First Teacher in Space

Astronaut Wang Yaping has become China's first teacher in space. Wang taught Chinese primary and middle school students about physics while in a zero-gravity environment in Tiangong-1, China's first space station. She said, "We are all students of our vast universe." Wang, born in January 1980, was a transport aircraft pilot in the People's Liberation Army Air Force and has clocked 1,600 hours of flying time. Beyond delivering her space lecture, Wang's responsibilities included monitoring conditions on the spacecraft, conducting space experiments and operating equipment, among others. Wang was part of the Shenzhou-10 space mission in April 2013.)

New U.N. Trade Chief

The General Assembly of the United Nations has named former Kenyan Trade and Industry Minister Mukhisa Kituyi as Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In June, the Assembly members approved Kituyi to serve as the head of the Geneva-based agency beginning September 1 this year. Kituyi has a strong background in trade, having held several senior trade-related positions in Kenya.