Xinhua News Agency back issues from Wednesday, May 21:
Roundup: Africa Strives to Settle Refugee Problem
May 21, 1997 ... The refugee problem is a big headache to African countries, butthey are making their efforts to cure it. Of the 26 million people across the world who come under theconcern of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more thannine million are Africans, accounting for 35 ...
1997 Global Competitiveness Rankings
May 21, 1997 ... The Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) today released itsGlobal Competitiveness Report covering a total of 53 countries andregions all over the world. The rankings are based on 155 criteria with eight major factorsdetermining competitiveness: openness of an economy to ...
Ancient Bronzes Found
May 21, 1997 ... Chinese archaeologists have recently proved that people in HubeiProvince in the central part of China were able to producehigh-quality bronze at least 2,000 years ago. The evidence comes in the form of smelted ore that is 94 percentbronze and a residue that contained less than 0.7 ...
Ancient Irrigation Network Found in Northwest China
May 21, 1997 ... A well-preserved irrigation network dug in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220 AD) has been found in northwest China's Gansu Province. Over 200 km of canals and ditches were found existing in Anxicounty. The ditches measured one meter wide and one meter deep. For more than a thousand ...
Applications to Thai Investment Board Falls 22 Percent
May 21, 1997 ... Net applications for direct investment submitted by Thai andforeign investors to the Board of Investment (BOI) of Thailand fellby 22.3 percent in the first quarter of the year from the sameperiodlast year. The sharp drop came amid a decline in Thailand's ...
Background: ABCs of Basic Law of Hong Kong SAR (95-96)
May 21, 1997 ... Following are the ABCs of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SpecialAdministrative Region (95-96) in a question-and-answer format: Question: Under what circumstances may representatives of thegovernment of the Hong Kong SAR participate in diplomaticnegotiations? Answer: After ...
Beijing to Break Ground for New Science Town
May 21, 1997 ... Construction workers will break ground for a new science town inBeijing later this year. The new science town, which will be located in the city's newtechnological industrial development experimental zone in theoutskirts northwest of the city, will be one of the ...
China's Northeast Helping Unemployed Workers Get New Jobs
May 21, 1997 ... About a million laid-off workers in northeast China's province ofLiaoning have found new jobs with the help of local governments andgrass-roots organizations, according to official sources here. Liaoning is China's oldest heavy industry base and has one-tenthof the country's ...
China Stands 29th in 1997 Global Competitiveness Ranking
May 21, 1997 ... China has moved from the 36th place in 1996 to the 29th in the1997 Global Competitiveness Ranking, said the Global CompetitivenessReport released today by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum(WEF). The rankings of a total of 53 countries and regions in the worldare based on 155 ...
Cultural Relics Found in Reservoir Area
May 21, 1997 ... More than 130 historical sites have been found in theconstructionarea of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in central China's Henan Province. The sites include tombs, tribal buildings, stone carvings, plankroads built along cliff surface. And ancient stone ware and pottery,dating from the ...
East China City Attracts Investment Via Internet
May 21, 1997 ... Fuzhou, the capital of east China's Fujian province, started aninternational investment promotion months yesterday on the localnetwork hooked up with the Internet. The information about key local investment projects, in bothChinese and English, is sent through "Window of Fujian" , ...
Ecological Villages Change Look of Rural Areas (1)
May 21, 1997 ... East China's Zhejiang Province has been paying a great attentionto environmental protection to maintain an ecological balance, andits efforts have begun to pay off. Xialu Township in Shaoxing County was informed in early May thatit was given the title of "Global 500" for the year ...
German Arrested for Drug Trafficking in Thailand
May 21, 1997 ... A German man was arrested Tuesday at Pattaya, a Thai seasideresort city, on charges of possession of more than two kilos ofmarijuana, according to a report today. Police arrested Marcow Bush, 24, in a raid on a house following atip-off. Allegedly found in the house were two ...
