XIN_ENG_20051114.0420

MANILA, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Typhoon Pepeng to enter Philippines

The Philippine state weather bureau PAGASA Tuesday said typhoon Pepeng has entered the Philippine area and is threatening to bring rains over Surigao del Norte in Mindanao.

At 2:00 a.m. local time Tuesday, the typhoon was located by surface and satellite data at 330 kilometers east and northeast of Surigao City in Surigao del Norte province with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center. It is forecast to move north at 15 kilometers per hour.

Pepeng is the 16th typhoon to hit the country this year. Typhoons gather strength from warm sea water and tend to dissipate after making landfall.

PAGASA said the central and southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions will experience cloudy skies with scattered showers and thunderstorms becoming widespread over the eastern part of the country. The rest of Luzon will have mostly cloudy skies with showers and thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over northern and eastern Luzon and eastern Visayas. Coastal waters of these areas will be moderate to occasionally rough and becoming light to moderate over the rest of the country.

said

entered

threatening

bring

rains

located

forecast

move

is

hit

gather

tend

dissipate

said

experience

becoming

have

blowing

prevail

becoming

moderate


WSJ891102-0119
 = 891102
 891102-0119.
 Integra-A Rights Offering
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 ITGR HWG
 IRVING, Texas

   Integra-A Hotel amp Restaurant Co. said its planned rights offering  to raise about $9 million  was declared effective and the company  will begin mailing materials to shareholders at the end of this week.

   Under the offer, shareholders  will receive one right for each 105 common shares owned.
Each right entitles the shareholder  to buy $100 face amount of 13.5% bonds due 1993 and warrants  to buy 23.5 common shares at 30 cents a share.
The rights, which expire Nov. 21, can  be exercised for $100 each.

   Integra, which owns and operates hotels, said that Hallwood Group Inc.  has agreed  to exercise any rights that are n't exercised by other shareholders.
Hallwood, a Cleveland merchant bank, owns about 11% of Integra.

said

planned

offering

raise

declared

begin

mailing

offer

receive

owned

right

entitles

buy

warrants

buy

rights

expire

said

agreed

exercise

exercised

owns


XIN_ENG_20061122.0143

LAGOS, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Seven foreign oil workers confirmed hostages in southern Nigeria

Gunmen have kidnapped seven foreign workers including one Italian from an Agip oil vessel off the Nigerian coast, industry and security officials said on Wednesday.

According to a statement released by Italian oil company Eni, parent company of Agip, seven of its workers were taken hostage when 10 armed men attacked the vessel where there were 83 crew members aboard.

The nationalities of the other hostages were not immediately known, the statement added, adding that "the remaining 76 members of the crew are in good health and no damage to the ship was reported."

The vessel was about 50 km off the coast of Nigeria's southern Rivers State when attacked, Nigerian security officials said.

The kidnappings were the latest in a series of attack on oil installations in the volatile Niger Delta, where most of the country's oil is produced.

Since the beginning of the year, militant groups have constantly attacked oil facilities and taken oil workers as hostages.

Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and the sixth largest oil exporter in the world, has a daily crude oil output of 2.6 million barrels.

kidnapped

said

According

released

taken

attacked

added

adding

damage

reported

attacked

said

kidnappings

attack

produced

attacked


AFP_ENG_19970415.0143

PORT MORESBY, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

PNG prime minister angered at break down in military by Michael Field

Former Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan expressed his dismay at the military's breakdown in discipline, command and control five months before the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) staged a revolt in March, a commission of inquiry was told here Tuesday.

Chan's concern followed the killings on September 8 last year of 12 soldiers at Kangu Beach care centre in Bougainville, scene of a long- running civil war.

Justice Warwick Andrew is holding an inquiry into the hiring of mercenaries to fight in Bougainville, prompted by sacked PNGDF commander Brigadier General Jerry Singirok who led the revolt by calling for Chan's resignation.

Chan "stepped aside" pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Singirok threatened to walk out of the hearing earlier Tuesday if he was questioned over a political assassination.

