China’s central bank raised interest rates for the first time this year, reports the top headline of today’s New Express and a host of other newspapers.
The quarter-point hikes, the third increase since mid-October, bring the one-year lending rate to 6.06% and the deposit rate to 3% and are intended to curb inflation. The announcement was made on the final day of the week-long Spring Festival holiday.
Also showing up on many front pages today is the story of child beggars reuniting with their families due to the efforts of journalists, celebrities, and the online community at large. A microblog campaign is underway to publicize photos of child beggars in the hopes that their parents will recognize them, and Han Hong, an entertainer who also serves as a national legislative advisor, will submit a proposal at the upcoming sessions to crack down on child kidnapping.
At the bottom of the page is a headline reporting on southern Sudan’s secession referendum, which will officially split the country into two parts in July.
- China Daily: Rate hike ‘aims to help tame inflation’
- ESWN: Peng Gaofeng finds his son