China Daily back issues from December 2004:
IN BRIEF (Page: 10, Date: 12/01/2004)
Dec 01, 2004 ... Beijing New futures contract The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved the DalianCommodity Exchange to launch the No 2 Soybeans futures contract,exchange sources said yesterday. The new contract, following the No 1 Soybeans that was introducedtwo years ...
IN BRIEF (Page: 8, Date: 12/01/2004)
Dec 01, 2004 ... ROME Unions stage strike Italy's big three unions staged a nationwide strike yesterday toprotest against the government's economic policies, in a show ofstrength the left said was the start of a campaign to unseat PrimeMinister Silvio Berlusconi. Factories, trains, ...
IN BRIEF (Page: 2, Date: 12/01/2004)
Dec 01, 2004 ... BEIJING Art exhibition An art exhibition for disadvantaged children was held over theweekend at the China World Trade Centre. Hosted by the China Charity Federation and Hong Kong and ShanghaiBanking Corporation roughly 230 paintings, carvings, ceramics andknitting ...
Newcastle chief says wealthy Chelsea unbalancing soccer
Dec 01, 2004 ... DUBAI: The vast riches of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich haveblown the transfer market apart and created one market for them andanother for everyone else, Newcastle United chairman Freddie Shepherdsaid on Monday. Speaking at the Soccerex trade fair, Shepherd, who estimated ...
FIFA firm against paying players for internationals
Dec 01, 2004 ... DUBAI: World soccer's governing body said on Monday that it was upto national associations to reimburse clubs for players oninternational duty and not the responsibility of FIFA. FIFA reinforced its strong opposition to the idea at the Soccerexconference when Markus Siegler, ...
South Korean monthly exports to rise
Dec 01, 2004; ... South Korea's exports probably rose in November at their fastestpace in three months as the nation sold more cars, mobile phones andother goods overseas. Exports likely gained 26 per cent from a year earlier afterclimbing a revised 20 per cent in October, the slowest in 11 ...
Part of PriceSmart China stores find buyers
Dec 01, 2004; ... The debt crisis of PriceSmart, a leading membership supermarketgroup in China, seems likely to be eased soon, as Britain's B&Q andTaiwan-based President have agreed to take over five PriceSmartoutlets or inject funds into N-mart shops, the affiliated hypermarketbrand of ...
Market
Dec 01, 2004 ... SHANGHAI Shares up following bargain hunting China's shares checked a five-day decline yesterday, rising 0.25per cent following active bargain hunting. The benchmark Shanghai composite index, which groups foreigncurrency B shares and local currency A shares, ended at ...
Protecting privacy
Dec 01, 2004 ... Offering free condoms in public settings should respect people'sprivacy, commented an article in Beijing News. An excerpt follows: On November 23, Beijing's Haidian District Bureau of Healthdistributed free condoms to students at seven universities, but thewell-intended measure of ...
Public looks forward to transparent government
Dec 01, 2004 ... Government agencies in China have been asked to further open theirdoors to the public to promote effective administration. "All administrative information pertaining to the interests of thepublic, except State secrets, business secrets and personal privacy,must be made public," ...
Tourist sites to raise admission fees
Dec 01, 2004; ... Some of Beijing's most famous tourist attractions may raise thecost of admission. All the 21 delegates at a hearing yesterday agreed to proposalsthat the city's five world heritage sites - such as the PalaceMuseum, which is also known as Forbidden City, and the Great Wall -raise ...
Manual work mindset shift
Dec 01, 2004 ... East China's Jiangsu Province will select some outstanding youngtechnicians to be crowned as the province's leading youngprofessionals. This move is expected to change the attitude towardsmanual labour, which many people regard as inferior to mental work,said an article in Guangming ...
China sends its footballers to Germany in search of glory
Dec 01, 2004; ... China's beleaguered national football team is looking to Germanyto improve its fortunes. After the humiliating exit from the 2006 World Cup qualifiersearlier this month, Chinese Football Association(CFA) officials arevowing to take action - and hope Germany can provide the ...