The inquiry was also told of a US embargo on the sale of military helicopters to PNG and of concern that a large slice of 10 million kina (7.2 million US dollars) allocated for a military operation was used to furnish Singirok's home.

Singirok was questioned by Marshall Cooke, counsel for the PNG State, over Operation High Speed 2, conducted last July in Bougainville to knock out the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA).

Cooke produced a letter Chan wrote on October 31 to Defence Minister Mathias Ijape which described High Speed as a fiasco which reflected a "lack of proper planning and coordination by the principal staff officers."  "The Kangu massacre was clear evidence of the total breakdown in command and control from the Headquarters PNGDF right down to the lower echelon of command and control on Bougainville operations and I fear and hope that this is not the same throughout the force," Chan wrote.

"The Kangu massacre and the latest capture of three soldiers continues to highlight the serious breakdown of discipline, command and control."

Singirok told the inquiry the breakdown was "a direct reflection on the lack of support, lack of direction by our politicians." He rejected responsibility for the deaths.

The commission also heard a preliminary audit of High Speed spending had found 39,335 kina had been spent on curtains and carpets, 10,875 kina for furnishings and 45,000 kina for cutlery at Flag House, the commander's official residency. Also spent was 13,963 kina for overseas travel and 28,000 kina on two parties.

Evidence produced Tuesday showed the US State Department turned down a request from the PNGDF to supply them with 10 surplus US military Iroquois for 240,000 US dollars each.

In the end the country agreed a deal with the mercenary company Sandline International, which included two Mil-17 former Soviet transport helicopters and two Mil-21 attack helicopters.

Cooke raised the issue of the gunning down of Bougainville provincial premier Theodore Miriung on October 12 last year.

A coroner's inquiry found elements of the PNGDF carried out the killing.

Cooke asked Singirok whether he was cooperating with the police investigation.

"All the way," Singirok replied.

"I will advise the commission that because the issue of the killing of Miriung is still under police investigation, I do not wish to make any comment. If I am probed I will leave the court room," Singirok said.

expressed

breakdown

staged

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running

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prompted

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outcome

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produced

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breakdown

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wrote

massacre

capture

continues

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rejected

deaths

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agreed

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carried

killing

asked

cooperating

replied

advise

killing

wish

make

probed

leave

said


XIN_ENG_20061119.0169

HANOI, Nov. 19 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Vietnam, Japan to strive for economic partnership agreement

Vietnam and Japan have decided to accelerate negotiations to sign a bilateral economic partnership agreement, Vietnam News Agency reported Sunday.

The decision was made during the talks between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his visiting Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Hanoi capital on Sunday.

The two prime ministers reached agreement on maintaining and strengthening high-level meetings and annual political, economic, diplomatic, security and defense exchanges; efficiently implementing the second phase of the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative; and establishing a joint cooperation committee led by the foreign ministers of the two countries.

They also discussed the implementation of projects to build North-South railway and highway, and the Hanoi-based Hoa Lac Hi- tech Park.

Dung welcomed the first visit to Vietnam by Abe, describing the trip as an important milestone marking a new stage of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan - the stage of strategic partnership.

Dung expressed his wish for the Japanese government to continue boosting relations with Vietnam. He stressed Vietnam's consistent policy of attaching importance to friendly and multi-faceted cooperation with Japan.

Abe congratulated Vietnam for successfully organizing the 14th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Meeting on Saturday and Sunday and attaining World Trade Organization membership.

He affirmed Japan's consistent policy of placing importance on relations with Vietnam and continuing to forge bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the country and to help it successfully realize the target of national industrialization and modernization.

decided

accelerate

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made

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implementing

establishing

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expressed

continue

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stressed

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congratulated

organizing

attaining

affirmed

continuing

forge

cooperation

help

realize

modernization


XIN_ENG_20061114.0192

GAZA, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Hamas says its stance on Israel unchanged

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoom said on Tuesday that the movement's position on recognition of Israel remained unchanged.

But such a position of Hamas, a political faction, has not to be identical with the position of a new Palestinian government, Barhoom said, referring to an Israeli report that the coming government would not recognize a two-state solution, because it includes recognition of Israel.

He said that the new government would be formed based on a prisoners' document.

Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and is sworn to the Jewish state's destruction. The document, however, recognizes a two-state solution.

Leaders of rival Hamas and Fatah movements are holding dialogue on details concerning formation of a new national unity government to end economic and political crises in the Palestinian territory.

Recognizing Israel, honoring previous agreements with Israel and renouncing violence are requirements of the Quartet Committee to lift siege on the Palestinians and resume financial aid.

said

remained

said

referring

recognize

said

formed

refuses

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sworn

recognizes

holding

dialogue

end

Recognizing

honoring

renouncing

requirements

lift

resume


AFP_ENG_19970407.0521

KAMPALA, April 7 , 1997 (AFP)

Museveni will not talk with rebels: adviser

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will not answer a call by rebels for talks with Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony, the president's press adviser said Monday.

The adviser, John Nagenda, said Museveni's position remained that he himself would not talk with Kony, but would not stand in the way of others who wanted to talk with the former Roman Catholic catechist.

The call for talks came at a meeting in London at the weekend of northern Ugandans.

The LRA has been fighting in the north for the past 10 years in a bid to topple Museveni's government and replace it with one based on the Biblical 10 Commandments.

Museveni has offered amnesty to the rank and file guerrillas, but not their leaders.

answer

call

talks

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said

said

remained

talk

stand

wanted

talk

call

talks

came

meeting

fighting

topple

replace

offered


XIN_ENG_20061126.0159

LAGOS, Nov. 26 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Nigeria's communities, oil companies sign agreement on restarting oil production

Ijaw communities in Nigeria's southern state of Delta on Saturday reached an agreement with oil companies operating in the area to restart operations.

The oil companies involved are Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Pipeline Products and Marketing Company (PPMC) and the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC).

Secretary to the Delta State Government Emmanuel Uduaghan advising all parties to keep their promise.

Uduaghan commended SPDC for keeping its promises under which the SPDC provided 21 power generating sets for the indigenous communities.

He explained that the generators which had been shipped to 15 Ijaw and six Itsekiri communities were awaiting installation. However, the government still needed to involve the PPMC and the NGC to provide potable water for the communities, he added.

He explained that the government would provide hospitals to Ijaw communities and health centers for Itsekiri communities at a cost of 5 million U.S. dollars and 1.6 million dollars respectively.

He noted that the government projects for the communities, including water and three extra generators, would cost 14 million dollars and had been approved by the federal government.

Oboko Bello, president of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), assured peaceful re-entry of the companies as the communities would meet their side of the bargain.

Bello told the companies to keep to their own side of the accord since any breach in the agreement might cause problems, adding that FNDIC had already set up a committee that would work with the SPDC to ensure peaceful operations.

Mutiu Sunmonu, director of SPDC Production Office, emphasized the importance of dialogue in conflict resolution and thanked the communities for their understanding.

reached

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advising

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commended

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set

work

ensure

emphasized

thanked


XIN_ENG_20061116.0105

CANBERRA, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Australian dollar closes lower

The Australian stock exchange market closed lower Thursday as the benchmark S/ASX200 shed 37.3 points to 5,392.6, while the all ordinaries gave up 35.2 points to 5,363.9.

Market turnover reached 1.4 billion worth a total value of 4.9 billion Australian dollars (3.75 billion U.S. dollars) with 489 stocks moving up, 668 moving down and 327 unchanged.

Among the resources stocks, BHP Billiton rose 2 cents to 26.52 dollars and rival Rio Tinto dipped 8 cents to 75.00 dollars.

In the banking sector, ANZ fell 20 cents to 28.65 dollars, the Commonwealth Bank dumped 7 cents to 48.35 dollars, the National Australia Bank reversed 44 cents to 38.80 dollars and Westpac slumped 51 cents to 24.18 dollars.

Among the media stocks, News Corp softened 10 cents to 28.92 dollars.

closed

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XIN_ENG_20051102.0093

MANILA, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Presidential term limit premature: Philippine gov't

The talks about the term limit of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are premature, government officials said on Wednesday, in response to reports saying Arroyo agreed to hold elections for a new parliamentary government in 2007.

