XIN_ENG_20051103.0150

BEIJING, Nov. 3 , 2005 (Xinhua)

cooperation

China is strengthening its efforts in combating climate change by participating actively in international projects, said an expert with the State Development and Reform Commission Thursday.

Jiang Kejun, a researcher with the Energy Research Institute of the commission, said at a conference on China and Climate Change that China regards such international cooperation frameworks as the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate (APCDC) as a good complementary to its participation in the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

China, the United States, Australia, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea signed an APCDC agreement in July which emphasizes limiting greenhouse gas emission through technological cooperation without setting a quota for each member's emission reduction.

As a signatory country of the Kyoto Protocol, China has been thirsty for advanced technologies to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emission, said Jiang.

According to him, China's current participation in the Kyoto Protocol is mainly in the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows developing countries to sell greenhouse gas emission quotas to developed countries.

As the top coal consumer of the world, China saw nearly 70 percent of its energy demand met by coal, emitting large a amount of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

China and the European Union signed a declaration in September on climate change that emphasizes technological cooperation in such fields as advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage and clean coal.

Jiang said that by promoting international technological cooperation, China expects more cooperation under the framework of the Kyoto Protocol.

Nov. 3 , 2005

Thursday

July

September


XIN_ENG_20051114.0245

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

EU ready to play role in Rafah crossing: Solana

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said here on Monday that the European Union (EU) is ready to play its role at Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border.

Solana made the statements to reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah following a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on the Rafah crossing issue.

Solana said he hoped that the Palestinians will bridge gaps with Israel soon on the issue.

"We hope that the disagreement on Rafah crossing will be resolved in the coming days," Solana said, adding that the European Union is ready to play its role as a third party in supervising the crossing.

"The European role will not replace the Palestinian role," he added.

Rafah crossing is the only exit for Palestinians living in Gaza to travel abroad. The crossing has been shut down since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September.

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to an Egypt-proposed plan to reopen the crossing under the EU supervision.

However, Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over the role of the EU inspectors and whether to install monitors at the crossing.

Israel wants the EU to arrest any Palestinian suspected of smuggling arms through the crossing, while the EU wants its role to be confined to only monitoring and reporting.

Solana started a visit to the Middle East on Nov. 11 aimed at underscoring the EU's political engagement in the region.

Solana also held a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the two discussed ways to solve the disagreements between Israel and the Palestinians on Rafah crossing.

Rice said earlier Monday that the two sides were very close to reaching an agreement on the crossing.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said the crossing will be opened for two days from Tuesday to Thursday.

Nov. 14 , 2005

Monday

September

Nov. 11

Monday

two days

Tuesday to Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061215.0319

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

=(PICTURE)=

British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended the decision to ditch a fraud inquiry into a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, insisting here Friday it was vital to protect Britain's national interests.

Blair said the decision was crucial for Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia, its interests in the Middle East and the counter-terrorism fight, not to mention the British jobs potentially at stake.

Blair said he took "full responsibility" for his advice to Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith, who announced Thursday that the investigation into the Al-Yamamah BAE Systems deal from the 1980s was being stopped after two years.

And Blair's official spokesman added that the prime minister made "no apology" for acting in what he saw as the national interest.

The Serious Fraud Office had been probing claims that defence giant BAE established a slush fund for some Saudi royals, which allegedly provided perks including luxury cars to keep them doing business with BAE.

"I think it's a very important issue for our country," Blair said on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in Brussels.

"Leave aside the effect on thousands of British jobs and billions worth of pounds for British industry.

"Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is vitally important for our country in terms of counter-terrorism, in terms of the broader Middle East, in terms of helping in respect of Israel-Palestine.

"My role as prime minister is to advise on what is in the best national and strategic interest of our country and I've absolutely no doubt at all that the right decision was taken in this regard."

BAE earlier this year agreed to a 10 billion-pound (14.8-billion-euro, 19.8-billion-dollar) deal with Saudi Arabia for 72 Eurofighter jets, and the deal was reportedly under threat due to the investigation.

The "slush fund" was allegedly linked to an estimated 50-billion-pound Al-Yamamah deal involving the supply and support of Tornado and Hawk jets as well as the contruction of an airbase.

Goldsmith said it was unlikely that there would be a successful prosecution even after a further period of investigation, Blair's spokesman stressed.

"Saudi Arabia, given its position in the world, is a very important ally in the fight against terrorism," he added, saying that he was not aware of the issue being raised at the meeting of European leaders.

Blair is about to leave for Turkey at the start of a wider tour to the Middle East, where international efforts to combat terrorism are bound to feature.

Dec 15 , 2006

Friday

Thursday

two years

earlier this year


AFP_ENG_19970430.0412

COPENHAGEN, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

Prince and rocker "just good friends"

Danish rock singer Maria Montell and Denmark's Prince Frederik are "just friends" and won't be tying the knot, the mass-market Extra Bladet newspaper reported Wednesday.

Montell, 28, scotched rumours of a love affair with the prince, also 28, telling the paper she has "no romantic relationship with Frederik" but that they had become "very good friends."

Montell, irked by the constant media attention and rumours since the friendship became public earlier this year, added: "It's very good too. He is single, so am I. We go out on the town a lot together, but he is not my boyfriend. I have always said that, but nobody wants to hear it."

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

this year


XIN_ENG_20051116.0270

NANNING, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

flashy

Traditional Chinese festivals like the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival give many expectations and mean a lot to Chinese people: family reunion, relaxation from strenuous work and even an opportunity to travel around.

