In This EditionMembers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet in Beijing on a series of cooperation agreements.

The U.S government expresses concern that al-Qaida may be increasingly taking advantage of the prolonged instability in Syria.

Searchers recover 12 bodies at the site of this week's deadly jetliner crash outside the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

Environmentalists press the idea of recycled water use in China, where progress has been slow despite a government campaign launched a quarter-century ago.

Hot Issue ReportsChina's DM Concludes US VisitChinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie has presented more than 200 copies of Chinese history and strategy books to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Liang said his visit to the United States is very successful in terms of deepening mutual understanding, strengthening mutual trust, and further promoting mutual cooperation. Liang's West Point visit wrapped up his six-day trip to the U.S, ---the first by a Chinese defense minister in nine years. Ding Lulu has more.

Reporter:

As the last stop of the Chinese Defense Minister's tour in the US, Liang Guanglie visited West Point on Thursday.

He first visited the Academy in 2004, which he descried as an "impressive and unforgettable" trip.

During the visit, the Defence Minister presented more than 200 copies of Chinese history and strategy books as gifts to the academy.

"To extend the friendship between the military academies of the two countries, and to express both my gratitude and that of our delegation, I would like to present a collection of books about Chinese history, culture and ancient wisdom about military, for example, the Art of War."The academy's Superintendent David Huntoon presented Liang with a dress cadet helmet as a gift.

He also praised Liang for the visit and his efforts to promote the military relationship between the two countries.

"General Liang is on a very important trip as the minister of defense. He spent a full week here in the United States of America. And his efforts to build greater trust and mutual cooperation between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China have been extraordinary for several years now. "Liang's six-day visit to the US is the first by a Chinese Defense Minister in nine years.

He earlier met with US government and military leaders as well as representatives of the "Flying Tigers" who fought with the Chinese during the war against Japanese aggression in World War II.

Liang also invited US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta to visit China in the second half of this year.

"My visit this time really promoted the mutual understanding and mutual trust between the two militaries. We witnessed the achievement of the US military building. Thank you for offering us a good opportunity for learning from you. I'd like to thank defense secretary Panetta and his colleagues."Liang Guanglie is also scheduled to visit Latvia and Poland.

For CRI, I am Ding Lulu.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Meets in BeijingMembers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have been meeting here in Beijing.

The SCO member states are now set to sign a series of agreements connected to politics, security, and economics, including the establishment of a special account and development bank.

Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi.

"We have unanimously decided to continue improving the SCO's ability to respond to new threats and new challenges; first of all, to improve crisis prediction and emergency response ability to safeguard the sovereignty and security interests of member states."Yang Jiechi says the SCO remains particularly concerned about the situation in Afghanistan.

"We remain concerned with the situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa. We propose that the SCO member states continue in a constructive manner to advance peace and development in Afghanistan and call for strict adherence to the principles in the UN Charter and international law. Also, we propose that members respect the independent decisions of nations in the region and ensure peace, stability and prosperity and advancement in the surrounding region."This preparatory meeting has been held ahead of a SCO leaders summit set for next month here in Beijing.

US Defence Chief Says Intelligence Indicates Al-Qaida Presence in SyriaThe U.S government is now expressing concern that al-Qaida may be increasingly taking advantage of the prolonged instability in Syria.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says US intelligence indicates "an al-Qaida presence in Syria."However, he admits the extent of al-Qaida's reach in Syria remains unclear.

"Frankly we need to continue to do everything we can to determine what kind of influence they're trying to exert there."Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Panetta says the US will continue to go after al-Qaida, no matter where it is.

"The recent threat that concerned all Americans about the possibility of another effort to take down an American airliner has come out of Yemen, and It's for that reason that we will continue to talk all of the steps necessary to try to go after those who would threaten our country."12 Bodies Recovered Near Russian Plane Crash SiteSearchers have now managed to recover 12 bodies at the site of this week's deadly jetliner crash outside the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

The recovery work is being hampered by bad weather and the remoteness of the crash site.

"It looks impossible to get into the location for the rescue team to conduct an evacuation, because the access there is very, very difficult. I have been past two mountains to get into the crash site, but there is no access."A team of Russian investigators and government officials have now arrived in Indonesia to join the probe.

One of the team's tasks will be to identify the 8 Russian nationals, who were among the 45 people on the plane when it went down Wednesday.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is promising full cooperation with the Russian team.

