News Dec 2

News Bulletin

Chinese Premier Pledges More Government Support for AIDS Prevention

Marking World AIDS Day, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited AIDS patients in Beijing's Ditan Hospital. Hu Jintao extended his gratitude to the doctors for their hard work, and encouraged them to continue their study on dealing with the epidemic. He says "We should rely on science and technology to win the battle against AIDS. So I hope the researchers could work hard on it, and make more scientific achievements in tackling the disease." Hu Jintao also inspected AIDS prevention and control work.

China's vice premier stresses treatment, care for AIDS patients

Also marking World Aids Day, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has called for continuous and joint efforts from the entire society to provide better treatment and care of those infected with HIV/AIDS. Li Keqiang says despite concerted efforts in recent years, the control of AIDS in China remains a grave situation. He says greater efforts need to be made in research, education, and the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in order to give the public better understanding of the disease and to curb AIDS-related discrimination.

Initial trial on China's AIDS vaccine yields "good" results, but caution remains

Chinese scientists report "safe and good results" after completing initial clinical trials of an AIDS vaccine they developed. Cautioning that further studies need to be done to verify its effectiveness. Prof. Shao Yiming with China's National Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the Chinese vaccine appears to be more effective than vaccines that are currently researched overseas. According to Shao, the vaccine marks a new approach to fighting the virus by using the smallpox vaccine as the carrier of the AIDS vaccine.

China's tent-dwelling quake survivors move to temporary housing

All 8000 residents displaced in Beichuan county in Sichuan province that was worst hit by the May 12th earthquake have moved out of tents into temporary homes. A local official says that over the weekend the last 12 families moved to their new homes at a rebuilt kindergarten in Leigu Township. Meteorologists say Sichuan has had an unusually rainy and cold winter so far this year with temperatures around1 degree below normal. A Provincial Governor says Sichuan plans to invest over 450 billion U.S. dollars for quake reconstruction work.

China industrial output growth "slid to 13-year low in November": bank

China International Capital Corp. reports that growth in China's industrial production appears to have slowed to a 13-year-low of 6 percent in November. The domestic investment bank says the slowdown reflects weak domestic and external demand, which led to more companies cutting production. Overall, the economy expanded 9 percent in the third quarter of the year, down from 10.4 percent in the first half and 11.9 percent last year giving new signs the economy was slowing further.

UN officials call for continued momentum to tackle AIDS

Top United Nations officials marked the World AIDS Day by calling for vigilant efforts to build on earlier successes in the fight against the global epidemic. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the many positive steps made in tackling HIV/AIDS, including increased government support for universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support. However the UN leader cautioned "this is just the beginning," adding that " AIDS will not go away any time soon."

UN recommends massive stimulus packages to counter global economic downturn

The United Nations has released a report recommending a massive economic stimulus packages to counter the global economic downturn. According to the report which is part of UN's assessment of the world economic situation for 2009, the U.S. dollar and world per capita income will decline further next year, while export growth and capital inflows will fall, and borrowing costs for developing countries will increase. Stressing the need of a truly global stimulus plan that meets the needs of emerging economies and developing countries, UN chief Ban Ki-moon says the international community must deal with the threats and challenges the world is facing "as one."

Iran to launch campaign to condemn sanctions on its aviation industry

Iran is preparing to launch a campaign to condemn sanctions on its aviation industry. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said nationwide arrangements are underway by the advocates of human rights activists to launch a 75-million signature campaign condemning the sanctions as a blatant violation of human rights. The U.S. has imposed the sanctions banning international aviation companies, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing and European-made Airbus, from selling aircraft and repair parts to Iranian airlines directly that has left the country with "a fleet of mainly aging planes, often fitted with unofficial spare parts.

Suicide car bomb kills 16 in northern Iraq

An Iraqi provincial police source says at least 16 people have been killed and 33 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack targeting a joint U.S. and Iraqi police patrol in the northern city of Mosul. Earlier in Baghdad, a suicide bomber and a car bomb targeting policemen outside Baghdad`s police academy killed 15 people and wounded 45 others. Assassinations and bomb attacks have recently been increasing in Iraq.

2 Killed, 30 Injured in India's Train Blast

At least two killed and 30 injured when a bomb exploded in the passenger coach of a train in India's northeastern state of Assam. The passenger train runs between Guwahati and Tinsukhia in Upper Assam. The blast took place at around 7:50 am on Tuesday, local NDTV reported.  Prior to blast, another serial blasts occurred in Assam on Oct. 30, which killed many people. Last week a serial terror attacks hit Mumbai, the finance center of India, killing at least 162 people and injuring over 240.

Entertainment News

Estranged Relative Arrested in Hudson Killings

Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation. William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress' relatives. Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Classical Musicians Get Shot at Fame on YouTube

The video-sharing Web site YouTube will take classical music out of pricey concert halls and bring it to the masses by holding an online competition where the public chooses musicians to play at Carnegie Hall. The competition invites classical musicians around the world to submit two videos demonstrating their musical and technical abilities. Winners from the competition will be flown to New York for a three-day summit with San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and other performers leading up to an April 15, 2009, Carnegie Hall show.
 

007's Car Fetches 110,000 Pounds at Auction

The classic white Lotus sports car driven by Roger Moore in Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me" was sold at auction in London on Monday for 111,500 pounds. Bonhams auctioneers said the 1976 Lotus Esprit, which was driven on land and under water in the 1977 film, was bought by a private US collector who was bidding by telephone. The new owner of the car, one of two Lotus cars driven in the film, described himself as a fan of both Lotus and James Bond and said the car would be going to Atlanta in the US state of Georgia.

Mark Leckey Wins 2008 Turner Prize

British artist Mark Leckey has won  this year's Turner Prize, bringing home 25,000 pounds in award money. It was announced in London at Tate Britain on Monday evening. The 44-year-old artist was born in Birkenhead, west England, and graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic, moving to London later. This year's prize fund is 40,000 pounds with 25,000 pounds going to the winner and 5,000 pounds each for the other shortlisted artists including Runa Islam, Goshka Macuga and Cathy Wilkes.