World Cup oracle Paul honored with permanent memorial in Oberhausen

2011-01-20 12:48:08 GMT2011-01-20 20:48:08(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

A monument of the octopus Paul is presented at the Sea Life aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, January 20, 2011. World Cup oracle Octopus Paul died in October 2010. Paul, the German octopus famous for correctly predicting each of Germany's 2010 World Cup matches, received his own permanent memorial three months after his death. Paul died aged 2-1/2 in October. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)A monument of the octopus Paul is presented at the Sea Life aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, January 20, 2011. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)A monument of the octopus Paul is presented at the Sea Life aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, January 20, 2011. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Mainland, Taiwan trade volume jumps almost 40 pct in 2010

2011-01-20 13:08:06 GMT2011-01-20 21:08:06(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Trade volume between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan reached 145.37 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 36.9 percent year on year, according to a report by China's Ministry of Commerce.

The mainland exported 29.68 billion U.S. dollars worth of products to Taiwan, up 44.8 percent year on year, and imported about 115.69 billion U.S. dollars worth of products from the island, up 35 percent, ministry figures showed.

The December trade volume between the mainland and Taiwan increased 4.1 percent from November to 13.61 billion U.S. dollars.

The Chinese mainland is currently Taiwan's largest export market.

Statistics showed the mainland approved 3,072 Taiwanese investment projects in the mainland in 2010, up 20.2 percent from the previous year. The actual investment reached 2.48 billion U.S. dollars, up 31.7 percent year on year.

By the end of 2010, a total of 83,133 Taiwan investment projects had been approved by the mainland, worth 52.02 billion U.S. dollars. Taiwanese investments account for 5 percent of total overseas investments in the mainland.

Chicago ready to welcome Chinese president

2011-01-20 13:28:33 GMT2011-01-20 21:28:33(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Residents walk in the street in Chicago, U.S., on Jan. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Residents walk in the street in Chicago, U.S., on Jan. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Residents walk in the street in Chicago, U.S., on Jan. 19, 2011. Welcoming banners and the national flags of China and U.S. were displayed in Chicago as Chinese President Hu Jintao will travel to Chicago on Thursday.

Wall St set for flat open, jobs data offset China

2011-01-20 14:27:39 GMT2011-01-20 22:27:39(Beijing Time) SINA.com

Stocks were set to open little changed on Thursday as encouraging labor market data offset worries that China's rapid economic growth may lead to more aggressive measures to tackle inflation.

U.S. stock index futures pared early losses, with S&P and Nasdaq futures briefly turning positive after the government said initial jobless claims notched their biggest decline in nearly a year.

"I'm very happy about this number. I take it as a big positive ... This is where we need claims to come in if we're going to see the rally continue," said Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at BTIG Llc in New York.

Morgan Stanley (MS.N), the No. 2 U.S. investment bank, posted a 60 percent jump in quarterly profit as rising fees from retail brokerage offset weak fixed-income trading results. The stock was up 1.5 percent at $28.17.

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 suffered its worst decline in nearly two months on disappointing results from Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and Wells Fargo (WFC.N).

S&P 500 futures fell 2.5 points and were in line with fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures were down 9 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 2.5 points.

On the downside, shares of networking/cloud computing companies will be in the spotlight after F5 Networks Inc (FFIV.O) forecast weak revenues, sparking concerns that Internet traffic may not be growing as fast as expected. F5 Networks was down 19.8 percent at $111.17 premarket.

Chinese gross domestic product soared past forecasts to grow 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter, with inflation slowing less than expected. This may lead Beijing to move more aggressively to quell growth and keep the economy from overheating.

Investors also awaited a flurry of quarterly results from companies such as Google Inc (GOOG.O), Johnson Controls Inc (JCI.N) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N).

Google is expected to report a 22 percent jump in fourth-quarter revenue, though it will face questions about long-term growth.