"I have spoken to (Russian) President Valdimir Putin last night, we are deeply saddened, and agreed to collaborate on information and investigate into the incident."The Russian-built Sukhoi passanger jet was on a demonstration run, filled with commercial industry officials and potential buyers, when it slammed into the side of a mountain outside Jakarta Wednesday afternoon.

While the cause of the crash remains unclear, it has been noted the pilot of the ill-fated plane did ask for permission to descend just before the plane dropped off the radar screens.

Annan: More Needs to be Done for Africa; China a Big Investment Potential in AfricaFormer UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, who is also the chair of the Africa Progress Panel, is now praising the progress Africa has been making.

But at the same time, Annan is stressing that more needs to be done.

Annan's comments have come at the ongoing World Economic Forum on Africa currently taking place in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

"Africa has shown remarkable progress in the last few years and it has seven of the world's fastest growing economies. We are seeing greater foreign direct investing and we are also trying to generate domestic investment to promote African development. But of course, it is not all rosy, not every African countries can meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, the target date."Annan is also urging African nations to focus on creating more jobs for young people, and at the same time, bolster small-scale agriculture.

China CPI Growth Eases to 3.4 PercentChina's inflation has eased slightly in April, with warmer weather slowing the increase in food prices. As CRI's Wei Tong reports, the slow-down in inflation is spurring renewed hope that the government's annual targets for the CPI can be met.

Reporter:

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's consumer price index, or CPI, rose 3.4 percent year on year in April.

That is down from the 3.6 percent rise in March.

Food prices, which account for nearly one third of the weighting in the calculation of the CPI, did increase 7 percent last month from a year earlier.

However, on a monthly basis, food prices actually dropped 0.9 percent from March.

Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show that despite a small rebound at the end of April, farm produce prices continue to fall, with the price of vegetables and pork down significantly.

Wang Jun, a researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchange, says he expects the downward trend to continue.

"Inflation will be curbed in the first half of this year with the effective measures we have taken. We expect that the CPI will continue falling in May and June, possibly to below 3 percent because the vegetable price is plummeting in summer time."The Chinese government wants to keep the CPI at around 4 percent for the year.

Meanwhile, China's Producer Price Index, which is the main gauge of inflation at the wholesale level, fell 0.7 percent in April from a year earlier.

The data marks the 2nd month of decline in the PPI.

The produce price index in March fell in March for the first time since December of 2009.

Wang Jun says the drop in the PPI should be taken with a 'grain of salt.'

"A shrinking PPI, investment and consumption shows that the fundamentals for economic recovery are still fragile and unstable. There has not come to an end for economic recession but the pace is getting slow. It is predicted that economic recession will touch its bottomline in the second quarter of 2012. It is no sooner than the third and fourth quarters when the economy can start to grow."The People's Bank of China's latest quarterly report says it is going to maintain its prudent monetary policy in the months ahead, while at the same time, fine-tuning the policy when needed.

For CRI, this is Wei Tong.

Recycled Water Not Used to Its Full EffectWith new questions being raised about people's continued access to water resources here in China, at least one environmental expert is pressing the idea of more recycled water use. As CRI's Shen Chengcheng reports, while the Chinese government has been promoting the re-use of water for the past quarter-century, the use of recycled water in the country is still quite uncommon.

Reporter:

Recycled water is not as clean as tap water, but for water-scarce cities such as Beijing, its use is certainly needed.

Xiao Qiong is a water industry analyst.

"The cost of recycling water is cheaper than long distance water transfer."However, around 40 percent of the recycled water produced in Beijing's recycling plants goes unused.

Beijing's recycled water is mainly used for industry, landscaping and cleaning the city itself.

A number of larger communities here in China do have water recycling facilities.

But for the majority of communities that do not have the capacity to recycle water, huge piping networks have to be set up to draw recycled water from the closest plant, a process which can be very expensive.

On top of that, Chinese environmentalist Ma Jun concedes that many people are not comfortable using recycled water.

"As long as clean tap water is still running in our homes, people are unwilling to use recycled water. Besides, water fees only account for a small proportion of people's cost of living."The central government is doing its part to increase the use of recycled water with a promise to triple the amount of money available for new water recycling plants in the next 5-years.

Ma Jun says the average person can also lend a hand in saving water.

"Many people collect water from their washing machines. They use it to mop the floor or flush the toilet and this is a great DIY system for recycling water."For CRI, I'm Shen Chengcheng.

Lost Real-name Train Tickets Can Be ReplacedDespite suggestions to the contrary, the man in charge of the Beijing Railway Station's ticket office contends the new rules that allow passangers to replace lost train tickets aren't that difficult to navigate. CRI's Yang Yong has more.