Highlights of Major Beijing-Based Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... Highlights of today's major Beijing-based newspapers: "People's Daily" The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the ChinaDemocratic National Construction Association held a forum hereTuesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hu Zi'ang, awell-known ...
Japan to Help Smooth Return of Hong Kong
May 21, 1997 ... Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto has said his countrywill make efforts to help China resume the exercise of sovereigntyover Hong Kong in July. The Japanese Jiji news agency reported that Hashimoto made theremarks Tuesday during a ...
Major News Items in Leading Pakistani Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... The following are major news items in leading Pakistani Englishnewspapers today: The News Having lost four out of his six provinces in the rebellionagainsthis rule in northern afghanistan, General Rashid Dostum wasstruggling Tuesday to retain control of Balkh and Jowzjan ...
Major News Items in Leading Indian Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... The following are major news items in leading Indian newspaperstoday: The Hindustan Times Congress leader Arjun Singh presented a Congress tricolor to Mrs.Sonia Gandhi, widow of Indian former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi,Tuesday after a rally on the occasion of the 6th death ...
Major News Items in Leading Japanese Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... The following are major news items in leading Japanese newspaperstoday. Yomiuri, Mainichi, Nihon Keizai: Japan's Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank extended huge loans to a "sokaiya"racketeer knowing they couldn't be recovered.Asahi:Tokyo prosecutors searched the headquarters of Dai-Ichi ...
Major News Items in Leading Philippine Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... The following are major news items in leading Philippinenewspapers today: Manila Bulletin Philippine President Fidel Ramos said Tuesday that the governmentviews with "utmost concern" the spate of kidnappings in CentralMindanao as these could negate efforts to accelerate its ...
Major News Items in Leading Australian Newspapers
May 21, 1997 ... The following are major news items in leading Australiannewspapers today: The Australian Australia is bound by international law to pay compensation forthe "genocidal" removal of as many as 100,000 Aboriginal childrenfrom their parents between 1910 and 1970, the Human Rights ...
Market Exchange Rates
May 21, 1997 ... The People's Bank of China today issued the market exchange ratesin RMB yuan against three major currencies. The middle price of RMBagainst convertible currencies is mainly based on the closing priceof the preceding interbank trading. The designated foreign exchange trading banks ...
Myanmar's Telecommunications Sector Achieves 9
May 21, 1997 ... Myanmar's telecommunications sector achieved a 9 percent growthinthe 1996-97 fiscal year ended March 31 according to latest officialstatistics. Seventy-eight auto-exchange stations (AES) and 410 conventionalexchange stations (CES) in 14 states and divisions have been set upby ...
Northeast China Mountains Rich In Economic Plants
May 21, 1997 ... The Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province areexpected to play a bigger role in promoting local economicdevelopment, as they have been found rich in wild plants. A two-year scientific survey that ended recently showed thatthereare in the mountains 2,077 varieties ...
Opposing Faction Denies Taliban's Gains in Central
May 21, 1997 ... An opposing faction has denied the afghan Islamic militiaTaliban's claim that it had captured the strategic Shibar pass incentral afghanistan. A Hezb-i-Wahdat official in northwestern Pakistan's Peshawar cityTuesday rejected the Taliban claim as an "absolute lie", stressingthat ...
Philippine Defense Secretary to Resign Next Month
May 21, 1997 ... Philippine Defense Secretary Renato de Villa will step down fromhis post next month to join the ruling party Lakas-NUCD inpreparation for his presidential bid, local newspaper The ManilaChronicle reported today. The newspaper quoted De Villa as saying that he is not ...
Port City Attracts More Businesses From Overseas
May 21, 1997 ... Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning province, willhost over 20 international shows in the remainder of the year. More than 20 billion yuan (about 2.4 billion US dollars) worth oftrade volume is expected at the shows, according to local officials. Dalian is playing ...
