BEIJING, Jun. 18, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday denied reports that the son of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) top leader Kim Jong Il had visited Beijing.
* 1st Ld: 15 trapped in SW China coal mine flooding
GUIYANG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of miners trapped in a flooded southwest China coal mine has risen to 15, said work safety authorities Thursday.
* U.S. students, teachers in China released from flu quarantine
YICHANG, Hubei Province, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-five students and teachers of a U.S. tour group who were quarantined in a central China city after seven of the 42-member group were diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu were released Thursday afternoon and flew to Shanghai.
* China's pre-installed filter software may face copyright charge
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. firm specializing in parental controls for computers may take Chinese developers of a controversial software to filter pornography to the court for copyright infringement.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE:
* 1st Ld: Chinese shares rise to 10-month high on market optimism
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shares rose to their highest level since the end of last July after gaining 1.56 percent on Thursday, as investor confidence received a boost with the World Bank raising its forecast of China's economic growth this year.
* China Eastern Airlines to buy 20 A320s
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China Eastern Airlines Corp. (NYSE:CEA) signed a deal in Paris Tuesday to buy 20 A320 passenger jets from Airbus to meet potential demand increase in its domestic market, said the company's statement released Thursday.
* 1st Ld-Writethru: World Bank raises China's 2009 growth forecast to 7.2 pct
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- World Bank Thursday raised its forecast of China's economic growth rate to 7.2 percent in 2009 from its earlier forecast of 6.5 percent, as the country's expansionary fiscal and monetary policies have kept the economy growing respectably.
FEATURE:
* China Focus: China's inland provinces feel delayed impact of global downturn
HARBIN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The impact of the global downturn on China's inland provinces has appeared later than in the coastal regions, companies and officials said at the 20th China Harbin International Economy and Trade Fair.
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