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Truck-van collision kills five, injures eight in S ChinaFive people were killed and eight others were injured in a collision involving a security van and a truck on Tuesday in south China's Guangdong Province. The collision happened at about 11 a.m. on a highway in Renhua County of Shaoguan City, local police said on Wednesday. The five victims were all from the truck, which carried a driver and 11 villagers heading to a market. The truck driver, six passengers in the truck and a staff member in the security van were injured. ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:55
One pupil dead, 61 poisoned after eating wild fruit in SW China
A primary school student died and 61 others were poisoned after eating a kind of wild fruit on Monday in southwest China's Yunnan Province. So far, 50 of the sick students have been released from hospital and the others were still being treated and in stable condition, said Jiang Ren, principal of the Xiding Township Primary School in Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture of Dai Nationality on Wednesday. Jiang said a fifth-grader, named Yan Wuzhang, picked some fruits from a wild p ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:54
Over 300 cabbies on strike in S China's Guangdong
More than 300 cabbies went on strike Wednesday in Foshan City, in south China's Guangdong Province. The taxi drivers gathered in front of the city's transportation bureau. Their representatives were in talks with the bureau's officials and the result would be released on Thursday morning, an official, surnamed Li, with the bureau's general office told Xinhua. The drivers complained that the monthly fees and gas cost were too expensive, and more and more unlicensed cabs were takin ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:53
Local official: Belgian journalists "not attacked" in China AIDS village
An initial investigation has found that three Belgian journalists involved in a dispute in a Chinese AIDS village in Henan were not attacked but were only jostled, a provincial government spokesman said on Wednesday. The Henan provincial government began an investigation on Tuesday into the incident in which three journalists, from the Beijing branch of the Belgian Vlaamse Radio-en Televiaieomroep (Flemish Radio and Television Network), scuffled with villagers and officials in Shangqiu C ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:52
China's top legislator vows to advance relations with Tajikistan
Top legislator Wu Bangguo on Wednesday said China would work with Tajikistan to lift bilateral relations to new heights.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 14:52
HK stocks rise following U.S. stocks' rally
A rally on Wall Street overnight sent Hong Kong shares higher Wednesday, but weakness in the property sector due to concerns about the domestic real estate market pared gains. The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 182.81 points, or 1.4 percent, to 13,588.66, after trading between 13,573.43 and 13,778.05 during the session. Turnover dropped to 37.97 billion HK dollars (4.90 billion U.S. dollars) from Tuesday's 38.50 billion HK dollars (4.97 billion U.S. dollars). Traders said ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:49
China Enterprises Index 3.29% higher
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index gained 230.06 points, or 3.29 percent, to close at 7,232.54 on Wednesday. The H-shares index, initiated in August 1994 and readjusted on March 10, 2008, tracks the overall performance of 42 Chinese mainland state-owned enterprises listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Hang Seng China H-Financials Index was up 213.03 points, or2.31 percent, at 9,451.60. The H-Financials Index, initiated on Nov. 27, 2006, readjusted on Sept. 10, 2 ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:49
China bank regulator urges risk control for rural financial institutions
Small and mid-sized financial institutions in rural areas should improve their risk controls amid worsening economic conditions, China's top banking regulator said in an online statement on Wednesday. "Small and medium-sized rural financial institutions will have to face more potential risks as the global financial crisis has expanded from foreign markets to the domestic market, from big lenders to small banks, and from well-known international names to small enterprises," Jiang Dingzhi, ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:48
China Cabinet meeting encourages commercial banks to make more loans
China's State Council, or the Cabinet, said Wednesday it would adopt more favorable policies and update the financial system so as to encourage the country's commercial banks to grant more loans to support economic growth. At an executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, the Cabinet also said measures should be taken to raise the country's ability to ward against risks among financial institutions. Banks, security firms and insurers should be used in a combined way to ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 14:44
China bank regulator urges risk control for rural financial institutions
Small and mid-sized financial institutions in rural areas should improve their risk controls amid worsening economic conditions.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 13:35
China Cabinet meeting encourages commercial banks to make more loans
China's State Council said Wednesday it would adopt more favorable policies and update the financial system so as to encourage the country's commercial banks to grant more loans to support economic growth.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 13:31
China, U.S. to hold 5th SED at "critical timing"
The deepening financial turmoil and the transition in the U.S. government has pushed the coming fifth China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) further into the limelight, experts told Xinhua on the eve of the talks. Zhang Hanya, a senior researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission, told Xinhua on Wednesday that the fifth round of the SED that was set to run from Thursday through Friday in Beijing was coming at "a critical time". U.S. Treasury Secretary Henr ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 13:24
Chinese vice premier meets Belarusian guests
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan met in Beijing on Wednesday with Zenon Lomat, chairman of the State Control Committee of Belarus. Wang congratulated on the successful conclusion of the 10th meeting of the China-Belarus joint commission on trade and economic cooperation. He said Sino-Belarusian relations had developed since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 16 years ago, and cooperation on trade, education and culture expanded. Wang encouraged the two nations to cr ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 13:23
Over 300 cabbies on strike in S China's Guangdong
GUANGZHOU, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 300 cabbies went on ...