But the flavors of "warmth", "happiness" and "joy" that should have been brought about to people by these traditional festivals are becoming "thinner and thinner" not only because of the intrusion of western festivals like the Valentine's Day and Christmas, but also because of various man-made festivals that have run rampant across the country in recent years.

Since years ago, many young Chinese have been more crazy for western festivals than traditional Chinese festivals, a fact that makes bussiness people happy but frustrates many people, especially experts of folk-custom and sociologists who are worried that Chinese tradition and culture are to be forgotten by younger generations.

They are more worried today as fake festivals such as the Tortoise Festival, Chinese Chestnut Festival, Trousers Festival, Pig King Festival, Shopping Festival, the Twins Festivals and many others, often manipulated by commercial purposes, come onto the stage one after another through out the year. Sometimes, several festivals with the same theme are simultaneously held in a same place.

TOO MANY FESTIVALS DEVALUATE FESTIVE JOY

In some places, the so-called Moon Cake Festival is held to replace the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion of family reunion, the Glutinous Rice Dumpling Festival to replace the Dragon Boat Festival and many other man-made festivals like the Mobile Phone Festival, Motorcycle Festival and Ornament Festival show up during traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, or China's Lunar New Year, and the National Day Holiday period, the first week of October.

"The significance of festivals and the content of traditional culture are being devoured by the flood of man-made festivals which are empty, dull and identical," said Jiang Shouhuo, an expert of folk-customs.

Traditional festivals originate from centuries-old history and beautiful legends, Jiang said, adding that history and culture are the main factors that attract the general public and prolong the life of traditional festivals.

Like the dragon boat racing, which originated in China, dating back to about 2, 300 years ago, Jiang said. The tradition is based on a legend that disillusioned poet Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River to demonstrate his will to serve the country. People raced to the site in boats to search for him. They made loud sounds to scare away fish and dropped glutinous rice dumping into the water to lure them away from Qu's body. Now the Chinese mark the anniversary of Qu's death by racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of May on China's lunar calendar.

Man-made festivals are created based on various excuses, Jiang said. Chestnut Festival is held because a place produces chestnuts and Trousers Festival is held because a place is flourishing with trousers producing industry. And some business operators take great pains to create festivals to make bigger profits: Such as when a new model of mobile phone is launched, then a mobile phone festival is held.

"The excuses used by people to create festivals actually ring the passing bell to these created festivals," said Fan Kai, a scholar of folk-custom.

Voluntary participation injects vitality into festivals that are celebrated by people from generation to generation, and created festivals which attract few people are doomed to die, Fan said.

"We can have many festivals but they can not go popular, and the festive atmosphere and joy should not be distorted by commercial manipulations," Jiang said, "With festivals flooding, festive joy will be devalued."

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE MAN-MADE FESTIVALS?

Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province, is one of the economically underdeveloped regions in western China. To push forward local economic development, local government launched the Daba Mountain Tourism Festival in 2003, which was designed to serve as a platform to lure investment.

The city government promised high payment to invite famous singers to perform for the purpose of adding to the fun of the festival. But the "top singer" invited did not show up for certain reasons.

The "top singer" at last appeared in the city at an occasion to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle to safeguard Wanyuan City last August. Local government lavished 400,000 yuan (about 49,000 US dollars) as the payment for the singer.

A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) criticized such activities using public funds to idolize singers and movie stars at the CPPCC annual session last year. A storm of criticism against such activities swept across the country. But the situation did not turn around.

Despite economic backwardness, the north China city has since last year spent one million yuan (about 123,000 US dollars) annually to invite singers to perform at the city's tourism festival to lure investment. But the city has actually not absorbed much investment.

Flooding man-made festivals reflect an incorrect concept of some local government officials toward achievements, pointed out a sociologist who declined to be named.

The sociologist said that these officials act on impulse and speculative purposes in developing local economy, and they pay more attention to the form than substantial results. Man-made festivals are also hotbeds of corruption, said the sociologist.

"Using festivals as a platform to lure investment and to develop the economy should have been an effective way but the problem is that how people make them attractive not only to business people but also common people," said Chen Yi, deputy head of the cultural exchange center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China.

"Festivals should not be held to make a show of strength or to build up great momentum," Chen said.

As policy-makers, local governments should not blindly "worship festivals" but should set to improve the local investment environment to lure investors, experts said.

"Not endowing too much meaning to festivals, as festivals are just occasions during which people seek fun and relax themselves," said one expert, "If you want to do business or lure investment, trade fairs are much better than festivals."

Nov. 16 , 2005

Spring Festival

recent years

years ago

today

the year

Spring Festival

Holiday period

first week of October

300 years ago

Now

the fifth day of May

last August

last year

last year


XIN_ENG_20051101.0027

SEOUL, Nov. 1 , 2005 (Xinhua)

URGENT: Military truck carrying missile parts blasts in S. Korea

A military truck carrying missile parts exploded Tuesday inside a highway tunnel linking the South Korean city of Taegu and Masan, news reports said.

It is not clear whether the explosion caused any casualties.

Nov. 1 , 2005

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20051212.0134

PALE, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Dec 12 , 2005

= (PICTURE) =

NATO troops in Bosnia on Monday raided the home of a supporter of top Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic in a bid to track down the fugitive, a spokesman said.

The soldiers conducted a search of the Pale residence of Dragan Stajcic, who was "suspected to be a close associate of Radovan Karadzic and part of his support network," said Derek Chappell.

