Following are the main facts and figures about China's justice system in 2005 revealed in the work report delivered by Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's Court, to the Fourth annual session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature:

-- A total of 3,196 cases of various nature were handled by the supreme court in 2005, up 9.34 percent as against the previous year

-- Chinese local courts at all levels heard 683,997 criminal cases last year, locking up a total of 844,717 people, which was 10 percent higher than the previous year

-- Courts across the country heard 24,277 cases of embezzlement, bribery and dereliction of duty in 2005, and sentenced 1,932 officials above the county level, including six provincial and ministerial officials, to prison

-- Chinese courts at various levels pronounced 2,162 criminal defendants innocent in 2005, following the principle of meting out penalty to the guilty in accordance with the law, and setting the innocent free in time

-- Local courts handled 3,529 criminal cases and 13,393 civil cases involving intellectual property rights violations in 2005, up 28.28 percent and 38.04 percent, respectively, than the previous year

-- Local courts across the country received 3,995,244 letters, visits and calls of complaints in 2005, down 5.33 percent year-on- year, and 435,547 of them were against the misconduct of judges

-- 378 judges were found to abuse power for personal interests and 66 were given criminal penalty according to law last year, 18 percent and 44.07 percent less, respectively, than the previous year

Xiao Yang pledged to lawmakers in his annual work report that in 2006, he will press ahead with judicial reform, clamp down on internal corruption and improve the proficiency of judges and prosecutors.

Source: Xinhuaes from the British government to put development at the center of the current round of trade talks, the Department of Trade and Industry is allowing the European Union to pressure for a deal that is destructive to many poor countries.

The government should also "rip up the bad deal being sought by the EU in the name of the British government and other member states", it said.

"If the British Government is genuinely serious about its role as a champion of Africa's needs and of development, then they need to speak out publicly in favor of developing country demands and rip up the bad deal being sought by the EU in the name of the British government and other member states," Stocking said.

The Africa Commission also called on the British government to push for an Arms Trade Treaty.

But the aid agency said though the British government committed to this in its 2005 election manifesto there has been little progress at the UN so far.

"Manifesto commitments mean little unless they are followed by concerted action across government to deliver them. While the UK led progress at the EU and the Commonwealth last year, it is now failing to use its full influence at the UN to push for tighter controls on the international arms trade," said Oxfam.

The report was followed by a summit of the G8 leading industrialized nations which focused on the problems of Africa.

The eight leaders agreed to write off 40 billion dollars of debt and to meet the commission's recommendation that aid for Africa should go up by 25 billion dollars by 2010.