Kung fu master takes on the world
Dec 01, 2004 ... ZHENGZHOU: Upon first sight of 63-year-old Fu Tianbao, peoplecould not help connecting him with legendary martial arts masters,wearing a long graceful white beard, walking fast and vigorously, andlooking at others with a pair of penetrating eyes. After hiding his identity for more ...
Operation Desert Storm
Dec 01, 2004; ... The world-renowned Paris-Dakar Rally will see four Chinese facesas it celebrates its 27th year in Barcelona on December 31. Chinese drivers Men Guangyuan from Team Mitsubishi Ralliart China,Xu Lang, Zhou Yong and veteran Lu Ningjun, driving China-built NissanPaladin, will challenge ...
Recovery in Japan losing momentum
Dec 01, 2004; ... Japanese factory production slumped, households cut spending andthe unemployment rate rose in October, suggesting a recovery in theworld's second-largest economy is faltering. Stocks and the yen bothdeclined. Industrial production had the largest drop in eight months,falling a ...
Kunqu Opera at the heart of tradition
Dec 01, 2004 ... To love, or not to love? This is the question bugging EmperorXuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Making great achievementsduring his reign, he is also plagued by the conundrum which hasperplexed men and women throughout history. Whether it is nobler to elope with his beloved ...
Huarong gets world quality visa
Dec 01, 2004; ... China Huarong Asset Management Corporation (CHAMC) received thecertificate of ISO9001: 2000 from the British Standards Institutionyesterday, a move to facilitate Huarong's restructuring into acommercial institution. "Achieving the international quality management certificate ...
Patience a must for 3G operators
Dec 01, 2004; ... For those who want to cash in on China's lucrative thirdgeneration (3G) of mobile telecommunications, patience seems to be amust. Despite an increasing outcry for the release of 3G licences assoon as possible, the Chinese Government has continued to becautious. However, the ...
SCOREBOARD (12/01/2004)
Dec 01, 2004 ... FOOTBALL English second division LONDON: Result of a match played in the second division of Englishsoccer on Monday: Rotherham 1 Leeds 0 Standings W D L Gf Ga Pts Ipswich 12 6 3 40 23 42 Wigan 11 8 2 36 15 ...
Slowdown merely an adjustment
Dec 01, 2004; ... China's high-rate industrial growth will need to continue in orderto bolster the country's long-term economic prosperity, despite thecurrent measures to readjust the economy. China has entered a development stage propelled by the dynamicgrowth of its heavy industrial and chemical ...
Court meets again over election appeal
Dec 01, 2004 ... Ukraine's Supreme Court resumed its probe yesterday of thevalidity of bitterly disputed results from the presidential runoffelection, while parliament convened to debate the growing threat tothis country. The simultaneous sessions of Ukraine's highest judicial andlegislative ...
West
Dec 01, 2004 ... Teams launch survey on wild Tibetan antelopeThree teams of 20 scientists have begun a general survey into thepopulation of the rare Tibetan antelope in the Hoh Xil region ofNorthwest China. Initiated by the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Administration, itwill be the first ...
Home offers haven to HIV victims
Dec 01, 2004 ... Holding her breath, Yang Xiaomei enters the room. "Don't be afraid. Only three channels can lead to infection.Please keep smiling and do not avoid handshakes. Otherwise patientswill suffer from great psychological pressure," murmured a volunteerto Yang. A student at Beijing ...
DPRK agrees to nuke talks
Dec 01, 2004; ... The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it isimportant and necessary to resume the six-party talks on the KoreanPeninsula's nuclear issue. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said during a regularpress conference yesterday that the DPRK has told a visiting ...
Noisy neighbourhood? Take 'em to court
Dec 01, 2004; ... Sixteen homeowners at a residential district in Beijing tookoperators of the city's metro system, an urban expressway and a realestate developer to a grass-roots court for noise harassment. The Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court broadcast the trialonline yesterday, a first ...