Public Network Promotes Economy In Northwest China Province
May 21, 1997 ... Liaoning, northeast China's heavy industrial base, finds thenewlyopened public informtion network very helpful in promoting the localeconomy. The net, which is China's first provincial public informationnetwork, links up the province's 13 major cities apart from beinghooked up ...
Renovated Imperial Mausoleum Opens to Public
May 21, 1997 ... The mausoleum for the fourth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127), which has been in renovation since 1995, opens to thepublic in central China's Henan Province. All buildings set up in the mausoleum against r emperor of theNorthern Song Dynasty (960-1127), which has been ...
Taliban Declares General Amnesty for Surrenders
May 21, 1997 ... The leadership of the afghan Taliban militia on Tuesday announcedgeneral amnesty for the forces loyal to northern warlord GeneralRashid Dostum and has assured that no action would be taken if theyvoluntarily surrender. A communique issued to the press in Pakistan's northern city ...
Tianjin Starting Unified Paging Services
May 21, 1997 ... Tianjin Municipal Posts and Telecommunications Administration inthe north China's Tianjin has started two new paging services inco-operation with independent paging service centers. Tianjin now has more than 70 separate paging services, with 1.2million subscribers. A majority of ...
WEF Releases 1997 Global Competitiveness Report
May 21, 1997 ... The Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) today released itsGlobal Competitiveness Report covering a total of 53 countries andregions all over the world. The top 10 economies of high competitiveness are Singapore, HongKong, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, ...
Zhejiang Producing More Tourist Products
May 21, 1997 ... Zhejiang Province, a popular tourist destination in east China,has 58 manufacturers of tourist products that cater to the growingtourists and hotel boom. The enterprises can produce about 3,000 different products thatinclude hotel decorations and daily-use items, artwork, ...
"April 8 Festival" of Miao People Celebrated in Beijing
May 21, 1997 ... The traditional "April 8 Festival" of the Miao ethnic group hasbeen celebrated in Beijing by a number of Miao people living here. Ismail Amat, State Councillor and Minister of the StateNationalities Affairs Commission, attended the celebration ...
1997 Southern Africa Economic Summit Opens in
May 21, 1997 ... A three-day 1997 southern Africa economic summit started inHararethis afternoon. More than 500 regional and international business leaders areattending the summit. They will discuss the regional integration,trade, infrastructure development, improving the the ...
26 Rebels Killed in N. Uganda
May 21, 1997 ... The Ugandan army has killed 26 rebels of the Lord's ResistanceArmy (LRA) in northern Kitgum District, the New Vision quoted todayasenior officer as saying. Lt. Colonel Edson Mozoora, the commander of the 503 Brigade,confirmed that Odur (one name), a field commander of LRA, ...
3 Policemen Killed in Bus Accident in Nepal
May 21, 1997 ... Three policemen were killed and 33 others injured in a busaccident Tuesday night on a highway in southern Nepal, the officialRSS news agency said, The bus overturned on the East-West Mahendra Highway at midnightwhen it was heading for a major eastern Nepali town, about 200 kmfrom ...
Africa Told to Reduce Military Budgets
May 21, 1997 ... African countries should seriously consider reducing militarybudgets as a first step towards averting conflicts, a Zambianparliamentarian said here today. Addressing over 150 delegates attending the 28th CommonwealthParliamentary Association (CPA) Africa region conference, ...
AIDS Cases Doubling Every 14 Months in India: Report
May 21, 1997 ... Cases of acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are doublingevery 14 months in India and infection with the AIDS virus hasbecomewidespread among young men and women in the lower socio-economicclass in the country, the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted a reportas saying ...
Ancient Sword Unearthed in East China City
May 21, 1997 ... A sword with bronze designs from the Six Dynasties period(222-589) has been discovered in this capital of east China'sJiangsuProvince. The iron sword is 39-cm long and three-cm wide with a 16.2-cmwooden handle and an inlaid bronze pattern in the shape of a dragon,a traditional ...