"The search was conducted in an effort to find additional information on Karadzic's movement, whereabouts and to gather information about (his) support network," said the NATO spokesman.

Chappell said the aim of the operation was to disrupt and put pressure on the support network of Karadzic, the political leader of Bosnian Serbs during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.

Stajcic was a former director of Radio Sveti Jovan (St. John), the station owned by Karadzic's daughter Sonja that was recently closed down after frequent NATO raids.

The operation comes five days after a high-profile Croatian war crimes suspect, former general Ante Gotovina, was arrested in Spain after four years on the run.

Gotovina's arrest raised the pressure on authorities in Bosnia's Serb entity and neighbouring Serbia-Montenegro to bring about the arrests of Karadzic and his wartime military chief Ratko Mladic, who were both indicted by The Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal more than 10 years ago.

The two are wanted on charges including genocide over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre of an estimated 8,000 Muslim males, the single worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.

Both remain at large despite bounties of five million dollars for information leading to their arrest offered by the United States.

Karadzic is thought to spend his time in either Bosnia or across the border in Montenegro and Mladic is widely believed to be hiding in Serbia.

NATO has failed in repeated efforts to capture Mladic and Karadzic, who remain heroes to nationalist Serbs.

Dec 12 , 2005

Monday

five days

four years

more than 10 years ago


XIN_ENG_20051124.0267

LUANDA, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Sao Tome's lawmakers reject constitutional referendum

Sao Tome and Principe's Parliament on Thursday voted against holding of a constitutional referendum on the country's system of power sharing, a national consultation wanted by President Fradique de Menezes.

According to reports reaching here, a motion to reject the referendum, originally agreed for next year by parliament and the president in 2003, was supported by 45 parliament members and opposed by only five members of the 55-seat legislature.

The Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP) , the archipelago's biggest party, publicly distanced itself last month from the planned referendum, aimed to formalize the respective weighting of sovereign bodies in the islands' semi- presidential system.

MLSTP leader Guilherme Posser da Costa is widely expected to challenge President Menezes' bid for a second term in office next year. Local and parliamentary elections are also expected in 2006.

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday

next year

last month

next year


AFP_ENG_19970430.0048

HONG KONG, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

47 people killed crossing southern China railroad in four months: report

At least 47 people have been killed and 14 more injured while taking short cuts across a railway line in southern China's Guangdong province in the past four months, it was reported Wednesday.

Most of the victims struck down by trains were villagers and migrant workers along the 147-kilometer (91-mile) railway line which links Guangzhou with Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, the Chinese-language Apple Daily said.

Despite security fences and footbridges being set up across the rail line, local people continued to take short cuts across the lines, with railway officials finding more than 300 places where fences were cut down, the report said.

The number of accidents has risen sharply in recent months, the paper said.

High-speed trains running at speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour began running along the route two years ago.

April 30 , 1997

the past four months

Wednesday

recent months

two years ago


AFP_ENG_20061204.0462

NEW YORK, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

US stocks higher as Bank of New York buys Mellon Financial

The main US stock indexes posted solid gains in Monday morning trading after The Bank of New York and Mellon Financial announced a 16.5 billion-dollar merger.

At 1657 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 65.61 points (0.54 percent) to 12,259.74 while the Nasdaq composite was 31.69 points (1.31 percent) higher at 2,444.90.

The broad-market Standard and Poor's 500 index had gained 8.68 points (0.62 percent) to 1,405.39.

"With market participants focused on the prospect of a slowing economy, upcoming economic releases will be front-and-center, especially Friday's November employment report," said AG Edwards analyst Al Goldman.

"Today, negative news on Pfizer will weigh on the market but will be partially off set by merger developments," Goldman said.

The Bank of New York, which was founded in 1784, and Mellon Financial said they had agreed to merge in a bid to create one of the world's largest global asset managers.

The new firm, which will be called The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, will rank among the top 10 global asset managers with over one trillion dollars in assets under management, according to a joint statement from the two banks.

The share prices of both banks soared in morning deals.

The Bank of New York's shares were up 3.51 dollars, or 9.9 percent, at 38.99 dollars while Mellon's stock was up 1.87 dollars, or 4.7 percent, at 41.92 dollars.

Citing the "interests of patient safety," US drug manufacturer Pfizer said over the weekend that it was stopping all clinical trials of the cholesterol-controlling drug Torcetrapib.

The company said Saturday that it was in the process of notifying all clinical investigators and regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration.

The decision comes after Pfizer officials were informed that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reviewing a morbidity and mortality study for Torcetrapib recommended terminating the trial "because of an imbalance of mortality and cardiovascular events."

Pfizer is asking all clinical investigators involved in the program to inform patient participants to stop taking the medication immediately.

The drug maker's stock was down 3.19 dollars at 24.67 dollars.

In other stock action, Merrill Lynch was up 1.52 dollars at 88.30 dollars while Bank of America was down 89 cents at 52.61 dollars. Bristol-Myers Squibb was up 30 cents at 25.14 dollars while General Motors was 35 cents higher at 30.04 dollars.

Bond prices weakened. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond rose to 4.440 percent from 4.425 percent Friday while that on the 30-year bond climbed to 4.552 percent against 4.541 percent.

Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

Dec 4 , 2006

Monday morning

Friday

Today

the weekend

Saturday

Friday


XIN_ENG_20061117.0144

MANILA, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Philippine President leaves for APEC meeting in Hanoi

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on Friday she would push for closer economic and security cooperation in the region as she left here for the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi.

