Ningxia Party Chief

Born in August 1950, Zhang had served as deputy secretary of the CPC provincial committees in Heilongjiang and Hebei provinces. He became deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, the Party's top discipline watchdog, in October 2007.

(XINHUA)

Chen has reached the mandatory retirement age for provincial officials of 65. He was elected secretary of the CPC Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regional Committee in June 2002 and reelected in June 2007.

Ningxia has a population of 6.25 million in 2009, with Muslims accounting for more than one third.

Figure Skating Coach

(XINHUA)

Li Mingzhu, former coach of two-time Olympic bronze medalist Chen Lu, will return to China after coaching in the United States for 13 years.

Zhao Yinggang, Director of China's Winter Sports Administrative Center, said Li had accepted a four-year contract with the Chinese Skating Federation to coach the Chinese women's figure skating team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

"Negotiations have been going on since last year and I believe we will formally sign the contract with Li in August," Zhao said.

Li, 48, began her coaching career in 1982. Under her coaching, Chen became China's first Olympic figure skating medalist (bronze medals in 1994 and 1998) and world champion in 1995.

After she concluded a 15-year partnership with Chen, Li went to the United States in 1997 and taught at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia owned by five-time World champion Michelle Kwan. Her skaters there included Caroline Zhang, the 2007 World Junior Champion and 2009 U.S. Championship bronze medalist.

In 2008, the Chinese Skating Federation sent three teenagers to the United States for training with Li.

 Corrupt Police

(FILE)

Xiang Huaizhu, former Deputy Director of the Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, was sentenced on July 23 to 12 years' imprisonment for accepting bribes.

The Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court also ruled Xiang's 1 million yuan ($147,000) in personal assets be confiscated.

Prosecutors accused Xiang of accepting money and gifts worth more than 2 million yuan ($294,000) from 2005 to 2008. Part of the bribery came from Huang Guangyu, former Chairman of Gome Electrical Appliances. Huang was sentenced to 14 years in prison in May after being convicted of illegal business dealings, insider trading and corporate bribery.

Xiang, 46, also accepted bribes when he worked in Shandong Province.

Xiang's wife, Li Shanjuan, received a 1-year-and-seven-month sentence. She worked in the Audit Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security before she was arrested. Prosecutors accused her of accepting more than 170,000 yuan ($25,000) in bribes.

"History has repeatedly proven that the involvement of a superpower in disputed areas did, more often than not, complicate the situation and bring tragedy to parties concerned."

Xinhua News Agency, in a July 27 report titled "U.S. Involvement Will Only Complicate South China Sea Issue" 

"When we spend money not only on our own needs, but also on wildlife, it promises the hope of a world in which human and nature are in harmony."

Wang Yongchen, a Chinese environmental activist, on the Ministry of Agriculture's proposal to suspend construction of the world's largest cross-sea bridge in south China, which runs through the habitat of Chinese white dolphins, during the five-month breeding season of the endangered species. The move is expected to extend the project 3 more years and cost an additional $541 million 

"China is now the world's largest exporter, but the processing trade takes up a large part, which means a fall in China's exports will affect exports in many other countries."

Ding Zhijie, professor at Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics, warning of the possible impact of large fluctuations in Chinese currency exchange rate on China's exports and global trade improvement

"It is up to a court to decide clearly whether something is in the end a crime. That said prima facie there does appear to be evidence of war crimes in this material."

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, defending the whistle-blower website's publication of tens of thousands of classified U.S. military reports on Afghanistan that he believes show "thousands" of war crimes may have been committed there

"[I look forward to] the little things, like walking along the street without anybody looking at [me] or sitting at a table to eat with the rest of the family."

Recipient of the world's first full-face transplant, identified only as Oscar, making his first public appearance in Barcelona, Spain, on July 26. The 31-year-old Spaniard is still struggling to speak