the government was vague about exactly how he would achieve the lofty goals
saying it would come up with more concrete measures by around june
japan has forecast percent contraction in its gross domestic product in
the year to march and is on course to lose its place as the world second
largest economy to china possibly this year
china to launch new index with hong kong taiwan firms
shanghai jan afp
china said monday it would soon launch stock index covering firms listed
in the mainland hong kong and taiwan to enhance financial cooperation in the
greater china region
china securities index co established by the mainland two bourses in shanghai
and shenzhen will start to publish the csi cross straits index on january
the company said in statement
with the signature of three memoranda of understanding between china and taiwan
in november the cooperation in financial sectors across the straits is now
entering substantial phase it said
the documents on banking insurance and securities are expected to help
pave the way for taiwan finance industry to gain greater access to the huge
mainland market and open up the possibility of more investment activity
the new index caters to investors need to observe and invest in markets in the
three places and provides basic instrument for developing index related
products and derivatives according to the statement
number of domestic and overseas institutions are making proactive
preparations to develop investment products based on the new index for the
greater china region it added without giving more details
the company will publish the index denominated in chinese yuan us dollars hong
kong dollars and taiwan dollars and the components will have combined market
value of around trillion yuan billion dollars
it covers percent of the total market capitalisation of the stock markets in
mainland china hong kong and taiwan and percent of the combined trading
volume
myanmar junta chief gives election warning
naypyidaw jan afp
military ruled myanmar junta chief urged people monday to make correct
choices at national elections to be held this year in message to mark the
country nd independence anniversary
senior general than shwe said his seven step road map to democracy was the
sole process for transition in the annual message which was read out by another
general at ceremony in the remote administrative capital naypyidaw
plans are under way to hold elections in systematic way this year in that
regard the entire people have to make correct choices than shwe message
said
critics of myanmar regime say the polls are sham designed to cement the
ruling generals grip over the nation especially as opposition leader aung san
suu kyi recently had her house arrest sentence extended beyond
date has still not been announced for the elections which will be the first
since when the junta refused to recognise the landslide win of the national
league for democracy nld led by suu kyi
the nobel peace prize winner has been locked up for of the last
years despite repeated calls from the international community for her release
as in previous years than shwe used the anniversary of the country
independence from britain to warn people to remain vigilant at all times
against dangers posed by neo colonialists usually reference to the united
states
myanmar leaders marked the anniversary with military parade in naypyidaw
kilometres miles north of the former capital yangon attended by
ministers military officials and government staff
the united states recently opened high level dialogue with the junta after years
of isolating myanmar and on wednesday made statement renewing its offer of
better ties with the country if it makes progress on democracy
the us state department offered its warmest wishes to the people of myanmar
and its unwavering support for the nation independence
myanmar has been ruled by the military since
woodside seeks new buyer after china lng deal lapses
sydney jan afp
australian energy giant woodside petroleum on monday said it was searching for
other asian buyers after provisional liquefied natural gas lng deal with
petrochina lapsed
woodside said the agreement signed in to sell up to three million tonnes
of lng year from its western australia browse project expired on december
without firm supply agreement
woodside and petrochina have agreed to keep each other informed of progress in
their respective lng export and lng import projects woodside said in
statement
woodside remains in ongoing discussions with other asia pacific lng customers
in relation to potential sales from its portfolio of australian lng
developments including the browse project
woodside said provisional agreement remained current with taiwan cpc
corporation announced in november for the potential sale of up to three
million tonnes of lng per year for to years
woodside and cpc continue to negotiate in good faith to progress detailed lng
supply agreement it said adding that talks were also ongoing with japan
osaka gas
analysts said the deal lapse was unsurprising as there were number of
questions surrounding including where to put the processing plant
no one is going to go to firm agreement on browse gas it would be madness at
this early stage said goldman scahs jbwere analyst aiden bradley