Philippines-U.S. strategic alliance against terrorism and poverty would be the focus of her bilateral talk on Saturday with President George W. Bush on the sidelines of APEC, Arroyo told reporters before she boarded the flight.

As chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) this year, Arroyo also vowed to "aggressively push for closer economic and security cooperation in the larger Asia- Pacific basin."

The President said she will make a "strong pitch" for the immediate resumption of the stalled World Trade Organization talks and for further discussions on the possibility of establishing a free trade agreement among the APEC member economies.

"I am to make the Philippines a key player in the emerging economic and security synergies of the region, considering our strategic location in the Pacific Rim and the millions of overseas Filipinos whose presence are felt in building and bridging nations across the Pacific," Arroyo said.

President Arroyo left at around 5:30 p.m. Manila time for Hanoi and was expected to meet the Filipino community shortly after her arrival. More than 900 Filipinos are working in Vietnam.

Nov. 17 , 2006

Friday

Saturday

this year


XIN_ENG_20051129.0082

COLOMBO, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Colombo stocks close up

Share prices on the Colombo Stock Exchange closed up Tuesday with the key Colombo All Share Price Index rising 17.85 points to close at 2290.70 points.

On the other hand, the highly capitalized Milanka Price Index gained 6.15 points to close at 2934.35 points.

A total turnover of 241 million rupee (2.41 million US dollars) was recorded during the day with a volume of 12.51 million shares being traded.

Nov. 29 , 2005

Tuesday

the day


AFP_ENG_19970418.0635

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 , 1997 (AFP)

Malaysian drug peddlers adopt new ploy to confuse police

Drug traffickers in Malaysia are resorting to new tactics to peddle drugs by hiding them in public places and schools to avoid detection, reports said Saturday.

Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob said traffickers were prepared to hide the drugs in public places because they knew it would be difficult for authorities to prove who the drugs belonged to.

"We need the co-opertion of not only the school authorities, but also every member of the public to be more alert and report any dubious activities," The Star newspaper quoted him as saying in the northern state of Perak.

In the past week two large drug caches have been uncovered in public areas.

On Tuesday, Johore police found 5.47 kilograms (12 pounds) of heroin in a men's toilet at a highway interchange. On Thursday, more than 63 kilograms of marijuana was located hidden in the ceiling of a Kuala Lumpur secondary school classroom.

Four people were arrested following the marijuana seizure, and police said they were believed to be members of a syndicate using the school as a storage place in an attempt to avoid detection.

Megat Junid said more such cases would emerge as the authorities stepped up enforcement on illegal drug dealings.

Malaysia has hanged 214 drug traffickers since the introduction of the mandatory death penalty in 1980, while 118 are on death row.

A death sentence is mandatory for anyone caught with 15 grams (0.5 ounce) or more of heroin or morphine in Malaysia.

Malaysia, which describes all proven drug users as addicts, has an estimated 400,000 addicts in a population of 20 million people.

Narcotics officials say the death penalty has to some extent failed to deter drug trafficking because of the huge profits to be gained from trafficking.

April 19 , 1997

Saturday

the past week

Tuesday

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061201.0028

HONG KONG, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

Hong Kong cardinal slams China over "illegitimate" bishop

The leader of Hong Kong's Catholics Friday condemned China for ordaining a bishop without papal approval and urged Beijing to work towards restoring ties with the Vatican.

In a strongly worded statement, Cardinal Joseph Zen described the ordination of Wang Renlei, 36, as Bishop of Xuzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu, as "illegitimate".

"It is hard to understand how there can be people who obstinately work for destruction," the outspoken Zen said.

"Under the cloak of serving the Church, they work to destroy her unity."

Zen, 74, said China's move showed "how those with vested interests are terribly afraid that the Church one day may operate normally and freely according to her constitution."

China's state-run Catholic Church Thursday ordained Wang Renlei, 36, as Bishop of Xuzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu. He became the fourth bishop ordained in China this year without the blessing of the Vatican.

China installed new bishops Ma Yinglin on April 30 in Anhui province, and Liu Xinhong in Yunnan province on May 3 despite Vatican objections, in a move seen as further damaging relations between the Holy See and Beijing.

On May 14, Zhan Silu was ordained a bishop in southwestern China's Fujian province.

Zen, who leads 250,000 Catholics here, said the latest ordination was a "very serious offence".

He chastised China for going back on its promise to a Vatican delegation not to ordain any more bishops without papal approval.

"In order to achieve their purpose, the methods they used this time are not only threat, allurement and deceit, but also forceful abduction and kidnapping!" said Zen.

He was apparently referring to a report by the Vatican-based AsiaNews agency that two Chinese bishops recognised by the Holy See, Li Liangui and Peter Feng Xinmao, were forced to take part in the ordination ceremony.

The Shanghai-born Zen made an appeal to the Chinese leaders and "begged" them to start a dialogue with the Holy See to restore diplomatic ties that were cut in 1951, prompting the Vatican to switch recognition to Taiwan.

"We beg you to make a firm decision to start a substantial dialogue with the Holy See, to find a way acceptable to both, the State and the Holy See, so that the Church in our country may operate normally and the faithful may be happy to offer themselves and contribute to the real good of our country," he said.

Since becoming pope last year, Benedict XVI has sought to improve ties with Beijing in an effort to get closer to millions of Chinese Catholics, but the consecrations have been seen as a setback to those efforts.

China's state-sanctioned church, which does not answer to the pope, has about four million worshippers, official figures show. The Vatican estimates the country's underground Catholic church has around 10 million followers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday reaffirmed China's policy of independence from the Vatican.

