Nov 14 News Bulletin

Top Chinese legislator says int'l financial crisis not to affect China's co-op with Seychelles 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 02:00:11      Print

Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo has said that the current international financial crisis will not affect China's cooperation with Seychelles. Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), made the remarks in his meeting with Seychellois President James Alix Michel. Wu said that China's economy will maintain its momentum of growth.    The crisis will not affect the contracted projects between the two sides as well as prospect of their future cooperation due to the strong growth of China's economy.

China planner offers details on 4 trln yuan stimulus package 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 10:44:12      Print

A senior Chinese planning official has said that the new 4 trillion yuan (586 billion U.S. dollars) economic stimulus package through 2010. Mu Hong, vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said the agency would add 100 billion yuan of new investment during the fourth quarter. The central government's investment, combined with that of businesses and local governments, would bring the total spending to 4 trillion yuan by the end of 2010. The stimulus package was announced amid rising concern about a sharp slowdown in the world's fourth-largest economy.

China to step up efforts to improve urban and rural infrastructure 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 00:22:19      Print

Chinese Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Jiang Weixin has said that the ministry will put boosting domestic demands on top of its agenda and ramp up efforts on urban infrastructure and public utilities construction. China plans to invest 900 billion yuan (131.8 billion U.S. dollars) for housing construction in the coming three years, which would benefit 7.47 million low-income households. Jiang also urged local industry watchdogs to continue pushing forward the energy-saving work in the construction sector.

China settles financial information dispute with EU, U.S., Canada 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 00:17:09      Print

China has settled a dispute with the United States, the European Union and Canada over the regulation of financial information services. The Chinese mission to the WT O said that China reached "mutually satisfactory solutions" with the EU, the U.S. and Canada and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the issue in Geneva with the three parties respectively. The EU and the U.S. filed a complaint against China at the WTO in March, claiming that foreign information suppliers such as Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones suffered unfair treatment in China. Canada joined the case in June, with the same complaints.

Senior Chinese official urges efforts to increase media influence  

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-13 21:46:37      Print

Senior Chinese official Li Changchun has urged the country's media to step up efforts to enhance their domestic and international influence. The media should, instead of mainly reporting Chinese stories, increase international news coverage. Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said that they should also make efforts to report more original, timely and popular stories during his inspection tour of the China Central Television (CCTV). Li called on the state media to step up construction of international news channels and ensure coverage was widely received around the world.

World

Bush sets tone for G-20 Summit 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 04:54:55      Print

U.S. President W. Bush has set tone for the upcoming Group-20 Summit in New York saying that the summit will focus on "understanding the causes of the global crisis and developing principles for reforming our financial and regulatory systems." Bush said the meeting, which is due to this weekend in Washington D.C., will lay the foundation for financial reforms. Bush also urged proper regulation on markets, firms, and financial products and enhance the integrity financial markets.

First images captured of alien solar system 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 05:45:23      Print

After eight years and repeated photographs of a nearby star in hopes of finding planets, astronomers, using Hubble space telescope, has finally got the first visible-light snapshots of a planet outside our solar system. Estimated to be no more than three times Jupiter's mass, the planet, called Fomalhaut b, orbits the bright southern star Fomalhaut. It is located 25 light-years away in the constellation PiscisAustralis.

Hillary emerges as possible candidate for secretary of state 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 10:10:02      Print

Senator Hillary Clinton's name has emerged as a possible candidate for secretary of state in the upcoming Obama administration. CNN and NBC reported citing sources from President-elect Barack Obama's transition team that she "would not necessarily dismiss such an offer." The former first lady said she would love to remain a Senator, but she wanted to be a good partner and to do everything she could to make sure Obama's agenda was going to be successful. Clinton was Obama's main competitor for Democratic presidential nomination in the primary elections earlier this year.

Wall Street rallies after three-day plunge 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 06:38:21      Print

Wall Street has rallied as investors hunt bargain after three straight days of decline. Standard & Poor's index jumped 6 percent in the final hour, as investors snapped up the cheapest energy shares on record and real-estate companies gained after CB Richard Ellis Inc. raised cash in a share sale. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. led gains in all 40 energy producers in the S&P 500 and helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebound from a 317-point drop. The U.S. Labor Department had also said the number of newly laid-off individuals seeking unemployment benefits has jumped to a level not seen since just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Investor pessimism increasing over Google's performance 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 04:52:36      Print

Amid a slumping economy, investor pessimism is increasing about Internet giant Google as its stocks fell. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Google Inc.'s shares fell below 300 U.S. dollars on Wednesday, marking their lowest level in three years. The paper said that the drop underscores the increasing investor pessimism about the Internet giant in a slumping economy.     Just last year, Google's stock peaked at 714.87 dollars.