HIV cases rising; real figures unknown
Dec 01, 2004; ... More than 20,000 new HIV positive cases have been officiallyreported in China since 2002, but estimates of a far greater numberof still unknown carriers present a huge challenge in quelling theepidemic. The number of officially reported HIV positive cases in China hasnow climbed ...
Floods claim 306; many missing
Dec 01, 2004 ... QUEZON, Philippines: More than 300 people died after flash floodsand landslides devastated three coastal towns and left swathes of thenorthern Philippines under water yesterday. The death toll was expected to rise as rescuers were unable toreach areas cut off by huge mudslides and ...
Banks closing in on final IPOs
Dec 01, 2004; ... Bank of China, the country's largest foreign exchange bank, saidyesterday its operating profits grew a year-on-year 22 per centduring the first 10 months of this year. The bank's operating profits stood at 53.55 billion yuan (US$6.5billion) during the period, President Li Lihui ...
Favre shines as Packers maul Rams
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW YORK: Brett Favre celebrated his 200th consecutive start bythrowing three touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers destroyedthe St Louis Rams 45-17 at Lambeau Field on Monday. Najeh Davenport rushed for 178 yards on 19 carries, including a 40-yard touchdown run for the host ...
Aussies clinch second test and series sweep
Dec 01, 2004 ... ADELAIDE: Australia finished off a clinical 213-run win over NewZealand just after lunch yesterday on the fifth day of the secondcricket test to secure a series sweep. Chris Martin was the last man out, caught by Ricky Ponting offShane Warne's bowling as New Zealand was dismissed ...
Profits decrease on drop in sales
Dec 01, 2004; ... Bombardier Inc, the world's largest maker of jets that seat 50passengers or less, may report a drop of almost 90 per cent in third-quarter profits because of declining aircraft sales and cost overrunsin its train business. Net income tumbled to about US$17.5 million, or 1 cent a ...
Merrill Lynch upbeat with new JV
Dec 01, 2004; ... SHANGHAI: Top executives of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers(MLIM), one of the world's largest managers of financial assets,foresees optimistic prospects for its joint venture (JV) in thisemerging funds market, though holding only a small stake. By joining hands with BOC ...
Employment creation remains tough task
Dec 01, 2004; ... Robust economic growth has considerably improved China'semployment situation this year, but it is too early to cheer giventhe gravity of this long-term problem. It was reported that up to 8.4 million jobless urban residents and4.3 million laid-off workers have found jobs in the ...
Conference to focus on AIDS' impact on females
Dec 01, 2004 ... ISLAMABAD: Taking the fight against AIDS to those most vulnerable,government officials and aid workers from the Asia-Pacific region onMonday opened a three-day conference in Pakistan aimed at helpingwomen and girls avoid the deadly disease. From street children to sex workers, the ...
South
Dec 01, 2004 ... Phone camera catches husband in flagrante A wife discovered her husband's extramarital affair from hiscamera mobile phone which he gave her to get repaired, reports thenews website www.zaobao.com. The wife, from Changhua, Taiwan Province and working for atelecommunications ...
Traditional medicine gives new hope to AIDS sufferers
Dec 01, 2004; ... ZHENGZHOU, Henan Province: Zhu Amei, a 47-year-old HIV-infectedfarmer from Zaozhu Village of Central China's Henan Province, saysshe feels much better after taking traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) for three months. She says herbal medicines provided by local doctors and ...
Law made to protect Expo emblem
Dec 01, 2004 ... China is moving to protect intellectual property connected to theShanghai World Expo. As the new emblem for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo was revealed onMonday, new codes to protect it were also unveiled. The World Expo Emblem Protection Codes take effect today in China.They ...
Guangdong, Macao strengthening ties
Dec 01, 2004; ... GUANGZHOU: The governments of Guangdong and Macao agreed tostrengthen co-operation in 11 key areas yesterday. The governments plan to work together to push forward Pan-PearlRiver Delta (Pan-PRD) regional co-operation in the Hengqin EconomicCo-operation Zone, service sectors, ...
