The change in the Chinese leadership for a new term of five years was formally initiated in China’s parliament on March 12.
The names were proposed through recommendations and consultations.
Liu Xiang wins men’s 60m hurdles
Star hurdler Liu Xiang claimed the first indoor athletics gold medal for China on Sunday in Valencia, Spain.
He won the men’s 60 m hurdles in 7.46 seconds, surpassing Cuban Dayron Robles.
Rockets win 20 straight
The Houston Rockets are blasting ahead now having won 20 games in a row.
On Wednesday they beat the Atlanta Hawks 83 to 75. They now have the second longest winning streak in NBA history.
Launch of Wolf Totem
A story about a student’s experience on the Mongolian grasslands during the Cultural Revolution is now in English.
Called Wolf Totem, the novel was a best seller when it came out four years ago. The translater, Amarican Howard Goldblatt attended the launch on Thursday.
NPC & CPPCC: Creation of super ministries
During the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Consultative Congress, the government announced the creation of super ministries.
State Councilor Hua Jianmin said there will be the super ministries of human resources, construction, transportation, industry and environmental protection.
A National Energy Commission will be established, and the State Food and Drug Administration will be under the Ministry of Health.
This is the third major government restructuring in a decade.
Foreign Minister talks to media
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi addressed media this week on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress.
He dismissed reports of a few foreign athletes concerned about Beijing’s pollution, saying he is confident the city’s air quality will improve.
And on Sino-US relations, the foreign minister says China is ready to hold a dialogue on human rights with the US based on equality and mutual respect.
CPI up 8.7 percent, PPI up 6.6 percent
The consumer price index rose 8.7 percent in February, the highest since June 1996.
Food and housing prices are to blame for the increase.
Also the producer price index increased 6.6 percent in February, the fastest in more than three years.
The index was pushed up because of higher prices for oil, steel, and coal. The snow storms before the Spring Festival also affected transportation and production costs.
NY Governor Eliot Spitzer quits
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned on Wednesday implicated in a high-priced prostitution ring.
The scandal erupted Monday when allegations surfaced the 48-year-old Spitzer was caught on wiretap spending over $4,000 on a call girl.
Spitzer was known as “Mr. Clean” for fighting corruption and was less than a year in office.
He will be replaced by Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, who becomes New York’s first black governor on Monday.
Tree-planting Day
Wednesday was Arbor Day and many Chinese helped plant trees in their communities.
Dr Sun Yat-sen started the tree-planting scheme in 1915.
Currently China’s forest coverage rate has increased to 18 percent from 8.6 percent in the early 1950s.
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off
The US space shuttle Endeavour blasted off Tuesday in a rare nighttime launch at the Kennedy Space Center.
The shuttle will deliver a long-awaited Japanese space laboratory and a Canadian-built robotic system to the International Space Station.
Beckham in Shanghai, Hong Kong
Soccer fans went wild when Los Angeles Galaxy player David Beckham was in Shanghai and Hong Kong earlier this week.
They followed him everywhere as he did some promotional visits and a friendly match between Galaxy and a China-Hong Kong team.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
