EQUALITY: UN calls for education fairness in Africa ZHAO YINGQUAN

Revitalizing waterways

China

China will establish a smooth, efficient, safe and environment-friendly inland water transport network by 2020, said a statement posted on the Central Government's website. After 10 years of development, China will have 19,000 km of navigable waterways and national waterway freight traffic is expected to rise to more than 3 billion tons, according to the statement. The country will also continue develop the Yangtze River.

Eliminate disparities

Africa

The United Nations called on African governments to implement policies that eliminate disparities in provision of education for children. It said great disparities exist in provision of education, particularly among children in marginalized groups. Non-formal schools in informal settlements in urban centers and semi-arid areas were identified as among those most affected. Disparities disfavor children in the schools since they learn in deplorable conditions. Governments must work to eliminate the inequalities if they are to achieve education for all.

Photographer wins

South Africa

A South African photographer's portrait of an Afghan woman whose husband sliced off her nose and ears in a case of Taliban-administered justice won the World Press Photo award for 2010. Jodi Bieber's posed picture, which contrasts the woman's arresting beauty against the results of the violence done to her after she fled an abusive marriage, was published on the cover of Time magazine. Bieber is a freelance photojournalist affiliated with the Institute for Artist Management/Goodman Gallery. She has published two books on her native South Africa.

Mars mission

China

Two members of the crew in a simulated mission to Mars have completed their first walk on the "surface" of the Red Planet, as a part of the Russian Mars-500 project. In their walk, the two so-called "marsonauts" erected the national flags of Russia, China and a flag of European Space Agency on the surface of the "Mars." The six crew members, including three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese have been living in the isolated "spacecraft" since last June. Chinese participant Wang Yue has performed well in the Mars-500 project, according to the project's chief.

Numbers:

4.9%

China's CPI rose in January year on year

3.9 Million [km]

The total length of highways in rural China by the end of 2015

57%

Namibian diamond production jumped in 2010

7.5 Billion [$]

Nigeria-China bilateral trade volume in 2010