She reiterated that to re-establish ties, the Vatican must sever ties with Taiwan and not interfere with its internal affairs. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

Dec 1 , 2006

Friday

Thursday

this year

April 30

May 3

May 14

last year

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061115.0351

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Oil prices end higher

Oil prices rose Wednesday on falling gas inventories.

Light sweet crude for December settlement closed up 48 cents at 58.76 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, touching 59.40 dollars in earlier trading.

Brent North Sea crude for December delivery rose 62 cents to 59. 46 dollars a barrel.

The Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that crude oil inventories rose 1.3 million barrels to 336.0 million barrels last week. Gasoline inventories fell by 3.7 million barrels to 200.3 million barrels. The weekly report showed that refineries operated at 87.3 percent of capacity last week, down 0. 8 percent point from the prior week.

Nov. 15 , 2006

Wednesday

December

December

Wednesday

last week

last week

the prior week.


AFP_ENG_19970429.0209

BONN, April 29 , 1997 (AFP)

Bonn demands freedom for arrested German journalist

Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel has instructed the German ambassador in Beijing, Konrad Seitz, to make immediate representations to the Chinese foreign ministry regarding the arrest of German journalist Juergen Kremb, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Seitz had been instructed to request an explanation and the "restoration of his freedom of movement", ministry spokesman Martin Erdmann said.

April 29 , 1997


XIN_ENG_20061109.0299

ABUJA, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

GAVI to boost Nigeria's immunization activities

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) is to inject 13 million U.S. dollars into Nigeria's immunization activities in 2007.

Edugie Abebe, chief executive of Nigerian National Program on Immunization, said on Thursday the money would be sent to deserving Nigerian states, based on the number of additional children they had immunized.

Abebe told a press conference that Nigeria is qualified for the movement because it has passed a "data quality audit" which was conducted by international auditors sent by the GAVI.

She explained that the auditors who assessed immunization activities observed that additional 650,000 children were immunized in Nigeria between 2004 and 2005.

The GAVI, an alliance of many organizations concerned with immunization activities, was formed in 2001 with its headquarters in Geneva. The GAVI Fund now has over 3 billion U.S. dollars in commitments over the next ten years.

Nov. 9 , 2006

Thursday

now

the next ten years


XIN_ENG_20061114.0295

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. Democrats elect Senate leadership

One week after their victories in the midterm elections, U.S. Senate Democrats elected their leadership for the 110th Congress that convenes early January next year.

Senator Harry Reid, a moderate Democrat from Nevada, was elected unchallenged as U.S. Senate majority leader for the new Congress, to succeed Republican Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who did not seek a third term in this year's elections.

Speaking to reporters after the election, Reid said Democrats " must do everything we can to move the country forward. We're going to do it in a spirit of bipartisanship."

Reid has served as the Senate minority leader for the past two years, since his predecessor, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, lost his reelection bid in 2004.

Richard Durbin of Illinois was elected as the Senate majority whip, Patty Murray of Washington was elected as party conference secretary, and Charles Schumer remained as chairman of the party's Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Republicans would elect their leadership Senate leadership Wednesday.

On Thursday, Democrats would elect their House leadership, and on Friday, Republicans would select their leadership in House.

Democrats retook control of both chambers of Congress in last week's elections, the first time in 12 years.

Nov. 14 , 2006

One week

January next year

this year

the past two years

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

last week

12 years


AFP_ENG_20061211.0777

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

position ///

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed optimism Monday that the UN Security Council will finally impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program after the US and Russia closed ranks around a European draft resolution that was months in the making.

"It's a good resolution," Rice told AFP in an exclusive interview after a revised draft resolution was submitted to the full Security Council at UN headquarters in New York earlier Monday.

Rice said she was "optimistic" the resolution aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment would pass soon, though she stopped short of predicting a final vote before the end of the year.

"It has to be voted soon. I think this has gone on long enough," she said as negotiations over specific details of the resolution drawn up by Britain and France continued in New York.

The six major powers dealing with the issue -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- have been wrangling for months over the terms of the sanctions resolution.

The punitive measures were agreed in principle under an earlier Security Council resolution, which gave Iran until August 31 to suspend its enrichment of uranium, which can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants but also to provide the fissile material for atomic weapons.

But agreement proved elusive as Russia and China objected to an earlier European draft as too harsh, while Washington felt it did not go far enough.

Russia on Monday welcomed changes to the text, but still had reservations over a provision imposing travel bans on officials linked to Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.

"Clearly this draft does absorb the Russian philosophy of the direction and content of this resolution," Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told reporters after a round of informal talks among ambassadors of six major powers.

Churkin hailed the sponsors' decision to drop all references in the draft to Iran's first nuclear power station, a one-billion-dollar facility which Russia is helping to build in Bushehr.

Rice said Monday that she was satisfied with the latest draft, notably because it will be voted under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which makes the measures mandatory for all UN members.

"It establishes Chapter 7, which to my mind is the most important element here," she said.

"It would make very clear to the Iranians that they are not going to be able to pursue this program and remain integrated into the international system and I would hope would give them pause so they might consider coming back to negotiations," she said.

Rice has steadfastly rejected calls for Washington to break a 27-year ban on direct negotiations with Iran in order to deal with the nuclear issue or gain Tehran's help in resolving the crisis in neighboring Iraq.

But she reaffirmed on Monday her willingness to meet her Iranian counterpart "any place, any time, anywhere, about any subject" once Tehran suspends its enrichment program.

