<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title> World - People's Daily Online </title>
<image>
<title>People's Daily Online</title>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/</link>
<url>http://english.people.com.cn/images/en/top_logo_e.gif</url>
</image>
<description>People's Daily Online</description>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90777</link>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Maldives new president to form coalition gov't]]></title>
<news_id>7725095</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7725095.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-10 08:22:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MALE, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) - Weeks after protests, newly appointed Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Waheed announced on Wednesday of forming a coalition government with the participation of all political parties including former President Mohamed Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).  Waheed appearing before media for the first time at the President's House on Wednesday said discussions is underway to form a National Unity Government.  "I will work with the spirit of coalition with various p ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MALE, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) - Weeks after protests, newly appointed Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Waheed announced on Wednesday of forming a coalition government with the participation of all political parties including former President Mohamed Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).  Waheed appearing before media for the first time at the President's House on Wednesday said discussions is underway to form a National Unity Government.  "I will work with the spirit of coalition with various partners of the country. Together with them we will be able to build a stable democratic country that respect individual freedom foremost respect and uphold constitution that guaranteed the bill of rights for our people," said Waheed, adding "I am in consultation with all the major political parties. I have had several meetings with them including president of MDP," Waheed said.  He said by end of Wednesday he would be able to get an idea how many parties are going to join him to form the government. Their suggestion for nominations will be sent to the parliament. But in the meantime government will continues with the support of independent civil servants in the respective institutions.  After three weeks continuous public protest, later joined by police in Republic square in Male, former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned from the post of president. Dr. Waheed is to continue as President till next Presidential election in 2013. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Slide: Italian Mount Etna volcano erupts]]></title>
<news_id>7725090</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7725090.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-10 08:26:24</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725090" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725118" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725119" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725120" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725121" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725122" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725123"  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725090" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725118" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725119" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725120" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725121" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725122" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725123" class="abl2">【7】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725124" class="abl2">【8】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725125" class="abl2">【9】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7725118"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Violence escalates in Syria's Homs province]]></title>
<news_id>7725076</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7725076.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-10 08:17:27</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The situation in Syria's restive Homs bodes ill as the unabated violence continued on Thursday in several hotspots across the unrest-torn province.  Private Sham FM radio said Thursday that armed groups took over several mosques in Homs and fired on law-enforcement forces from the minarets.  Meanwhile, Syria's private media cited sources as saying that Abdul-Razzq Tlas, a defected first lieutenant, was killed in Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs after severe clashes  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The situation in Syria's restive Homs bodes ill as the unabated violence continued on Thursday in several hotspots across the unrest-torn province.  Private Sham FM radio said Thursday that armed groups took over several mosques in Homs and fired on law-enforcement forces from the minarets.  Meanwhile, Syria's private media cited sources as saying that Abdul-Razzq Tlas, a defected first lieutenant, was killed in Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs after severe clashes with the Syrian army.  On the opposition side, The Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, has reportedly said around 127 people were killed across Syria on Thursday, 108 of them killed in Homs alone.  The opposition's account cannot be confirmed as journalists are forbidden to travel to restive areas on their own.  Clashes have intensified lately in Homs between troops loyal to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and armed militia allegedly comprising army defectors.  The region is considered one of Syria's most volatile areas, as the daily grind of violence stocked fears that the central region has been sliding toward a civil war.  The Syrian government said more than 2,000 army and security personnel have been killed during the months-long unrest, while the United Nations put the death toll in the country at more than 5,400. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Maldives ex-president appeals for help]]></title>
<news_id>7725068</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7725068.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-10 08:21:02</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed appeared on an Indian TV on Thursday, saying he was toppled by a small group of police officers and wanted the international community to help his country restore democracy.  The first democratically elected former president talked to the local TV channel Times Now from an undisclosed place after being reportedly missing for about one day.  Nasheed said that he now feared for his life and the safety of his family, who he ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed appeared on an Indian TV on Thursday, saying he was toppled by a small group of police officers and wanted the international community to help his country restore democracy.  The first democratically elected former president talked to the local TV channel Times Now from an undisclosed place after being reportedly missing for about one day.  Nasheed said that he now feared for his life and the safety of his family, who he said had fled to Sri Lanka.  "They want to arrest me and the situation is turning worse," he said.  He said the police had arrested some 250 supporters of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) so far and appealed to his supporters to remain calm.  Maldivian police said on Thursday that they had received a court order to arrest Nasheed.  Police spokesman Abdul Mannan Yoosuf told Xinhua that Nasheed would be arrested along with former defense minister. "We have obtained an order from the Criminal Court to arrest former president," said Yoosuf. "On security reasons, we can not reveal on what charges the arrest is to be made," he added.  The arrest warrant was issued following a string of arson attacks on police stations and court houses by supporters of MDP on Wednesday.  Nasheed resigned on Tuesday amid protests over detention of a top judge and was replaced by vice president Mohamed Waheed. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[UN: Young people suffer from highest unemployment rate]]></title>
<news_id>7724743</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724743.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 15:44:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$<i>&$Edited and translated by People's Daily Online&$</i>&$  The Economic and Social Affairs Department of the United Nations pointed out in its World Young People Report 2011 released on Feb. 6 that the economic crisis has exacerbated youth unemployment problem.  The report says the unemployment rate of global youth has been higher than that of other age groups for a long time.  The report shows that young people have many concerns about employment issue. One concern is the gap between  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$<i>&$Edited and translated by People's Daily Online&$</i>&$  The Economic and Social Affairs Department of the United Nations pointed out in its World Young People Report 2011 released on Feb. 6 that the economic crisis has exacerbated youth unemployment problem.  The report says the unemployment rate of global youth has been higher than that of other age groups for a long time.  The report shows that young people have many concerns about employment issue. One concern is the gap between the quality and practicability of the education they have received and the requirements on the job markets. They also worry about job discrimination due to age, gender or races.  The report takes young people’s true voice as the core content, which was released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs based on extensively soliciting opinions of young people from various regions around the world and organized multiple online discussions though the network platform and social media for the first time. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Philippine President thanks Chinese-Filipino businessmen for supporting govt]]></title>
<news_id>7724732</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724732.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 15:32:57</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III thanked on Thursday the Chinese-Filipino businessmen for supporting the government in its effort to improve the nation' s economy.  Aquino made the statement during his keynote speech at the Seventh Biennial Convention of the Chinese-Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI)  "The CFBCI has been very helpful on the economic front, supporting the government in its efforts to create jobs and strengthen the economy. You have activ ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III thanked on Thursday the Chinese-Filipino businessmen for supporting the government in its effort to improve the nation' s economy.  Aquino made the statement during his keynote speech at the Seventh Biennial Convention of the Chinese-Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI)  "The CFBCI has been very helpful on the economic front, supporting the government in its efforts to create jobs and strengthen the economy. You have actively undertaken trade missions and tax consciousness campaigns, among other projects," he said.  The president also witnessed the group's donation of 30 motorcycles to help the Philippine National Police (PNP) perform its duties.  "I take this opportunity to thank you for supporting the PNP's Integrated Transformation Program, which will help us strengthen our police force's law enforcement capabilities, allowing us to better protect our countrymen," he said.  Aquino also urged the Chinese-Filipino businessmen to invest on the administration's three priority sectors for this year. These include agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure.  "We are doing what we can to expand these sectors as soon as we can. Getting involved now will give your companies plenty of opportunities to profit, and the psychic returns go on top of the monetary gains," he said.  "It is indeed a win-win situation: you will profit, and at the same time allow our people to live even more dignified lives through the jobs that will be generated. You will empower the communities you operate in, and make certain that the momentum of the Philippine economy will pick up, and be sustained," the president said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[S.Korean parliament endorses special probe into hacking scandal]]></title>
<news_id>7724730</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724730.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 15:33:53</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean parliament on Thursday approved a bill allowing a special investigation into an election-day hacking of the national election watchdog's website.  The bill, passed in a 183-9 vote in the 299-member parliament, will now require President Lee Myung-bak to appoint a prosecutor to reinvestigate the cyber attack on the National Election Commission's website on the day of October by-elections.  The investigation will also look into a similar attack on the ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean parliament on Thursday approved a bill allowing a special investigation into an election-day hacking of the national election watchdog's website.  The bill, passed in a 183-9 vote in the 299-member parliament, will now require President Lee Myung-bak to appoint a prosecutor to reinvestigate the cyber attack on the National Election Commission's website on the day of October by-elections.  The investigation will also look into a similar attack on the website of Seoul mayor Park Won-soon, then an independent candidate backed by the liberal camp.  After a separate probe, prosecutors said earlier this month an aide to a ruling party lawmaker and a secretary for former ruling party leader Park Hee-tae orchestrated the distributed denial-of- service (DDoS) attack that shut down the websites for two hours on Oct. 26.  The two aides were arrested last year, along with IT administrators who were also involved in the attack.  Despite the findings, the opposition camp has alleged high- ranking officials of the conservative ruling Saenuri Party, formerly the Grand National Party, might have ordered the attack to prevent younger, liberal voters from locating polling stations. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Greek bailout talks end without settlement on pension cuts]]></title>
<news_id>7724711</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724711.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 15:31:33</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- After seven hours of negotiations, Greek leaders have agreed on almost all the austerity and reform measures in exchange for a bailout package. Yet one vital point remains unsettled, a statement from the prime minister's office said early Thursday.  The unsettled point concerns pension cuts, and was left to the following discussions between Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and the so-called troika of Greek's international lenders, namely the European Commission, the In ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- After seven hours of negotiations, Greek leaders have agreed on almost all the austerity and reform measures in exchange for a bailout package. Yet one vital point remains unsettled, a statement from the prime minister's office said early Thursday.  The unsettled point concerns pension cuts, and was left to the following discussions between Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and the so-called troika of Greek's international lenders, namely the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB).  The dialogue with the troika is expected to complete the deal before the Eurogroup meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Brussels.  At stake is a 130-billion-euro (172.56 billion U.S. dollars) loan offered by the troika, the second of its kind since May 2010, which is crucial to escape a bankruptcy that could have major repercussions across the eurozone and the global economy.  In return, Athens must accept conditions requiring big cuts in many Greeks' living standards, including pension cuts. Here, the talks hit snags, with the smallest member of the coalition, the far-right LAOS (Popular Orthodox Rally) party, disagreeing.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724711" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724718" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724718"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[S. Korea's parliamentary speaker steps down over vote-buying allegations]]></title>
<news_id>7724503</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724503.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 12:47:54</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's parliamentary speaker Park Hee-tae announced his exit on Thursday amid allegations he attempted to bribe his way to the chairmanship of the ruling party in 2008.  "I feel responsible for the problems involving myself and intend to resign," Park said in a statement read by parliamentary spokesman Han Jong-tae.  "Please let me be held responsible when others are found to have been involved in the scandal," Park said in the statement.  Park has been und ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's parliamentary speaker Park Hee-tae announced his exit on Thursday amid allegations he attempted to bribe his way to the chairmanship of the ruling party in 2008.  "I feel responsible for the problems involving myself and intend to resign," Park said in a statement read by parliamentary spokesman Han Jong-tae.  "Please let me be held responsible when others are found to have been involved in the scandal," Park said in the statement.  Park has been under pressure to resign after Koh Seung-duk of the ruling Saenuri Party, formerly the Grand National Party, claimed Park's aide offered him an envelope containing three million won (2,688 U.S. dollars) in an attempt to buy his vote before the party leadership contest.  Park, who has denied his involvement in the alleged vote-buying scandal, was elected head of the conservative ruling party after the 2008 convention.  The scandal has been a blow to the ruling party, which struggles to recover from election defeats and rejuvenate itself before key polls this year.  Park is expected to be summoned by prosecutors for questioning. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russian students in training]]></title>
<news_id>7724277</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724277.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:32:49</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724277" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724281" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724282" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724283" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724281"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center> ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724277" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724281" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724282" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724283" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724281"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Tanzania signs pact to fight piracy with Mozambique and South Africa]]></title>
<news_id>7724237</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724237.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:19:52</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa have signed a tripartite pact to strengthen maritime security in Indian Ocean and fight piracy, local media reported on Wednesday.  The inking of the agreement done by Tanzania Defense and National Service Minister Hussein Mwinyi and South African Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, and Mozambican National Defense Minister Filipe Jacinto Nyussi was witnessed by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday, ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa have signed a tripartite pact to strengthen maritime security in Indian Ocean and fight piracy, local media reported on Wednesday.  The inking of the agreement done by Tanzania Defense and National Service Minister Hussein Mwinyi and South African Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, and Mozambican National Defense Minister Filipe Jacinto Nyussi was witnessed by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday, according to the Guardian.  Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kikwete promised to assist the Tanzania People's Defense Force in taking part in the joint efforts course.  "We are going to take all measures to keep our sea safe because more than 90 percent of our trade use the ocean route...At first we thought that the problem was confined only to the Horn of Africa, but now it has extended to the Southern part of the Indian Ocean," said Kikwete.  The President commended South Africa and Mozambique accepting to cooperate with Tanzania in fighting the menace which is threatening the economies of the countries and beyond.  Tanzanian Defense and National Service Minister Mwinyi said the aim of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation between armed forces of the three countries in carrying out the war against piracy.  Mwinyi said the cooperation will focus on joint military exercises, information sharing and surveillance conducting.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724237" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724239" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724239"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Egyptian PM says military rulers not to leave power until June 30]]></title>
<news_id>7724235</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724235.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:18:34</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal el- Ganzouri said Wednesday that the ruling military authorities will stay in power until June 30, despite the recent calls for an immediate power transfer.  Ganzouri said that the new constitution and presidential elections will be completed before the date. He asked those who demand the military council cede power to remember what happened in Iraq, official MENA news agency reported.  Meanwhile, the prime minister defended the move of ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal el- Ganzouri said Wednesday that the ruling military authorities will stay in power until June 30, despite the recent calls for an immediate power transfer.  Ganzouri said that the new constitution and presidential elections will be completed before the date. He asked those who demand the military council cede power to remember what happened in Iraq, official MENA news agency reported.  Meanwhile, the prime minister defended the move of Egyptian authorities to investigate the illegal activities of some non- governmental organizations (NGO). He said Egypt will abide by the laws regarding the issue of foreign funds directed for NGOs.  Egypt referred 43 Egyptians and foreigners to court on Feb. 5 over charges of opening branches in Egypt without license and used the money for political objectives. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Abbas says reconciliation not contradict with Mideast peace]]></title>
<news_id>7724224</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724224.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:16:02</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday told U.S. peace envoy David Hale that there are no contradictions between the Palestinian reconciliation and peace with Israel.  The state-run Wafa news agency quoted Abbas, who held talks in Ramallah with Hale, as saying that peace for the Palestinians is strategic and the internal Palestinian reconciliation is a national Palestinian need.  The report said that Abbas reiterated to Hale that the Palestine Liberatio ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday told U.S. peace envoy David Hale that there are no contradictions between the Palestinian reconciliation and peace with Israel.  The state-run Wafa news agency quoted Abbas, who held talks in Ramallah with Hale, as saying that peace for the Palestinians is strategic and the internal Palestinian reconciliation is a national Palestinian need.  The report said that Abbas reiterated to Hale that the Palestine Liberation Organization which he chairs, "is committed to all peace obligations in accordance to the signed peace deals reached with Israel."  On Monday, Abbas and Islamic Hamas movement's chief Khaled Meshaal signed in Doha, Qatar a reconciliation agreement, which ended disputes between the rivals on designating a Palestinian prime minister for the government, which will have a mission that prepares for the elections.  However, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the deal, saying that Abbas has to choose between peace with Israel and the reconciliation with Hamas movement, but cannot have both together.  During his meeting with Hale, Abbas told him that Israel has to be committed to freezing settlement and accept the principle of the two-state solution.  "These are not conditions, it is a commitment," Abbas said, adding "these commitments would pave the road for the resumption of the talks on the permanent status issues." ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Thaipusam festival celebrated in Singapore]]></title>
<news_id>7724221</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724221.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:16:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724221" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724228" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724229" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724230" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724228"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center> ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724221" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724228" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724229" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724230" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724228"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iranian diplomat warns of retaliatory strikes if U.S. attacks]]></title>
<news_id>7724210</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724210.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:53:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran has the potential to retaliate against U.S. forces anywhere in the world, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow said Wednesday.  "The Americans know it very well what the country Iran is and what our potential is. Iran has a very good position to strike back at the U.S. everywhere in the world," Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi told reporters.  He said an American attack on Iran would be "a huge mistake."  Still, the ambassador said Teheran had no intention to launch first s ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran has the potential to retaliate against U.S. forces anywhere in the world, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow said Wednesday.  "The Americans know it very well what the country Iran is and what our potential is. Iran has a very good position to strike back at the U.S. everywhere in the world," Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi told reporters.  He said an American attack on Iran would be "a huge mistake."  Still, the ambassador said Teheran had no intention to launch first strikes against the countries that could offer their territory to U.S. forces.  "Attacking Iran is a suicide for them," Sajjadi said.  He added that Iran and Russia have agreed to restore the military-technical cooperation that was stopped after Moscow suspended the shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to his country in obedience with U.N. sanctions.  U.S. President Barack Obama said last weekend that a military attack against Iran was fraught with risk and he preferred a diplomatic resolution to dispel tensions in the region. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Turkey calls for int'l conference on Syrian crisis]]></title>
<news_id>7724208</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724208.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:52:21</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ANKARA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkey plans to convene an international conference with the participation regional players and world powers to solve the Syrian crisis, Turkish foreign minister said Wednesday.  "Countries which are concerned with the situation in Syria have to find a solution. We are determined to establish a broad-based forum," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview.  Turkey expects the international conference to take place as soon as possible wi ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ANKARA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkey plans to convene an international conference with the participation regional players and world powers to solve the Syrian crisis, Turkish foreign minister said Wednesday.  "Countries which are concerned with the situation in Syria have to find a solution. We are determined to establish a broad-based forum," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview.  Turkey expects the international conference to take place as soon as possible with a "broad participation" of the international actors, said the minister, adding that the conference could take place in Turkey or another country in the region.  Davutoglu said Turkey would have a series of diplomatic contacts with leaders of countries such as Qatar and Russia to try to create a "new roadmap" for Syria.  The minister said Turkey's attempt came after a United Nations Security Council resolution draft on Syria was vetoed.  "We can't leave Syria on its own destiny," he added.  Davutoglu will fly to the United States on Wednesday and meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for further discussions on the Syrian crisis.  "We work on a model that includes members of Organization of Islamic Countries, Arab countries, members of UN Security Council and relevant parties," he stated. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S. airports continues to enrich passenger experience]]></title>
<news_id>7724204</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724204.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 10:09:59</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$<i>By Joanna Law, Staff of People's Daily Online USA in New York.</i>&$  While passengers are surfing the web in an airport using Wi-Fi, they no longer think this is a wonder. Frequent travelers have become so used to airports’ multifarious facilities that rarely would they come to realize how significant transformation the U.S. airports have undergone. The function of many U.S. airports has shifted: they no longer serve as a transient place only for transiting; they are a place where pass ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$<i>By Joanna Law, Staff of People's Daily Online USA in New York.</i>&$  While passengers are surfing the web in an airport using Wi-Fi, they no longer think this is a wonder. Frequent travelers have become so used to airports’ multifarious facilities that rarely would they come to realize how significant transformation the U.S. airports have undergone. The function of many U.S. airports has shifted: they no longer serve as a transient place only for transiting; they are a place where passengers are willing to linger and enjoy.  Decades ago, merely a massage chair in an airport was already an apple in travelers’ eye. As time goes by, passengers’ demands increase. Airports in many major countries, especially some regional airports in the U.S., have gradually come to understand that adequate airport capacity is key to support and sustain economy. Various passenger facilities are built and installed to satisfy and accommodate their need, immensely enriching traveler experience.   Prayer rooms, which now can be easily seen in many U.S. airports, are one example that signifies how airports are striving to meet the demand of people with different cultures and backgrounds. In John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, there are four prayer rooms for different religions: Muslin, Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish.   But who would have guessed that a yoga room could be one consideration for an airport facility?  Last month, it came true in San Francisco International Airport (SFO). A yoga room is opened in end of January in SFO and welcome passengers to go in to practice or meditate. This 150-square-foot room, located in the Airport’s recently refurbished Terminal 2 and just past the security checkpoint, is believed to be the first airport yoga facility in the world.   “When we began to remodel Terminal 2, one of our goals was not just to bring the glamour back to air travel, but to also make the entire experience less stressful and more enjoyable,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “With the opening of the Yoga Room, SFO has taken another giant leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms.”  In fact, SFO is one of the U.S. airports that have been constantly enhancing passenger experience by taking in journeyers’ feedback. Apart from the Yoga Room, the Airport also offers showers, spas, a medical clinic, and amenities for kids.   Certain U.S. airports recognize travelers’ dependence on technology and its crucial role in passenger experience. In New York City, LaGuardia Airport, the Delta terminal has ipads installed for people to play games or even order food. These tablets are great companions for those who got stuck due to flight delays or who need something to kill time. &$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724204" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724205" class="abl2">【2】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724205"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Greek austerity talks end without deal]]></title>
<news_id>7724151</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724151.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:28:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The coalition government leaders of Greece concluded their meeting on Thursday without reaching an agreement on austerity measures, local media reported.  The talks that lasted about eight hours ended short of the proposals of the "troika" creditors, namely the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank.                                                                                                                                    ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The coalition government leaders of Greece concluded their meeting on Thursday without reaching an agreement on austerity measures, local media reported.  The talks that lasted about eight hours ended short of the proposals of the "troika" creditors, namely the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Experts warn of influenza A outbreak in Norway]]></title>
<news_id>7724142</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724142.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:24:11</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[OSLO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Health experts warned on Wednesday that Norway is facing an outbreak of influenza A, which is caused by a new strain of virus known as H3N2.  More and more people were visiting doctors in recent days, with complains of having flu-like symptoms, said researchers with Norway's Public Health Institute.  Among all patients who saw their doctors last week, 1.4 percent was diagnosed with flu, with the cases of the influenza A occupying a dominating position, which indicate ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[OSLO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Health experts warned on Wednesday that Norway is facing an outbreak of influenza A, which is caused by a new strain of virus known as H3N2.  More and more people were visiting doctors in recent days, with complains of having flu-like symptoms, said researchers with Norway's Public Health Institute.  Among all patients who saw their doctors last week, 1.4 percent was diagnosed with flu, with the cases of the influenza A occupying a dominating position, which indicates the threshold of outbreak is reached, according to Norwegian health experts.  The Southern and Western coastal areas of Norway are most affected while reported cases of the infection remain low in other parts of the country.  Since mid-December in 2011, the cases of laboratory confirmed influenza increased markedly, with virus being detected throughout Norway.  The Public Health Institute said that it expects a continued increase in the coming weeks.  "It is urgent now to let themselves be vaccinated against seasonal flu," the institute said, offering advice to people belonging to risk groups. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia, U.S. agree to exchange information on ICBM launches]]></title>
<news_id>7724116</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724116.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:19:02</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the United States have signed an agreement about two-way exchange of information regarding strategic missiles launches, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.  The ministry said in a statement that the third session of the Russian-U.S. consultative commission on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was held in Geneva from Jan. 24 to Feb. 7.  "The sides agreed the number of launches of the inter- continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) o ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the United States have signed an agreement about two-way exchange of information regarding strategic missiles launches, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.  The ministry said in a statement that the third session of the Russian-U.S. consultative commission on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was held in Geneva from Jan. 24 to Feb. 7.  "The sides agreed the number of launches of the inter- continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) or submarine-based missiles (per year) and they would exchange telemetric information about it in 2012," the ministry said.  It added that Moscow and Washington have been continuing their discussions on the practical issues related to the treaty's implementation.  According to the new START signed in 2010, Russia and the United States must provide each other with information about five test or training launches of their inter-continental ballistic missiles annually. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Merkel's party bloc wins strongest support since 2009: poll]]></title>