Anhui to Develop Information Industry
May 21, 1997 ... East China's Anhui province will put stress on the electronicinformation industry in the 1996-2000 period. Zhen Shitao, director of the provincial Electronic IndustryBureau, said that Anhui plans to take the following measures indeveloping the industry: First, his bureau will ...
Australia Urged to Pay For 60 Years of "Genocide"
May 21, 1997 ... Australia is bound by international law to pay compensation forthe "genocidal" removal of as many as 100,000 Aboriginal childrenfrom their parents between 1910 and 1970, an official inquiry hasfound. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) underthe federal ...
Australian Dollar Closes Firmer
May 21, 1997 ... The Australian dollar strengthened as statistics on wages and adecision by the U.S. Federal Reserve not to lift interest ratesdominated news in financial markets. The Australian dollar ended the day at 77.65 US cents from 77.38Tuesday. Steady U.S. rates and strength in ...
Balanced-Budget Plan Narrowly Passes US House
May 21, 1997 ... The U.S. House of Representatives decisively approved a balancedbudget agreement early today after a marathon debate, narrowlydefeating a proposal to boost highway spending that could havedisrupted the accord. By a vote of 333 to 99 a few hours before dawn, the Houseapprovedthe ...
Bangladesh Gears up Relief Work in Cyclone-hit Areas
May 21, 1997 ... The relief activities were going on in full swing in thecyclone-hit areas under the direct supervision of Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina today, said a high official of the Bangladeshigovernment. Jawadul Karim, press secretary to the prime minister, toldnewsmenthat the prime ...
Bangladeshi Businessmen Urge India to Lift Trade
May 21, 1997 ... Bangladeshi business leaders urged India to remove all barrierstonarrow the growing trade gap between the two neighboring countries,local press reported today. Bangladeshi businessmen had not been able to fully explore andexploit the Indian market in the past due to the presence ...
Banks Push Australian Share Market to Fresh Records
May 21, 1997 ... The Australian share market set fresh records today, with bankingstocks back in the limelight following the U.S. Federal Reserve'sdecision last night to leave interest rates unchanged. The all ordinaries posted new highs across the day before closing12.5 points stronger and just ...
Beijing Hosts Science Week
May 21, 1997 ... The '97 Beijing Science and Technology Week opened today,highlighting the theme of sustained development, and will last untilMay 28. The activity is part of governmental efforts to arouse thecitizens' awareness to protect the environment and cherishresources,actively study ...
Beijing to Promote On-line Service on Campus
May 21, 1997 ... College teachers in Beijing will enjoy 30 percent discount fromon-line service fees, as a result of the Beijing municipaltelecommunications administration's efforts to promote digitalcommunication on campus. According to a ...
Britain Recruit Spies Through Public Advertisement
May 21, 1997 ... The British security service MI5 has decided for the first timeinits history to recruit spies through open advertisement. The advertisement, published in today's Guardian newspaper, saidthis was a "career with a very special part of Her Majesty'sgovernment the Security ...
Britain Rises to Seventh in Economic Competitiveness
May 21, 1997 ... Britain's economic competitiveness soared to seventh in the worldin 1996, from the 15th in the previous year. It topped the European Union (EU) countries, a report from theWorld Economic Forum (WEF) said today. The annual Global Competitiveness Report, surveying 53 ...
Buddhist Followers Celebrate Buddha's Day
May 21, 1997 ... Thousands of Buddhist followers gathered at the Guangji Templehere today to mark Visakha, or the Buddha's Day. Visakha, a full moon celebration in May, is held by Buddhistbelievers in most countries and regions including those belonging tothe Tibetan and Pali-language family in ...
Buddhist Sacred Day Marked in Sri Lanka
May 21, 1997 ... Buddhists all over Sri Lanka today celebrated the Vesak Day, thebirthday of Siddhartha Gautama (Shijiamuni), founder of Buddhism. About 67 percent of the population in Sri Lanka are Buddhists. Sri Lankan President Chandrika ...
