A Fair Trial – Humour

China's currency is expected to continue to weaken against the U.S. dollar in coming months, albeit at a moderate pace, as authorities weigh the political and economic benefits of a weaker currency in propping up the export-oriented economy.

A copy of "Beijing Daily" that's already been read can produce four pencils, one ton of waste newspapers can produce 20,000 pencils. A privately owned science and technology company in Daxing District is successfully using waste newspapers to make pencils, producing altogether 33,000,000 paper-made pencils last year, saving the equivalent of 1500 cubic metres of wood.

China's one-child policy leads to an estimated 13 million reported abortions every year, with many of those ordered by the authorities enforcing the system. Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan gained access to a hospital in the southeastern city of Xiamen, where she interviewed Xiao Ai Ying, who was forced to have an abortion eight months into her pregnancy because she already has a ten-year-old girl.

The high profile case of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu closed with the three-judge court sentencing the Australian citizen to 10 years in prison. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith termed the sentence harsh and pointed out that part of the trial was held behind closed doors, with no Australian official present, despite a Sino-Australian consular agreement that provides for such presence.