中国提高汇率标准

People's Daily Editorial Hails Successful Conclusion of NPC's Annual Session 

China's leading newspaper, the People's Daily, has hailed the successful annual session of the National People's Congress.

An editorial describes the session as democratic, pragmatic and law-abiding. It says this year is very important for China's development.

And it suggests more efforts are needed to improve the government's control measures to achieve rapid social and economic development.

The 11-day Fifth Session of the 10th National People's Congress closed on Friday in Beijing.  
 

China Raises Benchmark Interest Rates 

The People's Bank of China, China's central bank, has raised the one-year borrowing and lending benchmark interest rates by 0.27 percentage points as of Sunday.

This is the first time China's central bank has raised the rates this year.

After adjustments, the one-year borrowing benchmark rate will be 2.79 percent, while the lending rate rises to 6.39 percent.

The bank says raising interest rates will help rationalize the growth of investment and lending, maintain price stability and promote healthy and fast development of the economy.

China raised interest rates twice last year to help curb excessive growth of real estate investment and loans.  
 

China Produces 500 Mln Pirated Books Each Year: Official 

The vice director of the General Administration of Press and Publication says rampant piracy of books, video and audio products has seriously affected China's international reputation and investment prospects.

Liu Binjie says the audio and video product market is suffering annual losses of billions of yuan.

He says while China's crack down on piracy is appreciated by international copyright holders, the current situation is far from satisfactory.

And he has called for public cooperation to safeguard intellectual property rights and boost creative industries.

Pirates produce 120 million illegal audio and video products and 500 million books a year in China.  

 
Israel's Arab Minister Urges Government to Talk with Palestinian Unity Gov't 

Israel's Arab minister has urged the Israeli government to negotiate with the new Palestinian unity government.

Israel's Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele, says Israel must negotiate with the new Palestinian unity government.

He says Israel must not boycott the moderate Fatah members appointed to the new government. And he says Israel's refusal to negotiate with the new unity government shows a lack of diplomatic or political insight.

The Israeli government has repeated its refusal to deal with the Palestinian government sworn in on Saturday.

Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas says the unity government will renounce violence in all forms. But Haneya Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas has affirmed resistance to occupation is a legitimate right of the Palestinians.  
Protestors Gather in Washington to Mark Iraq War Anniversary 

Thousands of protestors gathered in the US capital Washington D.C. on Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war.

Speakers at a rally denounced the Bush administration's war policy. And many people demanded the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

There are no official estimates of the number of participants, but news reports put the number at between 10,000 and 20,000.

The war has claimed the lives of some 3,200 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Also on Saturday, a small group demonstrated in Washington in support for the war.  
 

Iraq Urges Int'l Help at UN-sponsored Meeting 

Iraq has laid down long-term steps it will take to stabilize the war-torn country in an effort to attract international help.

At a meeting on the International Compact with Iraq, Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdal Mahdi explained iraq's commitments in the fields of economy, security and politics.

Representatives from more than 80 countries and international organizations attended the conference.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for world support for a framework for normalization in Iraq.

He said a humanitarian crisis is stretching the patience and ability of ordinary people to cope with everyday life.  
 

Six Die in Crash Landing of Russian Passenger Plane 

Six people were killed when a Russian passenger plane crash landed on Saturday in the western Russian city of Samara.

The death toll was previously put at seven. At least 26 people were injured in the crash, with six in serious condition.

The UT Air plane with 50 passengers and seven crew on board landed roughly and one of the wings hit the runway before the fuselage collapsed.

A criminal investigation is considering pilot error, among other theories, as causes for the crash landing.  

 
China's National Museum to Be Enlarged 

The Chinese National Museum next to Beijing's Tiananmen Square has begun a major enlargement project.

The museum was one of the ten celebrated buildings after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. But now, museum sources say it can barely keep up with a growing number of collections and the need for more sophisticated facilities.

All collections have been moved out of the museum to make way for construction work.

The new buildings will be completed in 2009. The museum is expected to become the best in China and among the best in the world.  
 

Stalls Down, Image Up: Badaling Great Wall 

Tourists visiting the Badaling Great Wall will no longer be troubled by the cries of peddlers, and will enjoy better tranquility in appreciating the grandeur of the world wonder. All vender's stalls on the Great Wall itself will be banished.

The Badaling Great Wall administration has launched a program to improve the scenic area's tourist infrastructure and environment.

The recent shake-up will remove the last 8 remaining vender's stalls within the year, putting an end to 30 years of stalls on the Great Wall.

Besides stalls on the Badaling Great Wall itself, another 61 stalls near the north entrance of the scenic area will also be removed. All the stalls will be relocated to a commerical building to facilitate serious tourist shopping.

As well as the removal of the stalls, over 2,000 meters of high-voltage transmission line that pass over the Great Wall will be buried underground to give tourists a better view.

A transit road will also be constructed to divert non-tourist traffic, to ease traffic pressure.

Located 75km (47 miles) northwest of central Beijing, the Badaling Great Wall is a typical segment of the Great Wall, built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644AD), and one of the Chinese capital's favourite tourist sites.