<news_id>7724114</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724114.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:17:34</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BERLIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party bloc garnered the highest level of support since her second term in 2009, as voters applauded the country's outstanding economic performance and the government's handling of debt crisis, a poll showed Wednesday.  The survey, conducted by the Forsa polling institute for Stern magazine, indicated that Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party CSU earned the support of 38 percent of voters, th ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BERLIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party bloc garnered the highest level of support since her second term in 2009, as voters applauded the country's outstanding economic performance and the government's handling of debt crisis, a poll showed Wednesday.  The survey, conducted by the Forsa polling institute for Stern magazine, indicated that Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party CSU earned the support of 38 percent of voters, the strongest since the chancellor win her second term in September 2009, with a new coalition consisting of the CDU, CSU and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).  Data showed that for the first time since March 2011, the ruling coalition enjoyed more supports of voters than the main opposition combined with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and ecologist Greens.  However, the coalition junior partner FDP had no sign of recovery - its approval rate stood at merely three percent, below the five-percent threshold of having seats in the federal parliament. The party had won some 15 percent of support during the national election in 2009.  Manfred Gullner, head of Forsa institute, said that it was Chancellor Merkel that "pulled the conservatives to the top."  Merkel's iron-hand response to the debt crisis, including pushing for strict fiscal disciplines and austerity measures to the debt-laden nations, won respects of German voters and strengthened the impression that she has a long-term vision and is defending Germany's interests during the crisis time, although some of her prescription has drawn sharp criticisms from peripheral nations in the eurozone. Some argued that harsh austerity would not necessarily lead to jobs and growth but only to undermine the robustness of the crisis-hit economies.  Expert said that Germany's outstanding economy also contributed to the rising support, as it outpaced most of its European neighbors and posted a solid growth of 3 percent last year. The country's unemployment dipped to 6.7 percent in January, a new record low since its unification in 1990.  A separate survey released on Friday showed that Merkel's domestic approval rating climbed up to 64 percent, which was also a two-year high. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia denies deal with Iran over military cooperation]]></title>
<news_id>7724102</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724102.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:15:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Iran have not reached any deals regarding bilateral military-technical cooperation during the latest bilateral meeting on Wednesday, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.  Rogozin's remarks refuted the words of Iranian Ambassador Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, who, after meeting with Rogozin, said Wednesday that Moscow and Teheran have reached an agreement concerning resumption of their cooperation in the military sphere.  "We, undoubtedly, had discu ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Iran have not reached any deals regarding bilateral military-technical cooperation during the latest bilateral meeting on Wednesday, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.  Rogozin's remarks refuted the words of Iranian Ambassador Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, who, after meeting with Rogozin, said Wednesday that Moscow and Teheran have reached an agreement concerning resumption of their cooperation in the military sphere.  "We, undoubtedly, had discussed the issues of military- technical cooperation between our countries, but no decisions have been made," Rogozin told the Interfax news agency.  According to Rogozin, the two sides only agreed that situation should not affect the bilateral military-technical cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed the anti-missile defense issues during the meeting.  Military-technical cooperation between the two countries was stopped after Moscow suspended the shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran in compliance with UN sanctions. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[SAS airlines report fourth consecutive full-year net loss in 2011]]></title>
<news_id>7724100</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724100.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:14:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[STOCKHOLM, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Scandinavian airline group SAS on Wednesday reported its fourth consecutive full-year net loss in 2011, mainly due to its subsidiary Spanair's bankruptcy application.  The net loss of the group amounted to 1.69 billion Swedish kronors (about 0.25 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to its annual fiscal report.  The SAS launched 22 new routes in 2011 and the number of passengers increased by 2 million, up by 7.8 percent compared with 2010, the reported sai ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[STOCKHOLM, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Scandinavian airline group SAS on Wednesday reported its fourth consecutive full-year net loss in 2011, mainly due to its subsidiary Spanair's bankruptcy application.  The net loss of the group amounted to 1.69 billion Swedish kronors (about 0.25 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to its annual fiscal report.  The SAS launched 22 new routes in 2011 and the number of passengers increased by 2 million, up by 7.8 percent compared with 2010, the reported said.  However, the group was still unable to achieve positive earnings due to Spanair's filing for bankruptcy in the end of 2011 and the subsequent necessary charge of 1.7 billion Swedish kronors, said SAS president and CEO Rickard Gustafson in the report.  Also due to Spanair's bankruptcy, the Scandinavian carrier recorded a net loss of 2.08 billion Swedish kronors in the fourth quarter last year, compared to a profit of 47 million Swedish kronors a year earlier.  "The trend in 2011 was escalating competition in parallel with such factors as weakening economic trends and continued high fuel prices," said Gustafson, adding that SAS still realized healthy growth with the highest customer satisfaction ratings for 11 years.  According to the fiscal report, the implementation of the group's new strategy "4Excellence" was being accelerated, which includes cutting 300 full-time jobs in administration and saving 1 billion Swedish kronors from the SAS trade union. (1 Swedish kronor = 0.15 U.S. dollar) ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia cuts contracted natural gas supply to Ukraine: official]]></title>
<news_id>7724096</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724096.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:12:22</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[KIEV, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday that Russia has cut the contracted volume of natural gas shipments to the East European nation as bitter cold caused soaring domestic demand in Russia.  "Extremely cold weather boosted demand for gas in Russia. Thus, against the contracted daily level of 510 cubic meters of gas, Ukraine gets 460 million cubic meters of gas from Russia," Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko told reporters.  Boyko said Ukraine took em ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[KIEV, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday that Russia has cut the contracted volume of natural gas shipments to the East European nation as bitter cold caused soaring domestic demand in Russia.  "Extremely cold weather boosted demand for gas in Russia. Thus, against the contracted daily level of 510 cubic meters of gas, Ukraine gets 460 million cubic meters of gas from Russia," Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko told reporters.  Boyko said Ukraine took emergency measures to deal with gas shortages, including withdrawing fuel from storage sites to meet domestic demand and to supply gas to European consumers.  Ukraine increased gas pumping from storage by 20 million cubic meters of gas per day, Boyko said, adding that it allowed increased supplies to Europe.  Ukraine has reserves of about 15.7 billion cubic meters of gas. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Chaos in Brazilian resort threatens Carnival festivities]]></title>
<news_id>7724093</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724093.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:09:49</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing unrest in Salvador, triggered by a police strike that already lasted nine days, is now threatening the Brazilian resort's world-renowned Carnival festivities.  Salvador, located in the northeastern state of Bahia, is long known for its tropical allure, beautiful beaches and historic sites. Along with Rio, the city hosts the annual Carnival festivities, which start next week and last several days, during which a total of 500,000 tourists are expect ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing unrest in Salvador, triggered by a police strike that already lasted nine days, is now threatening the Brazilian resort's world-renowned Carnival festivities.  Salvador, located in the northeastern state of Bahia, is long known for its tropical allure, beautiful beaches and historic sites. Along with Rio, the city hosts the annual Carnival festivities, which start next week and last several days, during which a total of 500,000 tourists are expected to come.  But for the past nine days after the city's policemen went on strike for better pay and working conditions, Salvador has been plagued by a crime wave that has left 123 murders so far.  Federal troops were called in to beef up security, but an atmosphere of fear and tension reigns in the city. On Tuesday, the troops clashed with the policemen at the state assembly building where the protesters have been camping out since last week. The incident left six people injured.  Besides the murders, robberies have also been reported, and shops had to close due to insecurity. Courts are working in a partial capacity, dealing only with urgent cases. The public school teachers' union recommended the beginning of the school year to be postponed. Several private schools have also postponed the beginning of classes.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724093" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724094" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724094"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[White House rejects Russia's call for dialogue in Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7724087</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724087.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:08:49</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- White House on Wednesday rejected Russia's recent call for negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition, saying the opportunity was not available anymore.  "From the earlier days of this situation in Syria, there was an opportunity for the Assad regime to engage in dialogue with the opposition, with the Syrian people who were demanding peaceful transition," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.  "Rather than take that opportunity, Assad brutally c ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- White House on Wednesday rejected Russia's recent call for negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition, saying the opportunity was not available anymore.  "From the earlier days of this situation in Syria, there was an opportunity for the Assad regime to engage in dialogue with the opposition, with the Syrian people who were demanding peaceful transition," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.  "Rather than take that opportunity, Assad brutally cracked down on his own people, and that crackdown continues to this day," he told reporters at a briefing.  "We don't think that opportunity is available anymore," said Carney, adding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had chosen a path which resulted in "deaths of many, many Syrians."  In his Tuesday's visit to Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that it was necessary to call on the country's government and opposition to start a national dialogue.  Russia, together with China which is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, vetoed on Saturday a draft resolution jointly drawn up by Arab states and Western powers, which was meant to fully support an Arab League plan to demand the Syrian president step down.  Russia argued that the draft would have put too little pressure on the armed opposition of Syria, thus sending "an unbalanced signal" to all the Syrian parties.  "What is clear is that siding with the Assad regime at this stage will not get Russia anything, except for the alienation of the Syrian people," Carney warned. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Nearly half of Obama donation from small donors: study]]></title>
<news_id>7724079</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724079.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:06:06</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- As the reelection campaign of U. S. President Barack Obama moves to court deep-pocketed donors, a new study released on Wednesday showed Obama's fundraising in 2011 is mainly driven by small donors, who gave him nearly half of the money he raised in the year.  Obama received 48 percent of his total haul in 2011 from individual donors contributing an "aggregated .. 200 dollars or less," totaling 56.7 million, The Campaign Finance Institute said in a news release. ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- As the reelection campaign of U. S. President Barack Obama moves to court deep-pocketed donors, a new study released on Wednesday showed Obama's fundraising in 2011 is mainly driven by small donors, who gave him nearly half of the money he raised in the year.  Obama received 48 percent of his total haul in 2011 from individual donors contributing an "aggregated .. 200 dollars or less," totaling 56.7 million, The Campaign Finance Institute said in a news release.  Obama raised more than twice as much from small donors in 2011 as he did in 2007, when 22 percent of his 96.7 million came from small donors. The president also raised 33.4 million in 2011 from donors who gave 1,000 dollars or more.  Attracting small donors can mean more than money. "Because small donors can give again, and may be willing to serve as campaign volunteers, successful small donor fundraising can serve a political purpose that goes well beyond the reported dollars," said the institute.  Obama's small donor haul stood in contrast to the GOP field. All of the small-donor donations of the Republican 2012 presidential candidates combined, former and current, come to 38.1 million.  Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, has raised 56.3 million from all donors, with only 9 percent of his 2011 contributions came from small donors.  ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S., Japan agree to delink move of 8,000 marines from base relocation]]></title>
<news_id>7724072</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724072.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:04:02</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Japan on Wednesday agreed to delink the move of 8,000 marines from the Futenma base relocation, making a move towards resolving the thorny issue in relations between the two countries.  Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said both sides have agreed to "delink the movement of Marines to Guam and resulting land returns south of (Kadena Air Base) from progress on the Futenma replacement facility."  "By doing this, we can work the details  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Japan on Wednesday agreed to delink the move of 8,000 marines from the Futenma base relocation, making a move towards resolving the thorny issue in relations between the two countries.  Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said both sides have agreed to "delink the movement of Marines to Guam and resulting land returns south of (Kadena Air Base) from progress on the Futenma replacement facility."  "By doing this, we can work the details of and make progress on each effort separately, yet we remain fully and equally committed to both efforts," said Little.  U.S. and Japanese officials began discussions Monday for the latest round of effort in the troop movement plan, and those discussions likely will continue for some time, Little said, adding the two countries are reviewing how to effectively work together to achieve the goals of the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement.  According to the 2006 roadmap, the United States would relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, now in the center of Okinawa's Ginowan City, to a more remote area of the island. Futenma is about seven miles from Kadena Air Base. The Guam agreement provides for a further move of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to the Pacific island of Guam. The shift of U.S. Marines to Guam had been linked to progress in relocating the Futenma base. Both agreements have been the subject of intense local and national political debate in Japan.  Little said the two troop movements are designed to ease the impact of the Marine presence on the Okinawan people; develop Guam as a strategic hub with an operational Marine Corps presence on Guam; and maintain a presence in the region that is geographically distributed, operationally resilient, and politically sustainable.  Little noted the Defense Department's new strategic guidance emphasizes the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, and the rebalancing of U.S. defense priorities toward and within the region. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Mobile industry remains stagnant without Apple: data]]></title>
<news_id>7724068</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724068.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:02:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- New data released on Wednesday showed that excluding Apple, the mobile computing industry has remained flat for the past five years.  According to data compiled by Morgan Keegan via technology news site AllThingsD, after the first iPhone was introduced in June 2007, the mobile industry revenue in the fourth quarter of 2007 was around 37.93 billion U.S. dollars. The revenue for the industry almost doubled in the same period last year, reaching 71. 4 billion dol ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- New data released on Wednesday showed that excluding Apple, the mobile computing industry has remained flat for the past five years.  According to data compiled by Morgan Keegan via technology news site AllThingsD, after the first iPhone was introduced in June 2007, the mobile industry revenue in the fourth quarter of 2007 was around 37.93 billion U.S. dollars. The revenue for the industry almost doubled in the same period last year, reaching 71. 4 billion dollars.  However, excluding Apple, the industry revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011 was only 37.97 billion dollars, almost the same as what it was five years ago.  Apple reported 33.5 billion dollars in mobile device revenue for its fourth quarter of 2011, which means it generated around 47 percent of the entire industry revenue. In other words, the non- Apple revenue in the mobile industry has almost been flat in the past five years.  Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt told AllThingsD that Apple is dominating the industry's poll of profits. "With about 11 percent of industry shipment volumes of smartphones and tablets, Apple generates about 47 percent of the industry's revenues, and over 80 percent of its operating profits," he said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Amazon unveils streaming video deal with Viacom]]></title>
<news_id>7724064</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724064.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:01:39</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Amazon announced a license agreement deal with global media company Viacom on Wednesday, bracing up further to compete in the booming streaming video market.  According to the company's press release, the deal with Viacom will allow Amazon Prime members to instantly stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo, increasing the total number of Amazon Prime Instant Videos to more than 15,000. The streaming will be  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Amazon announced a license agreement deal with global media company Viacom on Wednesday, bracing up further to compete in the booming streaming video market.  According to the company's press release, the deal with Viacom will allow Amazon Prime members to instantly stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo, increasing the total number of Amazon Prime Instant Videos to more than 15,000. The streaming will be unlimited and commercial-free.  Since Amazon launched Prime Instant Videos last February, the company has signed license agreements with CBS, Fox Broadcasting, PBS, NBC Universal, Sony, Warner Bros, Disney-ABC Television and others.  Amazon Prime subscribers pay 79.99 U.S. dollars a year for access to the shows and two-day shipping for their orders on Amazon.com.  Competitions in the video streaming market has been increasingly fierce since last year, among the services like Netflix, Apple's iTunes, Amazon's Prime Video, Hulu Plus and Vudu which is owned by Wal-Mart.  Meanwhile, the companies are also rolling out their original series to attract more subscribers. On Monday, Netflix, the market leader in streaming video, debuted its first scripted series called Lilyhammer starring The Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[DPRK denounces U.S. 'strategy for supremacy']]></title>
<news_id>7724058</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724058.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:59:06</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[PYONGYANG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. was accused of seeking to put the Asia-Pacific under its military control in a commentary issued by KCNA, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) official news agency, on Wednesday.  According to the KCNA, the South Korea-based U.S. 8th Army's recent joint military maneuver in Japan was part of a "strategic flexibility" scenario aimed at maintaining and expanding U.S. military domination of the Asia-Pacific by using its forces in South Korea as ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[PYONGYANG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. was accused of seeking to put the Asia-Pacific under its military control in a commentary issued by KCNA, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) official news agency, on Wednesday.  According to the KCNA, the South Korea-based U.S. 8th Army's recent joint military maneuver in Japan was part of a "strategic flexibility" scenario aimed at maintaining and expanding U.S. military domination of the Asia-Pacific by using its forces in South Korea as a flexible task force.  The "strategic flexibility" pursued by the U.S. was a military strategy, a war strategy for realizing its invariable ambition to put the Asia-Pacific, including the whole of the Korean Peninsula, under its military control, with South Korea as a stronghold, the commentary said.  The U.S., which regarded the Asia-Pacific as a key to carrying out its strategy for world domination, had increased the role of its forces in South Korea with the aim of intensifying moves for a new war of aggression in the peninsula and its vicinity, it said.  That the U.S. kept deploying high-tech military hardware in the region while intensifying joint military drills with forces of its allies indicated its intention to contain and pressurize other powers and stifle its "rivals" through collective military actions by putting the Asia-Pacific under its military control, the KCNA said.  "The U.S. scenario for realizing its strategy for supremacy is bound to go bust," it said.  The commentary said it had been reported the U.S. had set up in Hawaii a new command post for rapid deployment force capable of deploying thousands of troops within 48 hours in case of a "contingency" on the peninsula and other areas. Command of the 8th Army, the core of the U.S. forces in South Korea, was transferred to the Commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific from the commander of the U.S. forces in South Korea, it said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Pacific island countries holding workshop on Climate Change projects]]></title>
<news_id>7724052</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724052.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:58:00</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SUVA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The third and final series of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) Workshop, that focuses on the coastal sector pilot demonstration projects, is underway in Apia, Samoa.  The week-long training at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) brings representatives of the PACC project and other interested participants to help determine which climate change adaptation options they are implementing will confer  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SUVA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The third and final series of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) Workshop, that focuses on the coastal sector pilot demonstration projects, is underway in Apia, Samoa.  The week-long training at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) brings representatives of the PACC project and other interested participants to help determine which climate change adaptation options they are implementing will confer the greatest benefits for their island communities, reports reaching here from Apia said on Thursday.  The PACC project, which consists of 14 member countries and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the SPREP, is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Australian Agency for International Development with support from United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Climate Change Capacity Development (C3D+) Program.  SPREP Director General David Sheppard said, "Cost benefit analysis is a framework which logically and systematically works through the various issues that need to be considered when developing and evaluating PACC projects. It can help us select projects that are sound and that will deliver maximum benefits to Pacific Island communities."  He says with the CBA, participants could identify which pilot projects had been successful and should be replicated and which projects should be dropped.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724052" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724054" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7724054"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[S. Korean speaker to announce resignation]]></title>
<news_id>7724046</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724046.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:56:30</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae will announce resignation on Thursday, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae will announce resignation on Thursday, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[EU presses Philippine gov't, Muslim rebels to sign peace agreement]]></title>
<news_id>7724043</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724043.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:55:19</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Wednesday urged the Philippine government and Muslim rebels to sign a peace agreement to end the long-running conflict.  EU envoys in Manila visited Cotobato to meet Philippine and rebel representatives and encourage them to intensify their negotiations "to reach a settlement at the earliest possible moment."  "The EU believes that the timing is right for a decisive push towards an agreement and that such an opportunity must not be missed," an ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Wednesday urged the Philippine government and Muslim rebels to sign a peace agreement to end the long-running conflict.  EU envoys in Manila visited Cotobato to meet Philippine and rebel representatives and encourage them to intensify their negotiations "to reach a settlement at the earliest possible moment."  "The EU believes that the timing is right for a decisive push towards an agreement and that such an opportunity must not be missed," an EU statement said.  "The parties need to constantly remember that the conflict has an enormous cost on the region and that economic development will only be possible with peace," it added.  The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a secessionist group, has been fighting the government troops in southern Philippines since 1969, leaving at least 120,000 people dead and wreaking havoc on the region's economy. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Japan announces new policy on U.S. Marines transfer]]></title>
<news_id>7724040</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724040.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:54:15</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TOKYO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on transferring the U.S. Marines station to the U.S. territory of Guam from the southeast island of Okinawa, separated from the relocation plan of Futenma U.S. Marines airbase in Okinawa, the Japanese government said Wednesday.  The two governments issued a joint communique later Wednesday, saying that the transfer of the U.S. Marines station will be the first step, and the plan of building a replacement facility o ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TOKYO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on transferring the U.S. Marines station to the U.S. territory of Guam from the southeast island of Okinawa, separated from the relocation plan of Futenma U.S. Marines airbase in Okinawa, the Japanese government said Wednesday.  The two governments issued a joint communique later Wednesday, saying that the transfer of the U.S. Marines station will be the first step, and the plan of building a replacement facility on the coast of Nago for the U.S. Marines will not change, and that it's the only way to solve the problem that has long been an irritant in bilateral ties.  Japan and the United States have already agreed to move 4,700 of the roughly 8,000 Marines in Okinawa to Guam, the remaining 3, 300 Marines will be transferred to elsewhere in the Pacific, but not yet decided.  The two countries are also discussing the possibility of returning some military facilities and land occupied by the U.S. in the south of the U.S. Kadena airbase in Okinawa to Japan, before relocating the Futenma airbase.  The U.S. bases have been long blamed for generating noise and pollution by many residents on the sub-tropical island, who refuse to accept the plan to shift the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to another part of the island. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[New violence erupts in Maldives as ex-president takes to street]]></title>
<news_id>7724029</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724029.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:52:53</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A new spate of violence erupted in Maldivian capital Male after former President Mohamed Nasheed, who was overthrown with an alleged mutiny on Tuesday, took to the streets along with thousands of his supporters.  The police and army attacked the protesters who were shouting slogans against the newly appointed President Mohamed Waheed and complained that his taking office was illegal and undemocratic.  At noon the supporters of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), tog ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A new spate of violence erupted in Maldivian capital Male after former President Mohamed Nasheed, who was overthrown with an alleged mutiny on Tuesday, took to the streets along with thousands of his supporters.  The police and army attacked the protesters who were shouting slogans against the newly appointed President Mohamed Waheed and complained that his taking office was illegal and undemocratic.  At noon the supporters of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), together with its parliamentarians gathered at a public hall and decided to take to the streets complaining that it was undemocratic to oust President Nasheed.  "The police and army attacked the peaceful march with tear gas, " Shauna Aminath, President of the Youth Wing of the MDP told media.  "A number of protesters were injured and rushed to hospital," she said.  The protesters were marching around the Male Island and they were attacked as they were on their way to the Republican Square, where a similar protest by former opposition supporters took place for weeks until Nasheed on Tuesday announced his resignation as Maldivian President. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Communist Party of India (Marxist) urges caution in cutting free trade deal with EU]]></title>
<news_id>7724022</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7724022.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:51:15</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday raised concern about a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) as it could affect large numbers of people in India.  The CPI-M also urged the government to discuss with representatives of all sectors in the country before deciding on such an agreement and ensure transparency and full information on the issue.  "Before proceeding further, the CPI-M demands that the government sho ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday raised concern about a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) as it could affect large numbers of people in India.  The CPI-M also urged the government to discuss with representatives of all sectors in the country before deciding on such an agreement and ensure transparency and full information on the issue.  "Before proceeding further, the CPI-M demands that the government should place on the floor of parliament a status report regarding the negotiations in this budget session," it said, ahead of an India-EU summit scheduled for Feb. 10.  An India-EU FTA will involve agriculture, manufacturing, services, intellectual property rights, investment and government procurement, according to official sources.  "In each of these areas, concessions granted by the Indian government can have a deep and continuous effect on the livelihood of a very large number of people," the CPI-M said.  The EU is reportedly asking for more than 90 percent of tariff lines to be opened up for tariff reduction.  Cereals, dairy, poultry, fisheries, and agro-processed goods are the major interests for EU, while retail sector, banking, financial services, insurance, postal services, and energy will also fall into EU's target areas, said CPI-M. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Francophone countries' parliamentarians gather in Cambodia to strengthen cooperation]]></title>
<news_id>7723998</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723998.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:49:42</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some 30 parliamentarians from 13 French-speaking countries met here on Wednesday for boosting friendship relations and cooperation.  The 3-day meeting would discuss ways to enhance human rights respect, women and children rights, democracy, rule of law, drug combat, and HIV/AID fight. Also, it would talk about helping sustain the economic and social development of respective countries.  Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President of Cambodian National Assem ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some 30 parliamentarians from 13 French-speaking countries met here on Wednesday for boosting friendship relations and cooperation.  The 3-day meeting would discuss ways to enhance human rights respect, women and children rights, democracy, rule of law, drug combat, and HIV/AID fight. Also, it would talk about helping sustain the economic and social development of respective countries.  Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President of Cambodian National Assembly, Heng Samrin said that the meeting was very important to bridge closer ties among French speaking countries.  It was also significant to discuss and exchange views on social and economic development in respective countries, he said.  The participating countries include Cambodia, Burkina Faso, Canada, Congo, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Laos, Vietnam, and others. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[DPRK accuses Japan of 'ambition to grab Tok Islets']]></title>
<news_id>7723992</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723992.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:47:32</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[PYONGYANG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) official news agency has denounced what it called Japan's ambition to grab the disputed Tok Islets east of the Korean Peninsula.  According to a KCNA commentary published on Wednesday, Japanese authorities recently made reckless remarks about grabbing the Tok Islets, which was "a wanton infringement upon the sovereignty of the Korean nation and an action to provoke a war".  The Tok Islets were part of the territ ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[PYONGYANG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) official news agency has denounced what it called Japan's ambition to grab the disputed Tok Islets east of the Korean Peninsula.  According to a KCNA commentary published on Wednesday, Japanese authorities recently made reckless remarks about grabbing the Tok Islets, which was "a wanton infringement upon the sovereignty of the Korean nation and an action to provoke a war".  The Tok Islets were part of the territory of Korea from a historical, geographical and legal point of view, the commentary said.  Japan's attempt to grab them was "a wild dream which can never come true", it said.  The commentary urged Japan to draw a serious lesson from the miserable defeat it suffered in the past and honestly apologize for its history of invasion.  With an area of 0.18 square kilometers, the islets are located in the waters on the east of the Korean Peninsula.  The islets are currently under the control of South Korea, but are also claimed by Japan. The DPRK supports South Korea's claim.  The Korean name for the islets has several variations in English, including "Tol-to" and Dok-do", meaning "solitary island." The islets are called Takeshima in Japanese, meaning "bamboo island".  Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told parliament recently he would be firm in telling South Korea that Japan could not accept its claim to the islets. Japanese Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko officially confirmed he had no intention to retract what the foreign minister said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[S. Korea proposes talks with DPRK on preventing tree diseases]]></title>
<news_id>7723987</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723987.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:45:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea proposed Wednesday inter- Korean talks over preserving disease-threatened pine trees at ancient tombs in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported.  Via a communication channel at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea's Forest Service suggested holding a working-level meeting later this month, according to Yonhap News Agency.  The DPRK authorities have yet to agree to such a meeting.  The move comes after the DPRK as ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea proposed Wednesday inter- Korean talks over preserving disease-threatened pine trees at ancient tombs in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported.  Via a communication channel at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea's Forest Service suggested holding a working-level meeting later this month, according to Yonhap News Agency.  The DPRK authorities have yet to agree to such a meeting.  The move comes after the DPRK asked South Korean civic groups, including the Seoul-based Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, for medicine for tree diseases.  South Korean Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik recently said the government is considering providing assistance for the pest control at the ancient site.  The meeting, if held, will be the first official inter-Korean talks since a working-level military talks last year failed to narrow their differences on two deadly border conflicts in 2010.  It will also be the first talks between the former wartime enemies since the Dec. 17 death of top DPRK leader Kim Jong Il.  The two Koreas remain at odds following the border incidents, which killed 50 South Koreans and prompted Seoul authorities to put nearly all cross-border exchanges on hold.  The complex housing scores of tombs from the ancient Korean dynasty of Koguryo, located in Pyongyang and Nampo, was designated in 2004 as the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the DPRK. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Former Maldivian president says he was threatened to resign]]></title>
