CCTV9英语新闻：9.4 mln students to take exams in China

A big day for Chinese high school students. China's national college entrance exam, Gaokao, starts today. Around 9.4 million students are sitting the grueling two-or-three-day tests, which aim to screen and select candidates for higher education. The

China's railways handle 606 mln passengers in first 4 months

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 606.48 million people traveled via China's railways during the first four months of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent, the Ministry of Railways said Sunday. Passenger numbers increased the most in Apri

US Fed Announces $400 Bln "Operation Twist"

The US Federal Reserve has announced it will replace much of the short-term debt in its portfolio with longer-term treasuries. Following a 2-day meeting, the US central bank has decided it will buy 400 billion dollars worth of bonds with maturities o

France's Vivendi sells NBC stake for 3.8 bln USD

PARIS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- French telecom giant Vivendi said Wednesday it has sold its remaining stake in NBC(美国全国广播公司) Universal to U.S. General Electric (GE) for 3.8 billion U.S. dollars. Vivendi has concluded ... the sale of the re

China's railways carry nearly 25 mln during holiday

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China's railways carried nearly 25 million passengers during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 7.5 percent year-on-year, statistics from the Ministry of Railways showed Sunday. At least 7 million passengers t

China's drug retail sales hit 188 bln yuan

China's drug retail sales hit 188 bln yuan BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's drug retail sales reached 188.5 billion yuan (about 29.9 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011, according to figures released by the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Associ

IMF approves 2.11 bln USD new funding to Ireland

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced Friday that it has completed the third review of Ireland's economic performance that enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to 1.32 billion IMF specia

China allocates 120 mln yuan to drought-hit SW province

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese central government Wednesday allocated 120 million yuan (19 million U.S. dollars) to drought-stricken areas in southwestern Yunnan province. The relief funds, jointly arranged by the Ministry of Finance and th

Lionsgate buys "Twilight" studio for $412.5 mln

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leading independent motion picture producer and distributor Lionsgate has acquired vampire and werewolves epic series Twilight producer Summit Entertainment for 412.5 million U.S. dollars, the company announced on Fri

Yahoo to acquire Interclick for $270 mln

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Yahoo, which has been rumored to sell all or part of its business, announced on Tuesday that it is buying data-driven advertising network Interclick for around 270 million U.S. dollars. Interclick is a technology com

CCTV9英语新闻：Chinese tourists expected to bring in $60 bln to U.S.

Outbound tourists to the US from China surged over 20 percent in 2014 to 2.19 million, thanks to extensions of visa validity. The visa policy was hailed by the US tourism industry as a major income boost. Yellowstone national park, the General Sherma

Chinese farmers net 150 bln yuan a year from rural tourism

CHENGDU, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Rural tourism in China benefited 15 million farmers who earn at least 150 billion yuan (23.81 billion U.S. dollars) a year, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Sunday. By the end of 2011, China has at least 1.5 millio

2.96 bln yuan misused in affordable housing

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top auditor said on Wednesday that 2.96 billion yuan (470 million U.S. dollars) earmarked for affordable housing programs was intercepted or embezzled last year. The report was based on auditing in 66 cities and c

IMF chief to propose 28-bln-euro loan for Greece

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua)-- The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Friday that she would advise the Fund to contribute 28 billion euros (about 36.7 billion U.S. dollars) to the second bailout package for Greece. Today I have consul

Google to pay $500 mln over online drug ads

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Online search engine Google Inc. has agreed to pay 500 million U.S. dollars to settle claims that it allowed online Canadian pharmacies to place advertisements targeting consumers in the United States, U.S. Justice Dep

U.S. federal govt to borrow 592 bln USD in second half 2012

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Treasury Department announced Monday that the federal government expected to borrow 592 billion U.S. dollars from the market to fund its operation in the second half of this year, fresh evidence of the budgeta

HSBC to pay 249 mln USDs in foreclosure abuse settlement

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Banking giant HSBC has agreed to pay 249 million U.S. dollars to borrowers in a settlement with U.S. federal regulators for its foreclosure abuse practices, U.S. Federal Reserve announced on Friday. The sums paid by HS

China starts construction on 5.8 mln low-income housing units

BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China started building 5.8 million low-income housing units in the first seven months of this year, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said Friday. Construction on 3.6 million affordable homes has been ba

About 1.12 mln sit national public servant exam

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- About 1.12 million candidates sat the National Public Servant Exam on Sunday, an increase of 150,000 from last year, according to a State Administration of Civil Service. One out of 53 exam takers will be successful in ga

CCTV9英语新闻：China to invest 1.6 trln yuan across 130 projects

The National Development and Reform Commission says it's stepping up measures to revitalize China's sagging industrial Northeast. Zhou Jianping, the official in charge of the effort, says the government will invest 1.6 trillion yuan in about 130 majo