the booming lng industry is key to woodside growth plans with the australian
firm last month announcing billion us dollar share offer to boost its
ambitious push into the sector
dow jones newswires contributed to this report
nfl ravens jets playoff bound steelers out
los angeles jan afp
baltimore and the new york jets seized the last two playoff berths leaving
reigning super bowl champions pittsburgh out in the cold sunday on the final day
of the nfl regular season
the dallas cowboys snagged division title with rout of nfc east foes
philadelphia and minnesota secured first round bye with convincing victory
over the new york giants
baltimore willis mcgahee ran for career high yards and three touchdowns
and the ravens clinched one of two afc wild card spots up for grabs with
victory at oakland
the ravens came into the contest knowing win would see them advance
the jets were in the same win and in position and seized control from the start
in victory over cincinnati who had already clinched playoff berth
with the ravens and jets victories the afc playoff puzzle solved itself five
other teams pittsburgh houston denver miami and jacksonville came into the
day with at least mathematical chance of advancing
the steelers did what they could avoiding fourth quarter collapse to beat
miami but were eliminated hours later when the ravens won
rather we go out with win than loss said steelers signal caller ben
roethlisberger who threw three touchdown passes
pittsburgh post championship season ran aground with five game losing streak
late in the season that included defeats by the lowly chiefs raiders and
browns
we didn do what we were supposed to do and take care of our business
receiver santonio holmes said therefore we have to suffer with what happens
houston did what they could beating new england but it wasn enough
thanks to the jets triumph
houston trailed by points in the fourth quarter but ended the game with
three unanswered touchdowns
the patriots meanwhile may come to regret playing some of their key starters
after receiver wes welker had to be stretchered field with left knee injury in
the first quarter
jacksonville and denver meanwhile both lost the jaguars falling to
cleveland and the broncos dropping decision to kansas city
the jets whose playoff chances appeared to be dead after loss to atlanta two
weeks ago will face the bengals again in the first round next weekend
we planned on being here regardless of who believed in us or didn said
ryan who will try to beat the bengals again on saturday in cincy we re built
for this time of year and this is our time
dallas and philadelphia will also meet again next weekend after dallas
vanquished their division rivals
they re going to know us we re going to know them cowboys quarterback tony
romo said after winning like we did today we re probably going to see
completely different team next week because don think they liked what they
saw today that why think we re going to see every blitz ever invented
year ago the eagles denied the cowboys playoff berth with victory in
the season finale
it kind of embarrassing eagles tight end brent celek said didn expect
to come down here and play like this we re lucky we have another opportunity to
play again that all we can ask for
defending nfc champions arizona who fell to the steelers in last season super
bowl lost to green bay and will face the packers again next weekend
brett favre vikings secured first round bye with victory over the
reeling new york giants
think it proof of what we re capable of doing said favre who completed
of passes for yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters
without turnover
where it takes us from here have no idea but it was definitely momentum
boost and confidence
indianapolis the top seed in the afc lost their second straight game falling
in snowy buffalo as they did against the jets last week the colts rested
key players like quarterback peyton manning for much of the game
san diego second seed in the afc closed out the regular season with
victory over hapless washington
nfc top seed new orleans also closed the regular season with defeat at
carolina while in other games chicago beat detroit atlanta beat tampa
bay tennessee beat seattle and san francisco beat st louis
china oil spill hits yellow river state media
beijing jan afp
an oil spill from ruptured pipeline in northern china has reached the yellow
river in the latest environmental accident to threaten the nation drinking
water state media said monday
water quality monitors at the sanmenxia reservoir on the yellow river began
detecting traces of diesel on sunday four days after the pipeline burst the
china news service said
the accident occurred on wednesday when pipeline belonging to the china
national petroleum corporation cnpc the country top oil producer
ruptured
xinhua news agency reported that up to litres gallons of diesel
leaked from the pipeline but local government officials and the company has
refused to report the size of the spill
on saturday cnpc said in statement on its website that the spread of
pollution had been basically controlled and that most of the spilled diesel
had been cleaned up
the company blamed the spill on construction company building project near
the underground pipeline that transported diesel from northwestern china gansu