<news_id>7723971</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723971.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:43:23</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed said on Wednesday that he was threatened to resign from the post of president by police force at gunpoint.  "I was forced to resign at gunpoint and there were guns all around me. They said if I don't resign they would not hesitate to use arms," Nasheed told media after participating in a meeting for the 100th anniversary of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).  If the people wanted a change, they could have got democracy ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed said on Wednesday that he was threatened to resign from the post of president by police force at gunpoint.  "I was forced to resign at gunpoint and there were guns all around me. They said if I don't resign they would not hesitate to use arms," Nasheed told media after participating in a meeting for the 100th anniversary of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).  If the people wanted a change, they could have got democracy going, but there was no democracy and the country's democracy is at extreme danger, said the former president.  Following the anniversary meeting, Nasheed, together with thousands of party supporters, took to the streets shouting slogans against newly appointed President Mohamed Waheed's government.  Following three weeks of protest against Nasheed over his order on the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, the chief judge of the Criminal Court, on Tuesday Waheed took over the post of president in Maldives claiming that the former president voluntarily resigned from his post. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S. outlines regulations to combat overseas tax evasion]]></title>
<news_id>7723965</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723965.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:41:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua)-- The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced proposed regulations to prevent Americans from dodging taxes through foreign accounts.  The regulations implement a 2010 law enacted by U.S. Congress to fight offshore tax evasion. The law requires foreign financial institutions to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. tax collector, information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua)-- The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced proposed regulations to prevent Americans from dodging taxes through foreign accounts.  The regulations implement a 2010 law enacted by U.S. Congress to fight offshore tax evasion. The law requires foreign financial institutions to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. tax collector, information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.  The regulations lay out a step-by-step process for foreign financial institutions to comply with the law. The foreign financial institutions are required to enter into an agreement with the IRS to identify U.S. accounts, report certain information regarding U.S. accounts and withhold a 30-percent tax on certain payments of U.S. source income.  The Treasury said the regulations will allow time for foreign institutions to develop necessary systems and resolve local law limitations to which they may be subject.  "When taxpayers overseas avoid paying what they owe, other Americans have to bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden," said Emily S. McMahon, Treasury's acting assistant secretary for tax policy. "We believe these efforts will serve as a complement and catalyst to the ongoing global efforts to combat offshore tax evasion," she added.  The Treasury Department said it also issued a joint statement with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom to intensify cooperation in combating international tax evasion. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[EU mulls new sanctions on Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7723960</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723960.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:39:57</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BRUSSELS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) was studying on new sanctions against Syria, said a senior EU official on Wednesday.  The new sanctions which are expected to be adopted on the next EU foreign affairs council on February 27th includes asset freezing of the central bank of Syria, and import banning on noble metals, phosphate and oil, according to the official.  "Phosphate is one of the natural resources of Syria, and 40 percent of Syrian precious metals are exported to Eur ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BRUSSELS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) was studying on new sanctions against Syria, said a senior EU official on Wednesday.  The new sanctions which are expected to be adopted on the next EU foreign affairs council on February 27th includes asset freezing of the central bank of Syria, and import banning on noble metals, phosphate and oil, according to the official.  "Phosphate is one of the natural resources of Syria, and 40 percent of Syrian precious metals are exported to Europe, suspending these imports will have serious economic repercussions," said the official.  He said the member states reached agreement on principles but have still to work out the details.  The official also mentioned there is no common position to recall EU ambassadors from Syria.  Some member states including France, Britain, Belgium, Italy and Netherlands have taken the decision to recall their ambassadors for a limited period in order to collect more information, "but others refused to recall them as request from the Syrian opposition groups," he said.  Up to now, the total number of Syrian entities targeted by an EU sanction of asset freeze was 38 and the number of people subject to asset freeze and visa ban amounted to 108. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Latest Greek debt negotiations reach stalemate]]></title>
<news_id>7723944</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723944.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:38:20</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[PARIS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The second round of negotiations over a bailout package for Greece has become deadlocked over several key issues.  In late October last year, EU leaders agreed to provide Greece with 130 billion euros (172.4 billion U.S. dollars) if it promised to implement more austerity measures. They also urged the private sector to accept debt writedowns on a voluntary basis.  The Greek government then started talks with major stakeholders at home and abroad, namely major politi ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[PARIS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The second round of negotiations over a bailout package for Greece has become deadlocked over several key issues.  In late October last year, EU leaders agreed to provide Greece with 130 billion euros (172.4 billion U.S. dollars) if it promised to implement more austerity measures. They also urged the private sector to accept debt writedowns on a voluntary basis.  The Greek government then started talks with major stakeholders at home and abroad, namely major political parties in Greece, the trio of public creditors -- the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB), and the Institute of International Finance(IIF), which is representing the private sector in the debt crisis.  &$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723944" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723949" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723950" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723949"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Lavrov says Assad's fate shoube be decided by Syrians]]></title>
<news_id>7723933</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723933.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:35:14</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be decided only by the Syrians.  Lavrov, who just wrapped up a visit to Damascus, told a press conference that the Syrians should seek ways of national reconciliation themselves.  "Any outcome of national dialogue should become the results of agreement between the Syrians themselves and should be acceptable to all the Syrians," Lavrov said.  "It is neces ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be decided only by the Syrians.  Lavrov, who just wrapped up a visit to Damascus, told a press conference that the Syrians should seek ways of national reconciliation themselves.  "Any outcome of national dialogue should become the results of agreement between the Syrians themselves and should be acceptable to all the Syrians," Lavrov said.  "It is necessary to call on the government and the opposition to start negotiations. Bashar al-Assad has instructed Vice President (Farouk) al-Sharaa to begin such dialogue," he added.  The foreign minister said that the recall of ambassadors from Syria does not help create favorable conditions for carrying out the Arab League (AL)'s peace initiative.  Lavrov said Moscow "cannot understand" the Arab League's decision to freeze its mission in Syria. In his view, the Arabl League should facilitate the stabilization of the conflict-torn country.  "It's incomprehensible, why a range of Persian Gulf countries pulled out their representatives from this mission, and why the mission's operations were halted just when its report was to be heard in the UN Security Council," Lavrov said.  Russia will try its best to facilitate the dialogue in Syria, he added.  Meanwhile, Lavrov again defended Russia's veto on an Arab-European UN draft resolution. He said that the international community should not turn "a blind eye" to the fact that violence in Syria is coming from both the government and opposition forces.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723933" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723934" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723934"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Annual Bicyrobot Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand]]></title>
<news_id>7723929</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723929.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:35:27</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723929" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723939" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723940" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723939"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$                                                                        ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723929" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723939" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723940" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723939"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[South Korea holds annual military winter drill]]></title>
<news_id>7723870</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723870.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:29:37</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723870" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723894" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723895" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723896" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723897" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723898" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723899"  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723870" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723894" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723895" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723896" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723897" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723898" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723899" class="abl2">【7】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723894"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Greek party leaders agree in principle on debt deal to avert default]]></title>
<news_id>7723828</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723828.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:18:03</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Greek leaders have wrapped up a 7.5-hour talk and reached an agreement in principle on austerity and reform measures in exchange for a bailout package deemed vital to avert a potentially disastrous default next month, a statement from the prime minister's office said on early Thursday.  "There was wide agreement on all the points of the program except for one issue that requires further talks with creditors," the statement said.  It said the dialogue would continue ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Greek leaders have wrapped up a 7.5-hour talk and reached an agreement in principle on austerity and reform measures in exchange for a bailout package deemed vital to avert a potentially disastrous default next month, a statement from the prime minister's office said on early Thursday.  "There was wide agreement on all the points of the program except for one issue that requires further talks with creditors," the statement said.  It said the dialogue would continue immediately to conclude the deal ahead of the euro group meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Brussels.  The statement added that George Karatzaferis, President of the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), the small rightist party supporting the three-party transitional administration, "expressed severe reservations" on the agreement.  The in-principle accord comes after lengthy and tough talks with a delegation of European Union(EU)/International Monetary Fund (IMF) inspectors in Athens since last week, over the conditions to release a vital rescue loans package to Greece.  The 130-billion-euro (172.56 billion U.S. dollars) loan, the second of its kind since May 2010, is deemed crucial to escape a bankruptcy that could have major repercussions across the eurozone and global economy.  Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is now meeting with representatives of the so-called "troika," namely the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[As GOP contest drags on, Obama big winner]]></title>
<news_id>7723818</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723818.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:17:19</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[CHICAGO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Mitt Romney may continue to lead the Republican pack of presidential nominees, but as voters continue to resist his candidacy and fellow contenders vow to stay in the GOP race until late summer, one politician is beginning to rise above the rest: President Barack Obama.  Romney's Republican rivals continue to plead their presidential cases to the American public. Their efforts to garner support overwhelmingly come at the expense of attacking Romney - the man favored ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[CHICAGO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Mitt Romney may continue to lead the Republican pack of presidential nominees, but as voters continue to resist his candidacy and fellow contenders vow to stay in the GOP race until late summer, one politician is beginning to rise above the rest: President Barack Obama.  Romney's Republican rivals continue to plead their presidential cases to the American public. Their efforts to garner support overwhelmingly come at the expense of attacking Romney - the man favored by the majority of analysts to ultimately win the Republican nomination.  Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum's victories in the all three Republican contests Tuesday gave a burst of life to his campaign that had struggled since its Iowa victory, showing that a significant percentage of Republicans still actively resist a potential Romney presidency and seek a conservative alternative.  Tuesday's results ensured that both Santorum and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who also beat Romney in Tuesday's Minnesota Caucus, will be around to continue their anti-Romney pitches for at least the next round of nationally-televised debates and extensive media coverage.  And even in the face of overwhelming defeats in the last five state contests, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich also defiantly vowed to press onward, saying definitively Saturday that the Gingrich campaign would continue all the way up to the Republican Convention in August.  "I am not going to withdraw," Gingrich said after his defeat in Nevada, largely brushing aside the importance of the Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri contests and looking instead toward March's Super Tuesday and the Texas primary, where he said he expected to do well.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723818" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723822" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723823" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723824" class="abl2">&$【4】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723822"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Peace returns after Maldives leader quits amid protests]]></title>
<news_id>7723799</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723799.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:15:32</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MALE, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Peace returned to the restive Maldives capital here late Tuesday after a morning of mounting protests forced Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, to resign.  By afternoon, there was little indication of the political unrest, described by some people as a coup, according to Xinhua's correspondent in the city.  Republic Square, the center of the protests, was calm again with locals interviewed saying they only knew of the morning's cla ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MALE, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Peace returned to the restive Maldives capital here late Tuesday after a morning of mounting protests forced Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, to resign.  By afternoon, there was little indication of the political unrest, described by some people as a coup, according to Xinhua's correspondent in the city.  Republic Square, the center of the protests, was calm again with locals interviewed saying they only knew of the morning's clashes from television reports in the afternoon.  They also dismissed the claims of a coup, saying there was no bloodshed and the protesters had probably just thrown bottles and stones, pointing to empty bottles on the square.  Life on the islands seemed to be going on as usual. Tourists, who are still pouring into the islands that make up the Maldives, seemed unaware of and unconcerned by the political events.  Shops and restaurants were open and doing normal trade while others strolled in the streets as if nothing had happened.  An Indian journalist living beside Republic Square said he had asked hotel security and service staff about the morning's clashes, but no one said anything remarkable had happened.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723799" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723815" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723816" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723815"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia urges UN to continue seeking peaceful settlement to Syrian crisis]]></title>
<news_id>7723796</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723796.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 08:12:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council members should continue looking for coordinated approaches that would enable the Syrians themselves to resolve the crisis in the country, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.  According to the Kremlin press service, Medvedev made the remarks during his phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also said that Syrians should resolve the crisis themselves without external intervention.  "The ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council members should continue looking for coordinated approaches that would enable the Syrians themselves to resolve the crisis in the country, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.  According to the Kremlin press service, Medvedev made the remarks during his phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also said that Syrians should resolve the crisis themselves without external intervention.  "These considerations motivated Russia and China to veto in the UN Security Council a draft resolution, which did not make it possible to reach an unbiased views of the situation in Syria, address the appeal to end the bloodshed and agree to a cease-fire to both parties of the conflict," Medvedev was quoted as saying.  "That resolution would not facilitate the search of a peaceful resolution to the crisis," he added.  Medvedev also informed Erdogan about Moscow's efforts to encourage dialogue between the Syrian parties and push for democratic reforms in the country. These efforts included the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Intelligence Service head Mikhail Fradkov with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.  The president also highlighted the role of Turkey as a regional power in facilitating intra-Syrian dialogue.  Both leaders agreed to further coordinate their actions to overcome the crisis in Syria peacefully, the Kremlin said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Santorum wins Colorado caucuses, wraps up all three races]]></title>
<news_id>7723527</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723527.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 16:31:06</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum won the Colorado caucuses on Tuesday, the state's GOP announced.  With wins in Missouri and Minnesota, he wrapped up all three races that took place on Tuesday.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum won the Colorado caucuses on Tuesday, the state's GOP announced.  With wins in Missouri and Minnesota, he wrapped up all three races that took place on Tuesday. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[West pushes for 'regime change' in Syria, further complicates crisis]]></title>
<news_id>7723436</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723436.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 15:33:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- During a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution on Syria, which urged President Bashar al-Assad to hand over his power.  After the vote, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a statement saying that France will seek further international support of the Arab initiative on Syria through setting up a liaison group.  However, many international experts believed that forcing al-Assad to step down goes against both the UN Cha ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- During a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution on Syria, which urged President Bashar al-Assad to hand over his power.  After the vote, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a statement saying that France will seek further international support of the Arab initiative on Syria through setting up a liaison group.  However, many international experts believed that forcing al-Assad to step down goes against both the UN Charter and may cause further turmoil in the Arab country stricken by protracted conflicts.  &$<b>&$DIALOGUE URGED&$</b>&$  George Gabbour, an international political analyst and former parliamentarian in Syria, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua that the vetoes from Russia and China were "a new invitation for all Syrian parties to embark on a dialogue, which is the best solution to the current crisis."  Those who rejected the dialogue desired nothing but further violence and bloodshed, he added.  Gabbour also pointed out that a regime change imposed from outside was not in the interest of the majority of Syrians, especially when they were supporting a political reform rather than a regime change.  Abdelfattah Elsonoty, a Cairo-based expert on international relations, said even those Syrians who took to the street to call for reform were actually opposing Western powers' intervention.  Elsonoty also said that a military intervention by the West and some Arab countries could bring great uncertainty to the situation in Syria.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723436" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723438" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723438"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Argentina seeks UN help to demilitarize Southern Atlantic]]></title>
<news_id>7723434</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723434.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 15:29:42</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on Tuesday accused Britain of militarizing the Southern Atlantic, vowing to ask the UN for help to remove British troops from the region.  It is disturbing that Britain maintains a military presence in the waters around the Malvinas islands, known as the Falklands in Britain, Fernandez said, adding that the British deployment risks triggering war games in the region.  She said her government would present once again its  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on Tuesday accused Britain of militarizing the Southern Atlantic, vowing to ask the UN for help to remove British troops from the region.  It is disturbing that Britain maintains a military presence in the waters around the Malvinas islands, known as the Falklands in Britain, Fernandez said, adding that the British deployment risks triggering war games in the region.  She said her government would present once again its arguments to the UN De-colonizing Committee in June, and expressed the belief that with these arguments the sovereignty of the Malvinas would be given to Argentina.  International courts have on numerous occasions ruled against Argentina's sovereignty claim.  Tensions between Argentina and Britain over the islands have recently increased as the 30th anniversary of a 1982 war that saw Argentina defeated by Britain is approaching.  Prince William's posting at the islands and Britain's reported deployment of an advanced warship to the waters have also stoked the tensions.  Also Tuesday, the president signed a decree to fully declassify a report on the sensitive events regarding the 1982 war. She said that she made the decision because the Argentine people have the right to know more of what led up to the war. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Overview of old bazaar in downtown Tehran, Iran]]></title>
<news_id>7723345</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723345.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 13:17:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723345" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723349" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723350" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723351" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723352" class="abl2">【5】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723349"><img s ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723345" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723349" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723350" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723351" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723352" class="abl2">【5】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723349"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Santorum wins GOP Missouri primary: CNN projects]]></title>
<news_id>7723309</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723309.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 13:53:42</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum won the Missouri primary on Tuesday, with Mitt Romney coming in second, CNN projected.  The former Pennsylvania senator won 55 percent of the votes, followed by Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with 25 percent, the U.S. broadcaster projected while the ballots were still being calculated.  Texas congressman Ron Paul finished third with 12 percent of the votes. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was not ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum won the Missouri primary on Tuesday, with Mitt Romney coming in second, CNN projected.  The former Pennsylvania senator won 55 percent of the votes, followed by Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with 25 percent, the U.S. broadcaster projected while the ballots were still being calculated.  Texas congressman Ron Paul finished third with 12 percent of the votes. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was not on the ballot.  This was the second victory for Santorum after winning the Iowa caucuses by a narrow margin.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723309" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723310" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723310"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[UN envoy calls for dialogue to iron out differences in wake of DRC elections]]></title>
<news_id>7723095</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723095.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 11:01:39</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The top United Nations envoy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday said that presidential and legislative elections in the DRC late last year had "numerous problems," underling the need for all parties to use legal means and dialogue to settle differences in the aftermath of the elections so as to advance stability and peace in the central African country.  Roger Meece, the UN secretary-general's special representative for DRC, made the stateme ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The top United Nations envoy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday said that presidential and legislative elections in the DRC late last year had "numerous problems," underling the need for all parties to use legal means and dialogue to settle differences in the aftermath of the elections so as to advance stability and peace in the central African country.  Roger Meece, the UN secretary-general's special representative for DRC, made the statement as he was briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation of the DRC.  "The elections themselves were marked by numerous problems," said Meece. These included late procurement and delivery of vital election materials and difficulties during the compilation and verification processes to determine results.  On Nov. 28, 2011, the DRC held a set of elections that were followed by related violence, resulting in the deaths and injuries of civilians, and a tense political climate in the country.  While none of the observers have determined that the problems necessarily would have changed the reported presidential results, he said, the UN and others have voiced strong concerns about the reported irregularities and believe a "thorough and open" review of the preparations are vital.  "While it is essential that government authorities ensure that all Congolese citizens fully enjoy their rights of freedom of expression and other rights, violent confrontations will not resolve any problems and only tend to propagate further violence," said Meece, who is also heads the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO).&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723095" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723098" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7723098"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Cold snap paralyzes north western Tunisian town]]></title>
<news_id>7723093</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723093.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 11:00:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TUNIS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A cold snap coupled with heavy snowfalls have paralyzed the town of El Kef in north Western Tunisia, forcing the closure of schools and a number of public and private buildings and the road between Jendouba and El Kef.  With snow as high as one meter in some areas, snow clearing operations were proving both slow and difficult.  Government aid in the form of foodstuff and blankets have already reached inhabitants in the north and north western parts of the country. ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TUNIS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A cold snap coupled with heavy snowfalls have paralyzed the town of El Kef in north Western Tunisia, forcing the closure of schools and a number of public and private buildings and the road between Jendouba and El Kef.  With snow as high as one meter in some areas, snow clearing operations were proving both slow and difficult.  Government aid in the form of foodstuff and blankets have already reached inhabitants in the north and north western parts of the country.  With sub-zero temperatures hitting the small villages and hamlets, the shortage of liquid gas bottles for cooking and heating purposes has become acute in some parts of the country.  During the weekend, more than 200 people were stranded near the mountain town of Ain Draham in northern Tunisia, when the road they were travelling on was snowed up. On Monday, a relief operation was quickly organized to rescue them.  However the snowy weather, a rare enough sight in Tunisia, extended to the southern part of the country, covering the Berber troglodyte village of Matmata and Tataouine -- reputed for serving as the main cast for Steve Lucas' Star Wars series -- with a white coat of snow.  According to Tunisia's weather forecast agency, the latest snowfall in the region dates back to the 1960's. The agency also announced that the cold spell will gradually recede by Friday. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Cuba rejects EU criticism of its human rights]]></title>
<news_id>7723082</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723082.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 10:57:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[HAVANA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban Foreign Ministry Tuesday rejected criticism by the European Union of the island country's human rights record as "misguided" and said such comments only served to "interfere" in Cuban sovereignty.  "We categorically reject such statements, which constitute a new round of interference in Cuba's internal affairs," Elio Rodriguez, director of European relations at the foreign ministry, told local media.  The comments came after a statement by the EU foreign  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[HAVANA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban Foreign Ministry Tuesday rejected criticism by the European Union of the island country's human rights record as "misguided" and said such comments only served to "interfere" in Cuban sovereignty.  "We categorically reject such statements, which constitute a new round of interference in Cuba's internal affairs," Elio Rodriguez, director of European relations at the foreign ministry, told local media.  The comments came after a statement by the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who on Saturday said a "recent outbreak of temporary arrests of peaceful protesters in Cuba" had raised concerns in EU member countries.  Ashton also called on Havana to ensure Cuba would move towards "full respect of civil and political rights, including freedom of expression" of its 10 million population.  "Mrs. Ashton interferes in issues that only concern Cubans," said Rodriguez, adding "Cuban authorities do not recognize moral or political authority" of the EU in criticizing such internal matters.  He urged the EU to first "solve its own serious problems," which included the ongoing debt crisis in the eurozone, the EU's growing anti-immigration policy, and the increasing social exclusion of the unemployed and low-income earners.  Cuba has for the past several weeks rejected what it says is a "defamation campaign" against the island over human rights issues led by the United States, the EU and Chile following the death of prison inmate Wilman Villa.  Human rights activists said Villa was a political prisoner who died because of a prolonged hunger strike, but Cuban authorities said he was convicted to 4 years in jail after being found guilty of beating his wife. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[India's Uttar Pradesh state starts legislative polls]]></title>
<news_id>7723076</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7723076.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 10:56:19</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh will hold the first phase of a five-phase local legislative elections Wednesday, said electoral officials.  The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-led Mayawati government will see strong contest from the Congress party as over 17 million voters, 7.8 million of them women, are due to exercise their franchise to elect 55 lawmakers in 10 districts.  Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India, has a total of 403 assembly se ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh will hold the first phase of a five-phase local legislative elections Wednesday, said electoral officials.  The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-led Mayawati government will see strong contest from the Congress party as over 17 million voters, 7.8 million of them women, are due to exercise their franchise to elect 55 lawmakers in 10 districts.  Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India, has a total of 403 assembly segments or constituencies with 862 candidates, including 65 women, in the fray in all five phases of election.  The candidates in this phase include two state ministers, 31 members of Legislative Assemblies and 15 former ministers.  Election Commission has set up 18,108 polling stations in 10 districts in the first phase of the vote. As many as 72,000 polling personnel will be on duty while about 200,000 police personnel, including 680 companies of the paramilitary forces, would be on poll duty.  The BSP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have their nominees in all the 55 constituencies and the Congress in 54.  Since some constituencies have international border with Nepal, the borders have been sealed during the polls.  The BSP now holds 30 seats, the Samajwadi Party 18, the BJP four and the Congress three seats. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Saleh says to return home to vote in presidential elections]]></title>
