Headlines

First China-assembled A320 passes maiden flight

After four hours' flight, the first China-assembled Airbus A320 aircraft landed at Tianjin Binhai International Airport at 2:56 p.m. Monday.

The aircraft will be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing in June from the Airbus Delivery Center in Tianjin. Analysts believe that China would play a bigger role in the world's aviation industry with the Tianjin line in operation.

New president is appointed at CCTV

The central government has appointed Party publicity official Jiao Li as the new president of CCTV.

Jiao, the vice-minister for the publicity department of the Communist Party's Central Committee, replaced Zhao Huayong, 61, who stepped down from the role after reaching the official retirement age of 60, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Jiao, 54, was the publicity head of northeast China's Liaoning province before he was promoted last year.

9 held over fatal bridge collapse

Nine people have been arrested after a viaduct collapsed, killing nine and injuring 16 others in Zhuzhou, Hunan province.

The 160-meter section of Hongqi Road Viaduct crashed to the road below on Sunday, crushing 24 cars. The 2,750 meter bridge was due to be demolished Wednesday. The cause of the blast has not been officially determined. A government work team is investigating the incident.

Pop singer, wife busted for drugs

Pop star Man Wenjun has been locked up, after he was allegedly busted with heroin during a raid on his wife's birthday party.

The 40-year-old singer, his wife Li Li and more than ten other people were arrested on Tuesday, after police raided the VIP room at the popular Coco Banana nightclub in Beijing.

News In-depth

Strong Brazil ties to get stronger/President in Beijing

Brazilian President Luiz Silva arrived in Beijing Monday for a three-day state visit. The visit was aimed at strengthening the country's partnership with China.

Silva focused on boosting cooperation with China in trade and investment, scientific cooperation and coordination in international affairs. Brazil and China, the two biggest developing countries, have built up a steady relationship since the strategic partnership was established in 1993.

According to Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Commerce, Brazil's trade with China last month reached $3.2 billion, exceeding its $2.8 billion in trade with the United States.

Wen attends Sino-EU summit

Premier Wen Jiabao attended the Sino-EU summit in Prague, the Czech Republic, Wednesday.

The annual summit was originally set for last December but was postponed because of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the time France held the rotating EU presidency.

Dr Michael Pulch, deputy head of Delegation of the European Commission, described the summit as "a stepping stone" in fostering a stronger relationship. He said the summit achieved its objectives of bringing together leaders to discuss political issues such as the global economic crisis and climate change.

Flu update

Another person has tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus in Beijing. It marks the second confirmed case on the capital and the fifth in the Chinese mainland, the capital's municipal health bureau said Wednesday.

The patient is a 21-year-old Chinese-Canadian student from Toronto. A health official refused to disclose the patient's name, saying he was no longer a Chinese national. The man arrived in Beijing on May 16 on a direct Air Canada flight from Toronto.

Taiwan's health authorities yesterday reported two new confirmed cases of A (H1N1) flu, bringing the total number to three on the island. This week health officials from around the world are attending the World Health Organization’s annual meeting in Geneva to discuss the flu outbreak.

Other News

'Chinese da Vinci' donates art

The exhibition “Jin Shangyi: Works from His Donation to Museums” opened at the National Art Museum of China on May 17.

The 39 oil paintings and sketches donated by Jin in 2008 to the museum have been combined with various other works found throughout museums across China.

Art lovers have until May 25 to catch a glimpse of one of China’s finest living oil painters.

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Siberian-born Kristina Koveshnikova is a freelance journalist from New Zealand who has worked in print, television and film. After completing a BCS degree majoring in journalism, she won an Asia NZ Foundation/Pacific Media Centre award to work for China Daily website. Kristina previously did internships at ABC 7 News in Washington DC and TVNZ in New Zealand and has written for a number of publications, including The New Zealand Herald and East & Bays Courier.