Hu visits AIDS patients in Beijing
Dec 01, 2004 ... President Hu Jintao, who visited AIDS wards and shook hands withpatients in Beijing yesterday, called on all members of society toshow care and love for AIDS patients. Wearing a special red silk ribbon which symbolizes love and carefor AIDS patients, Hu visited the Beijing You'an ...
Up to 40 drowned in accident in Iraq
Dec 01, 2004 ... ZAKHU, Iraq: Up to 40 people were swept away and drowned as theytried to cross a swollen river in the far north of Iraq yesterday,families of the victims said. Dozens of people were packed onto a flat barge boat, trying tocross a tributary of the Tigris River, when a rush of water ...
S&P holds positive outlook on pilot reform
Dec 01, 2004; ... Global rating agency Standard & Poor's yesterday affirmed apositive outlook on reforms in the Bank of China and the ChinaConstruction Bank, two pilot State-owned banks chosen forshareholding restructuring and public listings. The quality of assets of the two banks has improved ...
ASB, Holdfast touch broadband
Dec 01, 2004; ... Alcatel Shanghai Bell (ASB), Alcatel's joint venture in Shanghai,announced yesterday it has teamed up with Shanghai Holdfast OnlineInformation Technology Co Ltd (Holdfast), one of the top three onlinegaming service suppliers in China, to jointly develop broadbandentertainment in the ...
Making foreign investment easier
Dec 01, 2004; ... China recently further simplified its foreign investmentprocedures. Few documents will be required when applying to invest in thiscountry. And investment caps will be raised for foreign-investedprojects requiring local government approval. Provincial governments will be able ...
PM repeats offer to opposition rival
Dec 01, 2004 ... KIEV: Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich offered againyesterday to make his opposition rival prime minister if allowed totake up the presidency. Locked in a dispute with liberal leader Viktor Yushchenko overlast week's disputed presidential election, Yanukovich also said ...
East
Dec 01, 2004 ... Luxury motor too big to cruise Shanghai's streets A woman in Shanghai spent 2.12 million yuan (US$258,348) on aluxury family vehicle. But she never got the chance to show it off as it contravened cityregulations by being a few centimetres too wide. Eventually the ...
Vital international support
Dec 01, 2004 ... China is not alone in its fight against HIV/AIDS. "Since December last year, we have had a lot of conversations withthe Chinese Government and we have worked closely together," saidKhalid Malik, UN resident co-ordinator in China. The UN and the Ministry of Health made a Joint ...
63 killed so far in mine disaster
Dec 01, 2004; ... XI'AN: The death toll at the Tongchuan coal mine disaster inShaanxi Province in Northwest China now stands at 63, and officialssay there is little chance the 103 miners still trapped undergroundcould survive. The gas blast early Sunday morning at the Chenjiashan Coal Mine ...
Bribe-taking official booted out of Party
Dec 01, 2004; ... NANJING: Xu Guojian, former director of the provincial PartyOrganization Department of Jiangsu, has been expelled from the Partyand public employment for being suspected of accepting bribes,reports Xinhua Daily. The punishment was promulgated by the Jiangsu Provincial Committeeof ...
Shrine visits hampering relations, Koizumi told
Dec 01, 2004; ... VIENTIANE: The Japanese leader's repeated visits to the YasukuniShrine are the major obstacle hindering the advancement of China-Japan relations, Premier Wen Jiabao said here yesterday. Wen held talks with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi onthe sidelines of the ...
Helicopter crash kills seven soldiers in Texas
Dec 01, 2004 ... TEXAS, United States: An Army helicopter carrying seven soldierscrashed and burned in the fog after hitting a web of support wires ona TV transmission tower whose warning lights had been knocked out ina storm last week, officials said. Everyone aboard was killed. The UH-60 ...
China Orient inks deals on bad loan disposal
Dec 01, 2004; ... China Orient Asset Management Corporation said yesterday it hadsigned an agreement with China Cinda Asset Management Corporation topurchase a massive batch of bad loans. The 130 billion yuan (US$15.6 billion) of non-performing loanswere bought by Cinda earlier this year from the ...