<news_id>7722982</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722982.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 10:03:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, currently in the United States for medical treatment, said on Tuesday that he will return home to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, the state-run Saba news agency reported.  Saleh said he would return immediately after the completion of his treatment in New York.  The Yemeni leader was seriously injured in a bomb attack targeting his palace on June 3, 2011, for which he was hospitalized for months in neighbori ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, currently in the United States for medical treatment, said on Tuesday that he will return home to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, the state-run Saba news agency reported.  Saleh said he would return immediately after the completion of his treatment in New York.  The Yemeni leader was seriously injured in a bomb attack targeting his palace on June 3, 2011, for which he was hospitalized for months in neighboring Saudi Arabia.  Saleh's remarks came hours after his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the sole candidate for the Feb. 21 presidential polls, launched his advertising campaign in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.  Saleh left Yemen last month after the parliament approved a law granting him complete immunity from prosecution in accordance to a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).  Despite the agreed political settlement, the deal's immunity clause sparked nationwide protests demanding Saleh and his aides be prosecuted for "killing people during the year of protests."  Washington granted Saleh diplomatic immunity and a limited visa for him to seek medical treatment in the United States.  Under the GCC deal signed by Saleh and the opposition last November, after months of deadly protests aimed at his ouster, Saleh should resign in return for immunity from prosecution.  After 33 years in power, Saleh remains to be an honorary leader until Hadi is officially elected as president for a two-year interim period. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[30 killed in Yemen's sectarian fight ahead of presidential polls]]></title>
<news_id>7722981</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722981.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 10:02:17</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 gunmen were killed on Tuesday in the ongoing fighting between a Shiite rebel group and Sunni fundamentalists in Yemen's northwest restive province of Hajja, Yemeni officials said, highlighting fragile security situation less than two weeks ahead of presidential elections.  "The clashes, which have already taken place in Hajja's districts of Kishir, Washa and Mashanna, expanded to Mastaba district, claiming the lives of nearly 20 Shiite rebels and 10 Sunni  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 gunmen were killed on Tuesday in the ongoing fighting between a Shiite rebel group and Sunni fundamentalists in Yemen's northwest restive province of Hajja, Yemeni officials said, highlighting fragile security situation less than two weeks ahead of presidential elections.  "The clashes, which have already taken place in Hajja's districts of Kishir, Washa and Mashanna, expanded to Mastaba district, claiming the lives of nearly 20 Shiite rebels and 10 Sunni gunmen during Tuesday's sectarian battles," a provincial security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.  He said dozens from each side were seriously wounded by heavy weapons used during the fighting.  The escalation came following the failure of several attempts by tribal mediators to cease fire. Hundreds of villagers have fled their homes to remote regions.  The sectarian conflict began nearly four months ago when religious-related dispute led the Shiite group to lay siege to Damaj, a small Sunni-held town in the northern province of Saada.  The fighting spread recently from Saada to Hajja, as well as several villages in Amran province, about 50 km north of the capital Sanaa.  On Aug. 26, 2010, the Yemeni government and the Shiite group signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, to cement a fragile cease-fire to end the on-and-off war since 2004, but clashes with local tribesmen are still rocking the region.  Exploiting the months-long protests against outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Shiite rebels, also known as Houthis, have been trying to expand their control over the country's northern provinces of Saada, Amran and Hajja, according to government officials.  In an attempt to recover from the one-year-long mass protests that have weakened the government's rule in restive provinces, the cash-stripped transitional government is gearing up for Feb. 21 presidential polls, where Saleh's deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is the sole candidate in line with a UN-backed power transfer deal.  Earlier on Tuesday, Hadi officially launched his presidential campaign in Sanaa.  The Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered deal aimed to remove Saleh from office and end the months-long deteriorating security situation and violent unrest. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran's parliament ready to approve bill to cut oil exports to some EU states: report]]></title>
<news_id>7722973</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722973.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:58:56</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Majlis (parliament) is ready to approve a bill aimed at stopping oil exports to some member states of the European Union (EU) in response to their bid to embargo Iran's oil exports, local satellite Press TV reported on Tuesday.  Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said Tuesday that Iranian lawmakers keep a watchful eye on a number of important issues including a ban on Iran's oil exports to some European countries, said the report.  The National Security and ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Majlis (parliament) is ready to approve a bill aimed at stopping oil exports to some member states of the European Union (EU) in response to their bid to embargo Iran's oil exports, local satellite Press TV reported on Tuesday.  Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said Tuesday that Iranian lawmakers keep a watchful eye on a number of important issues including a ban on Iran's oil exports to some European countries, said the report.  The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Majlis has been discussing the issue, he said, adding that it is necessary to give a proper response to European countries' " irrational attitude."  Larijani's remarks came as some of the Iranian lawmakers had urged Iran's legislature, in the past days, to take up a double- urgency bill on halting oil exports to some EU member states.  Earlier this month, EU leaders endorsed fresh restrictive sanction measures on Iran's oil exports, which was adopted by the bloc's foreign ministers on Jan. 23.  Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the EU's embargo on Iran's oil exports to its member states will hit the European people.  "I think more than anybody else this is for the loss of the European people," the spokesman told reporters in his weekly press briefing.  Asking the European officials not to surrender to U.S. pressures on Iran, Mehmanparast said that to enter the political games and to give in to the U.S. pressures will endanger the security and welfare of the European people. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran's oil embargo to hit Europeans: spokesman]]></title>
<news_id>7722971</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722971.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:57:53</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the European Union (EU)'s embargo on Iran's oil exports to its member states will hit the European people.  "I think more than anybody else this is for the loss of the European people," the spokesman told reporters in his weekly press briefing.  Asking the European officials not to surrender to the U.S. pressures on Iran, Mehmanparast said that to enter the political games and to give in to the  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the European Union (EU)'s embargo on Iran's oil exports to its member states will hit the European people.  "I think more than anybody else this is for the loss of the European people," the spokesman told reporters in his weekly press briefing.  Asking the European officials not to surrender to the U.S. pressures on Iran, Mehmanparast said that to enter the political games and to give in to the U.S. pressures will endanger the security and welfare of the European people.  Earlier this month, EU leaders endorsed fresh restrictive sanction measures on Iran's oil exports, which was adopted by the bloc's foreign ministers.  On Jan. 23, the EU foreign ministers decided to embargo Iran's oil and related products, causing investors' worry about the global oil supplies as Tehran had threatened in retaliation to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for the trade.  Major EU importers of Iran's oil, such as Greece, Italy and Spain, have to find alternative oil suppliers until July 1, when the embargo comes into force. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran, India agree on new crude oil payment mechanism]]></title>
<news_id>7722968</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722968.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:56:32</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran has agreed to India's proposal for a crude oil payment mechanism under which India will pay for 45 percent of its imports from Iran through the Indian rupee, local media reported Wednesday.  This is the first official confirmation of a breakthrough in the India-Iran crude payment dialogue, necessitated by the likely disruption of the current mode of payment through a Turkish bank because of U.S. and EU sanctions, said local daily The Times of India.  Iran's ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran has agreed to India's proposal for a crude oil payment mechanism under which India will pay for 45 percent of its imports from Iran through the Indian rupee, local media reported Wednesday.  This is the first official confirmation of a breakthrough in the India-Iran crude payment dialogue, necessitated by the likely disruption of the current mode of payment through a Turkish bank because of U.S. and EU sanctions, said local daily The Times of India.  Iran's Ambassador to India Seyed Mehdi Nabizadeh said Tuesday both countries were fully satisfied with the new mechanism.  Nabizadeh confirmed that Iran has opened accounts in Indian banks, including UCO Bank, to facilitate the rupee payment.  "Fortunately, Iran's central bank and RBI (Reserve Bank of India) have together arrived at a mechanism which is suitable and agreeable to both the countries,'' Nabizadeh was quoted as saying.  He ruled out the possibility of using gold for payment.  Iran is India's second largest oil provider, with 12 percent of the country's crude oil import coming from Iran. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Greek coalition leaders' talks on fresh debt deal drag to Wednesday]]></title>
<news_id>7722937</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722937.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:55:27</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Greek coalition party leaders' talks with interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to finalize a deal with international creditors on a second aid package to stave off a catastrophic bankruptcy next month drag on to Wednesday, local media reported on Tuesday.  The final terms of an agreement on new austerity policies that will unlock the vital rescue loans package were still being hammered out on late Tuesday in talks between government officials and European Union (EU ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ATHENS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Greek coalition party leaders' talks with interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to finalize a deal with international creditors on a second aid package to stave off a catastrophic bankruptcy next month drag on to Wednesday, local media reported on Tuesday.  The final terms of an agreement on new austerity policies that will unlock the vital rescue loans package were still being hammered out on late Tuesday in talks between government officials and European Union (EU)/International Monetary Fund (IMF) representatives in Athens.  A blueprint of a deal emerged, after an initial meeting on Sunday evening of the leaders of the three parties backing the transitional administration.  It includes pledges for further spending cuts by 1.5 percent GDP which amounts to 3.3 billion euros (4.37 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012, reduction in wages and pensions in the private sector and dismissals of 15,000 civil servants by 2013.  A second meeting has been pushed back several times since then, as sticking points in details seem to remain open.  During Wednesday's meeting with Papademos, the leaders are expected to give a clear response to lenders' conditions in exchange for further aid.  Creditors push for a deal this week, so that there will be enough time for the ratification process and the release of funds in time, as Greece faces a 14.5-billion-euro (19.19 billion dollars) debt repayment comes due on March 20. Without the aid, Greece could collapse, triggering instability across the eurozone.  But, at the same time Greek leaders face mounting pressure from citizens, who struggle with heavy recession over the past two years, and labor unions, which staged a 24-hour general strike on Tuesday, warning with more to follow.  Under an over 360-billion-euro (476.49 billion dollars) debt load, Greece depends on rescue loans from the EU and the IMF since May 2010 to overcome the crisis. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Drums of war beating again in Middle East]]></title>
<news_id>7722920</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722920.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 09:24:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$<b>&$Editor's Note:&$</b>&$  Speculations about war against Iran are growing, particularly in the wake of the announcement made by US President Barack Obama Monday that the US will freeze all assets owned by the Iranian government and its financial institutions under its jurisdiction. But Obama also stated the day before that the US still sought negotiation. What is driving the tensions? Can peace be preserved? Global Times reporters Yu Jincui and Chen Chenchen talked to two experts over the ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$<b>&$Editor's Note:&$</b>&$  Speculations about war against Iran are growing, particularly in the wake of the announcement made by US President Barack Obama Monday that the US will freeze all assets owned by the Iranian government and its financial institutions under its jurisdiction. But Obama also stated the day before that the US still sought negotiation. What is driving the tensions? Can peace be preserved? Global Times reporters Yu Jincui and Chen Chenchen talked to two experts over the possibility of war against Iran.  &$<font color='#0000ff'><b>&$Israel could drag US into war&$</b></font>&$  &$<b>&$Clifford Kiracofe,&$</b>&$ professor of political science at Washington and Lee University and a former Senior Professional Staff Member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee  War is possible but, of course, not desirable. The most likely war scenario would be an Israeli attack on Iran. This would then draw the US in, resulting in a wider war in the region and possibly beyond.   A variation of this scenario could be that Israel would arrange an attack against US assets in the area but attempt to blame the attack on Iran, which would thus spark military confrontation between the US and Iran.  In the US, there is opposition to such a war in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in our diplomatic service, and in our intelligence community. &$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722920" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722926" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722927" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722926"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[EU's Barroso says now decisive moment for future of Greece, euro]]></title>
<news_id>7722907</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722907.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:25:26</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Tuesday Europe was in a very decisive moment for the future of Greece and euro as crucial debt deal talks were dragging on in Athens.  "I think all Europe has now the eyes in Athens. We are in a very decisive moment regarding the future in Greece and future of euro. We want Greece in the euro," Barroso told reporters before his meeting with his predecessor Jacques Delors.  The European Commission has made it  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Tuesday Europe was in a very decisive moment for the future of Greece and euro as crucial debt deal talks were dragging on in Athens.  "I think all Europe has now the eyes in Athens. We are in a very decisive moment regarding the future in Greece and future of euro. We want Greece in the euro," Barroso told reporters before his meeting with his predecessor Jacques Delors.  The European Commission has made it clear from the beginning that "it is very important not only for Greece but the euro and for the European project to keep Greece in the euro," Barroso added.  His comments came as the Greek authorities late Tuesday missed another deadline to approve conditions for a second bailout program offered by the troika, namely, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank.  Before signing on the 130-billion-euro (about 172 billion U.S. dollars) package, the troika insisted the three major political parties in the Greek coalition government make firm commitment to "painful" structural reforms and austerity measures, something the parties had been reluctant to do due to strong public opposition.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722907" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722911" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722911"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[BP returns to profit after Mexico Gulf oil spill]]></title>
<news_id>7722905</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722905.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:24:01</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- British Petroleum (BP) said it generated profits totaling 15.1 billion pounds (23.9 billion U.S. dollars) for 2011, the first turnround to profits following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the company said on Tuesday.  According to the BP's year-end result for 2011 released on Tuesday, the oil giant's profits for the fourth quarter of last year rose to 4.9 billion pounds, which was more than forecasted and a 38 percent increase on a year earlier.  BP announced that i ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- British Petroleum (BP) said it generated profits totaling 15.1 billion pounds (23.9 billion U.S. dollars) for 2011, the first turnround to profits following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the company said on Tuesday.  According to the BP's year-end result for 2011 released on Tuesday, the oil giant's profits for the fourth quarter of last year rose to 4.9 billion pounds, which was more than forecasted and a 38 percent increase on a year earlier.  BP announced that it has raised its dividend to shareholders by 14 percent, also the first increase since the oil spill.  BP's profits were boosted by the price of oil which has remained at relatively high levels of about 100 dollars a barrel throughout the final three months of 2011.  Separately on Tuesday, BP's chief executive, Bob Dudley, told Reuters that the company was set to begin a new project in the Gulf of Mexico.  BP is asking contractor Halliburton to pay for all costs and damages that arose from the Gulf of Mexico spill. The trial between BP and its contractor Halliburton is expected within weeks.  BP has so far paid out 8.8 billion dollars in damages claims, said BBC. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russian navy to update its strategic nuclear fleet]]></title>
<news_id>7722902</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722902.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:23:23</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Navy will receive at least 10 new Borey class strategic nuclear submarines by 2020, Kommersant daily said Tuesday.  According to the report, the new submarine fleet is expected to become the core of Russia's naval force in the future, in line with a revised state armament procurement program until 2020.  The program also envisions the procurement of 10 Graney class nuclear attack submarines and 20 diesel-electric subs, including six Varshavyanka class v ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Navy will receive at least 10 new Borey class strategic nuclear submarines by 2020, Kommersant daily said Tuesday.  According to the report, the new submarine fleet is expected to become the core of Russia's naval force in the future, in line with a revised state armament procurement program until 2020.  The program also envisions the procurement of 10 Graney class nuclear attack submarines and 20 diesel-electric subs, including six Varshavyanka class vessels, said the report.  In addition to submarines, the Navy will receive 14 frigates, 35 corvettes, six Buyan class small artillery ships and six Ivan Gren Class large landing ships.  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last year that the updating of warships and submarines for the Navy would be a priority over the next decade.  The Russian government has allocated five trillion rubles ( about 166 billion U.S. dollars) for this purpose. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia says to continue efforts to solve Syrian crisis]]></title>
<news_id>7722901</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722901.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:24:54</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722901" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722909" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722910" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722909"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$                                                                        ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722901" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722909" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722910" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722909"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Dutch foreign ministry recalls ambassador from Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7722897</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722897.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:22:15</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[THE HAGUE, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador from Syria on Tuesday, following similar steps by several nations to ramp up pressure against Damascus.  The Netherlands follows France, Italy and Spain which announced they were bringing back their envoys after Britain, Belgium and the United States took similar moves.  "I have decided to bring the Dutch ambassador back from Damascus for consultations," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told parliament. "He' ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[THE HAGUE, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador from Syria on Tuesday, following similar steps by several nations to ramp up pressure against Damascus.  The Netherlands follows France, Italy and Spain which announced they were bringing back their envoys after Britain, Belgium and the United States took similar moves.  "I have decided to bring the Dutch ambassador back from Damascus for consultations," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told parliament. "He'll probably travel back to the Netherlands today."  The Dutch embassy will stay open to keep in touch with the Syrian opposition and with Dutch citizens remaining in Syria.  The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have also decided to withdraw their ambassadors in Syria, and in the meantime demand Syrian ambassadors in the Gulf countries to leave, according to a GCC statement issued Tuesday. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Interview: More cooperation likely to follow Sany's takeover of German company: KPMG partner]]></title>
<news_id>7722893</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722893.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:20:55</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[FRANKFURT, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- More bilateral cooperation between Chinese and Germany companies is likely to follow the merger deal among Chinese construction group Sany, Chinese private equity company Citic PE Advisors, and German company Putzmeister, a partner of the accounting firm KPMG told Xinhua in an interview.  "I believe there will be many more joint ventures or cooperations between Chinese and German companies," Richard F.M. Stoffelen, partner and head of Global China Practice for KPM ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[FRANKFURT, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- More bilateral cooperation between Chinese and Germany companies is likely to follow the merger deal among Chinese construction group Sany, Chinese private equity company Citic PE Advisors, and German company Putzmeister, a partner of the accounting firm KPMG told Xinhua in an interview.  "I believe there will be many more joint ventures or cooperations between Chinese and German companies," Richard F.M. Stoffelen, partner and head of Global China Practice for KPMG Europe LLP, said by telephone, referring to the ongoing merger deal.  In a swift move, Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd, the biggest heavy industrial equipment producer in China, together with Citic PE Advisors (Hong Kong) Limited as a minority shareholder, struck a deal with Putzmeister Holding GmbH, a manufacturer of high-tech concrete pumps, on acquiring a 100-percent stake of the German company on Jan. 21.  Under the agreement, the two Chinese companies will take over Putzmeister at a cost of 360 million euros (472 million U.S. dollars).  The deal was made public on Jan. 27 and the news turned out to be a big surprise to the workers, local community and press.  For many people in Germany and in China, the merger between a Chinese company and a German one is something new.  "When things are new, people tend to be a little bit cautious," Norbert Scheuch, Chief Executive Officer of Putzmeister, told Xinhua.  He added the workers would hold meetings in small groups to understand the logic and benefit of the deal. "The management is excited about the transaction," he said. "There is no reason to panic."  The move is likely to enable the German company to gain wider access to the Chinese market, Stoffelen said.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722893" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722896" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722896"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Italy announces emergency plan to deal with cold snap]]></title>
<news_id>7722889</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722889.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:18:20</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ROME, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Italy has announced emergency measures to conserve gas supplies as an extraordinary wave of cold weather hit the country, local media said on Tuesday.  As supplies from Russia fell short in Western Europe, Italy ,one of the worst affected , could have some industrial consumers supplies cut off to protect domestic users from shortages in the next days, while some power stations may have to switch from gas to oil, the authorities announced.  The CEO of energy giant Eni ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ROME, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Italy has announced emergency measures to conserve gas supplies as an extraordinary wave of cold weather hit the country, local media said on Tuesday.  As supplies from Russia fell short in Western Europe, Italy ,one of the worst affected , could have some industrial consumers supplies cut off to protect domestic users from shortages in the next days, while some power stations may have to switch from gas to oil, the authorities announced.  The CEO of energy giant Eni Paolo Scaroni told Rai state television that, under the emergency plan, Italy has also reacted by increasing imports from Algeria and from Northern Europe via Switzerland.  "The interruption of gas supplies could be a problem as many companies would be penalized .. the situation risks to become critical," Emma Marcegaglia, the head of industrial employers' association Confindustria, was quoted by local media as saying.  Temperatures over the past days have dropped to their lowest levels in years, with Rome recording the heaviest snowfall since 1985 and Milan hitting -10C.  The Siberian cold reportedly claimed at least 25 lives in the country, many of them being clochards found frozen to death.  The last victim reported on Tuesday was an elderly man who died after slipping on ice while he was cleaning the road in front of his house near the northern town of Sondrio. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[New agreement gives EU fishing rights in Greenland in 2013-15]]></title>
<news_id>7722854</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722854.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:07:42</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COPENHAGEN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A new fisheries protocol was signed here Tuesday to allow the European Union (EU) fishing rights in Greenland's waters from 2013 to 2015, in return for financial compensation to Greenland.  The Fisheries Partnership Agreement between Greenland and the EU sets out the EU's "indicative fishing possibilities in Greenland waters" for 2013-2015, as well as associated conditions and financial contribution to Greenland, the EU said in an official statement.  In return ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COPENHAGEN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A new fisheries protocol was signed here Tuesday to allow the European Union (EU) fishing rights in Greenland's waters from 2013 to 2015, in return for financial compensation to Greenland.  The Fisheries Partnership Agreement between Greenland and the EU sets out the EU's "indicative fishing possibilities in Greenland waters" for 2013-2015, as well as associated conditions and financial contribution to Greenland, the EU said in an official statement.  In return, Greenland, which is an autonomously administered part of Denmark, will receive annual payment of 17.8 million euros (23.4 million U.S. dollars) from the EU, including support for a multi-annual sectoral program and reserve funds, it added.  The aim of the protocol is to enhance sustainable fishing and fisheries in the waters off Greenland, which lies in the Arctic Circle, and to strengthen scientific cooperation between the partners.  The protocol reduces overall EU fishing possibilities for certain species such as redfish, cod and prawn in West Greenland, while increasing EU quotas for capelin and prawns in East Greenland.  "The new protocol is based on scientific advice of the state of the stocks in Greenland waters and on mutual economic benefit," said Mette Gjerskov, Denmark's Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.  "Moreover, the agreement secures a beneficial framework to guide our joint further steps in promoting sustainable and responsible fishing," she added in the statement.  The Greenland government, the EU Council and the European Parliament must approve the protocol before it can come into force on Jan. 1, 2013.  Denmark is a full EU member and currently holds the six-month-long rotating presidency of the EU. Greenland is not part of the 27-member union, but ranks amongst its Overseas Countries and Territories, which gives it special relations with the EU, including on fisheries arrangements.  Greenland's economy is dependent on fisheries-related activities, but its unique maritime environment has prompted calls by environmentalists to impose stricter fishing quotas in its waters. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia develops 12 new types of rifles]]></title>
<news_id>7722841</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722841.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:06:09</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) --Izhmash, Russia's leading weapons manufacturer, said Tuesday that it is developing 12 new types of light guns for military and sporting uses.  Among the new weapons is an experimental AK-12 automatic rifle that has been developed as a platform for 20 new handgun models, the weapons manufacturer said.  The weapons plant located in Izhevsk also is developing new sniper and sporting rifles. The Biatlon and Ural sporting rifles will be put on the market in 2013, the Int ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) --Izhmash, Russia's leading weapons manufacturer, said Tuesday that it is developing 12 new types of light guns for military and sporting uses.  Among the new weapons is an experimental AK-12 automatic rifle that has been developed as a platform for 20 new handgun models, the weapons manufacturer said.  The weapons plant located in Izhevsk also is developing new sniper and sporting rifles. The Biatlon and Ural sporting rifles will be put on the market in 2013, the Interfax news agency reported.  Izhmash, which last year modernized 70 types of existing combat and sporting rifles, sold light arms worth 14 million dollars to the United States in 2011, the company said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Masked in Venice]]></title>
<news_id>7722835</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722835.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:18:17</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722835" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722875" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722876" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722877" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722878" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722879" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722880"  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722835" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722875" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722876" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722877" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722878" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722879" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722880" class="abl2">【7】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722881" class="abl2">【8】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722882" class="abl2">【9】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722883" class="abl2">【10】 </a> <a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722884" class="abl2">【11】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722885" class="abl2">【12】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722886" class="abl2">【13】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722887" class="abl2">【14】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722875"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Obama to host Brazilian president in April]]></title>
<news_id>7722827</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722827.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:02:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will host his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff at the White House in April to discuss an array of issues, the White House said on Tuesday.  It described the meetings slated for April 9 as part of the two presidents' ongoing dialogue regarding the "growing partnership" between the two countries across a wide range of issues.  "The presidents will have the opportunity to follow up on progress made under the three presidential dialo ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will host his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff at the White House in April to discuss an array of issues, the White House said on Tuesday.  It described the meetings slated for April 9 as part of the two presidents' ongoing dialogue regarding the "growing partnership" between the two countries across a wide range of issues.  "The presidents will have the opportunity to follow up on progress made under the three presidential dialogues launched during President Obama's March 2011 visit to Brazil -- the Strategic Energy Dialogue, the Economic and Financial Dialogue, and the Global Partnership Dialogue," the White House said in a statement.  In addition, the two presidents will have an opportunity to meet again with the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum and "continue efforts to grow commercial, economic, education, and innovation ties between our two countries," the statement said.  "President Obama looks forward to discussing cooperation on a host of other bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, especially as he looks towards his participation in the Summit of the Americas in Colombia in April and the G-20 in Mexico in June," said the statement. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[NYC holds giant parade to celebrate Giants Super Bowl win]]></title>
<news_id>7722807</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722807.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 09:00:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- New York City held on Tuesday a massive ticker-tape parade in honor of the Super Bowl XLVI champions New York Giants.  About one million fans were estimated to have lined the confetti-strewn parade route in lower Manhattan as they cheered for Giants MVP quarterback Eli Manning, defensive end Justin Tuck and the rest of the winning team.  "I feel it's really great because it doesn't happen too often, and it's great that the Giants could win, because it was unexpec ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- New York City held on Tuesday a massive ticker-tape parade in honor of the Super Bowl XLVI champions New York Giants.  About one million fans were estimated to have lined the confetti-strewn parade route in lower Manhattan as they cheered for Giants MVP quarterback Eli Manning, defensive end Justin Tuck and the rest of the winning team.  "I feel it's really great because it doesn't happen too often, and it's great that the Giants could win, because it was unexpected that a regular season team losing seven games could actually win," a New York Giants fan named Zane told Xinhua.  Immediately following the parade, team members gathered at City Hall where Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented them with keys to the City.  "We are here today because this team of Giants believed in each other and because you believed in them," Bloomberg told the crowd.  Giants coach Tom Coughlin said during the ceremony that the Giants were successful because they never gave up. "The key thing was to remember this: all things are possible for those who believe," Coughlin said. "We always believed."  The City estimated that the parade will have an economic impact of up to 38 million U.S. dollars, boosting the City's thriving tourism industry, which has a record 50.5 million tourists in 2011. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Clinton, Israeli FM discuss Iran, peace talks]]></title>
<news_id>7722801</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722801.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:56:00</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday discussed with her Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman a wide range of issues, including Iran, bilateral ties and the peace talks with the Palestinians.  In their meeting that lasted about 40 minutes, the pair discussed some seven topics, "just a little bit on each," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.  "With regard to Iran, they talked extensively about the impact that the new sanctions are ha ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday discussed with her Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman a wide range of issues, including Iran, bilateral ties and the peace talks with the Palestinians.  In their meeting that lasted about 40 minutes, the pair discussed some seven topics, "just a little bit on each," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.  "With regard to Iran, they talked extensively about the impact that the new sanctions are having in our efforts to work with countries around the world to wean them from Iranian oil and, obviously, our mutual commitment to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and to increase the pressure through these sanctions," Nuland told reporters at a regular news briefing.  Following the European Union's decision last month to target Iran's oil exports for sanctions, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered on Sunday to freeze all property of the Iranian government and the financial institutions under U.S. jurisdiction, including that of the Central Bank of Iran, in an effort to tighten the pressure on the Islamic republic over its controversial nuclear program.  The Obama administration prefers a diplomatic approach to Iran' s alleged attempt to acquire nuclear weapons, while rumors are growing about an imminent strike by Israel on the Islamic republic 's nuclear facilities.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722801" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722803" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722803"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Bernanke defends Fed's low-rate stance]]></title>
