Chinese space tracking ship Yuanwang-7 started its maritime space monitoring and communication mission for Tianzhou-1, China’s first cargo spacecraft, on Monday morning.

Yuanwang-7 is sailing into the Pacific Ocean, the first time for the ship to carry out a journey independently. During its maiden voyage in July 2016, the ship was accompanied by Yuanwang-6.

The vessel is also expected to perform emergency response and scientific tasks after reaching its destination in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday.

Designed by China, Yuanwang-7 is 220 meters long, 40 meters high and has a displacement of nearly 30,000 tons.

Yuanwang-7, part of the country’s new generation of spacecraft tracking ships, entered service on July 12, 2016. It has performed scientific research and experiment-related tasks, including tracking missions for the maiden flight of the Long March-5, space rendezvous and docking of manned spacecraft Shenzhou-11 and the Tiangong-2 space lab.

The Yuanwang-1 and Yuanwang-2 ships, China’s first-generation space tracking vessels, entered service in 1979, making China the fourth country to master space tracking technology after the United States, Russia and France.

SCIO Vice Minister Guo Weimin addresses the book launch ceremony in Beijing on April 9. [Photo/CRI]

Vice minister of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) Guo Weimin attended a book launch ceremony on April 9 in Beijing.

The book “Min Thu Wun’s Affinity with China” collects the translation and original works of Min Thu Wun, a Myanmar poet and scholar, as well as the father of current Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw. The book includes Min Thu Wun’s translation of Chinese literature – ranging from famous writer Lu Xun and ancient Chinese poetry – as well as essays he wrote on China when he visited the country in the1950s and 1960s.

During the book launch event, Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw, who is currently visiting China, said his father was always interested in Chinese literature, and he hoped the book can contribute to the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

SCIO Vice Minister Guo Weimin said the book is a testimony to Min Thu Wun’s interest in Chinese culture and the foundation of people-to-people exchanges between the countries. The president’s visit to China and attendance at the book launch ceremony “continues to write a new chapter of the cultural and people-to-people exchanges of the two countries,” he added.

Drawing on previous exchanges between China and Myanmar, Guo continued, “China and Myanmar are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and river, sharing deep and profound traditional ‘Paukphaw’ (fraternal) friendship….China is willing to work along with Myanmar to make more progress in the China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic partnership to benefit the two countries and their people.”

The book is compiled in both Chinese and Burmese and published by the Foreign Languages Press under the China International Publishing Group.

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to reports
that the Bank of England was involved in the Libor rigging, said:

“This is
an extremely serious revelation that contradicts past assurances about the role
of the Bank of England in the Libor scandal. 

"It goes
to the very heart of whether our financial institutions can be
trusted. Therefore, it warrants an immediate high level investigation, and
the Chancellor must act straight away to ensure this happens.”

The areas along the Yangtze River are likely to see more severe droughts and floods than usual this year, flood control authorities announced Monday.

During flood season this year, the river’s middle and lower reaches will see more rainfall while the upper area — except the Jinsha, Jialing, Min and Tuo rivers — will see up to 30 percent less precipitation than normal years, said Cui Jiangxue, deputy secretary-general of the Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

According to meteorological and hydrological forecasts, drought and floods in the river basin will occur at the same time, he said at a meeting in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province.

The headquarters urged provinces and cities along the river to track weather conditions closely and improve flood control measures.

Heavy rain along the river since January has resulted in landslides and floods in some areas.

Due to rainfall in the middle and upper reaches, the volume of water entering the Three Gorges Reservoir almost doubled to 13,000 cubic meters per second in the 24 hours starting 2 p.m. Saturday.

The water inflow began to decrease Sunday afternoon and hit 10,200 cubic meters per second at 2 p.m. Monday — a record high since 1993. The inflow of the reservoir will continue to drop Tuesday.

More than 500 ships are waiting to pass through the dam’s ship locks.