EXCHANGE RATES (12/01/2004)
Dec 01, 2004 ... Following are the exchange rates for leading currencies againstthe dollar at 12:00 GMT on November 30: Euro US$ per Euro 1.3297 Britain US$ per Pound 1.90815 Australia US$ per A$ 0.7729 Switzerland Franc per US$ 1.13725 Norway Crown per ...
Turin mayor frets over legal quarrel
Dec 01, 2004 ... MILAN: Legal wrangling over the status of Turin's OlympicCommittee could delay preparations for the 2006 Winter Games andhamper the gathering of much-needed funds, the city's mayor said onMonday. Finance police swooped on organizers' offices last week and copieddocuments, which ...
Scholar makes bid to revive traditional names
Dec 01, 2004 ... It is common practice now for Chinese people to have just twonames: their surname, or family name - xing - followed by their givenname, their ming. Until fairly recently, educated people tended to have one or twoadditional names. These were called zi, meaning "style," and at ...
Nuggets down Hornets
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW YORK: Earl Boykins contributed 22 points to help the DenverNuggets overcome the absence of top scorer Carmelo Anthony to defeatthe New Orleans Hornets 76-67 on Monday. Andre Miller added 14 points and eight assists for the hostNuggets (8-6), who struggled at times without ...
Confidence set to fall in Europe on euro concern
Dec 01, 2004; ... Business confidence in the 12 nations sharing the euro probablyfell for the first time in nine months in November on concern theeuro's gain to a record against the dollar will hamper export growth,a survey of economists showed. An index based on a survey compiled by the European ...
Story of love inspires classic
Dec 01, 2004 ... Since its conception in Kunshan 450 years ago, East China'sJiangsu Province, countless pieces of Kunqu Opera have beenperformed. Yet to name a few of combinations of art and literature,"The Palace of Eternal Youth" created by Hong Sheng in the reign ofEmperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty ...
More insurance gain eyed in home market
Dec 01, 2004; ... China Insurance (Holdings) Co Ltd (CIH), the local insuranceindustry's overseas flagship, is expecting more expeditious growth inthe home market in the coming three years. The Hong Kong-based company predicted yesterday both of itsmainland arms Taiping Insurance Co Ltd and Taiping ...
Toys tariff lifting to spark fierce rivalry
Dec 01, 2004; ... China's import tariffs on toys will be eliminated on January 1,2005, in accordance with the country's commitments to the World TradeOrganization (WTO). Reactions of domestic toy manufacturers and importers range fromlack of interest to mild concern as the deadline for the stopping ...
Urgent need to step up anti-AIDS campaign
Dec 01, 2004; ... Today is the 17th World AIDS Day. The nation's serious HIV/AIDS situation deserves the highestgovernment and public vigilance. With HIV carriers increasing at an annual rate of 40 per cent,China now ranks 14th in the world and second in Asia in terms of thescale of its AIDS ...
SOEs asked to focus on core biz
Dec 01, 2004; ... China's State assets watchdog urged the country's large State-owned enterprises (SOEs) to focus on their core business and speed upshareholding system restructuring to become more globallycompetitive. State-owned assets should be focused on the most important sectorsthat concern ...
Legal case stems from family's phone number
Dec 01, 2004; ... SHANGHAI: A lawsuit filed by a local woman whose phone numberhappened to be published by a popular magazine was heard yesterday inthe Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court. The magazine, Mengya, was appealing a July court ruling by theShanghai Hongkou District People's Court, ...
Labour rules give workers more security
Dec 01, 2004; ... New regulations are expected to protect workers, especially womenand farmers-turned labourers, from abuse, inequality and defaultpayments. The new legislation from the State Council takes effect today. Minister of Labour and Social Security Zheng Silin said theRegulation on ...
Whale rescue still going on
Dec 01, 2004 ... SYDNEY: Scientists and wildlife officials continued to searchyesterday for what may have caused a series of mass strandings whichleft 169 whales and dolphins dead on Australian and New Zealandbeaches in the past three days. Authorities and volunteers worked through Monday night to ...