Obama-Saudi King discuss mutual interest
U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called Saudi King Abdullah to discuss “a range of issues of mutual interest.” “The two leaders reaffirmed the strong and enduring bilateral relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and discussed a range of issues of mutual interest as part of their ongoing consultations,” the White House said […]
China Focus: Forced abortion case investigated amid nationwide outrage
XI’AN, June 14 (Xinhua) — Authorities in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province have launched an investigation into an instance of forced abortion, pledging that anyone found responsible will be punished according to relevant laws and regulations. Feng Jianmei, 27, was forced to terminate her pregnancy at seven months in a hospital in Zhenping county on June […]
Angry Birds to build nest in China
BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Rovio Entertainment Ltd, the Finnish company behind the mega-hit game Angry Birds, with more than 1 billion downloads to date, has big plans for the Chinese market. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Rovio co-founder and chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka said the company hopes to incorporate traditional Chinese fairy […]
Centuries-old scripture found in Lhasa
LHASA, June 13 (Xinhua) — Cultural specialists in southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region have found more than 100 pages of Tibetan scripture that dates back to the 13th century, local authorities said Wednesday. The document, whose content covers traditional Tibetan medicine and religion, was found at a monastery in Nyemo county on the outskirts of […]
Infectious diseases kill 1,575 in May
BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) — More than 982,932 cases of infectious diseases were reported on the Chinese mainland in May, resulting in 1,575 deaths, the Ministry of Health said Tuesday. Most of the deaths, or 1,441 cases, were caused by Category B notifiable diseases. The five most frequently reported diseases last month included hepatitis, tuberculosis, […]
Roundup: Wall Street unimpressed by Spain bailout
NEW YORK, June 11 (Xinhua) — U.S. stocks retreated on Monday and closed at session lows following a short rally as enthusiasm about the Spanish bank aid package faded. When the market closed, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 142.97 points, or 1.14 percent, to 12,411.23. The Standard & Poor’ s 500 was down 16.73 […]
Public complains of poor taxi service in Beijing
BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — Long waits for taxis in the summer heat and the poor attitudes occasionally shown by taxi drivers have led some to complain about the poor state of taxi service in Beijing. The city’s vast population means that passengers aren’t in much of a position to pick and choose when they […]
First Sino-Vietnam highway expected to open in 2013
KUNMING, June 10 (Xinhua) — The first highway linking southwest China’s Yunnan Province and Vietnam will open to traffic next year, local authorities confirmed Sunday. The 600-km journey from Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan, to Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, will be reduced to six to seven hours from 12-plus hours, according to the provincial communication […]
Eurogroup confirms up to 100-bln-euro aid ready for Spain’s banks
BRUSSELS/MADRID, June 9 (Xinhua) — Eurozone finance ministers confirmed on Saturday that the single-currency area is ready to offer up to 100 billion euros (about 125 billion U.S. dollars) in financial aid to rescue Spain’s ailing banking sector. “The loan amount must cover estimated capital requirements with an additional safety margin, estimated as summing up […]
China Focus: Lackluster data point to further stimulus
BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) — A string of economic data released on Saturday showed China’s economy has not yet bottomed out from domestic and external jitters, fuelling calls for more stimulus measures to secure sound growth. China’s industrial output grew at a slower-than-expected 9.6 percent year-on-year in May, rebounding 0.3 percentage point from April, the […]