to central hunan province
the spill occurred near the confluence of the chishui and wei rivers in the
northern province of shaanxi about kilometres miles upstream from the
yellow river
downstream from the spill the henan provincial government has set up special
working group to monitor water quality and ensure the safety of drinking water
supplies the china news service said
the sanmenxia reservoir is about kilometres upstream from the henan
provincial capital of zhengzhou which relies on the yellow river for the
drinking water of some of the city million residents reports said
local environmental departments have warned residents not to use the river
water reports said
more than years of unbridled economic growth have left most of china lakes
and rivers heavily polluted while the nation urban dwellers also face some of
the world worst air pollution
more than million chinese currently do not have access to safe drinking
water according to government data
in november major oil spill on the songhua river in northeast
heilongjiang province forced officials to cut water supplies to up to four
million people in the provincial capital harbin
the oil then flowed down river into russia sparking diplomatic row
real madrid may visit taiwan in august
taipei jan afp
legendary spanish football club real madrid may visit taiwan for the first time
in august the company that is arranging the trip said monday
the spanish powerhouse which toured asia in and is scheduled for
friendly match in beijing on august and taiwan hopes to host another leg of
the team asian visit
in principle we have obtained the support of our partner organising the beijing
visit elephant ching president of taipei based dot han integrated marketing
co told afp
if we reach an agreement the spanish team will travel to taipei on august
and play on august
the visit will cost about three million euros million us dollars and the
company will seek financial assistance from the government he said
this is large amount of money but it would definitely be worth it as it
sure to boost the image of taipei internationally he said
china manufacturing activity rises in december survey
beijing jan afp
manufacturing in china continued to expand in december as new orders received by
factories rose for the ninth month in row on booming demand from home and
abroad survey showed monday
the hsbc china manufacturing pmi or purchasing managers index rose to in
december from in november the survey showed
reading above means the sector is expanding while reading below
indicates an overall decline
the second round effect of stimulus measures is filtering through to
substantially benefit the manufacturing sector as we expected qu hongbin
chief economist for china at hsbc said in statement
separate official pmi published by the china federation of logistics and
purchasing showed manufacturing activity rose to percent in december the
highest reading in months
the hsbc survey showed manufacturing output rose for the ninth consecutive month
in december and growth in new export orders was the fastest since march
staffing levels in the sector continued to rise in december as result of
increased production requirements and job creation was the third fastest since
the survey began in april hsbc said
prices charged by chinese manufacturers increased at the fastest pace since july
on potent market demand and surging costs on raw materials such as steel
aluminium coal petroleum textiles and zinc the survey showed
the significant increase in the output prices index in recent months is due to
stronger demand and rising input costs which have added to inflationary
pressures said qu
yet we believe inflation will be manageable in the coming months
china export driven economy is expected to easily exceed the government oft
stated target of eight percent growth in mainly as result of massive
stimulus spending to combat the crisis
the nation economy expanded by percent in the third quarter up from
percent in the second quarter and percent in the first three months
in manufacturing accounted for more than percent of economic output in
china which has been hit hard by evaporating demand for its products in key
export markets such as the united states and europe
britain trained doctors to leave for india report
new delhi jan afp
nearly british doctors of indian origin are set to emigrate to india
within two to four years report said monday quoting british medical
association
there are around young indian origin doctors undergoing training in
different parts of britain who will return to india ramesh mehta president of
the british association of physicians of indian origin told media in new delhi
also at least senior doctors of indian origin who are retiring from
their jobs in the uk are set to return to india the doctor said according to
india based the economic times
mehta said many of them were expected to take up positions in seven new elite
medical centres for which the indian health ministry is looking for quality
doctors
the centres will be dotted around the country and modelled on the all india
institute of medical sciences aiims considered india best state run
research and treatment centre
we believe that these young doctors who are undergoing training in the uk
