China ready for annual session of top political advisory body
China is in full preparation for the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.
The session will convene tomorrow.
The secretariat of the session has so far received some 790 proposals and more than 400 speech transcripts, according to a spokesman of the session.
The proposals are mainly focused on developing the real economy, promoting small and medium-sized enterprises, boosting domestic demand, and improving environmental and air qualities.

Wang Lijun under investigation: CPPCC spokesman
Chongqing vice mayor Wang Lijun is currently under investigation and will not be attending the upcoming session of the National People's Congress, China'a Parliament.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier that Wang entered the U.S. consulate in southwest China and stayed there for one day.
According to Zhao Qizheng, the spokesman for the annual session of the CPPCC, the nations top advisory body, Wang has asked for leave in this year's session.
He said Wang's incident is an isolated case, asking media not to make excessive speculation on the incident.

China opposes Japan's naming Diaoyu Islands
China says it firmly opposes Japan's naming of the Diaoyu Islands.
The remarks came after Japanese cabinet released names of 39 uninhabited islands, including some isles affiliated to the Diaoyu Island.
China's foreign minstry reiterates that any unilateral action taken by the Japanese side about the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated isles is illegal and invalid.
It says the Diaoyu Island and other related isles have been part of inherent Chinese territory since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over them.
Meanwhile, China has released standard names and descriptions of the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated isles.

Red Cross convoy arrives in Homs bringing aid

红十字会车队抵达霍尔姆次带来协助
A Red Cross convoy has arrived in the Syrian city of Homs and is set to deliver supplies to the Baba Amr district after a month-long siege.
The Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent have organised the convoy and are now planning to evacuate the wounded.
The area has suffered heavy bombardment by government forces in recent weeks.
The rebel Free Syrian Army said it was leaving the district in a "tactical withdrawal".
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has echoed many others closing its embassy in Damascus amid 'security fears'.

23 killed in suicide blast in NW Pakistan

巴基斯坦西北边境自杀式爆炸致使23人死亡
At least 23 people have been killed in a suicide blast in Pakistan's northwestern tribal area of Khyber Agency.
The number of Injured is unknown.
The blast occurred when a suicide bomber attacked outside a mosque while people were leaving following Friday prayers.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Serbia granted EU candidate status

塞尔维亚获得欧盟候选国地位
The European Union's (EU) top leaders have agreed to grant Serbia 'EU Candidate' status.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy announced the decision at a press conference following the first day of the EU spring summit.
Serbia applied for EU membership back in 2009.

Alleged arson kills 13 in N. China
Thirteen people have died and another one injured after an alleged arson in north China's Shanxi province.
The incident occurred in a one-story house in a neighborhood of Taiyuan, the provincial capital city yesterday.
The fire was put out by firefighters, and the injured have been rushed to hospital.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Two-thirds of Chinese cities unable to meet stricter air quality standards: vice minister
Two-thirds of China's cities are unable to meet recently updated air quality standards.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection says that air pollution control will be "an arduous task for the country."
Major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have already started to monitor the internationally recognised PM 2.5 index.
More than 100 smaller cities will adopt the new standards in 2013 with all cities nationwide adopting them by 2015.

China to strictly investigate malpractice involving people's livelihoods
China says its procuratorates will strictly investigate cases of malpractice by officials that involve the people's livelihoods such as food safety and housing issues.
China launched a national special campaign among its procuratorial agencies a year ago to investigate cases of infringement acts and derelictions of duty by officials that harm the people's livelihoods.
A statement from the Supreme People's Procuratorate says in 2012, the procuratorates will continue the malpractice investigations with the focus on the cases involving education, employment, public health, food and drug safety, social security and the affordable housing program.

China lake bans fishing to restock
China's fourth-largest freshwater lake, Hongze Lake, has started a three-month fishing ban in order to restock fishery resources in the lake.
During the fishing suspension, fish fry valued at 5 million yuan (794,000 U.S. dollars) will be released into the lake in east China's Jiangsu Province to help achieve sustainable growth of fishery resources.