai Greenland will face crosstown rivals Shanghai SIPG.

From the Premiere League:

Tottenham remained winless in the English Premier League after being held to a 1-1 draw by unbeaten Leicester City on Saturday.　 　But Leicester have opened the season with two wins and a draw after coming close to being relegated in May.

Leicester manager, Claudio Renieri, on the draw:

"The draw was right. They had great chances. Also Leicester had two great chances to score a goal. I appreciate (we have) a lot of spirit in the team when we concede a goal and after 25 seconds, we score a draw. We played very well tactically and I am very satisfied."In other action:

Manchester United and Newcaste drew nil-nil;Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa 2-1;Norwich and Stoke evened out 1-1;Sunderland and Swansea also tied 1-1;And Bournemouth downed West Ham 4-3.

In accion de La Liga:

Atletico Madrid beat newly-promoted Las Palmas 1-0;Espanyol downed Getafe 1-0;Deportivo la Coruna and Real Sociedad tied nil-nil.

And Rayo Vallecano and Valencia also had a 0-0 finish.

Tennis: Djokovic Will Face Federer in Cincinnati FinalsIn tennis action at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio:

Novak Djokovic came from a set down to avoid another upset, beating Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals.

The world no. 1 Serbian has never won the tournament in Cincinnati, the only one of the nine ATP Masters to elude him. And to finally get a win in Cinci, he will have to overcome no. 2 Roger Federer, who downed third-seed Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6, taking the tie-breaker 8 to 6.

In women's action from Cincinatti:

Simona Halep vs. Jelena JankovicSerena Williams vs. Elina SvitolinaF1: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole Position at Belgium GPIn Formula 1 action:

Lewis Hamilton bettered Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg on Saturday in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, becoming the first driver in 14 years to take six consecutive pole positions.

Hamilton's fastest lap was one minute, 47.197 seconds, 0.458 seconds ahead of Rosberg.

The defending F1 champ is looking to increase his 21-point lead over Rosberg in drivers' standings and take his sixth victory of the season.

Lewis Hamilton on the finish:

"I am very conscious that pole position is a great thing to have but the race is a long race and it is a long long stretch to turn five. So I am just happy with today. My goal today was to get pole position and in qualifying Nico was very close and　my last two laps were the best laps I had all weekend."This was Hamilton's 48th career pole and made him the first driver since Michael Schumacher in 2001 to take six in a row.

Golf: Tiger Woods Tied for 2nd at End of R3 at Wyndham ChampionshipIn golf:

At the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina:

Tiger Woods continues his play for a FedEx Cup playoff berth, hitting a 2 under 68 to tie for second place at 13 under with American Scott Brown and Sweden's Jonas Blixt.

Leading the pack at the end of round 3 is Jason Gore at 15 under.

EntertainmentActor Li Yapeng Attends Art Exhibition for Cleft Lip ChildrenChinese actor Li Yapeng has attended an art exhibition held at Beijing Smileangel Children's Hospital, which specializes in cleft lip and palate correction.

The art show displays dozens of paintings, comics, photos and illustrations in public spaces at the hospital.

The majority of works on display were created by renowned artists and their children.

The exhibition aims to encourage young patients who are suffering from cleft lips and their families. It also designs to provide some stress relief to medical staff in the hospital.

The 43-year-old actor Li Yapeng is the hospital's co-founder. His daughter had surgery at the hospital.

The exhibition will run until October 7th.

George R.R. Martin says HBO could finish 'Game of Thrones' before he does"Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin has acknowledged that HBO could air the final episode of the show based on his books even before his last book in the series is released.

He says he's OK with that.

The HBO fantasy drama has recently concluded its fifth season with cliffhangers including some plot twists that deviate from what's been laid out in the five books published so far.

The sixth season is likely to stray even further from what happens in the yet-to-be-published "Winds of Winter" novel- the sixth book in what's expected to be at least a seven-volume series.

For now, the producers of the saga envision doing eight seasons of the show.

George R.R. Martin has not confirmed whether "The Winds of Winter" will be ready when Season 6 hits HBO next spring.

'Straight Outta Compton' Tops US Box Office on FridayThe musical film 'Straight Outta Compton' has topped Friday's box office figures and is expected to surpass 100 million US dollars in its second weekend at the US box office, while 'American Ultra' and 'Hitman: Agent 47' have had quiet debuts.

Marking the biggest August opening ever for an R-rated film, 'Straight Outta Compton' has also broken the record for the top musical biopic.

The film is directed by F. Gary Gray and is based on the rise and fall of the California hip-hop group named N.W.A. It borrows the title of the group's debut studio album which was released in 1988.

Since its release on August 14th, the film has received an 88 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and become an instant hit among younger moviegoers.

Meanwhile 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation', currently in its fourth week has stayed in second place. It could earn roughly 12 million US dollars this weekend if it stays on course.

One of the strongest newcomers, horror sequel 'Sinister 2' is expected to pull in a tally of some 11 million US dollars for the weekend.

In addition, the American-German action thriller film 'Hitman: Agent 47', starring Homeland's Rupert Friend as an elite assassin, is estimated to gross some eight million US dollars during the weekend.

Beatles' First Signed Recording Contract Ready for AuctionThe first recording contract signed by The Beatles is set to go up for auction with an estimated price of 150 thousand US dollars.

Dallas based Heritage Auctions are selling the contract which will go up for sale on September 19th.

Dean Harmeyer of Heritage Auctions explains the value of this document.

"It's a very important career milestone for them, because it's their first professional recording. But the fact that the contract leads them on to Brian Epstein that it leads on to the recording contract with EMI makes it absolutely crucial to the story. We've placed an estimate of a $150,000 on the contract. We think it could do better than that given its significance."The recording contract on sale is part of the Uwe Blaschke Beatles Collection that is expected to be auctioned next month.

WeatherBeijing will see slight rain today with a high of 27 degrees Celsius, overcast tonight with a low of 20.

Tianjin will have slight rain with a high of 27 and lows of 22.

Shanghai will see moderate rain with a high of 25 and a low of 23.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 34 and lows of 25.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, slight rain, 28.

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 33.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 29.

Over to North America,New York will be overcast with a high of 28 degrees.

Washington, overcast with a high of 30 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 29.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 13.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

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

A recap of your headlines:

15th World Athletics Championships Opening in Beijing....

Chemical plant blast injuring 9 in east China....

And S. Korea, DPRK set to resume high-level contact after break....

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers: I'm Sophie Williams in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together.