Diplomatic Pouch | Mike Peters

Ghana's Ambassador to China Helen Mamle Kofi hosted a celebration of the life of the country's late president in Beijing on Aug 10. Johns Evans Atta Mills died after a sudden illness in late July.

The government of Ghana declared one week of national mourning, during which all flags were to fly at half mast, and the embassy invited friends of Ghana to stop by the chancery to sign a book of condolences. The vice-president, John Dramani Mahama, has been sworn in as president.

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Chinese President Hu Jintao recently announced the appointment of four new ambassadors.

Lin Lin was appointed ambassador to Zimbabwe, replacing Xin Shunkang.

Xin Shunkang was appointed ambassador to Namibia, replacing Wei Ruixing.

Yang Xiuping was appointed head of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN and ambassador to ASEAN.

Zhang Lianyun was appointed ambassador to Micronesia, replacing Zhang Weidong.

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This month's US edition of Vogue magazine salutes Mona Locke, wife of US ambassador Gary Locke and a former TV news anchor in Seattle, as "The Toast of Beijing". She tells the magazine that she wept on the night her husband was elected governor of Washington state because it meant her life would never be the same, but adds that her itinerant childhood taught her to face up to life's many changes.

"Every phase offers you a change to reinvent yourself," she says, "and get a check on where your passions lie." The article (and a charming family photo) can be seen at www.vogue.com.

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The Finnish embassy in Beijing announced that Aker Arctic has been selected to execute the conceptual and basic design of a new polar research vessel for China.

The value of the signed contract exceeds 5 million euros ($6.2 million) and the polar research ship will be designed to accommodate up to 90 people and will have an overall length of about 120 meters. The vessel will be able to break through 1.5 m of level ice at a speed of 2 to 3 knots, including multi-year ice.

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Argentine Ambassador Gustavo Martino announced that his country has signed a moon exploration agreement with China recently to establish ground tracking, command and data acquisition facilities, including a deep space antenna, in the province of Neuquen, Argentina.

Felix Menicocci, secretary general of the Argentine space agency, and Yu Tongjie, deputy director of China Satellite Launch and Tracking control, represented the signatories at the Beijing ceremony.

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Britain's consul general in Chongqing, Simon Lever, and UK Trade and Investment led a construction mission to Chengdu last month to further boost the city's sustainability development and help it build a modern garden city.

The aim of the mission is putting new innovative British design on the streets of Chengdu.

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The German embassy in Beijing, in collaboration with various cultural organizations, has kicked off the exhibition Examples to Follow! this month at the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing's 798 Art Zone. Curator Adrienne Goehler says she chose artists who dissolve boundaries among art, activism and inventions in a range of video works, photographs, performances and installations dealing with the cultural dimension of sustainability. The show has previously been on display in the German cities Bremen and Hamburg, then in Mumbai, India, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- and continues in Beijing through Sept 16.

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(China Daily 08/19/2012 page5)