currently can be of great help in the new aiims like institutes mehta said
the central government has given the go ahead to seven aiims type medical
institutions in the states of bihar chhattisgarh madhya pradesh orissa west
bengal uttar pradesh and rajasthan the economic times said
asian markets begin on upbeat note
hong kong jan afp
asian markets kicked off the new decade on high on monday as dealers were
buoyed by upbeat manufacturing data from china while tokyo was boosted by news
of an extended credit line to japan airlines
and the new year saw the introduction of new trading system in tokyo as the
stock exchange tries to keep ahead of its regional rivals following series of
technical problems in recent years
by noon the nikkei was percent higher while sydney was up percent
hong kong was percent lower while shanghai began the day percent up
there were also gains in seoul taipei and kuala lumpur
but manila ended down percent in quiet trade
singapore was also percent off due to profit taking after hitting
month high last week
the mood on the first day of trading this year is good kenji shiomura market
analyst at daiwa securities told dow jones newswires
japan airlines jal shares soared percent after the government sunday agreed
to double state funded loan to the cash strapped carrier to billion yen
billion dollars
jal shares had plunged percent on the last trading day of sinking at
one stage to record low on fears asia largest airline might file for
bankruptcy protection
exporters were also helped by the yen weakening against the dollar
the greenback gained to yen in tokyo morning trade from yen in new
york late thursday
the euro fell to dollars from dollars and to yen from
in china sentiment was boosted by news that the purchasing managers index rose
to percent in december from in november according to the china
federation of logistics and purchasing
the tokyo stock exchange next generation trading platform called arrowhead
can process orders in seconds much faster than the previous technology
and on par with the systems in new york and london
singapore announced its economy shrank percent in the fourth quarter
compared with the previous three months however the drop was not as big as
expected and gdp actually rose percent year on year
gold opened lower in hong kong trading at us dollars an
ounce compared to thursday close of dollars
japan pm vows to pursue more equal ties with us
tokyo jan afp
japanese prime minister yukio hatoyama pledged monday to pursue more equal
relations with the united states as tokyo seeks to defuse row with its close
ally over where to move an american military base
want to create ties in which we can enhance our relations of trust by telling
each other what each of us should say clearly he said in televised new year
address
it important to show that japan and the united states are in relationship
in which we need each other
japan should avoid situation where we just give up what we want to say only
because it difficult or where one simply obeys the other he said
soon after coming to power in september hatoyama government provoked
irritation in washington by announcing review of agreement to move us
air base from an urban area to coastal region on the island of okinawa
tokyo is currently considering alternative sites for the us marine corps
futenma air station but washington has repeatedly called for tokyo to stick to
the deal which is opposed by local residents
the agreement was part of broader realignment of us forces in japan that
includes the redeployment of around marines from okinawa to the us pacific
territory of guam
hatoyama said he aimed to find solution to the relocation issue within the
coming months
don mean to waste any time at all he said
hatoyama government has previously said it aims to make decision on futenma
by may
the united states which defeated japan in world war ii and then occupied the
country now has troops stationed there more than half of them on
okinawa the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war
hatoyama last month marked troubled first days in office with his public
approval rating falling sharply and one of his former aides being indicted for
allegedly misreporting millions of dollars of political donations
india warns student stabbing in australia may hit ties
new delhi jan afp
india condemned the fatal stabbing of an indian student in australia and warned
that the attack which was the latest in series of assaults could put
bilateral ties under strain
the year old student was killed over the weekend in the southern city of
melbourne
this heinous crime on humanity this is an uncivilised brutal attack on
innocent indians indian foreign minister krishna told reporters late
sunday in the southern city of bangalore
it certainly will have some bearing on the bilateral ties between our two
countries krishna said urging australia to speedily catch those
responsible
the stabbing was the latest in series of attacks on indian students in
australia over the past year despite repeated promises by the government to
increase police patrols
australian officials have downplayed any racial aspect to the attacks saying
jobs that indian students do to support their education meant they were often in
dangerous areas or on public transport late at night