Reporter:

The Ministry of Railways said that rail passengers who want to replace lost tickets must inform the railway staff that they have lost their tickets, purchase new tickets, pay an application fee of 2 yuan and provide a valid identification card or other document, no less than 20 minutes before the original ticket expires. Passengers can then get a refund after they have completed their journey and once their information has been confirmed.

Chen Chao, director of the Beijing Railway Station Ticket Office.

"Passengers who apply for replacement tickets need to take their ID cards and tell the railway staff all the relevant information including the train No. you are supposed to take, the time of the train and the destination. After we confirm your information, we will give you the replacement tickets. "A man surnamed Xu, who bought tickets from Beijing to Shijiazhuang with his family, lost the tickets prior to their trip. He was lucky thanks to the new policy.

"I paid the original price again to buy new tickets, and informed the railway staff that I had lost my original tickets and asked the chief conductor to issue a confirmation for the purchase of replacement tickets. With 24 hours of arriving at my destination, I had to show the replacement tickets to obtain a refund along with my ID card to confirm my identity."However, some people said that the complicated application procedure would be inconvenient for passengers and increase the labor costs of railway departments. Chen said the procedure was not complicated and suggested that the most effective way to prevent such inconvenience was to take care of any tickets originally purchased.

"The most effective way is not to lose your tickets. If you take all the related documents and give us the right information, it will only take you about two minutes. But to look after your tickets is really important, because the tickets contain your personal information. "Meanwhile, some passengers said it would be difficult for railway staff to distinguish a lost ticket from a replacement ticket. Chen said that passengers don't need to worry about this issue.

"Railway staff check every ticket carefully. When passengers enter the station, board the train, and leave the station, railway staff will check a passenger's ID card several times."The Ministry of Railways said that railway stations can refuse applications for replacement tickets if passengers report a lost ticket too late; a refund has already been issued for their original ticket; or if they lose their replacement tickets.

For CRI, I am Yang Yong.

Financial Times (UK): Why Belt up When You Can Drop and Roll?

An American-born journalist says Chinese student drivers are now taking a driving test that recommends stop, drop and roll in traffic emergencies, instead of seat belts and airbags.

The writer cites an official Chinese drivers' manual, saying it takes the manual lots of words to specifically and graphically show what the correct way is to jump out a moving vehicle and how to minimize the hurt in a rollover situation, while seat belts and airbags merit only a cursory mention.

The outstanding thing the writer notes is the country's taxi drivers believe driving without seat belt within city limits is safe, while seat belts are only for toll roads.

Reuters: Divorce Courts Mirror Society as More Women Pay AlimonyUS lawyers say more women are paying their former husbands alimony and child support than ever before.

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says over 55 percent of divorce lawyers across the United States say they have seen an increase in mothers paying child support and nearly half of the lawyers say they have noted a hike in the number of women paying alimony.

The Academy says it shows women climb higher up the career ladder and in many cases, they are the major bread winner in their family.

But the Academy also says in fact, women are not pleased with the turnaround, with many of them feeling uncomfortable with the concept of paying spousal support to a man.

NPR: A Noise Canadians Can Hear, Americans CannotThousands of residents in Windsor, Ontario say they can hear an annoying noise believed to be emanating from outside Detroit, Michigan.

Apparently, their American neighbors say they cannot hear it.

Windsor residents say they can hear two sounds, a deep, low-frequency hum and a deep, vibrating pulse, which make the young children in their town cranky and wake up babies at midnight.

Staff of Canada's Foreign Ministry have met with their counterparts from the US State Department to talk about the situation.

A Canadian seismographic study has already found out the noise comes from a man-made island outside Detroit, in which US Steel opened a mill two years ago.

Canadians say they will conduct an acoustic study for the next step, though they may have to pay for the study, again.

BBC: Italian Man Becomes Mayor by AccidentAn Italian man, who symbolically stood as a last-minute favor to his friend, the only candidate for their town's mayor, found out himself, not his friend, won the poll.

50-year-old Fabio Borsatti says he was worried that not enough people in their small town in northern Italy would vote for his friend, if he stood unopposed.

Eventually he realized he became mayor, when people telephoned him when he was watching a football game at home, with nearly 60 percent of the voters in the town supporting him.

In fact, his daughter, sister, father and mother all voted for his friend.

Borsatti says he does not want to be a mayor but he will not resign and will carry out his duties for Cimolais, a mountain town with a population of some 500.

Borsatti's friend says he is not upset. He says it is apparently unusual, but it is nothing to joke about.