The issue of term limit would depend on the transitory provisions of the amended constitution to be ratified by congress as well as the recommendations of the consultative commission, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview.

However, Bunye said that the proposal to shorten the president' s term would be covered by the amended constitution. "The congress must amend the constitution before we proceed to other matters," he added.

Earlier Wednesday, a report quoted an unnamed source as saying that Arroyo made the commitment to former president Fidel Ramos and house speaker Jose de Venecia during a private meeting Monday.

Bunye neither confirmed nor denied the story.

In a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, executive secretary Eduardo Ermita reiterated Arroyo's support of charter change, saying she believes it is the solution to the political crisis.

Arroyo has tasked the consultative commission to submit its recommendation of charter change by Dec. 15, Ermita said.

The proposed amendment may render power to a prime minister as the head of the executive branch, shifting the country's system to parliamentary. Former president Ramos is believed to be the mastermind of the proposal.

The Philippine president enjoys a term of 6 years under the present constitution, which sees Arroyo in her office until 2010.

talks

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render

shifting

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enjoys


VOA19980501.1800.0355
 NEWS STORY

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says considerable gaps remain
 between Israeli and Palestinian positions before next week's talks in
 London. He and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat meet separately Monday with
 US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
 At a news conference with US Vice President Al Gore in Jerusalem, Mr.
 Netanyahu suggested Israel might be willing to move a little on issues
 holding up peace, but he said he expects an equal effort from the
 Palestinians.

 If Israel  is asked to uh stretch itself on matters that are vital to its
 security concerns, then we must see an equal effort on the other side.

 Mr. Gore called on Israel  to continue taking risks for peace.

says

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called

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risks


WSJ910225-0066

910225-0066.

   Breakthrough:
   U.S. Hails Invasion
   Of Kuwait and Iraq
   As `Dramatic Success'
   ---
   Troops Meet Little Resistance
   But Allied Forces Face
   Political, Military Risks
   ---
   Long Columns of Iraqi POWs
   ----
   By Gerald F. Seib
   Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

02/25/91

WALL STREET JOURNAL (J), PAGE A1

   MDEST EUROP FREST

EXECUTIVE (EXE)
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT (DEF)
STATE DEPARTMENT (STD)

   WASHINGTON -- With the ground battle to liberate Kuwait
proceeding with surprising speed and success, Bush
administration officials are optimistic the Persian Gulf war
can begin winding down in a matter of days.
   The enormous ground offensive by U.S. Marines and Army
troops, at least during its first 24 hours, met only sporadic
Iraqi resistance as it quickly penetrated deep into Kuwait
and parts of Iraq, military officials said. According to
press pool reports, U.S. Marines are already on the outskirts
of Kuwait City.

