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<title>rthk.hk - Instant News</title>
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<description>rthk.hk - Instant News</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:57:05 +0800</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Land bank ruled out for public housing  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817056.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
The Secretary for Development, Carrie Lam, has ruled out using plots from the government's land bank to build public housing, saying it would be a waste of a precious resource. Speaking on an RTHK programme, Mrs Lam said she was confident that such a step would not be taken. Commenting on a government plan to split large residential plots into smaller ones to attract more developers, she insisted the move was aimed at increasing competition, not boosting government revenue. On the possibility of building public housing on land that fails to attract interest from the private sector, Mrs Lam said that this would only be a a last resort. She said she was sure the government would not have to adopt such a course. Mrs Lam called Hong Kong's land a precious resource, pointing out that sales last year swelled the government's coffers by some HK$80-billion. She said this revenue ensured the government had abundant resources to meet other needs, and such income should not be easily given up.
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Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:54:50 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Indonesian pilots 'taking drugs'    ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817036.htm]]></link>
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An increasing number of Indonesian pilots are reported to be taking drugs. The alarm was raised after a pilot for Lion Air was arrested at the weekend for possessing crystal methamphetamine. It's the third such case in recent months. Indonesian aviation officials are now calling for stricter regulations to tackle the problem.
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Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:47:43 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Santorum wins Missouri primary  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817033.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Rick Santorum has been declared the winner of Missouri's Republican presidential nominating contest, thrashing Mitt Romney by 30 points. Mr Santorum, a social conservative, was also leading by a wide margin in Minnesota and Colorado, according to partial results. Defeat in Colorado for Mr Romney would be a huge upset, as he was expected to win easily on the eve of the vote. The eventual nominee will go on to face Barack Obama in November's election. Newt Gingrich, still Mr Romney's main challenger, hardly campaigned in the three states voting on Tuesday, and did not even appear on Missouri's ballot. 
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Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:33:34 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Argentina raising Falklands issue at UN  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817026.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Argentina is to make a formal complaint to the United Nations about British "militarisation" around the disputed Falkland Islands. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner made the announcement at a meeting of MPs, senior officials, and veterans of the 1982 war Argentina fought with Britain over the islands. Tensions between the two countries have been increasing in recent weeks. Last month, the UK said it was sending a destroyer to the region. The status of the islands is still a highly sensitive issue for Buenos Aires. In December, Mercosur, a South American trading bloc, closed its ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flag. Then, last month, the UK said it was sending one of its newest destroyers, HMS Dauntless, to the South Atlantic, off the Falklands. London described the move as "routine". 
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:20:08 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Gulf states increase Syrian isolation   ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817024.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Gulf Arab states say they are expelling Syrian ambassadors in their countries and recalling their envoys from Syria. The Gulf Cooperation Council said Syria had rejected Arab attempts to solve the crisis and end 11 months of bloodshed. The US closed its embassy in Syria, and several European countries have recalled their ambassadors. The moves came as Syrian government forces continued their fierce assault on the restive city of Homs, and Russian officials visited Damascus. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a solution to the crisis based on Arab League initiatives, days after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria. After meeting Mr Lavrov, Syrian media quoted President Bashar al-Assad as saying he was willing to co-operate with "any efforts towards stability". Separately Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, denied reports that he had threatened Qatar's prime minister during talks at the UN last week. Someone was trying to drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world, he said. 
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:57:39 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Birmingham move up on Southampton  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817004.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Football: Nathan Redmond's late winner saw Birmingham City beat Portsmouth 1-0 at St Andrew's on Tuesday as they moved to within two points of automatic promotion to the Premier League. Only the top two sides in England's second tier Championship are guaranteed automatic promotion to the lucrative Premier League and teenage substitute Redmond's 86th minute goal left Birmingham two points behind second-placed Southampton and only four adrift of leaders West Ham. 
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:11 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Bilbao ends Mirandes cup run   ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_817000.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Football: Athletic Bilbao ended tiny Mirandes's remarkable King's Cup run with a ruthless 6-2 win in their semi-final second leg, to set up a final meeting with either Barcelona or Valencia. Iker Muniain, Markel Susaeta and Jon Aurtenetxe scored inside the opening 22 minutes at San Mames, quickly extinguishing any chance of another giant-killing feat from their plucky visitors. Fernando Llorente scored twice in four second-half minutes, after Mirandes had pulled one back through defender Aitor Blanco, who also grabbed their second near the end. Cesar Caneda put the ball in his own net two minutes from time as Bilbao, who have won the Cup 23 times, progressed 8-3 on aggregate. They will find out their final opponents on Wednesday, when Valencia visit the Nou Camp to play Barcelona with the tie level at 1-1. Elsewhere in Europe, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund stayed on track for a domestic double as they eased into the German Cup semi-finals with a 4-0 win at fourth-tier Kiel. Ligue 1 Rennes qualified for the French Cup quarter-finals by defeating Evian 3-2 in the only game played after three other matches were postponed because of bad weather.
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:42:02 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Blackpool, Millwall win FA Cup replays  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_816998.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Football: Blackpool have secured an English FA Cup fifth round trip to Premier League Everton with a 3-0 win over League One Sheffield Wednesday. And Liam Feeney scored a stoppage-time winner to secure Millwall a last 16 tie at home to top-flight strugglers Bolton Wanderers after a 3-2 win at Championship rivals and high-fliers Southampton. 
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:32:25 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[PBOC eases grip on mortgage lending  ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_816994.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
China's central bank has pledged support to first-time home buyers - a sign that the bank is easing its grip on lending. The People's Bank of China said banks must provide credit to first-home buyers. This is the first clear call to support mortgage lending since the PBOC started to calm the red-hot property market on the mainland two years ago. The central bank also said that banks should aid the economy's weak points, notably agriculture and areas that are vital to people's living. The PBOC's shift on housing came as more warnings were sounded on the mainland economy. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warned that growth in China's industrial output is likely to slow this quarter. But it said for the year as a whole, production growth might continue at a relatively rapid pace. The Government is targeting 11 percent growth this year, after expansion of just under 14 percent last year.
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:20:39 +0800
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<title><![CDATA[Kidnapped Chinese workers freed          ]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120208/news_20120208_56_816935.htm]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[
Rebel forces in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan released 29 Chinese workers to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday, 10 days after they were kidnapped, Sudan's foreign ministry said. The workers were handed over on Tuesday morning to the ICRC, the ministry said. They were flown over from Kauda in South Kordofan to Nairobi in Kenya and handed over to Chinese embassy officials. "The Sudanese foreign ministry affirms to the government and people of China that Sudan's government seeks to protect Chinese investments and workers involved in it," a ministry statement said. The construction workers were captured on January 28 - apparently held as pawns in a dispute between Sudan and rebels allied with the newly independent and oil-rich South Sudan. The Xinhua news agency also confirmed the release. China had sent a team of officials to Khartoum to help secure the workers' freedom. It was reported last week that rebels from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North had attacked a total of 47 Chinese workers. Eighteen fled the scene of the attack and all but one of those were taken to safety after a rescue attempt on January 29. One man from that group was shot and killed and his body was handed over to China on Tuesday by Sudanese authorities, Xinhua said.
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<pubDate>
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:23:22 +0800
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