the assaults have attracted widespread media condemnation in india and
triggered street protests by indians in sydney and melbourne
an interim report on australia international education sector released last
month found its global reputation had been damaged by news of the attacks and
later revelations of migration scams
australia lucrative higher education industry is worth billion dollars
billion us year and is officially listed as the country fourth
largest export earner
about indians have studied in australia in the last months after
university publicity blitz targeting the country growing middle class
korea to spend percent of budget in first six months
seoul jan afp
south korea will spend about percent of its budget in the first half of this
year as part of efforts to accelerate the country economic recovery officials
said monday
president lee myung bak directed his cabinet to effectively and swiftly carry
out budget spending describing job creation as one of the country most
important tasks his office said
the government will spend trillion won billion dollars or
percent of the total in the first six months the finance ministry said after
cabinet meeting chaired lee
the first and the utmost mission is to revive the economy and the core of
that mission is to create jobs he said in new year address
lee suggested the government should end emergency measures imposed during the
global slump during the first half
asia fourth largest economy has made one of the quickest recoveries from the
downturn due in part to stimulus packages
government officials predicted the economy grew percent last year and five
percent in higher than its earlier projections
hong kong shares down percent at break
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares were down percent by the break monday on profit taking
following earlier gains
the benchmark hang seng index fell points to turnover was
billion hong kong dollars billion us
nfl results and standings
los angeles jan afp
results and standings in the national football league on sunday last day of the
regular season
buffalo indianapolis
houston new england
minnesota ny giants
pittsburgh miami
chicago detroit
carolina new orleans
cleveland jacksonville
atlanta tampa bay
san francisco st louis
kansas city denver
dallas philadelphia
san diego washington
baltimore oakland
tennessee seattle
green bay arizona
ny jets cincinnati
final regular season standings pct pf pa
national football conference
nfc east
dallas
philadelphia
ny giants
washington
nfc north
yz minnesota
green bay
chicago
detroit
nfc south
yz new orleans
atlanta
carolina
tampa bay
nfc west
arizona
san francisco
seattle
st louis
american football conference
afc east
new england
jets
miami
buffalo
afc north
cincinnati
baltimore
pittsburgh
cleveland
afc south
yz indianapolis
houston
tennessee
jacksonville
afc west
yz san diego
denver
oakland
kansas city
clinched playoff berth
denotes division winner
denotes first round bye
clinched homefield advantage
afghan parliament taking baby steps to maturity
kabul jan afp
afghanistan infant parliament has taken steps towards maturity on the war torn
country path to democracy with its rejection of most of president hamid
karzai cabinet nominees experts said
in country better known for centuries of war poverty and corruption the
emergence of functioning parliament has shone light on afghan aspirations
for self determination
parliament defiance in the secret ballot on karzai cabinet picks has also
brought hope that at least one of the three institutional pillars
legislative judicial and administrative takes its task seriously
think the structure of the parliament itself is success mp shukria
barakzai told afp
being formed of warlords communists and former taliban people from all
sorts of ethnic and political backgrounds is success
people who fought each other with rockets and shells are now working under the
same ceiling despite sometimes throwing water bottles at each other she said
referring to the often fiery debates
that spirit was on display saturday during the vote count which showed the
mps who attended firmly knocking down of karzai nominees
even the seven who were approved hardly won with resounding confidence barely
winning more than the votes or percent plus one needed
observers noted mps appeared to reject nominees they feared might have
represented vested interests or had ulterior motives
those nominees who were introduced by warlords were not approved as well as
those who were thinking that being in government is like being in business
they had their faces slapped barakzai said
karzai has long relied on warlords to prop up his fragile government and his
cabinet choices were seen as test of his commitment to clean government for
the country rated the world second most corrupt
while his wishlist did not appear stacked with cronies those voted down
included warlord ismail khan whose nomination as water and energy minister was
seen as reward for supporting karzai in the election
those approved were defence agriculture interior finance education culture
and mines and industries most of whom had the backing of karzai western
supporters
karzai had wanted to finalise his cabinet before an international conference in
london on january to discuss the future of the country