   "So far, the offensive is progressing with dramatic
success," said a buoyant Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander
of U.S. forces. Similarly, while cautioning about the
uncertainty of early battle reports, White House spokesman
Marlin Fitzwater said late yesterday that "the operation has been very successful." Amid reports that thousands of Iraqi
soldiers had surrendered, administration aides were also
upbeat in private, with one even talking of victory within a
week.
   But even continued military success carries political and
diplomatic risks for President Bush and the U.S. The allied
rejection of the last-minute Soviet-led diplomatic effort to avoid the ground war enabled Mr. Bush to seize the initiative
from an Iraq seemingly bent on dictating peace terms. But it
has offended some, especially in Arab countries, who now believe that Mr. Bush's real objectives are the demise of
Saddam Hussein and the destruction of the Iraqi military, not
just the liberation of Kuwait.
   "Why have a war?" asked Abdul Latif Shekar, a customs
officer in Egypt, a country participating in the attack on
Iraqi troops. "I think the Gorbachev plan was a good one.
Iraq was ready to withdraw." Now, he says, "it looks like the
West just wants to destroy Iraq."
   Despite the early indications of success, the allied
forces could still suffer greater casualties and become
bogged down militarily  , especially when they encounter the
tough Republican Guard, which is entrenched along the
Iraq-Kuwait border. If so, and if it appears that the
American goal actually is to destroy the Iraqi regime even at
the cost of badly hurting Iraqi society, "the lingering cost
of that could be high," worries former national security
adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. But, he notes, "If everything
crumbles totally, that won't be such a problem."
   American officials staunchly disavow any interest in
driving through Iraq toward Baghdad, either in pursuit of
Saddam Hussein himself or to set up some American-controlled
government inside Iraq. The Americans say their battle plans
call for operating against forces inside Iraq as far north as
the city of Basra, about 30 miles north of Kuwait, but say
there is n't  any plan to drive beyond that.
   Indeed, French President Francois Mitterrand said
yesterday that some allied forces are crossing Iraqi
territory as part of a "pincer" movement to trap the soldiers
occupying Kuwait, but insisted, "The purpose isn't to invade
Iraqi territory, that's not the aim, that isn't the mandate."
   Nevertheless, American officials over the weekend became
more open in declaring that by destroying Saddam Hussein's
military machine they hope to destroy his regime -- a goal
likely to be supported by most Americans.
   In a pre-attack message, Lt. Gen. Walter Boomer, the top
Marine in the Persian Gulf, told U.S. Marines that their goal
is to " restore {Kuwait} to its citizens." He went on to add
that "in so doing you not only return a nation to its people,
but you will destroy the war machine of a ruthless dictator."
   Secretary of State James Baker said on ABC-TV's "This Week
With David Brinkley" that the series of United Nations
resolutions condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait "imply that
the restoration of peace and stability in the Gulf would be a
heck of a lot easier if he and that leadership were not  in
power in Iraq."
   Of course, it is still far too early to assume that the
military situation on the ground will stay as smooth for
allied forces as it appears to have been so far. Iraq still
has the potential to cause significant problems by using
forces and weapons that don't yet seem fully engaged.
   For one thing, Iraq still apparently has n't unleashed its
stockpile of chemical weapons. Gen. Schwarzkopf said that
some early reports that chemical weapons were used against
allied troops turned out to be "bogus." Iraq is believed to have the ability to deliver chemical weapons in artillery
shells or, perhaps, atop Soviet-made Frog7 missiles.
   Perhaps more important, it appears that allied troops
have n't yet fully engaged Iraq's vaunted Republican Guard,
which has been sitting just north of the Iraq-Kuwait border
and is considered the most potent element in the Iraqi
defense. It remains to be seen how much damage the allied air
campaign was able to inflict on the Guard, and whether
President Hussein will commit his most valued troops to a
fight-to-the-death finish.
   Certainly Saddam Hussein continues to implore his country
to fight on. "Fight them," he urged Iraqis in a radio
address. "All Iraqis, fight them with all the power you have,
and all struggle for everything."
   American war planners have long assumed that the early
stage of the ground attack, in which American forces would use their speed to sweep around Iraqi defenses and their
strength to punch through the relatively weak Iraqi front
line, would be the easiest part.
   Despite these early successes, the mere fact that a ground
campaign has begun almost guarantees that the Bush
administration will face fresh problems growing out of the
military situation. There are likely to be additional
American prisoners of war taken, and there are signs that
President Hussein is taking Kuwaiti hostages. U.S. and
Kuwaiti officials say there are reports that large numbers of
civilians from Kuwait City are being rounded up and held by
Iraqi troops, apparently either for use as human shields or
for use later in bargaining once the war is over.
   President Bush's political argument for going to a ground