The revised European draft, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, would mandate a ban on trade with Iran on goods related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and impose financial and travel restrictions on persons and entities involved.

Despite Russian objections, it includes a list of a dozen Iranian officials directly involved in their country's nuclear and ballistic programs who would be targeted for UN sanctions.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for the production of energy.

The West claims Iran is running a secret nuclear military program parallel to its civilian one.

Dec 11 , 2006

Monday

the end of the year

August 31

Monday

Monday

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061118.0057

CANBERRA, Nov. 18 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Gronholm leads New Zealand rally

Finland's Marcus Gronholm established a big lead after the second day of the Rally of New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday.

Gronholm won three of Saturday's six stages around Waikato to head into Sunday's final leg with a commanding 50.3 second lead over his Finnish team mate Mikko Hirvonen.

Austria's Manfred Stohl, driving a Peugeot, finished the day in third place with Spain's Dani Sordo fourth in a Citroen. Both were more than two minutes behind Gronholm.

Italian MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi climbed 10 places to finish the day 13th, but is almost 17 minutes off the pace.

The 27-year-old Yamaha rider failed to progress beyond the first day at his only previous appearance in the British round of the 2002 world rally championship but has been driving more cautiously this time.

Gronholm, who is assured of finishing second behind Senastien Loeb in this year's driver's championship, is bidding to join Frenchman Carlos Sainz as the only four-time winners of the New Zealand Rally.

Nov. 18 , 2006

the second day

Saturday

Saturday

Sunday

the day 13th

17 minutes

this year


XIN_ENG_20051123.0221

BERLIN, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Schroeder resigns from German parliament

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder resigned Wednesday from the parliament, one day after he

transferred power to his successor Angela Merkel.

Schroeder, 61, signed the resignation in the office of the speaker of parliament, Norbert Lammert. Clemens Bollen, a Social Democrat, will move into the Bundestag after Schroeder relinquished his seat.

Schroeder was first elected to the Bundestag in 1980 and became

governor in Lower Saxony a decade later. He defeated conservative chancellor Helmut Kohl and went into office in 1998.

On Tuesday, Merkel was sworn in as the head of the grand coalition government formed by Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.

Nov. 23 , 2005

Wednesday

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051108.0187

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 8 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Update: De Beers sells 26 percent stakes to S. Africa's black-owned firm

Global diamond giant De Beers has sold 26 percent of its South African operation to a black- owned consortium for 3.8 billion rand (about 575 million US dollars) in compliance with the country's mining charter.

The company's South African unit, De Beers Consolidated Mines ( DBCM), said on Tuesday that the upfront sale exceeded the 2009 mining charter target, and put the company in immediate compliance with target for 2014.

South Africa's mining charter stipulates that 15 percent of mining companies' units of production, not 15 percent of their assets, has to be black-owned in the medium term, and 26 percent in the longer term.

It is understood that the deal will only affect DBCM, which were split off from the rest of De Beers during the past 18 months of restructuring at the firm, which mines half of the world's diamonds.

De Beers, 45 percent owned by mining giant Anglo American and 40 percent owned by the Oppenheimer family, has been slammed by the government for not having enough black faces in its management.

Lulu Xingwana, deputy minister of minerals and energy, had fiercely criticized De Beers as a "white cartel" that was "looting " South Africa's mineral wealth.

Ponahalo, the company which bought the stake from De Beers, is owned by Mannie Dipico, a former premier of the Northern Cape province and now head of the election committee of the ruling African National Congress.

In terms of the deal, Ponahalo will utilize 10 million rand ( escalating at five percent per year) of its dividend income to make other investments in South Africa, primarily in areas in which De Beers operated with the intent of aiding economic growth and facilitating job creation, said a SAPA news agency report.

Ponahalo is 50 percent owned by current De Beers employees and pensioners while the other 50 percent is held by Ponahalo Investment Holding.

The deal was described by local media as "the most significant change in ownership" in its 117-year history since the Barnato Diamond Mining Company was merged with De Beers in 1888.

Three weeks ago David Noko became the first black person to run De Beers' local operations, taking over from Johathan Oppenheimer, who is the fourth generation of the Oppenheimer family to have managed the business.

But local newspaper The Star on Tuesday pointed out that the black empowerment deal will be "tricky" because five out of the seven local mines are losing money.

Added to this an eight percent royalty on revenues is being contemplated by the government, which De Beers has warned will close mines.

Reacting to De Beers' announcement, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the deal "sends the right signals in an industry that is seemingly hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace transformation enshrined in the Mining Charter, a document they are signatories to, anyway."

NUM general secretary Gwede Mantashe also noted his union was pleased to see Ponahalo was chaired by Dipico, a former diamond mineworker and NUM shop steward.

"We hope that his experiences will assist in ensuring that this new partnership with De Beers will lead to the betterment of workers and the communities of diamond mineworkers," Mantashe said.

Nov. 8 , 2005

Tuesday

the past 18 months

now

Three weeks ago

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970422.0382

NEW DELHI, April 22 , 1997 (AFP)

Four die as Indian police fire on mob following suicide row

Four people were killed and three others injured when Indian police fired on a rampaging mob, the United News of India reported Tuesday.

At least five policemen were also hurt in the fighting on Monday in Lingotam village, in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Reports say the mob gathered to attack the house of a man whose wife committed suicide after a domestic quarrel.

When police went to the man's rescue, the mob turned on them.

April 22 , 1997

Tuesday

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061107.0228

BEIJING, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

official

China is negotiating free trade area (FTA) agreements with a number of countries, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai here on Tuesday.