Sports News

Davydenko makes semis in Masters Cup  

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-13 23:53:37      Print

Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko has disposed of Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-2 to book a semifinal berth in the Masters Cup tournament. With a win apiece in the Gold Group, this was a winner-takes-all match as the pair swapped breaks in a sluggish first set. But Davydenko soon took control, breaking Del Potro again to take the opener before a double break in the second saw him stroll to victory.

Bucharest wants to host the UEFA Cup finals in 2012 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 08:52:12      Print

Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu has assured visiting UEFA president Michel Platini that Romania would be able to host the UEFA Cup finals in 2012 at the new National Stadium based in the capital city. Oprescu said the municipal authorities were carefully watching the conduct of the construction works on the new stadium and said he had nothing to reproach the constructors so far. The construction plans of the stadium have set a small number of parking lots, a little over 160, Oprescu said, adding he planned to propose the constructor to build more of them.

Fan's misbehavior results in fine to Scottish Celtic 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 09:13:54      Print

Scottish premier league leader Celtic have been fined 50,000 euros by UEFA, European soccer governing body, for fan's bad behaviour in last week's Champions League match against Manchester United. The match had to kick off late and spectators invaded the pitch at the end of the 1-1 Group E draw at Old Trafford on November 5. UEFA said in a statement that the UEFA disciplinary commission has punished the pitch invasion by Scottish fans at the final whistle. Celtic expressed the willingness to accept the verdict and would not be appealing.

Angola seeks U.S. basketball potential 

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 08:43:58      Print

Angola intends to take lessons from the U.S. sports potential, particularly in basketball. After meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Angola Dan Mozena, Angolan Sports Minister Goncalves Muandumba said that they both discussed the possibility of regular training of Angolan sports players, particularly basketball players in the United States. According to the minister, they also analyzed the possibility of holding seminars for Angolan national competition teams in the United States, including the training of Angolan youths in U.S. academic and sports schools.

Entertainment News

Lunar New Year TV Gala to Feature Olympic Icons

2008-11-14 16:38:07     Xinhua

China's annual televised Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) Gala, a centerpiece of celebrations to mark the country's most important festival, will feature many Olympic elements, according to the organizers. An electronic scroll similar to the one that amazed the world at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will appear as the background of the show, to be broadcast live by the country's biggest TV station - China Central Television (CCTV) -- on the eve of the festival, which falls on January 25, 2009.

Angelina Jolie plans to "fade away" from Hollywood  

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 10:41:57      Print

With six kids to watch over, Angelina Jolie has unveiled to media that she plans to fade away from acting to spend more time raising her family. The Hoolywood movie star told BBC, the British broadcaster in an interview that she didn’t plan to keep acting very long, She was ready to do a few things now and fade away and get ready to be a grandma one day. Jolie and her partner actor Brad Pitt have emerged as a Hollywood power couple, and together they have three biological children and three adopted children.

Madonna's "gorgeous" A-Rod  

www.chinaview.cn  2008-11-14 10:37:50      Print

Madonna says rumored lover Alex Rodriguez "has the heart of a poet trapped inside an insanely gorgeous body." The 50-year-old singer who was first romantically linked to the baseball player, nickname "A-Rod", earlier this year before announcing her divorce from Guy Ritchie - has reportedly been gushing to close pals about the sportsman. It has also been claimed Alex has regularly been sending the mother-of-three "love notes".

Kenny Chesney Wins Top Country Music Prize

2008-11-14 10:17:15     Chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies

Kenny Chesney has captured country music's top prize -- entertainer of the year -- for the fourth time in five years in an awards show that also saw big wins for Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and traditionalist George Strait. The black-clad Chesney said that it was very wonderful to stand up and hold the trophy for the fourth time. The awards show's two co-hosts also walked away with honors. Carrie Underwood of Fox TV's "American Idol" fame won her third consecutive female vocalist of the year award, and Brad Paisley won male vocalist for the second year in a row.