March 8, 2007

Top News of the Day

Protests and Petitions
北京一百多上访人被带走 (Over 100 Beijing Petitioners Taken Away by Police)
Radio Free Asia, March 07, 2007
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2007/03/07/beijing/
According to witnesses, public security officers took away over 100 petitioners in Beijing on March 7, as the NPC and CPPCC conferences were underway. Some longtime petitioners have reportedly been sent to reeducation-through-labor centers or placed under administrative detention.

News

Bilateral Ties
人权团体抨击奥地利训练中国军官 (Austria Criticized for Training China Military Officers)
BBC, March 08, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_6420000/newsid
_6428900/6428917.stm

China Not a Strategic Adversary: US Defense Chief
Agence France-Presse (via YahooNews), March 08, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070308/ts_afp/uschinamilitary
_070308004336;_ylt=AqWq6UcC5_h6dRz2ikKueFlPzWQA

Children
Chinese Children Die Due to Lack of Medical Care
Reuters, March 08, 2007
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=health
News&storyid=2007-03-07T080743Z_01_PEK336290_RTRU
KOC_0_US-CHINA-PARLIAMENT-

Education
教育部部长:适时考虑城市义务教育免费工作 (Ministry of Education: Will Consider Extending Free Compulsory Education to Urban Areas)
EastDay.com, March 08, 2007
http://news.eastday.com/c/20070308/u1a2667903.html

财政部：地方政府投入不够导致教育经费未达4% (Ministry of Finance: National Education Funding Fails to Hit Target of 4% of GDP Due to Insufficient Investments from Local Governments)
People's Daily, March 08, 2007
http://edu.people.com.cn/GB/1053/5449517.html

Environment
Shanxi City Shuts Polluting Factories
South China Morning Post, March 08, 2007
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZA15GZZYE.html

Spy-in-the-Sky System to Spot Delta's Worst Polluters
South China Morning Post, March 08, 2007
http://www.scmp.com/topnews/ZZZ6D2CZZYE.html

Laws Tighten Screws on Polluters
China Daily, March 07, 2007
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-03/08/content
_822866.htm

Gender
今后全国人大会议妇女代表比例将不低于22% (Percentage of Women NPC Delegates to Be Set at No Less Than 22%)
EastDay.com, March 08, 2007
http://news.eastday.com/c/20070308/u1a2668865.html

Human Rights Defenders - Wang Xiaoning (王小宁)
网上发文被中国判刑妻抵美诉雅虎 (Wife Arrives in US to Sue Yahoo for Revealing Information Leading to Imprisonment of her Dissident Husband)
Voice of America, March 06, 2007
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2007-03-07-voa21.cfm

Labor
Chinese Coal Mine Explosion Kills 15
Associated Press (via YahooNews), March 08, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070308/ap_on_re_as/china_mine_
deaths_1;_ylt=AsA.0qV16fjyaxDTGM9K5CNPzWQA

Law
34万件 人民陪审员参审案件数 (People's Jurors Participate in the Trial of 340,000 Cases)
Legal Daily, March 08, 2007
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2007-03/08/content_553056.htm

Media
《财经》传犯禁遭撤稿 (Caijing Magazine Reportedly Ordered to Remove Cover Story That Was Considered Too Sensitive)
Ming Pao, March 08, 2007
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20070308/caa1h.htm

Internet Police Keep Tight Grip on Blogs
South China Morning Post, March 08, 2007
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZIC2CZZYE.html

中国今年不增加新网吧 (China Will Not Allow New Internet Cafes to Open in 2007)
Radio Free Asia, March 06, 2007
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2007/03/06/wanba/

Military
专家称中国近期不会增加军费透明 (Expert Says China Will Not Increase Transparency of Military Expenditures)
Voice of America, March 07, 2007
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2007-03-07-voa37.cfm

Olympics
Olympics Merchandise to Net $70m
China Daily, March 08, 2007
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-03/08/content_
822294.htm

Poverty
China Aims to Rid Dire Poverty by 2010
Xinhuanet, March 08, 2007
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/07/content_
5811266.htm

Protests and Petitions
湖北随州因征地拆迁发生警民冲突 (Hubei Villagers Clash with Police over Illegal Land Grab and Forced Eviction)
Voice of America, March 07, 2007
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2007-03-07-voa33.cfm

Public Health
Wu Yi Apologizes for High Medical Costs
China Daily, March 08, 2007
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-03/08/content_
822310.htm

卫生部部长高强:新医改方案将向社会公示 (Ministry of Health Gao Qiang: The Plan for Health Care Reform Will Be Publicized for Public Consultation)
EastDay.com, March 08, 2007
http://news.eastday.com/c/20070308/u1a2668369.html

Religion
中国家庭教联会副会长因聚会被拘留十天 (House Church Leader Dong Quanyu Put in 10-Day Detention After Meeting with Fellow House Church Leaders)
Radio Free Asia, March 07, 2007
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2007/03/07/church/

Society
Only Half Chinese Speak Mandarin
BBC, March 07, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6426005.stm

Tibet
资深藏人平汪据报上书胡锦涛 (Senior Tibetan Scholar Urges President Hu Jintao to Allow Dalai Lama's Return in Open Letters)
BBC, March 08, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_6420000/
newsid_6426600/6426673.stm

Hong Kong
Beijing Warns on Push for Suffrage
South China Morning Post, March 08, 2007
http://www.scmp.com/topnews/ZZZE25GZZYE.html