Cui made the remarks in response to a questioner who asked if Chinese President Hu Jintao was planning to discuss an FTA agreement between China and India during his visit to India this month.

"China is in negotiations with some countries on the arrangements of FTA, which will meet the needs of economic and trade relations between China and related countries," said Cui.

Cui did not elaborate on which countries China is negotiating with.

He said China hopes the negotiations will make progress and reach arrangements that are beneficial to both sides as soon as possible.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced on Tuesday, President Hu will pay state visits to Vietnam, Laos, India and Pakistan from Nov. 15 to 26, during which Hu will also attend the 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam from Nov. 17 to 19.

Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce Fu Ziying has said China is considering the possibility of establishing a free trade area with India.

"Following the reopening of the trade post on the Indian-Chinese border, our government is considering FTA talks with India," Fu said last weekend at the 2007 China Industrial Development Forum in Beijing.

Nov. 7 , 2006

Tuesday

this month

Tuesday

Nov. 15

Nov. 17 to 19

last weekend


XIN_ENG_20061110.0083

BEIJING, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

meeting

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan left here on Friday for Vietnam to attend the first meeting under a China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation.

The meeting will be held in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi on Nov. 11.

Tang and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem will co-chair the meeting.

Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nong Duc Manh in Beijing on Aug. 22. They agreed to further boost trade, properly handle border issues and enhance security cooperation.

The meeting is to carry out the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Nov. 10 , 2006

Friday

Nov. 11

Aug. 22


AFP_ENG_20061204.0314

DAMASCUS, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

URGENT  German FM urges Syria to help stabilise Lebanon

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Monday for Damascus to do everything it can to prevent the destabilisation of Lebanon.

Dec 4 , 2006

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051119.0113

BANGKOK, Nov. 19 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Three more bird flu suspected cases reported in eastern Thailand

Three more suspected bird flu patients have been reported in Thailand's eastern Chacherngsao Province, all are children aged between three to 11 years old, reported the Thai News Agency Saturday.

The three patients, two girls aged 11 and three and one four- year-old boy, whose families raise chickens, were admitted to a hospital in the province's municipal area earlier this week.

They all showed bird flu-like symptoms after chickens in their families died suspiciously.

Provincial public health officials have reported the three new avian flu suspected cases to the Ministry of Public Health.

Nov. 19 , 2005

this week


XIN_ENG_20051102.0223

BEIJING, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese top advisor meets Japanese guests

Chinese top advisor Jia Qinglin met with a Japanese delegation here on Wednesday, encouraging Chinese and Japanese non-governmental groups to enhance communication in a bid to improve the troubled relations between the two countries.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the appeal while meeting the Japan-China Friendship Association delegation headed by its chairman Ikuo Hirayama.

The friendly exchange and cooperation between China and Japan witnessed sound progress since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations 33 years ago, Jia said, noting it is worthy to be cherished and preserved by the two sides.

However, Sino-Japanese relations have encountered severe problems in recent years, he said.

"The main point is that the Japanese leaders violated their commitments to reviewing the history and continuously visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where some top Japanese World War II criminals are honored," Jia said, noting it hurts the feelings and dignity of the Chinese people.

Jia said that China attaches importance to relations with Japan and is willing to develop long-term, steady and good-neighborly cooperative ties with Japan in the spirit of "learning from history and facing the future" and on the basis of diplomatic documents signed by the two countries.

Ikuo Hirayama said that some Japanese people are also worried about the worsening Japan-China relations.

The Japan-China Friendship Association will try to overcome the difficulties and promote exchanges and cooperation between Japan and China in politics, economics and culture in a bid to improve bilateral relations, he said.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

33 years ago

recent years


XIN_ENG_20051125.0313

LIMA, Nov. 25 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Peru reports 70,000 cases of HIV virus

Some 70,000 Peruvians, including unregistered cases, have been affected with the virus that causes the Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a senior official from Peru's Health Ministry said Friday.

Jose Sebastian, coordinator of the Peruvian Health Ministry's efforts to fight sexual diseases, told reporters that health services in Lima, Peru's capital, have reported 257 of full-blown AIDS, and 97 of them have died.

The number of people suffering from AIDS has risen in the departments and municipalities of Arequipa, Ica, Tacna, Moquegua, Ancash and Loreto, Sebastian said.

"Poverty and dereliction of duty which street children are experiencing ..." have aggravated the problem, said Ruben Mayorga, who is responsible for Peru at the United Nation's anti-AIDS body.

"Many street children are victims of rape and sexual exploitation," he said.

Mayorga said that of the 17,000 Peruvians who have AIDS virus, 396 are children under 14 and 430 are adolescents between 15 and 19 years old.

Nov. 25 , 2005

Friday

19 years


AFP_ENG_20061214.0040

DOHA, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

=(PICTURE)=

When Sebastian Soria moved to Qatar from his native Uruguay, he had no idea where the tiny desert country was in the world.

Two years on, the striker has not only made Doha his home but has taken Qatari citizenship and the national team into the Asian Games final.

"I was brought to Qatar in September, 2004 by French coach Bruno Metsu (the man who led Senegal at the 2002 World Cup finals) who was at Al Gharrafa at the time," recalled Soria.

"When I received the offer I jumped at the opportunity. But I had to look it up on the map because I didn't know where Qatar was."

Soria was granted citizenship on the eve of the Games.