<news_id>7722796</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722796.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:54:22</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua)-- The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the low-rate stance when he testified to the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday.  When questioned about unintended consequences of maintaining low interest rate, mainly the shrink of return on savings and greater risk taking, Bernanke said although low interest rate would erode the earnings on savings, savers don't necessarily hold treasury bonds, they may also hold corporate debts, stocks or a variety of other  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua)-- The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the low-rate stance when he testified to the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday.  When questioned about unintended consequences of maintaining low interest rate, mainly the shrink of return on savings and greater risk taking, Bernanke said although low interest rate would erode the earnings on savings, savers don't necessarily hold treasury bonds, they may also hold corporate debts, stocks or a variety of other securities, and performance of securities depend importantly on the strength of economy.  Bernanke also argued that risk taking "to some extent" would move people from very conservative positions to riskier positions, which would be helpful for the economic recovery. "But we won't go too far," he added.  His remarks also answered the recent public skepticism about the negative effects of the super low interest rate. The Fed pledged in its Jan. 25 statement to keep the key interest rate at a record low near zero until at least late 2014.  Moreover, Bernanke kept his tone on the economy. "The U.S. economy has been gradually recovering from the recent deep recession, but the pace of the recovery has been frustratingly slow," he said in the prepared testimony. He urged lawmakers to reduce the long-term budget deficit, but noted sharp changes in fiscal policy in a short time would hurt economy.  In response to a question, Bernanke said the 8.3 percent unemployment rate "understates" the weakness of labor market, pointing out a lot people are underemployed and more than 40 percent of the unemployed have been jobless for more than six months. "We still have a long way to go before the labor market can be said to be operating normally," he said, adding that the Fed is not going to seek for high inflation when it tries to advance the employment. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S. court rules California's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional]]></title>
<news_id>7722791</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722791.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:51:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California, unconstitutional, paving way for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue as early as next year.  According to the court document, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2-1 that Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot ban that makes only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in Calif ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California, unconstitutional, paving way for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue as early as next year.  According to the court document, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2-1 that Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot ban that makes only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California, violated the U.S. Constitution.  The court said: "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples."  According to the judges, same-sex marriage will not resume in the state until Proposition 8 backers pass the deadline to appeal. If an appeal is filed, the same-sex marriage in California will not resume until it is resolved.  The architects for Proposition 8 have vowed to appeal to a large panel of the court or the U.S. Supreme Court.  Tuesday's ruling upheld a decision by former Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who presided over the nation's first federal court trial on same-sex marriage. He ruled in 2010 that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry their chosen partner. The ruling, if upheld on appeal, would apply nationwide in the U.S.  In another ruling, the court also refused to invalidate Walker' s ruling. After he retired, Walker disclosed he was in a relationship with a man for 10 years. He has been accused of being biased when he made the ruling.  Same-sex couples were legal to marry in California for six month after the California Supreme Court struck down a ban in May 2008, but voters passed Proposition 8 in November 2008. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Saleh says to return home to vote in presidential elections]]></title>
<news_id>7722787</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722787.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:50:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, currently in the United States for medical treatment, said on Tuesday that he will return home to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, the state-run Saba news agency reported.  Saleh said he would return immediately after the completion of his treatment in New York.  The Yemeni leader was seriously injured in a bomb attack targeting his palace on June 3, 2011, for which he was hospitalized for months in neighbori ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, currently in the United States for medical treatment, said on Tuesday that he will return home to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, the state-run Saba news agency reported.  Saleh said he would return immediately after the completion of his treatment in New York.  The Yemeni leader was seriously injured in a bomb attack targeting his palace on June 3, 2011, for which he was hospitalized for months in neighboring Saudi Arabia.  Saleh's remarks came hours after his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the sole candidate for the Feb. 21 presidential polls, launched his advertising campaign in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.  Saleh left Yemen last month after the parliament approved a law granting him complete immunity from prosecution in accordance to a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).  Despite the agreed political settlement, the deal's immunity clause sparked nationwide protests demanding Saleh and his aides be prosecuted for "killing people during the year of protests."  Washington granted Saleh diplomatic immunity and a limited visa for him to seek medical treatment in the United States.  Under the GCC deal signed by Saleh and the opposition last November, after months of deadly protests aimed at his ouster, Saleh should resign in return for immunity from prosecution.  After 33 years in power, Saleh remains to be an honorary leader until Hadi is officially elected as president for a two-year interim period. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran calls on India to give more attention to realities in Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7722762</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722762.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:49:55</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran Tuesday called on India to " give more attention to realities of the present" in Syria after New Delhi backed an Arab League draft resolution at the UN Security Council last Saturday.  "India should give more attention to realities of the present. They should go by their own experience. We expect that India should help other democracies of the world (during troubled times), " Iran's Ambassador to India Seyed Mahdi Nabizadeh told the media here.  India voted ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran Tuesday called on India to " give more attention to realities of the present" in Syria after New Delhi backed an Arab League draft resolution at the UN Security Council last Saturday.  "India should give more attention to realities of the present. They should go by their own experience. We expect that India should help other democracies of the world (during troubled times), " Iran's Ambassador to India Seyed Mahdi Nabizadeh told the media here.  India voted for an Arab League draft resolution on Syria, in a clear shift of its stand on the Middle East, last weekend at the UN Security Council in New York.  Playing down the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, the envoy said also Iran is prepared to " defend" itself in case of that eventuality.  "We think the possibility of attack is weak. Today is not the day when people go to war. But we are ready to defend ourselves. We have experience in defending ourselves. We hope that eventuality will not take place," he said. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Mongolian overheated economy yields ominous omen: IMF official]]></title>
<news_id>7722752</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722752.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:40:49</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ULAN BATOR, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Overheated economy in Mongolia is leading to significant problems such as high inflation, exchange rate volatility and wage pressures, according to an IMF report released Tuesday.  The report, drafted by Steven Barnett of IMF regional office for Asia and the Pacific, warned that the consequences of the overheating economy could heighten fears about "hard-landing" of the country's economy, especially if external shocks hit the economy.  Barnett blamed the expans ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ULAN BATOR, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Overheated economy in Mongolia is leading to significant problems such as high inflation, exchange rate volatility and wage pressures, according to an IMF report released Tuesday.  The report, drafted by Steven Barnett of IMF regional office for Asia and the Pacific, warned that the consequences of the overheating economy could heighten fears about "hard-landing" of the country's economy, especially if external shocks hit the economy.  Barnett blamed the expansive fiscal policy as the main cause of the overheating and economic volatility. "Government spending increased 60 percent in 2011 and is set to rise a further 30 percent this year," he said.  The expansive government spending had created too much demand and lead directly to higher inflation, a substantial increase in imports, exchange rate volatility and a squeezing-out of the private sector, he added.  The IMF official recommended the Mongolian government to immediately scale back its spending.  Mongolia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)grew by 27.8 percent last year at current prices, but high inflation, unstable exchange rate and especially uncertainties in the global economy had posed threats to the mining-dominated economy. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Assad says to cooperate with any effort that supports Syria's stability]]></title>
<news_id>7722646</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722646.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:25:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Tuesday his country's determination to cooperate with " any effort that supports Syria's stability," state-run SANA news agency reported.  Assad's remarks were made during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived at Syria earlier in the day to deliver a message from the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Assad.  Assad stressed his country's determination to achieve a national dialogue  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Tuesday his country's determination to cooperate with " any effort that supports Syria's stability," state-run SANA news agency reported.  Assad's remarks were made during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived at Syria earlier in the day to deliver a message from the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Assad.  Assad stressed his country's determination to achieve a national dialogue with the participation of representatives from the government, opponents and independent figures, said SANA.  According to the report, Assad had briefed Lavrov on the course of events in Syria and the terrorism practiced on the Syrian people and the governmental institution by "terrorists who are supported by external parties."  Assad stressed that his country had welcomed all efforts aiming at supporting a solution to the crisis and fully cooperated with the Arab League (AL) observers despite the obstacles caused by some Arab countries, according to SANA.  Lavrov said that the meeting was "important," during which he voiced his country's readiness to help Syria to get out of the current unrest in accordance with the AL initiative, according to SANA.  He said that Syria needs peace and that a national reconciliation should be achieved away from foreign interference.  "President al-Assad affirmed his commitment as per the Arab plan to the task of putting an end to violence regardless of its source. To this end, Syria affirms its interest in continuing work with the Arab League observer mission and increasing observers' number to cover all points and verify any breaches or violations to the principle of not allowing violence regardless of source," he said.  Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab-European draft resolution that backs an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria. Russia said the draft contains imposition of conditions on the dialogue and called for measures to influence not only the government but also armed groups. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Canadian spy agency uses information obtained by torture: report]]></title>
<news_id>7722633</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722633.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:21:59</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[OTTAWA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government has directed Canada's spy agency to use information extracted through torture in cases where public safety is at stake, a Canadian news agency reported Tuesday.  A two-page directive was issued in December 2010 and was obtained by the Canadian Press, a news co-operative, under the federal Access to Information Act.  It says in "exceptional circumstances" where there is a threat to human life or public safety, urgency may require Canadian Sec ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[OTTAWA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government has directed Canada's spy agency to use information extracted through torture in cases where public safety is at stake, a Canadian news agency reported Tuesday.  A two-page directive was issued in December 2010 and was obtained by the Canadian Press, a news co-operative, under the federal Access to Information Act.  It says in "exceptional circumstances" where there is a threat to human life or public safety, urgency may require Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to "share the most complete information available at the time with relevant authorities, including information based on intelligence provided by foreign agencies that may have been derived from the use of torture or mistreatment."  While the directive does not give CSIS permission to use torture on its own suspects, it allows the agency to accept and use information from agencies that may have used torture to extract the data.  Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told the agency ignoring such information is "an unacceptable risk to public safety."  "Therefore, in situations where a serious risk to public safety exists, and where lives may be at stake, I expect and thus direct CSIS to make the protection of life and property its overriding priority, and share the necessary information -- properly described and qualified -- with appropriate authorities," he wrote.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722633" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722637" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722637"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S. not considering arming Syria's opposition]]></title>
<news_id>7722610</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722610.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 13:16:45</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government said on Tuesday that it is not considering arming the opposition in Syria, as violence continues in an 11-month turmoil facing the Arab nation.  "We're not considering that step right now," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at a regular news briefing.  "We're exploring the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to Syrians, and we're working with our partners, again, to ratchet up the pressure, ratchet up the isolation on Ass ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government said on Tuesday that it is not considering arming the opposition in Syria, as violence continues in an 11-month turmoil facing the Arab nation.  "We're not considering that step right now," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at a regular news briefing.  "We're exploring the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to Syrians, and we're working with our partners, again, to ratchet up the pressure, ratchet up the isolation on Assad and his regime, " he said.  U.S. Senator John McCain on Tuesday called for arming the Syrian opposition, saying "We should start considering all options, including arming the opposition. The bloodletting has got to stop. "  The call came as the UN Security Council failed to agree over the weekend on a resolution backing an Arab League initiative that seeks the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political transition.  "We don't think more arms into Syria is the answer," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.  "We think the answer is to get to a national democratic dialogue, for the violence to stop, for the regime's tanks to come out of the cities, and then for monitors to be able to go back," she said at a regular news briefing.  She rejected a comparison with Libya, where the opposition toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi under the cover of NATO air strikes, saying "Libya was a completely different situation." ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russian envoy slams reports of his meetings on Syria as "blatant lies"]]></title>
<news_id>7722602</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722602.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:19:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin on Tuesday slammed some news reports about his meetings with the Qatari foreign minister here on Syria as "blatant lies" that are "dirty," "provocative" and intended to "drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world."  Churkin told a press conference here that some media carried what he called "incredible reports" about his meetings with Qatari Prime Minster and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al- Thani, who was ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin on Tuesday slammed some news reports about his meetings with the Qatari foreign minister here on Syria as "blatant lies" that are "dirty," "provocative" and intended to "drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world."  Churkin told a press conference here that some media carried what he called "incredible reports" about his meetings with Qatari Prime Minster and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al- Thani, who was at the UN Headquarters a few days ago to seek support from the Security Council for an Arab League plan to demand Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.  "This is with regard to some incredible reports which have surfaced from various sources, some Arab sources, Internet sources from the Arab world about my meetings with the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar here last week," Churkin said.  "According to those reports, they give some rather graphic details of the rude things I said to the prime minister of Qatar and threats I've made, et cetera, et cetera," the Russian diplomat said. "I've been dealing with the media for over a quarter of a century, and I've not said anything like that. There is misinformation. There are lies, there are blatant lies."  "So it's just dishonest and dirty and provocative of course," he said, without mentioning the names of any news media carrying such reports.  According to the senior Russian diplomat, those reports said that he threatened the Qatari leader during their meetings here.  Churkin denied the reports, stressing: "I did not use any threat during the meetings. It's not my style."  He said that he did not even use "a hint of threat" during the meetings.  "There was not even a hint of any threats, intimidation, rudeness from me or from the prime minister of Qatar," Churkin said.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722602" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722605" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722605"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Syrian president meets Russian FM amid violence surge]]></title>
<news_id>7722598</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722598.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:17:17</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad started talks Tuesday with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the current situation in Syria, state-run SANA news agency.  Lavrov arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus Tuesday with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Director Mikhail Fradkov for talks with al-Assad on ways of accelerating steps of democratic reforms in the country, which has witnessed a dramatic surge in violence over the past few days.  Up ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad started talks Tuesday with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the current situation in Syria, state-run SANA news agency.  Lavrov arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus Tuesday with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Director Mikhail Fradkov for talks with al-Assad on ways of accelerating steps of democratic reforms in the country, which has witnessed a dramatic surge in violence over the past few days.  Upon arrival, Lavrov's motorcade drove slowly through hundreds of thousands of Syrians who lined up along the highway leading to the presidential palace where the Russian top diplomat was due to meet with al-Assad.  The crowds were seen waving banners and the Syrian and Russian flags, in a show of gratitude to the double-veto by Russia and China that blocked a UN Security Council resolution against Syria.  Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab-European draft resolution that backs an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria. Russia said the draft contains imposition of conditions on the dialogue and called for measures to influence not only the government but also armed groups.  The double-veto has evoked the anger of the United States, along with its western backers in addition to much of the Arab countries, which introduced an Arab plan to the Security Council to gain its backing.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722598" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722600" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722600"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Maldives army takes over gov't, president reportedly resigns]]></title>
<news_id>7722587</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722587.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 13:19:05</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Maldives army and police have taken control of the government on Tuesday following protests, media sources said.  The source said President Mohamed Nasheed is going to resign officially soon and Vice President will make acting president. However, Maldives High Commission in Colombo said earlier that President Nasheed already resigned, which was denied by an official from the president's office.  Maldives official sources told Xinhua that the government is schedule ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Maldives army and police have taken control of the government on Tuesday following protests, media sources said.  The source said President Mohamed Nasheed is going to resign officially soon and Vice President will make acting president. However, Maldives High Commission in Colombo said earlier that President Nasheed already resigned, which was denied by an official from the president's office.  Maldives official sources told Xinhua that the government is scheduled to issue a statement at 2:30 p.m. local time.  Meanwhile a spokesman for the Maldives opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) told Xinhua via telephone from the Maldives capital Male that there were scenes of jubilation in the country following the announcement that Nasheed had resigned.  DQP spokesman Mohhomad Malech Jamal said that opposition political parties will now meet and decide on holding elections for a new president.  Protests against Nasheed began after the president ordered the arrest of a top criminal court judge over allegations of corruption. Violence broke out on Monday night as the army and police were deployed to break up protesters gathered at Republic Square.  Jamal claimed that a majority of the policemen later supported the protest seeking the removal of Nasheed and this led to a confrontation between the army and police. He said that following Nasheed's resignation, a new police and army chief will be appointed. He also said that some officials of the ruling party headed by Nasheed are expected to be arrested later on Wednesday.  Maldives is a top tourist destination in the world made up of several islands. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Former Maldives president to face charges]]></title>
<news_id>7722580</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722580.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 13:18:44</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mohamed Nasheed who just resigned as president of the Maldives is in custody and will face charges, an opposition spokesman said Tuesday.  Hussain Shareef, chief spokesperson and member of the interim council of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) said Nasheed is in the custody of army and will be granted the constitutional rights.  Nasheed announced his resignation at a televised press conference on Tuesday following overnight protests and demonstrations.  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mohamed Nasheed who just resigned as president of the Maldives is in custody and will face charges, an opposition spokesman said Tuesday.  Hussain Shareef, chief spokesperson and member of the interim council of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) said Nasheed is in the custody of army and will be granted the constitutional rights.  Nasheed announced his resignation at a televised press conference on Tuesday following overnight protests and demonstrations.  Nasheed said at a time of chaos he believes the best for the country would be his resignation adding that he does not want to see further unrest and bloodshed to continue in the country.  He urged all parties to adhere to democratic values and the constitution.  Police and armed forces and opposition are celebrating his resignation on the streets of capital Mal.  His resignation came after opposition protesters continued antigovernment rallies in the capital for 22 consecutive nights, triggered after the detention of criminal court judge Abdullah Mohamed.  Violence broke out on Monday night as the army and police were deployed to break up protesters at Republic Square.Jamal claimed that a majority of the policemen later supported the protest seeking the removal of Nasheed and this led to a confrontation between the army and police.  A spokesman for the Maldives opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party said that following Nasheed's resignation, a new police and army chief will be appointed. He also said that some officials of the ruling party headed by Nasheed would be arrested later on Wednesday.  Maldives, a nation made up of several islands, is a top tourist destination in the world. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia says to continue efforts to solve Syrian crisis amid int'l community pressures]]></title>
<news_id>7722561</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722561.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:10:29</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed Tuesday his country's keenness to continue efforts to solve the Syrian crisis with the Syrian leadership, as the international community ramped up pressures on Syria by withdrawing diplomat missions.  After a three-hour meeting with Assad, Lavrov said the meeting was "important," in which he voiced his country's readiness to help Syria to get out of the current unrest in accordance with the Arab League (AL) initiative ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed Tuesday his country's keenness to continue efforts to solve the Syrian crisis with the Syrian leadership, as the international community ramped up pressures on Syria by withdrawing diplomat missions.  After a three-hour meeting with Assad, Lavrov said the meeting was "important," in which he voiced his country's readiness to help Syria to get out of the current unrest in accordance with the Arab League (AL) initiative, according to official SANA news agency.  Lavrov said that Syria needs peace and that a national reconciliation should be achieved away from foreign interference.  Russia's top diplomat said that Assad has stressed commitment to bring the simmering violence in the country to a close " whatever its source might be."  He said that Assad also showed keenness to work with Arab observers "to be deployed in all demanded spots in order to be sure of the violations and breaches."  He added that he had told AL Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi in a phone call on Monday that Russia believes that it is necessary to preserve and expand the AL observer mission.  Lavrov also underscored the importance of launching a national dialogue combining the government and the opposition with the assistance of the AL.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722561" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722566" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722567" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722566"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Maldives' new president takes office]]></title>
<news_id>7722550</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722550.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:08:06</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mohommad Wahid took office as the new President of the Maldives on Tuesday following the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed, spokesman for the Maldives opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) said.  The spokesman said that Wahid took office as the new president under the constitution of the country and will remain in power till the next election.  In a televised speech on Tuesday, Nasheed said that he had resigned following overnight violence and protes ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[COLOMBO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mohommad Wahid took office as the new President of the Maldives on Tuesday following the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed, spokesman for the Maldives opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) said.  The spokesman said that Wahid took office as the new president under the constitution of the country and will remain in power till the next election.  In a televised speech on Tuesday, Nasheed said that he had resigned following overnight violence and protests.  The protests began after Nasheed ordered the arrest of a top criminal court judge recently.  Violence broke out on Monday night as the army and police were deployed to break up protesters gathered at Republic Square. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['UN stands ready to provide assistance' to Philippines: UN spokesperson]]></title>
<news_id>7722503</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722503.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 17:07:45</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A UN spokesperson on Monday said that the UN "stands ready to provide assistance" to the Philippines in the aftermath of a magnitude 6.9 earthquake.  "The government has not requested international assistance so far, but as always, the United Nations stands ready to provide assistance if needed and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to monitor developments," Martin Nesirky, the UN spokesperson, said at a daily press brief ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A UN spokesperson on Monday said that the UN "stands ready to provide assistance" to the Philippines in the aftermath of a magnitude 6.9 earthquake.  "The government has not requested international assistance so far, but as always, the United Nations stands ready to provide assistance if needed and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to monitor developments," Martin Nesirky, the UN spokesperson, said at a daily press briefing.  According to the government of the Philippines, "seven people have been killed but that there are fears that this number could rise," said Nesirky.  The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology ( Phivolcs) has put the earthquake at magnitude 6.9 which happened shortly before noon Monday. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has put the earthquake's magnitude at 6.7.  Several aftershocks with the strongest of magnitude 6.2 occurred after the strong tremor, which was felt in many provinces of the country, the report said.  ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Cuba cancels national cycling tour again for economic constraints]]></title>
<news_id>7722254</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722254.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:44:33</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[HAVANA, Feb.6 (Xinhua) -- The Tour of Cuba, the most important national cycling race was suspended for the second consecutive year, due to "strong economic constraints", the official Cuban media reported Monday.  The Tour of Cuba, the most important annual cycling race in Cuba, was canceled in 2011 due to "a reorganization" in the plan of national and international competitions of the Cuban National Sports and recreation Institute (INDER).  According to Jit, official daily of INDER, the 2012 ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[HAVANA, Feb.6 (Xinhua) -- The Tour of Cuba, the most important national cycling race was suspended for the second consecutive year, due to "strong economic constraints", the official Cuban media reported Monday.  The Tour of Cuba, the most important annual cycling race in Cuba, was canceled in 2011 due to "a reorganization" in the plan of national and international competitions of the Cuban National Sports and recreation Institute (INDER).  According to Jit, official daily of INDER, the 2012 Tour of Cuba will not be organized, because it was not included in the budget of the year.  The event was created in 1964 and was held every year as the main cycling competition on the island. But the event was suspended from 1991 till 1999, provoking the lost of an entire generation of cyclists in the country. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law election campaign convoy stopped in northern state]]></title>
<news_id>7722236</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722236.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:32:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- India's independent election authorities have stopped a convoy of ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where he has been campaigning for the upcoming polls, media reports said Tuesday.  Robert Vadra, the husband of Sonia's daughter Priyanka, was stopped Monday for flouting poll guidelines by "using more vehicles than the permitted number of 10" during the campaigning, a senior election official told local me ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- India's independent election authorities have stopped a convoy of ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where he has been campaigning for the upcoming polls, media reports said Tuesday.  Robert Vadra, the husband of Sonia's daughter Priyanka, was stopped Monday for flouting poll guidelines by "using more vehicles than the permitted number of 10" during the campaigning, a senior election official told local media.  Robert's wife Priyanka and brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi have been campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, which goes to seven-phase polls, starting Feb. 8, for the 400 assembly seats.  Robert, a successful businessman, later told local TV NDTV news channel that he was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh "to help Rahul Gandhi".  Asked whether he was interested in joining politics, he responded: "Politics requires full focus... But also being associated with a political family I can't sideline it, or you know, run away from it."  Both Priyanka and Rahul have been on fierce, media-centric election campaign trails in Uttar Pradesh with a firm resolve to topple its chief minister Mayawati.  The powerful Election Commission of India is an autonomous, quasi-judiciary constitutional body which ensures that elections are held free and fair across the country. It has the power of superintendence, direction and control of all elections to the Parliament, state legislatures and of elections to the office of the President and Vice-President. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Myanmar proposes holding ethnic groups conference]]></title>
<news_id>7722235</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722235.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:31:05</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[YANGON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A conference, similar to the historical Panlong Conference and participated by all ethnic groups in Myanmar, will be held in Nay Phi Taw to strive for peace in the country, local media reported Tuesday.  U Aung Thaung, leader of the central government's peace-making group, made the disclosure in Taunggyi, Shan state over the weekend, said the Myanmar Newsweek.  On Feb.12, 1947, ethnic leaders met at the Panlong Conference in northeastern Shan state, sponsored under ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[YANGON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A conference, similar to the historical Panlong Conference and participated by all ethnic groups in Myanmar, will be held in Nay Phi Taw to strive for peace in the country, local media reported Tuesday.  U Aung Thaung, leader of the central government's peace-making group, made the disclosure in Taunggyi, Shan state over the weekend, said the Myanmar Newsweek.  On Feb.12, 1947, ethnic leaders met at the Panlong Conference in northeastern Shan state, sponsored under the leadership of late independence hero General Aung San, and signed the Panlong Agreement to strive in unity for the country's independence from the British colonial rule.  According to the report, eight out of 11 ethnic armed groups have reached preliminary peace pacts with the government at respective levels.  Meanwhile, peace talks between Myanmar's central government and Kachin ethnic armed group -- Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) had been held in Ruili, southwest China's border town in Yunnan Province, for two times over the past two months without reaching agreement.  However, the two sides agreed that the peace talks will continue to build trust andrealize eternal peace.  President U Thein Sein made a peace offer on Aug. 18, 2011, calling on anti-government ethnic armed groups to hold peace talks to end insurgency and build internal peace in the country. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google removes offensive webpages as ordered by Indian court]]></title>