EBay Inc (EBAY.O) will also be in the spotlight after the online auctioneer offered a bullish 2011 profit outlook after the holiday quarter suggested a turnaround. The stock was up 2.5 percent at $29.84 in premarket trade.

(Agencies)

Monk caught with nun's skeleton at airport

2011-01-20 07:02:40 GMT2011-01-20 15:02:40(Beijing Time) SINA.com

ATHENS – A Cypriot monk caught at a Greek airport with the skeletal remains of a nun in his baggage on the weekend told authorities he was taking the relics of a saint back to his monastery.

The 56-year-old Cypriot was detained at Athens airport on Sunday after security staff discovered a skull wrapped in cloth and skeletal remains in a sheet inside his baggage.

"They maintained it was a woman who was a saint," a Greek police official who declined to be named told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that the monk told authorities he was transferring her remains to a monastery in Cyprus.

The remains were those of a nun who died four years ago. She was not a saint in the Greek or Cypriot Orthodox Churches, but had once been a nun at a Cypriot convent, police said.

Revering the skeletal remains of saints is common in the Greek Orthodox tradition. A sect within the church may have venerated the nun even though she was not an official saint.

In many churches, venerated relics are put on display for the faithful to touch or kiss and a box for collecting donations from the faithful placed nearby.

"It appears to be the work of charlatans with a financial interest that is what I suspect," Cyprus's Archbishop Chrysostomos told journalists on Tuesday when asked about the monk's tale.

The monk was freed after being charged with theft and desecrating the dead, a misdemeanor in Greece. He was also suspended from his monastic duties for three months for going away without leave, Cypriot police said.

(Agencies)

China, US reach US$45 billion in export deals

2011-01-20 03:48:09 GMT2011-01-20 11:48:09(Beijing Time) China Daily

US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet China's President Hu Jintao at the Grand Staircase as they arrive for a state dinner at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON - The United States and China reached agreement on export deals worth $45 billion including a major contract with Boeing, the White House said on Wednesday at the formal start of Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit.

The agreements included China's final approval of a $19 billion contract to buy 200 Boeing aircraft for delivery between 2011 and 2013, which US officials estimated would support 100,000 American jobs.

"We value China's support for our products and its confidence in Boeing," said Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "With the outstanding support provided by the United States Government, this deal is a win-win for the Boeing-China partnership which is approaching its 40th anniversary.

Other deals involved Honeywell, Caterpillar and Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp.

Chinese officials told the Obama administration that Chinese companies had signed 70 contracts worth $25 billion in US exports from 12 states, US officials said.

Altogether, the Boeing and other deals will support an estimated 235,000 American jobs, they said.

Brazil flood toll nears 730 mark

Break in rain allows rescuers to step up delivery of supplies to isolated areas of Rio de Janeiro state. Last Modified: 20 Jan 2011 06:34 GMT

The death toll from floods and landslides in the mountainous area near the Brazilian city of Rio de Janiero has risen to at least 727, officials say. In towns north of the city, where the deadly mudslides struck, a break in rain allowed rescuers to step up delivery of supplies to isolated areas. They also recovered bodies on Wednesday, increasing the death toll. Navy officers and doctors hiked up to the devastated neighbourhood of Alta Floresta in the city of Nova Friburgo, where they distributed fresh water and food, and treated the injured. Last week's rains caused severe landslides and major destruction in at least seven cities in Rio de Janeiro state's mountain region. Government assistance The government has approved $5 million in federal funding for Nova Friburgo, $13 million for Petropolis and more than $72 for the stricken city of Teresopolis. The money will be used to rebuild homes and shore up areas at risk from mudslides. In addition, Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president, signed a measure last week, sending an additional $461 million to towns in Rio and Sao Paulo states that were damaged during the rains. The money will go towards repairing infrastructure and preventing future disasters. Heavy rains, common during Brazil's summer wet season, were intensified this week by a cold front which doubled the usual precipitation.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies