NPC opens in Beijing

A military band listens to China's Premeir Wen Jiabao deliver the "state of the nation" speech during the opening session of the annual National People's Congress (NPC) being held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 5, 2011. China's spending on police and domestic survelliance will hit new heights in 2005, with "public security" outlays unveiled on Saturday outstripping the defense budget for the first time as Beijing cracks down on protest calls. UPI/Stephen Shaver