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Air France airliner vanishes, chances of finding survivor slim

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says chances of finding any survivors are "very small" as an Air France airliner with more than 200 people on board vanished over the Atlantic Ocean.

Air France said earlier the plane was probably hit by lightning and suffered an electrical failure while flying through a storm. The Airbus A330 left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night for Paris.

The 228 people aboard were from 32 countries, most of whom are French and Brazilians. 8 Chinese nationals were also on board.

The French and Brazilian militaries have been searching around the area where the plane disappeared.

General Motors Corp. files for bankruptcy protection at New York Bankruptcy Court

In the largest industrial bankruptcy ever seen in U.S. history, General Motors has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Hoping to reemerge from bankruptcy protection as a new company within 60 to 90 days, GM will close 11 U.S. factories and idle three others to slash its operating costs.

The GM bankruptcy will also lead to the loss of hundreds of dealers and suppliers as well as hundreds of thousands of jobs.

However, an overnight statement from GM said the impact of its U.S. parent's bankruptcy will be minimal to its China business.

President Barack Obama has promised an additional 30 billion dollars to the carmaker.

U.S. treasury chief pursues closer economic ties with China

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is making best of his first Beijing visit to pursue a closer economic ties with China.

Geithner spent Monday in a flurry of meetings with China's top economic team, including Vice Premier Wang Qishan and chiefs of finance, commerce, banking and securities.

Earlier in the day, Geithner gave a speech at Peking University, saying his visit aims to lay the foundation for a more balanced and sustainable recovery in both economies.

Chinese Premier Wen tells children to learn to love

As millions of Chinese children celebrated Children's Day Monday, Premier Wen Jiabao shared a light moment with 100 young students invited to his office in downtown Beijing.

The premier danced, sang and chatted with the children from all over the country.

He encouraged the youngsters to study hard, and to grow up well-educated with loving hearts.

A/H1N1 flu confirmed cases rise to 39 in China

The tally of confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases on the Chinese mainland has risen to 39 as six more people were found being infected with the virus Monday.

Beijing announced three more cases, and another three were reported in the southern Fujian and Guangdong provinces.