Bulgarian Parliament Elects New Prime Minister
May 21, 1997 ... Bulgaria's parliament today approved as prime minister IvanKostov, the leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). Kostov won the nomination with 179 votes to 54, with noabstentions. Kostov, 48, was finance minister in the Dimiter Popov governmentin 1991 and the Filip ...
Bulgarian Parliament Elects New Prime Minister
May 21, 1997 ... Bulgaria's parliament today approved as prime minister, IvanKostov, the leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). Kostov won the nomination with 179 votes to 54, with noabstentions. Kostov, 48, was finance minister in ...
Central China Province to Enhance Cooperation With Hong Kong
May 21, 1997 ... A 29-member economic and trade group from Hong Kong is touringHunan Province in central China to look for further businessopportunities and to make the best use of Hunan's resources, lowcosts, technical expertise, and market demand. These are all attractive to Hong Kong ...
China Makes Improvement in Satellite Tracking and Controlling
May 21, 1997 ... The Xi'an Satellite Tracking and Control Center recentlysuccessfully positioned the newly-launched Dongfanghong-3communication satellite with a new tracking and control networkbasedon the international standard. The Center has so far successfully tracked and controlled over ...
China Publishes Prose of French Writer
May 21, 1997 ... The famous prose "Les Essais" by French writer Montaigne(1533-1592) has been published by the Yilin Translation PublishingHouse. "Les Essais" is the collection of Montaigne's essays, which hasgained worldwide appreciation for 500 years. "Although Montaigne is not known by ...
China's Light Industrial Output Rose 13.4 Percent in First Quarter
May 21, 1997 ... China's light industry had 190.3 billion yuan (1990 price) inadded value during the first quarter, 11.2 percent higher than forthe same period of last year. Statistics from the China Light Industry Council show that, of 25major products, 16 showed ...
China's Major Compact Car Maker to Issue A-Stocks
May 21, 1997 ... The Chongqing Chang'an Automotive Holding Company has announcedplans to issue 120 million shares of A-stock on May 23 on theShenzhen Stock Exchanges. They will have an issue price of 6.36 yuan. The company plans toraise 749 million yuan for expanding its compact car ...
China's Major Bank to Extend More Housing Loans
May 21, 1997 ... The China Construction Bank, the country's major bank forfixed-asset investment loans, will extend more loans to potentialhome buyers, according to a senior bank official. The amount of money for home buyer loans this year will go up byfour billion yuan (about 480 million US ...
China's Most Hygienic Port
May 21, 1997 ... Qinhuangdao on China's northeast coast has become known as ahygienic port after making efforts to curb pollution in the pastdecade. Local environmental protection departments report that smog andcoal dust in the air at Qinhuangdao are strictly controlled, eventhough it is ...
China's Textile Industry Show Less Losses in First Quarter
May 21, 1997 ... China's textile industry reduced losses and scored a substantialincrease in exports during the first quarter of this year. According to latest statistics from the China National TextileCouncil, during that period the industry posted a total turnover of165.2 billion yuan, a ...
China to Set up Yellow Croaker Breeding Base
May 21, 1997 ... East China's Fujian province is preparing to build the country'sbiggest breeding base of large yellow croakers - a kind of fish thatmakes popular seafood dish. The province has listed aquatic products as one of its mainindustry, and provincial fishery experts reported some success ...
China Welcomes Bahamas Repealing Recognition of Taiwan
May 21, 1997 ... China has welcomed the Commonwealth of the Bahamas's severing of"diplomatic ties" with Taiwan and deciding to establish diplomaticties with the People's Republic of China, a Foreign Ministryspokesman said here today. The Chinese government is willing to forge diplomatic ties ...
Chinese Defense Minister
May 21, 1997 ... Defense Minister Chi Haotian met here today with a delegationfromJapan's Forum on China's Politics and Economy. The delegation was led by Terashima Taizo, president of Japan'sFujitsu System Integration Laboratories Ltd.. Chi, also a state councillor, said that China and Japan ...