On Tuesday the Bank of China announced it will raise the reserve requirement ratio by 0.5 percent.
Effective as of March 25, the ratio, or proportion money lenders must keep in reserve, will be 15.5 percent.
The move is a bid to help mop up liquidity and control price rises.
5th anniversary of war in Iraq
March 20th, marked the fifth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.
Anti-war protests and vigils were held through the United States.
President George W. Bush said he will not order US troops to withdraw beyond those planned, and continues to link the fighting there to the global battle against al-Qaida.
German chancellor apologizes in Israel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in Israel this week to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel’s establishment.
Speaking at Israel’s parliament, Merkel apologized to the Holocaust victims, saying she bowed in shame to the 6 million Jews who died in the Nazi genocide during World War II.
Author Arthur C. Clarke dies
Pioneering science fiction writer and visionary Arthur C. Clarke died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.
He was best known for his 1964 collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, a short story Clarke wrote in 1948 based on human evolution and technology.
First Session of 11th NPC ends
The first full session of the 11th National People’s Congress ended on Tuesday.
President Hu Jintao pledged clean governance and judicious use of power by the new leadership.
During the past two weeks, NPC deputies endorsed the new leadership of the country, adopted resolutions on reports concerning government work, the national development plan, budgets, and the work reports of the10th NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
Super-ministries lineup announced
Lawmakers approved the new lineup of the State Council on Monday.
The heads were announced of the “super-ministries” newly created in the institutional restructuring plan of the State Council.
Li Yizhong heads the ministry of industry and information; Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security; Jiang Weixin, minister of housing and urban-rural construction; Li Shenglin, minister of transport; and Zhou Shengxian, minister of environmental protection.
Olympic Torch Relay begins next week
The torch relay for the Beijing Olympics begins on March 24 in Olympia, Greece. The flame will be handed over to Beijing Olympic organizing officials on March 30.
From there the Olympic flame will travel to Beijing before heading on a 130-day journey across five continents and involve 21,880 torchbearers.
Finally it will return to China to travel through all 31 provinces, autonomous regions and cities before entering the National Stadium for the opening ceremonies on August 8.
Chinese skating pair wins silver
China’s Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao skated a flawless routine to win the pairs short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Sweden.
The pair, who are not related, won a silver medal at the Turin Olympics. Zhang sprained her knee ligaments during a routine but managed to finish it.
Two other Chinese pairs, Pang Qing and Tong Jian finished fifth, while Dong Huibo and Wu Yiming were 11th.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills settle divorce
The former wife of Paul McCartney won a divorce settlement of $48.6 million on Monday.
Heather Mills said she was pleased with the outcome despite her original demand for $250 million.
She and the former Beatle were married for four years and have a four-year-old daughter.
Baseball in Beijing
Nearly 25,000 people came out to watch two games played by Major League Baseball teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
The two games held last weekend took place at the Wukesong Baseball Field.
The MLB hopes the sport will become more popular in China.
Polar bear cub wows crowds
A polar bear cub called Flocke or Snowflake lives in the Nuremberg Zoo in Germany.
She was separated from her mother after officials at the zoo were concerned she might be hurt by the adult polar bear.
Now four zoo keepers look after Flocke, who is clearly enjoying all the attention she’s getting.
（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.
