Chinese president stresses stability in Tibet
Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for the maintainence of national integrity, ethnic unity and social stability in Tibet.
He made the comments during a panel discussion with legislators from the Tibet Autonomous Region at the on going national parliamentary session.
Hu Jintao asked people to consolidate a solid foundation for the construction of a socialist new Tibet.
According to the president, a prolonged educational campaign should be stepped up to promote ethnic unity.
He also says more should be done to promote development by bolstering the region's agriculture, industry and service trades

Wounded Chinese workers in Congo blasts set off for home aboard chartered plane
A chartered plane arranged by Beijing took off on Friday night in Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo, to take home 31 wounded Chinese workers from last week's arsenal blasts in the city.
The blasts, which the local government said was caused by an electrical short circuit in an arms depot in Brazzaville, claimed more than 200 lives and wounded over 1,500. Six Chinese workers out of about 140 who were working at a nearby construction site were killed in the blasts.

Chinese envoy calls for unity in Syrian crisis
China's envoy to Syria is calling for unity to peacefully solve the Syrian crisis.
Li Huaxin emphasized that unity on the issue is particularly important at the UN Security Council.
The Chinese envoy has just concluded a two-day visit to Syria.
He met with representatives from both the government and the opposition side, reasserting China's call for an end to the violence in the country.

China to offer humanitarian aid worth 2 mln USD to Syria
China says it will provide emergency humanitarian aid worth two million U.S. dollars to Syria.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says the aid money is offered to improve the humanitarian conditions in some regions of Syria and to demonstrate Chinese people's friendliness towards Syrian people.

Clinton says U.S., ROK, Japan to meet over talks with Pyongyang
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States, South Korea and Japan will meet to discuss the next steps following Pyongyang's suspension of uranium enrichment, nuclear and long-range missile tests.
The top U.S. diplomat says the three allies will have a trilateral meeting soon in response to the move of North Korea announced late last month following talks with the United States in Beijing days earlier.

S. Korean, U.S. forces wrap up joint annual drill
South Korean and U.S. forces have completed their joint annual military exercises.
The 12-day operation, dubbed Key Resolve, brought together 200,000 South Korean forces and 2,100 U.S. troops for drills based on scenarios of assumed threats to South Korea.
North Korea has denounced the exercises, claiming they are preparations for an attack on their country.

China should mind grain production despite record output
Chinese Minister of Agriculture, Han Changfu says China should not lower its guard over grain production this year, despite grain output rising for eight consecutive years.
The Minister's message comes after China's grain output hit a record high of 571- million tonnes last year.
The Agriculture Minister is warning uncertainties in weather and grain prices in the market may threaten the country's grain production this year.
He also says it is of great significance for China to stabilize grain output and raise farmers' income to keep prices stable with guaranteed grain supply.
Main goals for 2012 include keeping the grain output above 525-million-tonnes and marking a 7-percent increase in farmers' income.

Spring floods in S China above warning level
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says Spring floods above the warning level have been rushing over 30 rivers in the country's southern provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong since March 3.
It says North China's Heilongjiang Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also face severe situation of flood control when some frozen rivers began to thaw.
Meanwhile, drought has affected a total area of over 2 million hectares of farmland across the country, leaving over 5.8 million people without adequate drinking water.

Beijing Hospitals to Stop Selling Prescription Medicine
Beijing will be the first pilot location within China to trial the separation of hospitals and doctors from the medicine they prescribe as part of the upcoming hospital reform.
An official with the Beijing Hospital Authority says some public hospitals in Beijing will trial the reform this year. A number of hospitals in the capital will no longer be responsible for selling medical prescriptions as part of the pilot scheme.
He says the current policy of creating profits for doctors and hospitals by prescribing expensive and unnecessary medicine to patients will be abolished.