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 13:19
China, U.S. to hold 5th SED at "critical timing"
The fifth round of the SED that was set to run from Thursday through Friday in Beijing was coming at "a critical time," said an expert.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 13:09
WB offers 120-mln-dollar loan to support China's eco-farming
The World Bank's (WB) China Office announced on Wednesday the WB's board of executive directors had approved a loan of 120 million dollars for an eco-farming project in China. The office said farmers in central China's Anhui and Hubei provinces, Chongqing Municipality, Hunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China would benefit from improved rural environment and living conditions through the project. The WB loan would cover half of the project costs, ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 11:22
Senior Chinese legislator meets with Tajik counterparts
Lu Yongxiang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, met in Beijing Wednesday with a delegation from the Upper House of Tajikistan's Supreme Assembly. The delegation, led by Makhmadsaid Ubaiduloev, speaker of the upper house of tajikistan's Supreme Assembly, is paying a six-day official good-will visit to China at the invitation of China's top legislator Wu Bangguo. &$&$Source:Xinhua&$&$ ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 11:21
Economist: China has "limited scope" for yuan depreciation against dollar
China has "very limited scope" to keep its currency, the yuan, depreciating against the U.S. dollar in the coming year, UBS Securities said on Wednesday. The yuan, or Renminbi (RMB), weakened to 6.8870 against the U.S. dollar on the over-the-counter market on Tuesday, declining by the 0.5 percent daily limit for a second day. The RMB is allowed to trade by up to 0.5 percent against the greenback on either side of its central parity rate. This has sparked speculation that China wa ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 11:08
China vows strictest land protection as stimulus package boosts land demand
China has vowed the strictest land protection to avoid an increase in illegal land uses and grabs as the government's economic stimulus package is expected to boost land demand. The same amount of land has to be replenished first before existing arable land was allocated for non-farming use, Lu Xinshe, deputy minister of land and resources, told reporters here on Wednesday. The ministry would intensify supervision on land use, Lu said, and any unlawful land seizure should be adj ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 11:07
"Economic Blue Paper": Investment in shares and funds will cause a slight rebound next year
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences "Economic Blue Paper" predicts that in 2009, although Chinese economic growth is likely to slow, the whole economy will improve. While inflationary pressures will gradually ease, and the introduction of stock market regulation and control policies such as margin trading and margin transactions will further establish a stable foundation for the stock market, the effects of the global financial crisis can still not be ignored. Therefore, in 2009 there is l ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 10:27
Work units in Beijing to be punished if they fail to handle sexual harassment cases
On December 2, Beijing solicited opinions from its Legislative Affairs Office "on Beijing's implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women". The draft again places great importance on sexual harassment issues. It clearly stipulates that organizations such as employment units, educational institutions and management bodies of public places should take effective measures to prevent and stop sexual harassment. If and when the Council ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 10:16
Reconstruction starts after N China landslide killing 277
Reconstruction had started on the debris of a north China landslide that killed 277 and the large-scale search for the victims has stopped.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 10:05
Renminbi exchange rate drops by the maximum limit for two consecutive days
A trend has emerged where for two consecutive days the exchange rate of the renminbi against the dollar has dropped by the maximum amount permitted. Experts in the industry believe that the renminbi depreciation is a normal event, and although there was recently speculation that the renminbi would devalue, there is still no evidence that the renminbi has already made a u-turn onto the path to devaluation. Pei Changhong, director of the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics under the Chine ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 09:53
Major events in China's democratic development
1. In 1978, the task of improving socialist democracy and reinforcing the socialist legal system was put forward during the Third Plenary Session of 11th Central Committee. The session pointed out that in order to protect people's democracy, the socialist legal system must be strengthened and the democratic system must be institutionalized and legalized. It also outlined that institutions and laws should be stable, continuous and authoritative, thus insuring that the laws will be followed, obser ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 09:23
New rules on dismissing Chinese public servants trigger debate
New rules outlining how a civil servant can be sacked have drawn criticism from the public, along with praise for a reform that is much needed in China's political system. China's state bureau of civil servants on Tuesday, stipulated that civil servants, who were evaluated as "incompetent" for two consecutive years in the annual assessment, would be dismissed. The bureau said those "whose ideological and political quality is relatively bad, whose working ability cannot meet the r ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 09:18
Senior Chinese legislator meets with Tajik counterparts
legislature
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 09:09
China's human rights situation continues to improve since reform and opening-up
To commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' 60th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, the China Society for Human Rights Studies held a seminar called "30 Years of China's Reform and Opening-up and Human Rights Development" in Beijing on December 2. Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, said in his speech that overseas publicity of China's human rights situation started from zero 30 years ago and it has been continuously d ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:58
China's GDP growth rate expected to remain above 9% next year
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) issued "China's Economy Blue Paper 2009" in Beijing on December 2. The blue paper predicts that in 2009, while China's GDP growth rate may continue to slow down, it is still expected to remain above 9 percent. The inflation rate is also expected to be controlled below 5 percent. According to the preliminary predictions of the blue paper, the afore-mentioned goals, despite the significant uncertainties that might linger in 2009, could still m ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:53
New rules on dismissing Chinese public servants trigger debate
BEIJING, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- New rules outlining how a civil ...
