Hong Kong stocks jump on Wall Street gains, optimism about China recovering from snowstorms

Hong Kong stocks surged Monday morning as investors were heartened by gains on Wall Street last week and other Asian markets.

The blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 3.1 percent to 24,876 by midday after earlier jumping as much as 4 percent.

Sentiment got a boost from speculation that China might relax its credit tightening measures after the country was hit by recent snowstorms. China also announced a $700 million fund Friday to help farmers recover from devastating snowstorms.

"Previously people were talking about damage caused by snowstorms, now they're talking about rebuilding," said Y.K. Chan, fund manager at Phillip Asset …

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WVU women win exhibition over Lions

MORGANTOWN - The 18th-ranked West Virginia University women'sbasketball team pulled away in the second half to down Concord 89-56, in an exhibition game here Sunday.

Senior center Olayinka Sanni led WVU with 21 points and sixrebounds in only 17 minutes. Meg Bulger, who came off the bench andplayed a team-high 22 minutes, had 11 points and five rebounds. WVUopens the regular season Friday night at home against Canisius.

Baker leads Herd women to exhibition win

HUNTINGTON - Junior Casey Baker, fresh off of a 13-point, six-steal game Wednesday against Kentucky State, backed that up with a17-point, five-steal performance …

Music and world events

I am writing this barely one month after the momentous and tragic events of 9/11/01, and all that has transpired since. I, like the rest of the world, am grappling with the new reality, and am searching for direction and motivation. I find strength in music.

Two weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center I went to New York City to play with Rob McConnell's Tentet. Even though I grew up just across the river, New York remains an exotic locale. For a jazz musician, arriving in New York is like a child entering Disney World; it takes your breath away. New York is the ultimate city, the centre of the jazz universe. The legacy of all the great New York jazz musicians, past and …

Calcavecchia, Rinker lead US charge at Senior Open

WALTON ON THE HILL, England (AP) — Americans Mark Calcavecchia and Lee Rinker and Canadian Rod Spittle shared the second-round lead in the Senior British Open on Friday.

Calcavecchia — one of three overnight leaders — made six birdies in his 3-under 69. He was joined at 7 under by Rinker and Spittle, who each shot 67 at Walton Heath.

It's the first time since 2004 that at least three players have held a share of the lead after 36 holes of a Senior British Open.

Australian Peter Fowler was two shots back after a 68, with American pair John Cook (67) and Mike Goodes (70) tied at 4 under. Defending champion Bernhard Langer faded with a 76, nine shots off the …

East Timor makes case for oil industry development

East Timor's government has designated land to be developed into a regional petrochemicals hub, its top resources official said Thursday, in the latest push to bring disputed offshore oil and gas to its coast rather than to Australia.

The neighbors share proceeds from the Bayu Undan field in the Timor Sea, but there is disagreement about a larger, untapped field called Greater Sunrise, which contains an estimated 240 million barrels of light oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet (154 billion cubic meters) of natural gas.

It is worth billions of dollars in commercial oil and gas sales and the country that hosts the processing facilities will also generate billions …

Illinois Tool Works to Solicit Elco Merger Support

Glenview-based Illinois Tool Works Inc., whose $27-a-sharetakeover bid for Rockford-based Elco Industries Inc. was snubbed lastweek, said today it plans to nominate three new Elco directors whowould support the merger.

Illinois Tool, which makes engineered parts and industrialsystems, will demand a list of Elco's stockholders so it can solicitsupport for its offer. The three new directors would constitute athird of Elco's …

Correction: Africa-Business Climate

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In a Dec. 8 story about barriers to commercial success in Africa, The Associated Press …