<news_id>7722223</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722223.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:25:59</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-based search giant Google has told a trial court in the Indian capital that it has removed certain offensive webpages from the web in compliance with the court's order, local media reported Tuesday.  Google India informed the court of additional civil judge Praveen Singh that as per its directions, the search giant has removed the contents, the daily The Times of India reported.  The court had last December directed Google and 21 other websites, many fo ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-based search giant Google has told a trial court in the Indian capital that it has removed certain offensive webpages from the web in compliance with the court's order, local media reported Tuesday.  Google India informed the court of additional civil judge Praveen Singh that as per its directions, the search giant has removed the contents, the daily The Times of India reported.  The court had last December directed Google and 21 other websites, many foreign-based, to remove all the objectionable content in the form of photographs, videos or texts which might hurt religious sentiments.  Meanwhile, Facebook India told the court that it does not control or operate the servers that host the website available at www.facebook.com, which are located in the United States.  In fact, the court's order was in the wake of a civil case filed by a man who sought removal of "anti-religious" or "anti- social" content in the form of photographs, videos or texts which might hurt religious sentiments.  While Facebook and Google India filed their compliance reports, Yahoo! and Microsoft filed applications for deletion of their names from the civil complaint stating that there was no allegation against them of webcasting any objectionable content, the report said.  After the hearing, the court directed the accused to file compliance report within 15 days from the date of the order while fixing the matter for further arguments on March 1. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Death toll from Philippine earthquake rises to 52]]></title>
<news_id>7722219</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722219.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:17:10</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the maganitude 6. 7 earthquake that jolted the central Philippine province of Negros Oriental on Monday rose to 52, local officials said Tuesday.  At least 29 people were killed in a quake-triggered landslide in the village of Planas in Guihulngan City, mayor Ernesto Reyes said.  Reyes said 10 others died due to a landslide on the Guihulngan national road.  A nine-year-old girl was killed when a wall collapsed in nearby Tayasan township while  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the maganitude 6. 7 earthquake that jolted the central Philippine province of Negros Oriental on Monday rose to 52, local officials said Tuesday.  At least 29 people were killed in a quake-triggered landslide in the village of Planas in Guihulngan City, mayor Ernesto Reyes said.  Reyes said 10 others died due to a landslide on the Guihulngan national road.  A nine-year-old girl was killed when a wall collapsed in nearby Tayasan township while 12 other fatalities were listed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.  Roel Degamo, governor of Negros Oriental, said the earthquake had damaged eight bridges, three of which were no longer passable.  Degamo said soldiers and police are now conducting rescue and relief operations. The governor also suspended all classes and work in government offices for the rest of the day.  By Tuesday morning, residents of Negros Oriental province were allowed to return to their homes. Degamo ordered the local rescue organ to prepare relief goods for local residents.  The Philippines sits in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire with frequent earthquakes and volcanic activities.  The deadliest earthquake in the country happened on Aug. 16, 1976 when an ensuing tsunami killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people in the Moro Gulf region in southern Philippines. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sarkozy defends convergence with Germany]]></title>
<news_id>7722217</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722217.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:13:04</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[PARIS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday stressed the need to converge with Germany and "put beside rivalry" between Berlin and Paris.  Speaking to the state-owned TV channel France 2, Sarkozy highlighted the necessity of a "total and complete alliance between France and Germany" in order to stem the eurozone debt crisis.  "We don't seek for who will win and who will lose. They would be only losers if we had argued, but there are only winners if we work together," ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[PARIS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday stressed the need to converge with Germany and "put beside rivalry" between Berlin and Paris.  Speaking to the state-owned TV channel France 2, Sarkozy highlighted the necessity of a "total and complete alliance between France and Germany" in order to stem the eurozone debt crisis.  "We don't seek for who will win and who will lose. They would be only losers if we had argued, but there are only winners if we work together," Sarkozy said.  Facing criticism of stepping into German Chancellor Angela Merkel's shoes, Sarkozy defended his policy of convergence with Berlin as "to focus and see what to do for the good of (both) countries and also for Europe."  "In convergence there is no imitation. We have to learn from Germany," Sarkozy said in a joint interview with Merkel, adding that the two countries "have to work hand in hand and put beside the rivalries." ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Yemen to kick off one-man presidential campaign]]></title>
<news_id>7722213</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722213.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:12:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's one-candidate presidential election campaign, as part of a UN-backed power transfer deal to ease the 33-year ruler, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, out of office, is due to officially start on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the Yemeni state media on Monday.  "Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is the only candidate in the Feb. 21 polls, will on Tuesday give his first television advertisement for his presidential election campaign during an o ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SANAA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's one-candidate presidential election campaign, as part of a UN-backed power transfer deal to ease the 33-year ruler, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, out of office, is due to officially start on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the Yemeni state media on Monday.  "Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is the only candidate in the Feb. 21 polls, will on Tuesday give his first television advertisement for his presidential election campaign during an official ceremony," the statement said.  It said the campaign would kick off under a slogan "Together, we will build new Yemen," as Hadi would introduce his platform in a speech to be aired by the state television.  The ceremony is expected to be witnessed by a high attendance, including leaders of the country's ruling and opposition parties who signed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered deal, as well as foreign ambassadors to Yemen.  The 65-year-old vice president, who was promoted last month to the rank of Field Marshal in a republican decree issued by Saleh a few days before he travelled to the United States for medical treatment, is expected to run Yemen during a two-year interim period with a crucial mission to pull the country back from the brink of civil war through restructuring and uniting the rival armed forces and introducing constitutional reforms.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722213" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722215" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722215"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Rockin' Race Jamboree Festival]]></title>
<news_id>7722021</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7722021.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 13:22:21</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722021" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722029" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722030" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722031" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722029"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center> ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722021" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722029" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722030" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722031" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722029"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Freezing weather in Geneva, Switzerland]]></title>
<news_id>7721996</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721996.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 13:09:55</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721996" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721999" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722000" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722001" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722002" class="abl2">【5】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721999"><img s ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721996" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721999" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722000" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722001" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7722002" class="abl2">【5】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721999"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Christ the Redeemer statue lit up]]></title>
<news_id>7721854</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721854.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 12:08:25</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721854" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721858" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721859" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721860" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721858"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center> ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721854" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721858" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721859" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721860" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721858"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Masks workshop in Venice]]></title>
<news_id>7721845</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721845.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 11:07:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721845" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721849" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721850" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721849"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$                                                                        ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721845" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721849" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721850" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721849"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[UN chief 'strongly condemns' attacks in Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7721836</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721836.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:26:03</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon on Monday said that he is "appalled" by growing violence in Syria, and that he condemns such harmful activities.  "The secretary-general strongly condemns these attacks," said a statement released here by Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky.  In the statement, Ban said that there has been continuing bloodshed in the Syrian city of Homs, including the reported use of heavy artillery and shelling of civilian areas. He called such  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon on Monday said that he is "appalled" by growing violence in Syria, and that he condemns such harmful activities.  "The secretary-general strongly condemns these attacks," said a statement released here by Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky.  In the statement, Ban said that there has been continuing bloodshed in the Syrian city of Homs, including the reported use of heavy artillery and shelling of civilian areas. He called such violence "totally unacceptable before humanity."  "The secretary-general deeply regrets that the Syrian authorities continue to ignore the pressing calls of the international community to stop using force against civilians," said the statement. "All violence must end immediately."  According to the statement, Ban has called for a redoubling of efforts within Syria and the international community to stop the violence and facilitate a Syrian-led political process to shift the country to a democratic and pluralistic political system. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[News Analysis: Doha declaration a breakthrough greeted with doubts]]></title>
<news_id>7721829</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721829.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 11:00:23</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Monday's Doha declaration, announced by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, marks a long-awaited breakthrough on forming a Palestinian unity government, but has met with doubts about whether Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas movement will be committed to implement it.  The declaration was signed in Doha, Qatar, after three intensive meetings between Abbas and Meshaal over the past 24 hours. The deal ended a dispute between the two rivals  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Monday's Doha declaration, announced by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, marks a long-awaited breakthrough on forming a Palestinian unity government, but has met with doubts about whether Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas movement will be committed to implement it.  The declaration was signed in Doha, Qatar, after three intensive meetings between Abbas and Meshaal over the past 24 hours. The deal ended a dispute between the two rivals on forming a transitional unity government, which is a major part in a reconciliation pact signed in Cairo in May 2011.  According to the declaration, Abbas will head the interim government, which will include independent ministers and will prepare for holding the presidential and legislative elections in the Palestinian territories and reconstructing the Gaza Strip.  However, some Palestinian observers said the declaration did not include specific dates for forming the interim government or for holding the general elections, nor did it achieve any substantial progress in the entire issue of reconciliation.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721829" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721831" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721832" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721833" class="abl2">&$【4】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721831"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Hundreds of dolphins stranded on beach，USA]]></title>
<news_id>7721781</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721781.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:23:33</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721781" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721784" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721785" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721784"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$                                                                        ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721781" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721784" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721785" class="abl2">【3】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721784"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Snow, ice plague western Balkans]]></title>
<news_id>7721729</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721729.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:05:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BELGRADE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Snow and ice continued to obstruct travel in the western Balkans, as roads on the interior of Montenegro were largely closed on Monday while hundreds of villages in central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remain cut off under a heavy blanket of snow, according to local media reports.  Low temperatures and unrelenting snowfall that measure over a meter in many places closed the main road artery in Montenegro from the capital of Podgorica to Mojkovac. The airport at Pod ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BELGRADE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Snow and ice continued to obstruct travel in the western Balkans, as roads on the interior of Montenegro were largely closed on Monday while hundreds of villages in central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remain cut off under a heavy blanket of snow, according to local media reports.  Low temperatures and unrelenting snowfall that measure over a meter in many places closed the main road artery in Montenegro from the capital of Podgorica to Mojkovac. The airport at Podgorica was also closed once again due to snow.  In the neighboring BiH, the mountainous communities surrounding Sarajevo remain isolated due to accumulated snowfall and with temperatures that dip toward minus 20 degrees Celsius.  The town of Zvornik, in the east of the country near the River Drina, is said to be without electricity. BiH Army helicopters were used to deliver good to residents of Fazlagica Kula, near the town of Gacko.  Meteorologists in the region have offered no comfort to citizens of the embattled western Balkans, forecasting more snow, extremely cold temperatures and strong winds in the coming days. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA["Bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe" to be released on bail]]></title>
<news_id>7721725</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721725.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:03:07</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Radical preacher Abu Qatada, who was once known as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", was granted bail in London on Monday and is expected to be released from prison next week.  Judge John Mitting ruled Qatada should be freed with stringent bail conditions at a hearing at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).  Qatada, who is accused of posing a grave threat to Britain's national security, appealed to be freed as he fights deportation to Jord ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Radical preacher Abu Qatada, who was once known as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", was granted bail in London on Monday and is expected to be released from prison next week.  Judge John Mitting ruled Qatada should be freed with stringent bail conditions at a hearing at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).  Qatada, who is accused of posing a grave threat to Britain's national security, appealed to be freed as he fights deportation to Jordan.  He will be confined to his home with two one-hour periods of outdoor activity a day, in the similar conditions set in 2008.  Mitting said it would take "between a few days and about a week" for the Security Service (MI5) to check the proposed bail address, which was not revealed by the court, before Qatada can be released.  The judge also ruled the Home Secretary Theresa May has three months to show progress is being made in negotiations with Jordan or restrictions on Qatada's liberty may not be acceptable any longer.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721725" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721727" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721727"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Gun salute starts British Queen's Diamond Jubilee]]></title>
<news_id>7721723</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721723.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:00:57</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The official start of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year was marked at noon on Monday with a 41-gun salute in central London's Hyde Park.  Several thousand spectators and hundreds of journalists from across the world turned out in Hyde Park to see six horse-drawn gun teams and 100 members of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire 41 rounds to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen coming to the throne.  The ceremonial event also marked a poignant moment ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[LONDON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The official start of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year was marked at noon on Monday with a 41-gun salute in central London's Hyde Park.  Several thousand spectators and hundreds of journalists from across the world turned out in Hyde Park to see six horse-drawn gun teams and 100 members of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire 41 rounds to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen coming to the throne.  The ceremonial event also marked a poignant moment for the soldiers and horses of the unit, which is changing its home from the barracks in north west London where it has been for decades to a new home, in the London Olympics venue of Woolwich Barracks.  The move is expected to save money for the cash-strapped British military budget.  The officer in charge of the King's Troop, Major Mark Edward, told Xinhua, "We are hugely privileged as the saluting battery to Her Majesty's Household that we have had the honor to fire a 41-gun royal salute to mark this occasion."  The guns are now antiques. They are 13 pounder quick-firing guns, which are drawn by horses. All of them saw action in the First World War, more than 94 years ago, and have been retained for ceremonial purposes ever since.  Major Edward explained, "The 13 pounder, quick fire gun was the de facto weapon of the Royal Horse Artillery during the First World War. All of the Royal Horse Artillery units would have used it."  Some of the soldiers in the saluting battery had recently been in action in the continuing war in Afghanistan.  "Everyone in the King's Troop is trained as a soldier first and foremost," said Major Edward.  For him this is the first Accession Day gun-salute as the unit's commanding officer, and he was looking forward to an extensive list of other ceremonial gun salutes in the coming 12 months.  "We are traditional country and its important we reflect national anniversaries and other tradition of state. There are events throughout the year. We fire on a number of royal anniversaries; April 21 for the Queen's birthday; June 2, for the anniversary of the coronation; June 10, for the Duke of Edinburgh's birthday; November 14, for the Prince of Wales's birthday," Major Edward added. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Heavy snow causes traffic chaos in Macedonia]]></title>
<news_id>7721721</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721721.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:00:09</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SKOPJE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfalls in Macedonia have brought traffic chaos in the small western Balkan country, local media reported Monday.  Flow of traffic on the roads is slow due to the snow fall, with heavy vehicles being banned at some road sections, MIA, Macedonia's official news agency, reported.  Trains to and from the central station in capital Skopje have suffered delays. The Skopje bus station has also reported delays in inter-city traffic.  Skopje airport "Alexander th ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SKOPJE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfalls in Macedonia have brought traffic chaos in the small western Balkan country, local media reported Monday.  Flow of traffic on the roads is slow due to the snow fall, with heavy vehicles being banned at some road sections, MIA, Macedonia's official news agency, reported.  Trains to and from the central station in capital Skopje have suffered delays. The Skopje bus station has also reported delays in inter-city traffic.  Skopje airport "Alexander the Great" has been closed for the day. Planes have been re-directed to Istanbul in Turkey and Sofia in Bulgaria.  It was reported that the snowfalls, which began since Monday morning, will intensify in evening, accompanied by northeast winds.  It was forecast that the snow will continue to fall into Tuesday and not stop until Wednesday. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russia may boost nuclear arsenal to respond to threats: deputy defense minister]]></title>
<news_id>7721719</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721719.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:59:15</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia may have to expand its nuclear arsenal to meet emerging global threats, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has said.  Antonov, in an interview with the Kommersant Daily published Monday, said that new challenges are emerging in the world, including nuclear proliferation and unrest in the Middle East.  "That's why Russia's military doctrine envisages the use of nuclear weapons in specific cases," Antonov said. "I do not rule out that under certain circum ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia may have to expand its nuclear arsenal to meet emerging global threats, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has said.  Antonov, in an interview with the Kommersant Daily published Monday, said that new challenges are emerging in the world, including nuclear proliferation and unrest in the Middle East.  "That's why Russia's military doctrine envisages the use of nuclear weapons in specific cases," Antonov said. "I do not rule out that under certain circumstances we will have to boost, not cut, our nuclear arsenal."  Antonov also criticized the U.S.-led European missile defense system as the main threat to Russia's security. He said that American strategic weapons, including the missile defense system, have been getting closer to Russia's borders since the Cold War.  "Components of the U.S. global missile defense network deployed in other regions also contain an anti-Russian potential," Antonov said.  Russian-U.S. talks on the missile system are deadlocked, he said, adding that Moscow may quit its strategic arms treaty with the U.S. that was signed in 2010.  Moscow has long opposed the deployment of American-led NATO missile defense facilities near its borders and wants legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that the shield is not targeting Russia. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Interview: Moscow rejects foreign involvement in Syria: senior official]]></title>
<news_id>7721712</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721712.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:58:13</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Moscow opposes any kind of outside intervention, political or diplomatic, in the ongoing Syrian crisis, a senior Russian official told Xinhua on Monday.  Vladimir Jabarov, first deputy head of the international committee of the Russian Federal Council (upper house of the parliament), said that Russia's stance on the crisis remains unchanged and unequivocal.  "Any international intervention into Syrian affairs would inevitably lead to a civil war with foreign partic ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Moscow opposes any kind of outside intervention, political or diplomatic, in the ongoing Syrian crisis, a senior Russian official told Xinhua on Monday.  Vladimir Jabarov, first deputy head of the international committee of the Russian Federal Council (upper house of the parliament), said that Russia's stance on the crisis remains unchanged and unequivocal.  "Any international intervention into Syrian affairs would inevitably lead to a civil war with foreign participation," Jabarov said. "Russia cannot allow the UN Security Council to trigger that course of events."  Jabarov spoke after Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab-European draft resolution that backs an Arab League plan to promote a government change in Syria.  Russia said the draft contains an imposition of conditions on the dialogue and called for balanced measures that will not only influence the government but also armed groups in the troubled Mideastern country.  Jabarov said Russia's decision was based on past experience, adding that the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak did not bring about stability in his country.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721712" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721714" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721714"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[EU cannot act as sole toll bearer of the skies]]></title>
<news_id>7721687</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721687.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 08:59:34</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China has taken a tough stance against the EU charges on carbon emissions from flights in and out of the EU by forbidding domestic airlines from taking part in the carbon-emissions system on Monday. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chinese airlines are not allowed to pay the tax or add on other fees without government permission.  The news spread online quickly and was welcomed by most. In a Sina survey conducted, 85.1 percent of respondents thought China should go furt ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China has taken a tough stance against the EU charges on carbon emissions from flights in and out of the EU by forbidding domestic airlines from taking part in the carbon-emissions system on Monday. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chinese airlines are not allowed to pay the tax or add on other fees without government permission.  The news spread online quickly and was welcomed by most. In a Sina survey conducted, 85.1 percent of respondents thought China should go further and file a lawsuit against the  EU.   The EU started thinking about imposing charges on carbon emissions from airlines at the end of 2008. This proved controversial from the very beginning and was fiercely opposed by dozens of countries including the US, China and Russia, but EU stuck to its guns, even threatening to ban dissenters. It could not convince people that the scheme was purely for environmental protection purposes. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said that the civil aviation industry of China would have to pay least 800 million yuan ($126.7 million) in 2012 and approximately 17.6 billion yuan in the next 9 years if they were forced to join the system.   The scheme is unfavorable to both developed and developing countries. It could not only hit airline companies mired in a financial crisis, but also breaches the principle of common and differential liabilities in dealing with climate change as laid out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.   It is questioning whether the problem of carbon emissions could be really solved by adopting such a scheme, but it is obvious that the EU is looking to make others pay for its carbon emissions.   To fight against the EU, the US filed a lawsuit at the end of 2009 but failed as the court defended the EU charges, saying they neither violated relevant international taxation laws nor international agreements on airspace. Now China is delivering its punch.   In essence, the EU decision to charge for carbon emissions from flights is a unilateral decision that could only be met with opposition. Such a decision could act as a kind of trade barrier.   The EU should wake up to the fact that a program that has no support among other countries could hardly be operable.   Curbing global warming is our shared goal. There is still some time to negotiate to find a solution.    ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Values are thin excuses to start new wars]]></title>
<news_id>7721686</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721686.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:26:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The US is apparently angered by the vetoes of China and Russia concerning the UN Security Council resolution on Syria. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "a neutered Security Council." The US and Europe are likely to move against Syria without UN backing.  China and Russia are acting within the UN framework, but the US and Europe are trying to set their own rules. In the 2003 Iraq war, France and Germany shared the same stance as China and Russia. During the Bosnia-Herzegovina war ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The US is apparently angered by the vetoes of China and Russia concerning the UN Security Council resolution on Syria. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "a neutered Security Council." The US and Europe are likely to move against Syria without UN backing.  China and Russia are acting within the UN framework, but the US and Europe are trying to set their own rules. In the 2003 Iraq war, France and Germany shared the same stance as China and Russia. During the Bosnia-Herzegovina war in the 1990s, the UK and France sided with Russia.   It is far different now. Shared values are bonding Europe and the US again diplomatically. They both adopt this value diplomacy as a powerful tool in the current global competition. With their declining technologic advantage, values are being applied to widen the gap between the West and the developing countries.  The US still enjoys dominant military power, which helped it win the Cold War and smash the Milosevic and Saddam regimes. But now it faces economic competition from emerging countries, where military power cannot help directly.  The Arab Spring is extending revolutions to wider regions, giving a debt-stricken West an opportunity to catch its breath. If it continues to create ripples, the current world economic growth structure may be disrupted. Similar "revolutions" will be encouraged by the West around the world. Their military power will make sure resistance to such "revolutions" is removed.  However, it is currently the worst fiscal climate for the West since World War II. They cannot copy the post-war Marshall Plan to build several democratic model countries with strong financial support. The economic takeoffs of Japan and South Korea, largely a result of their alliance with the US, may not happen again.   But the US is still capable of toppling some countries. Value diplomacy, amplified by the Internet, is unseating some small regimes and causing disturbances in larger nations. The budding of "revolutions" has a clear source in the West. In the Arab region, they largely decide where the "revolution" takes place.  The fate of today's Iraq and Afghanistan is completely different from that of Japan and South Korea. Now the West can uproot a regime, but can hardly rebuild it. It remains highly uncertain what the transplant of Western values will produce in developing countries. Syria may be the next to learn. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Abbas to head transitional Palestinian gov't, prepare for elections]]></title>
<news_id>7721672</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721672.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:36:41</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DOHA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will head the upcoming transitional government, according to an agreement signed in Qatar's capital Doha on Monday, Xinhua reported.  In the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani, Fatah chief Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal signed the deal in Doha on Monday, to form a unified transitional government for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The new Palestinian government is expected to be formed within the next f ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[DOHA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will head the upcoming transitional government, according to an agreement signed in Qatar's capital Doha on Monday, Xinhua reported.  In the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani, Fatah chief Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal signed the deal in Doha on Monday, to form a unified transitional government for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The new Palestinian government is expected to be formed within the next few weeks, with Abbas as prime minister, pan-Arab TV channel al-Jazeera reported.  The upcoming transitional government will prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections, and oversee reconstruction work in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian factions, however, on Monday did not say when to hold these elections.  It is not immediately clear whether current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad would join the upcoming transitional government.  On late Sunday, an official from Abbas' Fatah party said that Palestinian rivals had preliminarily accepted a Qatari proposal that Abbas should lead the interim government to end the chronic split.  Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006, but seized the Gaza Strip by force a year later and kept the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority (PNA) confined to the West Bank.  In May 2011, Hamas and Fatah signed an Egypt-brokered reconciliation agreement in Egypt's capital Cairo, under which the two movements agreed to form a transitional government of technocrats. Later, the Palestinian factions agreed to hold elections in May 2012.  In December 2011, leaders of the Islamic Hamas movement and Fatah party agreed to honestly implement the Egypt-brokered reconciliation pact. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran calls for dialogue to resolve issues with EU]]></title>
