NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street and European stock markets soared Monday as investors cheered a massive bailout for US banking giant Citigroup and the prospect of more government money to ease the pain of recession.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Two astronauts on the US space shuttle Endeavour Monday began a fourth and final spacewalk amid efforts to repair the International Space Station as NASA extended the mission by a day.

LONDON (AFP) - Britain unveiled a major economic stimulus package worth 20 billion pounds on Monday to reignite consumer spending and help the nation recover from a deep and painful recession expected next year.

CHICAGO (AFP) - President-elect Barack Obama Monday named some of "the best minds in America" headed by Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary to revive the stricken US economy through aggressive government intervention.

SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea reported Tuesday that its leader Kim Jong-Il has visited factories in the communist country, as rumours about his health persist.

A FORMER Cabinet minister in the People's National Party (PNP) administration admitted on Friday that, over nearly two decades, he and the then government failed to contribute in a significant way to help the underprivileged in society. Opposition Senator K.D.

THE GANJA debate has resurfaced with Prof Barry Chevannes, former head of the Ganja Commission, dismissing claims by senior parliamentarian Senator K.D. Knight that the use of the drug could affect judgement and lead to violent actions...

T.D. Jakes is a charismatic speaker and preacher whose sermons are broadcasted internationally over television and satellite television. He is also a prolific author and has written over 30 books, many of which have been featured on the New York

OUR ELECTED representatives have seemingly equated conscience with emotions.Such a pity. After three consecutive parliamentary sittings and extensive debate on whether to retain capital punishment on the country's books, the House of Representatives has reinforced...

Beijing police declined comment on Monday about media reports that Huang Guangyu, China's home appliance tycoon, is under investigation for stock market manipulation. The police told Xinhua that the case is under the direct charge of the Ministry of Public

At least seven people were killed and about 20 others injured in two separate traffic accidents on Monday in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, traffic police said. A fire that broke out when a car overturned killed five people

The upcoming visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao will further enhance cooperation between Greece and China, Dimitris Sioufas, president of the Hellenic Parliament said. "The level of our bilateral relations is very high. Cooperation between our two countries is constructive

The China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (CASME) has initiated a 3-billion-yuan (439.2 million U.S. dollars) venture investment fund as a step to help the country's SMEs raise capital, the body announced in its website on Monday. The fund

The "clinical standards in diagnosing Internet addiction" formulated by the General Hospital of Beijing Military Area (acting as the lead agency) recently passed verification by experts. This means standardization will be applied in diagnosing "Internet addiction" in China's medical field.

Shanghai was one of the first regions to use trademarks in China. Its oldest trademark has a history of 289 years. Shanghai's oldest commercial trademark, according to written records, is "Luxiangyuan Guxiu" (Luxiang Garden Gu Embroidery in English), which was

By the end of June 2008, 73.05 million, or almost 30% of China's 253 million netizens, were using mobile phones as wireless internet access terminals. According to information from the "Annual Report on Digital Publishing Industry in China 2007-2008," recently

A joint official statement promised on Monday to ensure close supervision of China's 100 billion yuan (14.7 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package to prevent waste and fraud. Two dozen inspection teams will soon be sent to locations around China to

A visiting German navy general said here Monday that his country would like to cooperate with China in containing pirates and other nontraditional threats. "It is widely recognized that terrorism is a big challenge confronting the world. But pirates, which

Chinese shares finished 3.67 percent lower on Monday, declining for a third straight day on profit-taking after an expected lending rate cut didn't materialize over the weekend. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 72.33 points, or 3.67 percent, to 1,897.06.

Hong Kong stocks pared early losses but still weakened 201.26 points, or 1.59 percent, to close at 12,457.94 on Monday as investors remained cautious towards financial institutions despite the U.S. government's rescue plan of Citigroup. Turnover fell sharply to 35.02