Premier's news conference scrapped

BEIJING — China delivered a surprise on the eve of its big annual political event, scrapping a longstanding tradition in a move that may do little to ease global concerns about the fate of the world’s second-largest economy. Beijing said Monday that the country's premier would not be holding a news conference at the close of the National People's Congress (NPC), eliminating a rare opportunity for journalists from around the world to ask questions of a top Chinese leader at a time of economic uncertainty at home and rising tensions with the United States and others. Though largely ceremonial, the…