<news_id>7721671</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721671.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:35:26</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said dialogue is the best way to resolve " misunderstandings" between Iran and the European Union (EU), the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.  Iran welcomes enhanced cooperation with Europe in political, economic and parliamentary field, Boroujerdi said in a meeting with Danish Ambassador Anders Christian Hougaard on Sunday.  However, not long ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said dialogue is the best way to resolve " misunderstandings" between Iran and the European Union (EU), the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.  Iran welcomes enhanced cooperation with Europe in political, economic and parliamentary field, Boroujerdi said in a meeting with Danish Ambassador Anders Christian Hougaard on Sunday.  However, not long ago, Iranian lawmakers were reportedly discussing cuts on oil exports to the EU as a preemptive move in response to the bloc's fresh sanctions targeting its oil sales.  Iranian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the idea of oil export cuts needs further discussion and the final decision will be announced in the future.  On another related note, Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Saturday that Tehran will definitely stop its oil exports to certain European countries.  Qasemi has called on the EU to review its decision to embargo Iran's oil sales, dismissing the threat of such a move as limited because the EU only imports one fifth of the total foreign sales of Iran's oil. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Russian FM says UNSC vote on Syria resolution too hasty]]></title>
<news_id>7721668</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721668.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:34:36</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that the UN Security Council (UNSC) vote late last week on a draft resolution on Syria was conducted too quickly.  Lavrov called the vote an attempt to shift blame for the resolution's failure onto some countries.  "Some people really wanted to shift the blame onto someone, which was more important for them than reaching a consensus in the UN Security Council, which was very realistic," Lavrov said.  He said that ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that the UN Security Council (UNSC) vote late last week on a draft resolution on Syria was conducted too quickly.  Lavrov called the vote an attempt to shift blame for the resolution's failure onto some countries.  "Some people really wanted to shift the blame onto someone, which was more important for them than reaching a consensus in the UN Security Council, which was very realistic," Lavrov said.  He said that Moscow had asked for more time to consider the UNSC resolution after Russian officials visited Damascus, but the proposal was refused by some Western countries.  "The refusal to wait for (our) return from Damascus clearly showed disrespect," Lavrov said.  Meanwhile, the foreign minister said that Russia has the right to veto a resolution. He also reiterated that Russia's stance on the Syria issue would not change.  "The co-authors (of the draft) wanted to make the regime stop violence without giving any obligations to the armed groups which are fighting this regime," Lavrov said.  "We have made a number of amendments to repair its (the draft's) imbalance and to define steps we expect the opposition and the world to take as regards armed extremists in Syria," he said.  Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab-European draft resolution that backs an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria.  Russia said the draft contains imposition of conditions on the dialogue and called for measures to influence not only the government but also armed groups.  Lavrov and Mikhail Fradkov, director of the service for external intelligence of Russia, will travel to Syria on Tuesday to meet with President Bashar al-Assad. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Israeli PM slams Abbas over Hamas-Fatah deal]]></title>
<news_id>7721663</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721663.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:44:53</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday condemned Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas for signing a unity government agreement with Hamas earlier in the day in Doha, Qatar.  "It's either peace with Hamas or peace with Israel," Netanyahu said.  According to the deal, signed in the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, a unified transitional government will be formed for the West Bank and Gaza Strip and be  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday condemned Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas for signing a unity government agreement with Hamas earlier in the day in Doha, Qatar.  "It's either peace with Hamas or peace with Israel," Netanyahu said.  According to the deal, signed in the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, a unified transitional government will be formed for the West Bank and Gaza Strip and be headed by Abbas.  But Netanyahu said the deal broke the existing Oslo Accords between the Palestinians and Israel.  "Hamas is a terror organization that strives for the elimination of Israel, and leaning on Iranian support," Netanyahu said in a Likud party meeting.  "I have said many times before that the Palestinian Authority must choose between an alliance with Hamas and peace with Israel," he said, adding that "Hamas and peace doesn't go together."  The agreement comes some two weeks after the failure of a series of five exploratory talks between Israel and the PNA held in Amman, Jordan. Netanyahu mentioned that efforts were made in recent weeks to get the long-stalled peace talks back on track.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721663" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721664" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721664"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[California kicks off campaign to tax the rich]]></title>
<news_id>7721619</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721619.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:12:04</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to tax the rich has started in California as Restoring California coalition kicked off its signature campaign here Monday to qualify a "Millionaire Tax Initiative"on the November ballot.  Marc Rich, an activist of the Restoring California coalition formed by educators and community leaders, told Xinhua the campaign got inspirations from the Occupy Wall Street movement that the richest people in American are not paying their fair share of taxes.  Acc ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to tax the rich has started in California as Restoring California coalition kicked off its signature campaign here Monday to qualify a "Millionaire Tax Initiative"on the November ballot.  Marc Rich, an activist of the Restoring California coalition formed by educators and community leaders, told Xinhua the campaign got inspirations from the Occupy Wall Street movement that the richest people in American are not paying their fair share of taxes.  According to Rich, the Millionaires Tax Act will ask people who earn in excess of 1 million dollars per year to pay 3 percent more in taxes on any income over their first million, and people who make 2 million dollars per year to pay 2 percent more (a total of 5 percent).  The act would raise an estimated 6 billion dollars per year for schools (early childhood through higher education), senior and disabled services, public safety, and rebuilding roads and bridges. 60 percent would go to education, 25 percent to services, 10 percent to public safety, and 5 percent on roads and bridges. Local services will be funded through block grants to counties, according to Rich.  The Millionaires Tax Initiative is spearheaded by the California Federation of Teachers and the Courage Campaign along with the Restoring California coalition.  Due to the Great Recession, coupled with many years of inadequate tax rates on the rich, the state of California now suffers an annual budget deficit of around 10 billion to 14 billion dollars, according to the Restoring California coalition.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721619" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721623" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721624" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721623"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[3 killed, over 100 trapped under collapsed building in Pakistan]]></title>
<news_id>7721610</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721610.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:10:21</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ISLAMABAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, 17 injured and over 100 buried under the rubbles of a factory building that collapsed following a boiler explosion in eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, local media reported.  The explosion took place in the morning when over 100 people including 60 women and more than 40 kids were working in the three- storey pharmaceutical factory building.  The residents said that the factory was constructed some 30 years ago and mo ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ISLAMABAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, 17 injured and over 100 buried under the rubbles of a factory building that collapsed following a boiler explosion in eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, local media reported.  The explosion took place in the morning when over 100 people including 60 women and more than 40 kids were working in the three- storey pharmaceutical factory building.  The residents said that the factory was constructed some 30 years ago and most of its employees were women and children.  The rescue workers told media that they could hear the people trapped under the rubble yelling for help.  Running a factory in a densely populated residential area is against the law of the country and the residents said that the factory had been previously closed for five times on court orders but it was reopened due to the political influence of its owner.  The rescue operation is hindered by the narrow lane around the fallen building and the removal of debris could take more than 12 hours.  The adjacent building has been declared dangerous and the residents have been evacuated.  Chief Minister of Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif has directed the rescue workers to carry out the operation carefully.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721610" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721616" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721617" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721616"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Airlines told not to pay EU carbon tax]]></title>
<news_id>7721593</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721593.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 13:33:57</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Civil aviation authorities Monday ordered the nation's airlines not to comply with the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), sending out China's "most concrete signal of opposition" to the unilateral carbon emission tax scheme.   "China objects to the EU's decision to impose the scheme on non-EU airlines, and has expressed its concerns through various channels," the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement after releasing the directive.  The CAAC said it had been autho ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Civil aviation authorities Monday ordered the nation's airlines not to comply with the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), sending out China's "most concrete signal of opposition" to the unilateral carbon emission tax scheme.   "China objects to the EU's decision to impose the scheme on non-EU airlines, and has expressed its concerns through various channels," the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement after releasing the directive.  The CAAC said it had been authorized by the State Council to notify all domestic airlines of the order. Under the directive, Chinese airlines are also prohibited from increasing fares or charging items on the grounds of the ETS.  The order came shortly after the scheme took effect January 1, which required international flights departing from or landing at the airports of the bloc's 27 nations to pay for the carbon emissions.  Airlines that refuse to comply with the EU scheme could possibly be fined 100 euros ($131.25) per ton of carbon dioxide or even face a flight ban in extreme cases, but the charges will not be collected until April 30, 2013.  "The ETS has violated the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and related principles and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization," the CAAC argued.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721593" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721595" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721596" class="abl2">&$【3】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721597" class="abl2">&$【4】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721595"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Amazon to launch a retail store: report]]></title>
<news_id>7721587</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/202936/7721587.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:01:34</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is planning to open a retail store in Seattle as a pilot test to see if a chain of stores would be profitable, U.S. media reported on Monday.  Amazon will go with the small boutique route focusing on books from its line of Amazon Exclusives as well as their e-readers and tablets, according to a report by goodereader.com, a website on latest news of electronic readers.  The company will stock "shelves with only hig ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is planning to open a retail store in Seattle as a pilot test to see if a chain of stores would be profitable, U.S. media reported on Monday.  Amazon will go with the small boutique route focusing on books from its line of Amazon Exclusives as well as their e-readers and tablets, according to a report by goodereader.com, a website on latest news of electronic readers.  The company will stock "shelves with only high margin and high- end items. Their intention is to mainly hustle their entire line of Kindle e-Readers and the Kindle Fire. They also will be stocking a ton of accessories such as cases, screen protectors, and USB adapters," said the report.  Amazon has tested several concepts in Seattle, such as its fresh food delivery service.  Meanwhile, having retail stores means Amazon will have to start paying more taxes. The company has been under increasing pressure from state governments and traditional retailers as it only collects sales taxes from customers in only five U.S. states.  Amazon already collects sales tax in the state of Washington, so it won't have challenges for opening a store in Seattle. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Gulf coast oil businesses still suffering as drilling permits slow down after BP spill: study]]></title>
<news_id>7721578</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721578.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 09:00:34</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[HOUSTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Gulf coast economies have been suffering from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil and gas businesses have to lay off workers and relocate away from the region with government permits for deepwater drilling continuing to fall, U.S. media reported on Monday.  Federal regulators have issued 43 permits for new deepwater wells at a monthly average of about 2.5 since the moratorium imposed shortly after the outbreak of the spill ended on Oct. 12, 2010, d ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[HOUSTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Gulf coast economies have been suffering from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil and gas businesses have to lay off workers and relocate away from the region with government permits for deepwater drilling continuing to fall, U.S. media reported on Monday.  Federal regulators have issued 43 permits for new deepwater wells at a monthly average of about 2.5 since the moratorium imposed shortly after the outbreak of the spill ended on Oct. 12, 2010, down from an average of 5.8 per month prior to the oil spill, reported The Houston Chronicle, citing a latest study by the regional economic alliance Greater New Orleans Inc..  The study found that permit approval took an average 109 days in 2011, compared to 61 days during the five years prior. The percentage of drilling plans approved fell to 34 percent in 2011, from an average of 73 percent in the previous years.  Forty-nine percent of the 99 companies surveyed by the group said they had laid off workers in response to the moratorium, including engineers, office staff, riggers and captains. About 38 percent of the respondents said they reduced employee hours or salaries. The average annual revenue for the responding companies fell from 136.5 million U.S. dollars before the spill to 104.5 million now.  However, the study shows that the oil and gas extraction industry in Louisiana didn't lay off workers, maintaining about 8, 500 employees before and after the moratorium, thanks to greater onshore oil drilling in the state's shale gas areas.  BP's Macondo well ruptured after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in April 2010, spewing up to 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months in the world's worst marine oil spill. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Canadian PM Harper heads to China to enhance strategic partnership]]></title>
<news_id>7721570</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721570.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:58:23</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[OTTAWA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper left here on Monday for an official visit to China in a bid to enhance the Sino-Canadian strategic partnership.  To demonstrate the importance of his second visit to China since he took office in 2006, Harper is bringing a large delegation of Ministers and Members of Parliament, including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, Agriculture Minister Gerry R ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[OTTAWA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper left here on Monday for an official visit to China in a bid to enhance the Sino-Canadian strategic partnership.  To demonstrate the importance of his second visit to China since he took office in 2006, Harper is bringing a large delegation of Ministers and Members of Parliament, including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Minister of State for Seniors Alice Wong.  Also travelling is a large business delegation with representatives from the energy, transport, education, and many other sectors on the visit which will take them to Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing from Feb. 7-11.  Harper said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday that Canada is looking for new markets for its goods and services, and China and the entire Asia-Pacific region are an area of tremendous opportunity.  "We hope to expand on our strategic partnership with China, and in particular we hope to deepen the economic and trade ties between our two countries," he said.  Harper stressed that like China, Canada is also a Pacific nation with a growing economy and strong potential, so it makes sense for China and Canada to be fully engaged with each other.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721570" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721571" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721571"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Nevada GOP declares Romney winner in caucuses]]></title>
<news_id>7721563</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721563.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:56:36</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two days after Nevada presidential caucuses closed, the state's Republican Party on Monday finally finished counting of the ballots and declared former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney winner, with about 50 percent of support from caucuses goers.  In a statement posted on the party's website, officials also declared former House speaker Newt Gingrich runner-up, with about 21.1 percent of support. Texas Congressman Ron Paul took third place, garnering 18. ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two days after Nevada presidential caucuses closed, the state's Republican Party on Monday finally finished counting of the ballots and declared former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney winner, with about 50 percent of support from caucuses goers.  In a statement posted on the party's website, officials also declared former House speaker Newt Gingrich runner-up, with about 21.1 percent of support. Texas Congressman Ron Paul took third place, garnering 18.7 percent, while former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum placed fourth, with about 9.9 percent support.  Nevada Republicans went to caucuses on Saturday, and major networks declared Romney winner almost right away, but the race for a distant second dragged on for 36 hours as the Clark County GOP scrambled to count the ballots, and couldn't declare whether it was Gingrich or Paul, putting Nevada's largest county on an embarrassing national stage. At last, 6,958 voters -- 781 more than Paul's count -- turned out for Gingrich across Nevada, giving him a second-place finish.  In a written statement, acting Nevada Republican Party Chairman James Smack said "the Nevada Republican Party congratulates Governor Mitt Romney on his victory as well as the entire field for their participation in the caucuses." ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Obama makes case for re-election, vows to "plod away"]]></title>
<news_id>7721559</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721559.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:55:53</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama argued for four more years to bring about changes he promised in 2008, saying the country is now "in the right direction" and he would just "plod away."  When asked to comment on the fact that many of his supporters got disappointed in him during an interview with NBC's Today aired Monday morning, the president said "this is the nature of being president."  "What's frustrated people is that I haven't been able to force Congress to im ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama argued for four more years to bring about changes he promised in 2008, saying the country is now "in the right direction" and he would just "plod away."  When asked to comment on the fact that many of his supporters got disappointed in him during an interview with NBC's Today aired Monday morning, the president said "this is the nature of being president."  "What's frustrated people is that I haven't been able to force Congress to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008," he said. "It turns out that our founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about changes than I would like sometimes."  Obama touted his accomplishments over the past three years in the face of Republicans' obstruction, including saving the auto industry, ending the Iraq war, ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and stabilizing the economy.  "What we have been able to do is move in the right direction. And what I'm just gonna keep on doing is plod away very persistently," he said.  The president is facing a tough re-election bid as his jobs approval has been stubbornly staying below 50 percent, a red light for an incumbent seeking a second term.  In a portion of the interview aired Sunday night, Obama said "I deserve a second term, but we're not done."  "When you and I sat down, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. . .. Now we're creating 250,000. We've created 3.7 million jobs in the last 23 months. We've created the most jobs since 2005, the most manufacturing jobs since 1990, but we're not finished," he said.  The U.S. unemployment rate edged down to 8.3 percent last month from 8.5 percent in December 2011, a near three-year low since February 2009, the Labor Department reported last week.  The improving landscape of the jobs market gave the president a crucial boost in an election where economy and jobs are voters' top concerns. Still, it's unclear how long this new momentum can last as some economists are skeptical of the sustainability of this downward trend in jobless rate. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Mayor of riot-hit Kazakh city arrested for embezzlement]]></title>
<news_id>7721542</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721542.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:53:49</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ALMATY, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of Kazakhstan's oil city Zhanaozen, which witnessed a deadly riot at the end of last year, has been arrested for embezzlement, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.  The administration of Kazakhstan's Mangistau region told the news agency that Mayor Orak Sarbopeyev, who came back from his vacation on Sunday, was summoned by the regional administration's financial police.  The report didn't reveal more details about the case.  In December, laid-of ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ALMATY, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of Kazakhstan's oil city Zhanaozen, which witnessed a deadly riot at the end of last year, has been arrested for embezzlement, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.  The administration of Kazakhstan's Mangistau region told the news agency that Mayor Orak Sarbopeyev, who came back from his vacation on Sunday, was summoned by the regional administration's financial police.  The report didn't reveal more details about the case.  In December, laid-off oil workers clashed with police in Zhanaozen city of Mangistau region, leaving at least 15 people killed and some 100 others injured.  The riot was one of the worst in the country's recent history. Some 70 people were arrested following the incident.  Kazakh Prosecutor-general Askhat Daulbayev said at the end of January that Sarbopeyev and the head of Zhanaozen's administration, Shalgas Bakakhanov, were suspected of embezzling public funds. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Chinese employers ready to give generous salary increases: survey]]></title>
<news_id>7721538</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721538.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:52:14</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SINGAPORE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Over 80 percent of the employers in China expect to increase the salaries of their employees by more than 6 percent this year, standing out from the employers in the region, according to the results of a latest survey.  The 2012 Hays Salary Guide released on Monday showed that the employers in Singapore expect to give their employees an average salary increase of between 3 percent and 6 percent in 2012.  About 44 percent of the employers in Singapore increased s ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[SINGAPORE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Over 80 percent of the employers in China expect to increase the salaries of their employees by more than 6 percent this year, standing out from the employers in the region, according to the results of a latest survey.  The 2012 Hays Salary Guide released on Monday showed that the employers in Singapore expect to give their employees an average salary increase of between 3 percent and 6 percent in 2012.  About 44 percent of the employers in Singapore increased salaries last year between by 3 and 6 percent. Another 21 percent gave an increase of above 6 percent. But 28 percent of the employers gave increases of less than 3 percent, while the final 7 percent gave no increase at all.  Looking ahead, 50 percent of the employers in Singapore intend to increase salaries between 3 and 6 percent, while 23 percent said they will increase the salaries of their employees by over 6 percent.  Another 22 percent of the employers intend to increase salaries by less than 3 percent, while the other 5 percent of the employers intend to offer no increases this year.  In Japan, 98 percent of the employers expect to offer salary increases of 6 percent or less.  As for the bonus, 54 percent of the employers in Singapore intend to give a bonus to more than 50 percent of their staff, which is down by 10 percentage points from the previous year.  Nevertheless, the percentage of employers offering benefits to their staff inched up to 81 percent from 78 percent, with popular benefits including life assurance, pension and allowance. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Strong earthquake in C. Philippines kills at least 43]]></title>
<news_id>7721524</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721524.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:27:16</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 43 people, including two children, were killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake which jolted central Philippine's Negros Oriental shortly before noon Monday.  Among the victims, 29 died in an earthquke-triggered landslide in Planas village. Ten others died in other parts of Guihulngan City. Two others were killed in Tayasan town, while Bindoy and Jimamalud recorded one death each, said Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio, commander of the Army's 302nd Brigade.  Roel  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 43 people, including two children, were killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake which jolted central Philippine's Negros Oriental shortly before noon Monday.  Among the victims, 29 died in an earthquke-triggered landslide in Planas village. Ten others died in other parts of Guihulngan City. Two others were killed in Tayasan town, while Bindoy and Jimamalud recorded one death each, said Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio, commander of the Army's 302nd Brigade.  Roel Degamo, governor of Negros Oriental in central Philippines, said the earthquake has damaged eight bridges, three of which are no longer passable.  Degamo said soldiers and police are now conducting rescue and relief operations. The governor also suspended all classes and work in government offices for the rest of the day.  The presidential palace has advised residents of Negros Oriental to "remain calm and watchful" and to cooperate with their local officials.  Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the authorities have not ordered any forced evacuation but requested the residents in Negros to "remain vigilant and take necessary safety precautions."  Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II has ordered Coast Guard Chief Edmund Tan to prevent fishermen from going out to sea for the duration of the alert.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721524" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721526" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721526"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[19 political parties to run in by-elections in Myanmar]]></title>
<news_id>7721513</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721513.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:51:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[YANGON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 political parties including eight newly-registered parties will run in the April 1 parliamentary by-elections, local media reported on Monday.  The eight new political parties are People's Democracy Party, New National Democracy Party, Party for Unity and Peace, Democratic Alliance Party, 88-Public Forces of People's Party, Myanmar New Society Democratic Party, Myanmar National Congress and the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), said t ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[YANGON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 political parties including eight newly-registered parties will run in the April 1 parliamentary by-elections, local media reported on Monday.  The eight new political parties are People's Democracy Party, New National Democracy Party, Party for Unity and Peace, Democratic Alliance Party, 88-Public Forces of People's Party, Myanmar New Society Democratic Party, Myanmar National Congress and the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), said the Weekly Eleven.  Both NLD and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have each nominated 48 candidates to contest for 48 vacancies of the parliament in the by-elections.  Of the 48 parliament representatives to be elected from constituencies scattered in 10 regions or states, 40 are for the House of Representatives, six for House of Nationalities and two for region or state parliament.  NLD Chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi will run in Yangon region's Kawmu constituency for a seat of House of Representatives against USDP candidate Dr. U Soe Min.  Meanwhile, the National Unity Party (NUP) has announced it would run in 23 constituencies, the National Democratic Force (NDF) 12 constituencies and National Democracy Party (NDP) three constituencies.  In the 2010 general elections participated by 37 political parties with the absence of NLD, the USDP won the majority of the parliamentary seats with 883 out of a total of 1,154 at three levels, of which 259 in the House of Representatives, 129 in the House of Nationalities and 495 in the region or state parliament. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Death of 15 terrorists in S. Philippines, gov't response to calls for justice: official]]></title>
<news_id>7721508</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721508.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:46:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The death of 15 suspected terrorists, including the three top officials of the al-Qaeda-link Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah, was the Philippine government's response to the call for justice, a senior government official said on Monday.  Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin congratulated the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the successful operation against the terrorists on Thursday in Sulu province.  "The deaths of Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbali Jumdail; Mal ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[MANILA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The death of 15 suspected terrorists, including the three top officials of the al-Qaeda-link Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah, was the Philippine government's response to the call for justice, a senior government official said on Monday.  Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin congratulated the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the successful operation against the terrorists on Thursday in Sulu province.  "The deaths of Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbali Jumdail; Malaysian national Zulkipli Abdul Hir; and Singaporean national Mumamda Ali, both belonging to the Jemayah Islamiyah; effectively decapitates these regional terror groups from pursuing their reign of terror," he said.  "This operation is our response to calls for justice against these groups who mercilessly killed civilians and members of your Armed Forces.  Our troops demonstrated the effectiveness of a cunning and intelligent operation to weed out these terror elements,"Gazmin added.  "These types of operations achieved the goals of seeking justice without the risks of higher casualties in a protracted and expanded area of operation," he said.  Gazmin reminded the general public to remain vigilant and aware of suspicious elements who would seek revenge for the deaths of these terror leaders. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Pakistan foreign minister to visit Russia]]></title>
<news_id>7721499</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721499.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:44:52</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ISLAMABAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of Mr. Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, foreign minister of Russia on Feb. 7 to 10, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.  In Moscow, Foreign Minister Khar would hold in-depth talks with her Russian counterpart on expanding and diversifying Pakistan- Russia relations, the ministry statement said.  "They would also exchange views on regional and global issues ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ISLAMABAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of Mr. Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, foreign minister of Russia on Feb. 7 to 10, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.  In Moscow, Foreign Minister Khar would hold in-depth talks with her Russian counterpart on expanding and diversifying Pakistan- Russia relations, the ministry statement said.  "They would also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest."  Khar would also have interaction with Russian parliamentarians and address the Institute of Oriental Studies, the statement said.  "Pakistan attaches enormous importance to its relations with the Russian Federation. The Foreign Minister's visit will help further augment bilateral ties to the mutual benefit of the two countries."  The statement said that Pakistan and Russia enjoy very cordial relations and the two countries have been exploring ways and means to inject further substance into the bilateral relationship, especially in the fields of energy, infrastructure development, agriculture and science and technology. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[West vows to press Assad]]></title>
<news_id>7721436</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721436.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:28:45</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The US and Britain vowed Monday to keep piling on the pressure for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, after China and Russia double-vetoed a draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution backing regime change in Syria.  Washington will apply sanctions and step up pressure on Assad's government to leave power, US President Barack Obama told NBC Monday.  "I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention, and I think that's p ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The US and Britain vowed Monday to keep piling on the pressure for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, after China and Russia double-vetoed a draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution backing regime change in Syria.  Washington will apply sanctions and step up pressure on Assad's government to leave power, US President Barack Obama told NBC Monday.  "I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention, and I think that's possible," Obama said.  The US Department of State said that it had suspended embassy operations in Damascus and withdrawn all embassy personnel, including ambassador Robert Ford, due to the worsening security situation.  Also Monday, Britain recalled its ambassador to Syria for consultation.   British Foreign Secretary William Hague said London seeks to widen international coalition supporting the draft resolution and Britain would increase pressure on Syria through the EU.  "We have already agreed 11 rounds of EU sanctions and will hope to agree further measures by the (EU) Foreign Affairs Council on February 27," he said.  Earlier Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said, "There are alternative ways to apply pressure on the Syrian regime through the UN, for example through the General Assembly, and we are thinking about those options."  Ma Xiaolin, a Middle East expert and a standing director of China Foundation for International Studies, told the Global Times that the West is expected to use other measures to overthrow Assad.  "The West is likely to wield its strong diplomatic clout to put pressure on Russia and China while offering more military supplies to Syrian opposition and eventually cause so many deaths in the country that Moscow and Beijing could no longer stand by," Ma said.  Admitting that Syria could easily slide into a civil war, Ma said Assad may have to make compromises.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721436" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721445" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721445"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Romanian PM decides to resign]]></title>
