Chinese analysts yesterday tried to downplay suggestions in Western media that the Google case could lead to increased tension between Beijing and Washington, saying that bilateral ties are strong enough to withstand any disagreement.
It is “just a commercial dispute” that happens to a firm when it operates on foreign soil, said Niu Jun, an international [...]

Steelmaker Baosteel is expected to make considerable progress in its takeover of Guangzhou Iron & Steel Group (Guanggang) and Guangdong Shaogang Group (Shaogang) in southeastern China’s Guangdong province this year, according to local media reports.
The Guangdong provincial government is expected to kick-start the consolidation of the steel sector after the Lunar New Year, He Wenbo, [...]

China’s civil aviation administration is encouraging domestic and foreign airlines to open flights linking Tibet to help boost the autonomous region’s economy and tourism.
In a circular released yesterday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said 18 measures would be adopted to enhance civil aviation infrastructure and services in Tibet.
Domestic and foreign airlines are encouraged [...]

LONDON: Only Cristiano Ronaldo’s world-record transfer prevented Manchester United making an annual loss of more than 30 million pounds ($48.2 million), figures released by the English Premier League champions showed on Monday.
United declared a pre-tax profit of 48.2 million pounds ($77.7 million) for the year up to June 30, 2009.
But without the departure of Portugal [...]

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini saw Carlos Tevez score a hattrick in a dominant 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers and then revealed he had tried to buy the striker two years ago.
Tevez’s treble, his first for City and first since he scored four goals against Rovers for Manchester United in a League Cup [...]

HOBART, Australia: Seventh-seeded Zheng Jie beat Chinese compatriot Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-1 Tuesday in a second-round match at the wind-blown Hobart International tennis tournament.
Fourth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine defeated Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and will meet Zheng in the quarterfinals.
Eighth-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina also advanced to the Hobart quarterfinals for the [...]

A graduate student from Xinzhou in Shanxi province was awarded 10,000 yuan on Tuesday for reporting 32 pornographic websites to government officials, China Youth Daily reported.
A campaign to eliminate pornography from the Internet and mobile phones is under way in China, and prosecutors from ten municipalities and provinces have issued awards ranging from 1,000 yuan [...]

HONG KONG — As it moves rapidly to become the world’s leader in nuclear power, wind energy and photovoltaic solar panels, China is taking tentative steps to master another alternative energy industry: using mirrors to capture sunlight, produce steam and generate electricity.
So-called concentrating solar power uses hundreds of thousands of mirrors to turn water into [...]

A graduate student from Xinzhou in Shanxi province was awarded 10,000 yuan on Tuesday for reporting 32 pornographic websites to government officials, China Youth Daily reported.
A campaign to eliminate pornography from the Internet and mobile phones is under way in China, and prosecutors from ten municipalities and provinces have issued awards ranging from 1,000 yuan [...]

Sugababes star Heidi Range has revealed her favourite New Year’s Eve was spent in Dubai with her boyfriend Dave Berry.
Heidi Range’s best New Year’s Eve was spent in Dubai.
The Sugababes singer loved getting the opportunity to have a holiday with her long-term boyfriend, TV presenter Dave Berry, because one of them is usually working over [...]