Off the wire
• China passes reform plan to boost soccer competence  • News Analysis: As his political fortunes fall Berlusconi is back in business  • Europa League football match in Rotterdam leads to 42 arrests  • Syria condemns IS attack on Christian Assyrian community  • U.S. stocks open lower on GDP report  • China eyes top four at Algarve Cup  • Roundup: China's top legislature ends bi-monthly session  • Results of CBA playoffs  • China to play England in April for women's World Cup warmup  • Astana Tour licence in jeopardy for doping concern  
You are here: 　 Home

Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Feb. 27

Xinhua, February 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2014, revised down from the advance estimate of 2.6 percent, according to the second estimate from the U.S. Commerce Department released Friday.

The U.S. economy grew 5 percent in the third quarter and 4.6 percent in the second quarter after contracting in the first quarter of 2014. In 2014, the economy expanded 2.4 percent year on year, compared with an increase of 2.2 percent in 2013. (US-GDP-Growth)

- - - -

PARIS -- Merchandise trade growth slumped in most major economies in the last quarter of 2014 due to the effects of an appreciating U.S. dollar, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Friday.

The total imports of seven major developed countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States - and BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - were down by 3.7 percent over the last three months of last year compared to a quarter earlier on continued fall in oil prices, the Paris-based organization said in a communique. (OECD-Growth)

- - - -

BERLIN -- German lawmakers approved the extension of Greek bailout program on Friday.

In a vote at Bundestag, the lower house of German parliament, 542 of the 587 lawmakers who participated in the ballot voted yes to the extension, with 32 against and 13 abstentions. (Germany-Greece)

- - - -

KABUL -- A total of 14 militants have been killed in violent incidents of conflict and bomb blast in the east and north of the militancy-plagued Afghanistan on Friday, officials said.

In the latest incident, two Taliban militants were killed and two others injured as their explosive device exploded prematurely in the eastern Paktika province, spokesman for the provincial government, Nabiullah Pirkhil, said. (Afghanistan-Blast)

- - - -

DAMASCUS -- A car bomb exploded on Friday in a town in the countryside of the capital Damascus, killing at least 11 people, a monitoring group reported.

The car bomb tore through the city of Dumair in the eastern countryside of Damascus, more specifically on the road connecting Dumair with Palmira in central Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Syria-Blast) Endi