<news_id>7721384</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721384.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 14:38:48</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[BUCHAREST, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc on Monday announced his decision to tender the resignation of his Cabinet.  The prime minister said that he made the move because he "is not clinging to power."  Boc thanked the incumbent ministers and those who were reshuffled under his term in office.  He urged the political class to quickly pass through Parliament a new Cabinet.  "It is extremely important to the country that there is economic stability," Boc stressed, add ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[BUCHAREST, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc on Monday announced his decision to tender the resignation of his Cabinet.  The prime minister said that he made the move because he "is not clinging to power."  Boc thanked the incumbent ministers and those who were reshuffled under his term in office.  He urged the political class to quickly pass through Parliament a new Cabinet.  "It is extremely important to the country that there is economic stability," Boc stressed, adding that the government has taken very tough decisions in order to overcome the economic crisis.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721384" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721394" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721394"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Palestinian gov't to be formed in mid-Feb: Fatah]]></title>
<news_id>7721361</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721361.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:19:03</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Fatah official said here on Monday that the Palestinian transitional government will be formed in middle February after factions agreed in Doha that President Mahmoud Abbas will head the interim ruling body.  The understanding reached between Abbas and Hamas' chief Khaled Mashaal is that the government will be formed in middle February, said Nabil Shaath, a member of Fatah Central Committee.  Abbas and Mashaal reached the deal on Monday, the second day of inten ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[RAMALLAH, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Fatah official said here on Monday that the Palestinian transitional government will be formed in middle February after factions agreed in Doha that President Mahmoud Abbas will head the interim ruling body.  The understanding reached between Abbas and Hamas' chief Khaled Mashaal is that the government will be formed in middle February, said Nabil Shaath, a member of Fatah Central Committee.  Abbas and Mashaal reached the deal on Monday, the second day of intensive talks they held in Doha under Qatar's auspices.  Within a week, the discussions will focus on selecting the government's members, Shaath told Xinhua. The ministers would be independents, but Hamas, Fatah and all Palestinian groups will participating in nominating them.  "The formation of the government of understanding practically means the end of separate presence of two governments respectively in Gaza and the West Bank," Shaath said, adding that "this is the first serious step toward ending the internal split."&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721361" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721375" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721375"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Recycling Electronics in New York City]]></title>
<news_id>7721348</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721348.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 08:17:19</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[“Typically what happens to electronic waste is it ends up in landfills or is shipped to third world countries,” said Macaulay Campbell, a volunteer at the Lower East Side Ecology Center. “People don’t deal with electronic waste in environmentally friendly ways.”  In 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on selected electronic products. Most of them were either dumped in landfills or shipped abroad. The Natural Resource Defense Council reporte ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[“Typically what happens to electronic waste is it ends up in landfills or is shipped to third world countries,” said Macaulay Campbell, a volunteer at the Lower East Side Ecology Center. “People don’t deal with electronic waste in environmentally friendly ways.”  In 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on selected electronic products. Most of them were either dumped in landfills or shipped abroad. The Natural Resource Defense Council reported that in New York City alone, over 25,000 pounds of electronics are landfilled or incinerated each year. Only 25 percent of the 2.37 million tons of end-of-life electronic products in the U.S. were collected for recycling.    In 2009, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs and monitors comprised, by weight, nearly half of the electronics that entered the waste stream, according to an EPA 2011 report. CRTs are recognized as one of the most significant environmental health threats to humans. “Monitors and TVs have a lot of glass and can contain 2kg of lead. The flat screen monitors are more energy efficient, but they have mercury in them,” said Christine Datz-Romero, Executive Director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center. “These heavy metals in electronics need to be handled correctly.” They cannot be disposed of in ordinary waste landfills, but recycling companies can export them abroad.  According to GrowNYC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve New York City’s quality of life through environmental programs, “allthough they are a small portion of the waste stream by volume, computers and electronics contribute about 70 percent of the heavy metals in landfills.” The EPA states that 40 percent of the lead found in landfills can be attributed to these discarded electronics.    “We have a moral imperative. We use these electronics…they have added a lot of heavy metals and toxic materials into our waste stream,” said Datz-Romero. “It is very important for us to take responsibility for these technologies.”  Recycling electronics, such as cell phones, televisions, and computers (along with rechargeable batteries) keeps potentially harmful materials out of the waste stream and the environment. In New York City, a combination of local and state laws dictates the handling or recycling electronics and harmful materials.  The New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act was signed into law on May 28, 2010. “New York has become the 23rd state to have e-waste legislation,” said Datz-Romero. “The law requires both manufacturers and retailers to offer free programs to make electronic recycling accessible to people in New York State.”   According to the Act, violators are liable for a civil penalty for each violation not to exceed $1,000 for the first violation, $2,500 for the second violation and $5,000 for the third and subsequent violations. The new rules were to be introduced in two steps.  The first ban, which began on April 1, 2011, said that “no manufacturer, retailer, or owner or operator of an electronic waste collection site, electronic waste consolidation facility or electronic waste recycling facility in the state shall dispose of electronic waste at a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility.”&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721348" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721353" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.j ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[U.S. closes embassy in Syria: State Department]]></title>
<news_id>7721346</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721346.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:28:28</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States has closed its embassy in Syria and pulled its remaining staff from the country, the State Department said Monday.  "The United States has suspended operations of our embassy in Damascus as of Feb. 6. Ambassador (Robert) Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.  Nuland said that the decision to close the embassy came because "the regime failed to respond a ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States has closed its embassy in Syria and pulled its remaining staff from the country, the State Department said Monday.  "The United States has suspended operations of our embassy in Damascus as of Feb. 6. Ambassador (Robert) Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.  Nuland said that the decision to close the embassy came because "the regime failed to respond adequately" to U.S. security concerns.  The spokeswoman said Ford remains "the United States ambassador to Syria and its people," and would continue his work in Washington.  According to media reports, 17 American embassy employees, including Ford, left the country on Monday.  The reports, quoting a senior State Department official, said that deteriorating conditions in Syria made it impossible for the embassy to continue to operate.  The State Department last month said it was considering closing the embassy if the security issues were not addressed.  Ford was called back on Oct. 24 due to threats against him but returned on Dec. 6.  The State Department in October ordered family members of embassy staff in Damascus to leave. On Jan. 11, it ordered a further reduction in embassy staffing due to security concerns.  In an interview aired by NBC on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying "this is not going to be a matter of if, it's going to be a matter of when."  But when asked if there should be some kind of military intervention like there was in Libya, Obama said "Not every situation is going to allow for the kind of military solution we saw with Libya," adding that "it is very possible" to solve the Syrian crisis without outside military intervention. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Obama orders freezing of Iran's property under U.S. jurisdiction]]></title>
<news_id>7721323</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7721323.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 15:28:21</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Monday that President Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iran's property under U.S. jurisdiction, including that of the country's central bank, as the U.S. and its allies are pressing hard over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear program.  Calling them "additional steps" against Iran, the president ordered "all property and interests in property of" the government of Iran as well as the republic's financial institutions unde ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Monday that President Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iran's property under U.S. jurisdiction, including that of the country's central bank, as the U.S. and its allies are pressing hard over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear program.  Calling them "additional steps" against Iran, the president ordered "all property and interests in property of" the government of Iran as well as the republic's financial institutions under U.S. jurisdiction including the Central Bank of Iran, to be "blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in."  The property of persons determined to have links to those already under U.S. sanctions is ordered to be frozen as well.  In his executive order signed on Sunday, Obama said the move aims in particular to counter the "deceptive practices" of Iran's central bank and other banks to conceal transactions of sanctioned parties, the deficiencies in Iran's anti-money laundering regime and the weaknesses in its implementation, and the "continuing and unacceptable" risk posed to the international financial system by Iran's activities.  Obama's order, which becomes effective at 12:01 am EST on Monday (1701GMT), came amid heightened tensions between Western countries and Iran over the latter's nuclear program and growing rumors about an imminent strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities.  White House spokesman Jay Carney called the action one " reflective of the policy that we've taken for quite a long time now in reaction to Iranian behavior, which is essentially a dual track" of sanctions and diplomacy.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721323" class="abl2">&$【1】 &$</a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721324" class="abl2">&$【2】 &$</a></center> <center><table border="0" align="center">&$ &$<tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7721324"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA["Iran will never be the initiator of any war": commander]]></title>
<news_id>7720550</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7720550.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:32:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian military commander said Sunday that Iran would never be the initiator of any war, the local satellite Press TV reported.  However, Iran's response to any threat or aggression will be crushing, said Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) ground forces.  IRGC announced Saturday the start of the "Hamiane Velayat" ( supporters of Velayat) military drills in southern Iran.  There were no reports on ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian military commander said Sunday that Iran would never be the initiator of any war, the local satellite Press TV reported.  However, Iran's response to any threat or aggression will be crushing, said Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) ground forces.  IRGC announced Saturday the start of the "Hamiane Velayat" ( supporters of Velayat) military drills in southern Iran.  There were no reports on the accurate location and duration of the drills. However, Iran has said that its exercises in the southern waters or near the area are aimed at maintaining readiness to confront threats in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, an important passage for the oil tankers.  Pakpour said the main purpose of IRGC's ongoing military exercises was to improve the combat preparedness of Iranian forces to prevent military invasion, according to the report.  Deputy head of IRGC, Hossein Salami, said Sunday that Iran would attack any location where attacks against Iran were initiated, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.  Salami told Fars that "Any location which is used by the enemy for raids against the Islamic republic will be targeted by the IRGC forces."  Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that Tehran was preparing itself to counter all the Western plans aimed at mounting pressure on the Islamic republic.  "Tehran is examining even the worst-case scenarios and preparing itself to counteract them," Salehi was quoted by Press TV as saying.  Tehran has also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if the West impose embargo on its oil exports. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Era of abstention shifts to confident veto]]></title>
<news_id>7720535</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7720535.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:35:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said that the US was "disgusted" by Russia and China's decision to veto the UN resolution on Syria. Such language appears on China's freewheeling Weibo a lot, but now it comes from the mouth of a veteran diplomat. This might be "disgusting."  Since 1971, China has vetoed UN Security Council resolutions eight times. It is the country that has used its veto the fewest times among United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  permanent members. France, the next  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said that the US was "disgusted" by Russia and China's decision to veto the UN resolution on Syria. Such language appears on China's freewheeling Weibo a lot, but now it comes from the mouth of a veteran diplomat. This might be "disgusting."  Since 1971, China has vetoed UN Security Council resolutions eight times. It is the country that has used its veto the fewest times among United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  permanent members. France, the next up, has vetoed nearly 20 times. It reflects the cautiousness China shows in wielding its power. In past years, despite strong opposition against certain UNSC resolution, China has often abstained, allowing what it was against to happen. That era is gone.   China's veto is following its own logic. It does not hint at a possible China-Russia alliance. Both China and Russia have their own interests and dignity. If the West is not willing to see the two move closer, it should not force their hand.  The West's aggression is pressing China which tends to stay moderate. Chinese used to think Syria was a remote country. Besides, Chinese society is alert to the idea of a China-Russia bond against the West. Such a view is finding traction among academics.   The West had an opportunity to shape a moderate Russia when the Soviet Union disintegrated, but Washington disdained the opportunity. Russia's tough posture has partly resulted from Washington's suppression of this chance. Now the West is seemingly adopting the same approach toward China. Despite its development, China is feeling its strategic room being squeezed.   China's veto is first concerning the Middle East. Other than that, the West should also see in it a change in China's public sentiment. It is not nationalism, it is more a result of a feeling of crisis. Extreme voices against China appear more often among US politicians and media, further strengthening Chinese worries. Chinese society has no willingness to confront the West. Its people are uncomfortable at being targeted by Western media. But now they are forced to believe Western media are averse to China. It is useless to try and please them.   Abstaining is no longer always a choice as China is forced to speak out. China needs to speak out. Hiding its true thinking does not help avoid trouble. The veto may have its consequences, but the Chinese people are willing to face it together. In a recent Global Times poll, 91 percent of respondents supported China's decision. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Anxiety, paranoia lead to US shooting from the hip]]></title>
<news_id>7720527</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7720527.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:35:40</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Munich Security Conference (MSC), known as the Davos of Defense, ended yesterday after three days of discussion on current and prospective security policy challenges.   On a panel themed "America, Europe and the Rise of Asia" on Saturday, US Senator John McCain created a stir by tearing into China's Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun on a wide range of topics from China's human rights record and "repression" of the Tibetans to China's democracy, warning "the Arab Spring is coming to China. ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Munich Security Conference (MSC), known as the Davos of Defense, ended yesterday after three days of discussion on current and prospective security policy challenges.   On a panel themed "America, Europe and the Rise of Asia" on Saturday, US Senator John McCain created a stir by tearing into China's Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun on a wide range of topics from China's human rights record and "repression" of the Tibetans to China's democracy, warning "the Arab Spring is coming to China." McCain's remarks obviously strayed away from the subject of the panel.   The MSC witnessed an important moment last year when Russia and the US decided to ratify the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). It marked the most significant disarmament treaty since the end of the Cold War and contributed to global stability.   Wise diplomats should create a favorable atmosphere for countries to reach an understanding on how to deal with security challenges rather than stirring up tensions.   In recent years, China has often seen US politicians taking potshots at it. Under the context of China's rapid development, US anxiety is rising. In fact, the US also has its own problems concerning human rights and often turns a blind eye to other regimes that abuse human rights.  There are Americans expecting the Arab Spring to extend to China, hoping chaos and turbulence could disturb China's development. The US sees China as a threat, but until now, China has never challenged the US' core interests and has made a commitment to stick to peaceful development.  In shifting its strategic focus, the US is carrying out its Asia "pivot" strategy. China, as the implicit target of the strategy, is responding with reserve. Recently in the Diplomat magazine, there were a series of articles discussing "why China isn't freaking out" when faced with the US "reset" policy. The answer is simple: China understands the danger of confronting the current global order, it should cautiously and rationally deal with various challenges to pave the way for development. Of course, this does not mean China should be submissive when facing provocations and act in accordance with Western will.    Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun refuted McCain's attack, saying that a looming Arab Spring is "no more than fantasy" in China. The US politicians slamming China only mirror the country's anxiety and lack of confidence. However, in a world with dynamic changes, anxiety does not help.  ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[China, Russia veto UN draft resolution on Syria]]></title>
<news_id>7720491</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7720491.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:34:22</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720491" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720504" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720505" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720506" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720507" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720508" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720509"  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720491" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720504" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720505" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720506" class="abl2">【4】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720507" class="abl2">【5】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720508" class="abl2">【6】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720509" class="abl2">【7】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7720504"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[UN Security Council to meet on Syria Saturday morning]]></title>
<news_id>7719748</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7719748.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:33:56</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet in an open session on the current situation in Syria, the UN Spokesperson's Office announced here Friday.  "There will be an open meeting of the Security Council at 9 o' clock tomorrow morning," the UN office told reporters here.  Diplomats said that a revised Arab-European draft resolution on Syria will be put to vote when the council meets on Saturday.  The announcement came after the 15 council members late  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet in an open session on the current situation in Syria, the UN Spokesperson's Office announced here Friday.  "There will be an open meeting of the Security Council at 9 o' clock tomorrow morning," the UN office told reporters here.  Diplomats said that a revised Arab-European draft resolution on Syria will be put to vote when the council meets on Saturday.  The announcement came after the 15 council members late on Thursday reached a consensus on sending a draft resolution on Syria to their capitals for further instructions.  Earlier this week, Russia, a veto-wielding member, voiced its strong opposition to the draft resolution, tabled on Friday last week by Morocco, a non-permanent member of the council. The draft was jointly drawn up by Arab states, Britain, France and Germany.  At the end of the four-hour hard negotiations at the council behind closed doors on Thursday, sponsors of the draft dropped a specific reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ceding of power.  The revision was made in order to avoid a veto by Russia, which, together with China, vetoed a European draft resolution on Syria in October 2011.  According to the revised copy of the draft resolution, which was sent to governments of the council members and obtained by Xinhua, the Security Council "full supports" the Arab League plan which demands a political transition in Syria.  Reports indicated that Russia is not yet satisfied. Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying that the revised draft was "not enough for us to be able to support it in this form."  Russia has warned some countries against meddling in the internal affairs of Syria out of its concerns that the draft resolution contains what is seen to promote "regime change" in the Middle East country. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Japan’s actions over Diaoyu Islands will backfire]]></title>
<news_id>7717219</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90780/7717219.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:04:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[During the Chinese Spring Festival, the Japanese government took a new move by planning a series of name changes for 39 nameless islands, some of which are part of the disputed Diaoyu Islands.   According to Japanese media reports, Japan has already named four islands near the Diaoyu Islands, and claimed that 49 of 99 remote islands in its exclusive economic zone had no name. It named 10 of the islands in May 2011, and has been considering the names of the remaining 39 islands since last Novem ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[During the Chinese Spring Festival, the Japanese government took a new move by planning a series of name changes for 39 nameless islands, some of which are part of the disputed Diaoyu Islands.   According to Japanese media reports, Japan has already named four islands near the Diaoyu Islands, and claimed that 49 of 99 remote islands in its exclusive economic zone had no name. It named 10 of the islands in May 2011, and has been considering the names of the remaining 39 islands since last November.   As an old Chinese saying goes, “Judge people by their deeds, not just by their words.” During Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s visit to China last December, the sudden death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made Noda drop the plan of claiming the Diaoyu Islands as Japanese territory during talks with top Chinese officials.   In order to coordinate with China, Noda called himself a “son of Japan-China exchanges,” and said that a peaceful North Korea serves the common strategic interests of both China and Japan. However, shortly after the visit, the Noda administration violated China’s sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. Japan’s move to intensify the sensitive boundary dispute will hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, and fuel the mutual political distrust between the two countries.   Noda, the son of a soldier in the Self-Defense Forces, has long claimed that he has a unique way of ensuring national security. When he was a congreeeman of the opposition party, he made a proposal requiring the government to officially identify the Diaoyu Islands as Japanese territory.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7717219" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7717221" class="abl2">【2】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7717221"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Iran still undecided on nuclear bomb: U.S. intelligence chief]]></title>
<news_id>7716870</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7716870.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-08 10:24:48</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. intelligence chief said Tuesday that Iran is still undecided on whether to make a nuclear bomb though it has the ability.  "There is dissension and debate in the political hierarchy of Iran (over whether to build a nuclear weapon)," U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a hearing held by the Senate Intelligence Committee.  While weighing the pros and cons of making a nuclear weapon, Iranian politicians have not yet reached "unanimi ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. intelligence chief said Tuesday that Iran is still undecided on whether to make a nuclear bomb though it has the ability.  "There is dissension and debate in the political hierarchy of Iran (over whether to build a nuclear weapon)," U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a hearing held by the Senate Intelligence Committee.  While weighing the pros and cons of making a nuclear weapon, Iranian politicians have not yet reached "unanimity" on the issue, he said, adding that though Iran is capable of producing a nuclear weapon, the Islamic Republic is not building one right now.  Clapper also said Iran is more likely to respond with an attack on the United States.  The new U.S. sanctions would have a great impact on Iran, but they were not likely to result in the fall of its regime, he said.  CIA Director David Petraeus, who testified at the same hearing, said new sanctions on Iran "have been biting much, much more in recent weeks," but it remained to be seen whether this could force Iran to change its behavior and policy on its nuclear program.  On Dec. 31, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill with provisions asking for new sanctions on Iran, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank, the main conduit for its oil revenues.  The move, aimed at choking off Iran's critical oil income, prompted furious reactions from the Islamic Republic, which has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil routes.  U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington would "not tolerate" the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's production of a nuclear weapon. He stressed that they were two "red lines," and the United States would respond if Iran crossed them.  In his State of the Union speech last Tuesday, Obama said the United States is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and no option was off the table. But he also said a peaceful resolution of the issue is "still possible, and far better" if Iran changes course.  However, Iran firmly denied the U.S. claims, saying that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes.  Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast last week described the U.S. threat to use military force against Iran as a means of propaganda.  ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Miss Brazil Plus-Size beauty contest]]></title>
<news_id>7716677</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7716677.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:35:18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716677" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716679" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716680" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716681" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716679"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center> ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716677" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716679" class="abl2">【2】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716680" class="abl2">【3】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716681" class="abl2">【4】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7716679"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Obama calls violence in Syria "unacceptable"]]></title>
<news_id>7708407</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7708407.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 17:13:05</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday denounced the "levels of violence" in Syria as " unacceptable," vowing to up the pressure to force the Syrian government to step down.  The president discussed a number of regional issues with King Abdullah II of Jordan at his Oval Office, including Syria and the Mideast peace talks.  "Unfortunately, we're continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country," Obama told reporters after having talks with  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday denounced the "levels of violence" in Syria as " unacceptable," vowing to up the pressure to force the Syrian government to step down.  The president discussed a number of regional issues with King Abdullah II of Jordan at his Oval Office, including Syria and the Mideast peace talks.  "Unfortunately, we're continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country," Obama told reporters after having talks with his guest.  He said the U.S. will "continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside so a more democratic process can take place inside of Syria. "  Syria's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday totally rejected Qatari emir's suggestion of sending Arab troops to help curb the raging 10-month-old violence in Syria, as the Arab League's monitoring mission, which started on Dec. 26, has been criticized as ineffective both from within and without.  Obama commended King Abdullah II for being the first leader to call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying "I want to thank him for his willingness to stand up."  Obama and the king also spent a "great deal of time" discussing the importance of their countries continuing to consult closely to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to come back to the table and "negotiate in a serious fashion a peaceful way forward."  The president credited the Jordanians for taking "great leadership" on this issue, as the kingdom has hosted three meetings between the Israelis and the Palestinians since Jan. 3.  The Quartet mediators, which comprises the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, are trying to restart the stalled peace talks.  "Although this is still in the early stages we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can bring the Israelis and Palestinians out of the impasse," King Abdullah II said.  "We believe that those talks offer the parties a real opportunity to make meaningful progress towards peace," White House spokesman Jay Carney said at a regular news briefing.  "We support this progress, but we obviously recognize that there's a long road to travel here to get to a final result," he added. ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Carter expresses hope for closer U.S.-China ties]]></title>
<news_id>7706383</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7706383.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-09 16:45:25</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[HOUSTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Sunday expressed the hope that U.S.-China ties will continue to strengthen and grow.  "Today, the U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, and it is my hope that with mutual respect and through continued dialogue and cooperation, the bond will continue to strengthen grow, both in the new year and for many years to come," Carter said in a letter congratulating a variety show, Cel ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[HOUSTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Sunday expressed the hope that U.S.-China ties will continue to strengthen and grow.  "Today, the U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, and it is my hope that with mutual respect and through continued dialogue and cooperation, the bond will continue to strengthen grow, both in the new year and for many years to come," Carter said in a letter congratulating a variety show, Celebration of U.S.-China Friendship, Sunday night in Atlanta, Georgia.  The show, co-sponsored by the Chinese Consulate General in Houston and the city of Atlanta, "is a wonderful example of the cultural and people-to-people exchanges necessary to build closer ties between the Chinese and American people," Carter said.  Carter recalled that during his visit to Beijing last month, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and he attended a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy between the two countries.&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7706383" class="abl2">【1】 </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7706384" class="abl2">【2】 </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7706384"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Dollar rises on European concerns]]></title>
<news_id>7674659</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7674659.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2012-02-07 10:33:29</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies in late New York trading on Monday as the result of EU Summit disappointed investors and raised concerns about the European debt crisis  Although European leaders agreed to strength fiscal ties among European Union countries at the EU Summit last weekend, investors believed that the deal was not good enough to solve the spreading European debt crisis.  The rating agency Moody's on Monday said the agreement reached at ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies in late New York trading on Monday as the result of EU Summit disappointed investors and raised concerns about the European debt crisis  Although European leaders agreed to strength fiscal ties among European Union countries at the EU Summit last weekend, investors believed that the deal was not good enough to solve the spreading European debt crisis.  The rating agency Moody's on Monday said the agreement reached at the Summit couldn't solve European debt crisis and that it will review all EU countries' credit ratings in the first quarter next year.  Another rating agency Fitch also noted that the European debt crisis would continue in 2012 and warned that the European economy would slide further.  The concerns about the European debt crisis weighed on the euro as the shared currency dipped 0.05 percent against the dollar on Monday.  The dollar was boosted by risk-aversion appetite. The dollar index rose more than 1 percent to 79.52 on Monday.  In late Monday trading, the dollar bought 77.91 Japanese yen, comparing with 77.54 from late Friday. The euro fell to 1.3186 dollars from 1.3370.  The British pound also fell to 1.5582 dollars from 1.5662. The dollar rose from 0.9241 Swiss francs to 0.9370, and also rose to 1. 0262 Canadian dollars from 1.0186. &$ <table width="550" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>        <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">        <tr>         <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="110" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/203491/7651567.html'></iframe></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">　</td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="110" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/203491/7670304.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>     </table></td>     </tr>  </table></td>           </tr>       <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table>  <table width="550" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>        <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #dadada">     <tr>          <td><font style="font:bold 20px Verdana">We Recommend</font></td>         </tr>       <tr>         <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" border-top:1px solid #dadada">       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/203491/7670192.html'></iframe></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">　</td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/203491/7670219.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/203491/7670224.html'></iframe></td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280'& ]]></full-text>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>