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 08:52
China's first state-level rice trading center to be set up in Wuhan
It is learned from the municipal government of Wuhan that the Wuhan National Rice Trading Center, covering an area of 2,000 mu and with an investment of over 3.7 billion yuan, recently started construction in the Yangluo Economic Development Zone in Xinzhou District, Wuhan. This is China's first state-level rice trading center. Upon completion it is expected to have an annual trade volume of 10 million tons and a grain storage capacity of 350,000 tons, which will make the center in Wuhan Chi ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:51
China to promote Sino-Cambodian relations to new stage
China will work with Cambodia to promote bilateral good-neighborly friendship and reciprocal cooperation to a new stage, said China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin here Wednesday at a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made a three-point proposal for furthering bilateral cooperation. The first is to expand economic and trade cooperation of mutual benefit. The ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:43
Chinese shares surge over 4%, led by banks and oils
Chinese equities staged a big rally on Wednesday, with the key Shanghai index rising over four percent, which was led by gains of heavyweight banks and oils. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed at 1965.41 points, up 4.01 percent or 75.78 points. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index added 245.26 points, or 3.61 percent, to close at 7041.07 points. Gainers outnumbered losers by 860 to 6 in Shanghai and by 739 to 3 in Shenzhen. Combined turnover was up to 132.78 billion yu ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:41
China to promote Sino-Cambodian relations to new stage
China will work with Cambodia to promote bilateral good-neighborly friendship and reciprocal cooperation to a new stage, said China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin Wednesday at a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Source : xinhua | 03-Dec-2008 08:30
Beijing issues first early warning of cold wave, but little chance of snow
At 5pm on December 2, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued the blue early warning signal of a cold wave. Guo Hu, head of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory said that this was Beijing's first early warning of a cold wave since the system to release meteorological early warning signals was in place. The major effects of this cold wave will be strong winds and falling temperatures, but there is not much chance of citywide snow. Guo pointed out that the strong cold wave which was ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 08:28
Stimulus package boosts rural pregnancy scheme in 12 provinces (4)
STILL A CHALLENGING JOB IN MOUNTAIN AREAS In neighboring Gansu Province, a program of free birth was launched in 2007, said Zhang Cunlian, director of Division of Women, Children, and Community Healthcare, Department of Health of the province. In the program, rural women in 55 poverty-stricken counties are fully exempted from hospital charges. In Gansu, a long and narrow shaped province, transportation in remote mountain areas was a big headache for expectant women, said ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:54
Stimulus package boosts rural pregnancy scheme in 12 provinces (2)
PROGRAM FOR POVERTY-STRICKEN COUNTRYSIDE WOMEN PARTURITION Tuo's family earn about 5,000 yuan every year. Though affordable, the costs of giving birth and of raising the newborn child were still worrying. If financial demands forced her to stay away from hospitalization, the risk of giving birth in a poor quality rural home was huge. The cost of giving birth in hospital, ranging from about 500 yuan to 2,500 yuan, is a burden to rural women in Shaanxi, where farmers' annu ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:54
Stimulus package boosts rural pregnancy scheme in 12 provinces
Seven hundred yuan (100 U.S. dollars)is the price tag for a fashionable dress or a pair of sport shoes. But to some pregnant women in poverty-stricken rural areas in Shaanxi Province, such as Tuo Yanfei, the money could mean the difference between life and death. Tuo, a farmer in Liujianwan village in Suide County of Shaanxi, northwest China, who gave birth to a son in November, received money from the government which aids rural women giving birth in 25 poverty-stricken counties. ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:54
Stimulus package boosts rural pregnancy scheme in 12 provinces (3)
STIMULUS PACKAGE ADVANCES AID EXPANSION Up to the end of October 2008, 16,769 expectant women from rural Shaanxi were aided by the program, 90.73 percent of whom were fully exempted from the charge of giving birth in hospital, and a total of about 8.68 million yuan of government funds were used. The provincial government wanted to expand the program so that it could include 50 counties in 2009, 77 in 2010, and 104 counties and districts in 2012, with an accumulating investment of ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:54