He made his debut for the senior side in an Asian Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan in November and has since played a starring role, scoring four goals as Qatar reached their first ever Asian Games gold medal match.

Iraq await them in Friday's final.

Soria made an immediate impact in his first league season at Al Gharrafa scoring 14 goals as his new club won the domestic Q-League.

The following season, he moved to Qatar Sports Club, hit 19 goals and was named player of the year.

"We want to win a medal here," said Soria who has former Nigerian star Jay Jay Okacha as a teammate at Qatar Sports Club.

"Then we have the Gulf Cup in the UAE in January. But my ultimate dream is to make the World Cup finals with Qatar.

"This is a young and talented group. We have a good infrastructure, an ever-growing league and I think we can do well against the best teams in Asia like Saudi Arabia and Japan."

Soria, who hit the first goal in the 2-0 semi-final win against defending champions Iran, could become the tournament's top scorer in the final. At the moment, he is one behind Uzbekistan's Alexandr Geynrikh.

"When I play I try to help the team to win," he said.

"If I have the chance to become the top scorer then I will try and score as many goals as possible. If I score two more it will mean that Qatar will have more chances to win the gold medal."

Despite being a foreign import, Soria has not faced the kind of angry backlash which has engulfed the country's legion of Kenyan track stars winning gold in the athletics.

Unlike the runners, Soria actually spends all of his time in Doha and for that, Qatar's Bosnian coach Dzelamudin Musovic is eternally grateful.

"A player like him can do a world of good to any side," said Musovic.

"But what I like and I am happy about is to see him jell well with the other players. More than anything, I feel that's the quality I like in him.

"He can also resolve many problems up front -- he can score and can deliver those crucial passes."

Dec 14 , 2006

Two years

September, 2004

November

Friday

season

the year

January


XIN_ENG_20051107.0028

BEIJING, Nov. 7 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese senior legislator meets Latvian guests

Chinese senior legislator Lu Yongxiang met a Latvian delegation here on Monday headed by Erika Zommere, head of the Latvia-China Interparliamentary Cooperation Group.

They exchanged views on bilateral relations and other questions of common concern in a warm and friendly atmosphere, according to sources with the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAIU), which invited the Latvian delegation.

Lu is vice chairman of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body. He is also President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice president of the CAIU.

Nov. 7 , 2005

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051117.0286

BRUSSELS, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

European Parliament backs controversial rules on chemicals

The European Parliament gave the green light on Thursday to a controversial proposal which seeks to radically review the European Union's chemicals policy and improve its chemical safety standards.

Companies will have to prove that the chemicals they use in their products are safe, under the amended bill on registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals (REACH) passed by the parliament in Strasbourg.

A new European Chemical Agency will be set up to ensure a consistent and uniform evaluation and registration of chemical substances within the EU, according to the bill.

Firms are required to register with the chemical agency any of about 30,000 substances contained within products such as cars, computers and paint, according to the bill.

The most hazardous of these substances, which are to be decided by the new chemical agency, would have to undergo testing before being passed for use.

Companies are also required to replace hazardous chemicals with safe alternatives where possible.

The proposal still needs to be approved by the EU Council to become EU-wide law.

The law would affect firms producing or importing more than one ton of a chemical per year, and put on them a duty to prove that their products are safe.

The law also seeks to improve the labeling of products which contain potentially dangerous substances.

Thursday's vote came after years of fierce battle between health campaigners and businesses, who are concerned about the costs of such regulation, estimated at billions of euros.

Nov. 17 , 2005

Thursday

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061114.0059

GUIYANG, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Power station plan at SW China scenic spot sparks controversy

Plans to build a hydropower station in a national scenic spot in southwest China have fired a debate on the precedence of economic development over natural conservation.

A foundation-laying ceremony was held last month for the Zhaojiadu Hydropower Station near the Malinghe river canyon scenic site, at Xingyi City in Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the rather underdeveloped province of Guizhou.

The facility would produce 355 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, bringing revenues of more than 81 million yuan (10 million U.S. dollars), the prefecture government has predicted.

But some local residents and officials have expressed deep concern over the project, fearing the dam would split the famous canyon into three parts and flood the most beautiful areas.

"The canyon is a gift of nature and belongs to the world. It is not worth destroying a scenic spot for temporary profit," said Peng Dianji, a political advisor to the prefecture government.

The station would seriously damage local tourism, he warned.

The provincial government has invested 56 million yuan (seven million U.S. dollars) in tourism facilities in the 450-sq-km Malinghe River Canyon Scenic Area.

The area received 800,000 visitors so far this year and is expected to bring a total revenue of 300 million yuan (38 million U.S. dollars) for the year, said an official with the scenic area.

"In the long run, tourism will bring far more benefits than a power plant," the worker said, calling the power station plan "shortsighted".

Despite the controversy, the local government seems determined to build the station.

The hydropower station has passed assessments in geological damage, water and soil conservation and environmental effects.

"A comprehensive use plan for the Malinghe River was drawn up a long time ago," said Chen Xianglin, an official with the autonomous prefecture.

"A power station would bring direct economic benefit," he said. "Tax revenue alone would be 14 million yuan (1.7 million U.S dollars) a year."

An artificial lake would form after the power station was completed, which would also be a visitor attraction, Chen argued.

"Protection is important for a state-level scenic site, but the law does not preclude the comprehensive use of water resources," said Zhang Dingshu, deputy head of the prefecture.

Zhang admitted the project was yet to be officially approved by the Ministry of Construction, but preparatory work was underway.

Nov. 14 , 2006

last month

this year

the year