Schoolmaster detained after carbon monoxide poisoning kills 11 girls in NW China
A principal and five other managers at a school in northwestern Shaanxi Province, where 11 female students died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Tuesday, have been detained for investigation. The procuratorate of Dingbian county, where the school is located, has also begun an investigation to determine whether managers failed to prevent the accident, said an official with the county's publicity department, who declined to give his name. Altogether 12 girls, all fourth graders, wer ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:47
Public comment period open on draft plan to rebuild quake hit county seat
A draft plan for the reconstruction of the seat of Beichuan County, the worst hit area in the 8.0-magnitude May 12 earthquake, is now open for public comment. The new seat of the Beichuan county will be located in Huangtu township in neighboring Anxian county, the draft plan shows. The first phase of construction includes public welfare facilities, government headquarters and housing. It will cost 19.32 billion yuan (2.84 billion U.S. dollars). The seat of the Beichuan co ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 07:44
University students invent fingerprint testing detector to prevent drunk driving
At the Third China International Road Safety Products Expo recently held in Beijing, a fingerprint testing system that prevents drunk driving attracted lots of attention. Before driving, the driver needs only to place his or her middle finger against the detector installed under the steering wheel, and the system will automatically analyze the fingerprint and sweat within 20 seconds. The engine cannot be started if the alcohol reading exceeds the permitted level. The system was developed by ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:37
Chinese Americans "all brains, no pay"
Chinese Americans in the United States earn less than non-Hispanic Whites of the same educational level, despite having a higher educational level than the average population, a study has said. The compilers of a 64-page report, A Portrait of Chinese Americans, analyzed data from the US Bureau of Census and the American Community Survey of 2006, science portal EurekAlert! Chinese reported last week. The study, jointly carried out by the University of Maryland and the Organization ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:28
China's yuan strengthens after largest one-day fall against greenback
China's currency, the yuan, strengthened against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday. This came just days after it fell to its lowest value since its peg to the dollar ended in July 2005. The central parity rate of the yuan, or Renminbi (RMB), was 6.8502 yuan to the U.S. dollar, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System. The yuan's central parity rate is based on a weighted average of market makers' price inquiries before the market opens on each business day. The rate is a ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:27
China's water-saving drive makes its way to nation's farms (5)
"The drip irrigation method I learned from county technicians saves 60 to 70 percent on water and increases corn output by 40 percent," he said. China has promoted other water-saving irrigation methods. For instance, the sprinkler irrigation technique can cut water use by 50 percent and raise farm output by 20 to 30 percent. With conservation efforts, nearly 14 billion cubic meters of water have been saved annually since the 1990s. About 23.3 million ha of farmland has been cov ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:26
China's water-saving drive makes its way to nation's farms (4)
Farmland with new irrigation technology accounts for only 35 percent of the total. In some developed countries, such as Israel, 80 percent of farms use water-saving technologies. And even though it's hard to conserve water, China needs to provide an extra 30 billion cubic meters of water to irrigate farmland, if it is to meet the target of 950 million mu of irrigated land under cultivation in 2020, industrial officials said. Despite pressing demand, China is unlikely to increase irr ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:26
China's water-saving drive makes its way to nation's farms (2)
In October, Wu was overjoyed to see fields of mature rice swaying in the breeze in his fields, which run along the local Hunsha irrigation canal. "I will have a bumper harvest this year, because of the canal that irrigates my farmland," he said. Irrigated farmland has provided a solid foundation for China to boost its annual food supply from 320 billion kg in 1980 to 500billion kg in 2007, agricultural officials said. China expanded irrigated farmland from 730 million mu in 1978 ...
Source : people.com.cn | 03-Dec-2008 06:26