war has been strengthened by the growing stream of reports of
wanton Iraqi destruction inside Kuwait. U.S. officials say
that hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells now may have been set afire. And Robert Gates, Mr. Bush's deputy national security
adviser, asserted in an interview on the Cable News Network
that Iraqi troops have set fire to "large sections" of Kuwait
City.
   Mr. Bush and his aides were leaning toward a military
conclusion of the crisis even before the latest reports of
Iraqi atrocities in Kuwait came to light. The president and
his top aides tentatively decided on Feb. 11 that a ground
war would be necessary. The decision was made after Defense
Secretary Dick Cheney and Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, returned from a visit with military
commanders in Saudi Arabia, administration officials say.
Then, a week or so ago, Gen. Schwarzkopf secretly picked
Saturday night as the optimal time to start the offensive.
   The date was unaffected by the last-ditch Soviet peace
initiative. The real problem with the Soviet proposals, U.S.
officials now say, was that they all would have required
lifting economic sanctions against Iraq. The Bush
administration considers the sanctions essential to keeping
Saddam Hussein under control should he survive the war.
   Mr. Bush forestalled further diplomatic maneuvering by
issuing an ultimatum on behalf of the allies demanding that
Iraq withdraw within a week, starting at noon Saturday.
Administration aides said that the idea of the ultimatum was
Gen. Powell's. He argued setting an explicit deadline for
Saddam Hussein to break would, when it was broken, give the
U.S. military a clear green light to proceed.
   In setting out his final challenge to Saddam Hussein, Mr.
Bush continued the intensive personal diplomacy he began
after the invasion llast August. After cabling world leaders
about his intention to give Saddam Hussein a final deadline
to exit Kuwait, he offered him a week to withdraw fully  , instead of the four days he originally considered, because of
objections from some European partners that four days seemed
punitive and unrealistic.
   And when he and President Gorbachev spoke about the
decision in a talk lasting nearly an hour, the President took
pains to listen to what his counterpart had to say, although
he already had decided that the Soviet alternative to the
allied deadline was unacceptable.
   Finally, when Iraq failed to respond to the U.S.
ultimatum, Mr. Bush let the ground offensive begin as
previously planned Saturday night.
   The attack was lightning quick, as allied forces punched
through tall sand berms on the border and pushed forward into
Iraq and Kuwait. U.S. Marines were said to have breached
troublesome mine fields along the Iraqi lines but Pentagon
officials said no amphibious assault on Kuwait's beaches had begun. Long columns of Iraqi prisoners of war could be seen
trudging through the desert toward the allied rear. U.S.
commanders said 5,500 Iraqi prisoners were taken in the first
hours of the ground war, though some military officials later said the total may have climbed above 8,000.
   The U.S. hopes its troops will drive Iraqi forces out of
Kuwait quickly , leaving much of Iraq's offensive military
equipment destroyed or abandoned in Kuwait. It expects that
tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers will surrender to the
U.S. and its allies over the the next few days.
   If the allies succeed, Saddam Hussein will have plunged
his country first into a fruitless eight-year-long war
against Iran and then into a humiliating war against the U.S.
and the allies to defend his conquest of Kuwait, leaving much
of his country's military establishment and modern
infrastructure in ruins.
   Meanwhile, the U.S. hopes, economic sanctions and an
international arms embargo will remain in effect until Iraq
pays war reparations to Kuwait to cover war damages. That
would undermine any chances of rebuilding either Iraq or its
armed forces in short order as long as Saddam Hussein remains
in power. The American hope is that someone from within Iraq,
perhaps from the army's professional ranks, will step forward
and push Saddam Hussein aside so that the country can begin
recovering from the disaster.
   Outside analysts think Saddam Hussein's position is indeed
precarious. "I think frankly Saddam is finished, no matter
what happens," says Christine Helms, a Middle East scholar
who has written extensively about Iraq. "These guys simply do n't retire to condos over the Euphrates."
   Despite the lack of any obvious successors, the Iraqi
leader's internal power base appeared to be narrowing even
before the war began. Some analysts say he appeared to be relying on a smaller and smaller circle of close advisers and
relatives. If that's true, the narrowing of his support would make it easier for someone to push him aside from within.
   Yet, paradoxically, the perception that the U.S. wants to destroy Iraq may increase Saddam Hussein's support within the
Iraqi military. And the U.S. now will face sharper questions
in the Arab world since it did n't  back  the peace proposals
worked out in Moscow. "We looked to the United States, we
expected you to have the moral edge," says Nasser Tahboub, a
Jerusalem-born Jordanian who has an American wife and a
doctorate in political science from Duke University. "Now we
see that edge eroded. For me, it is a great tragedy. For the
first time in history, the U.S. has gone to war with an Arab
and Muslim nation, and we know a peaceful solution was in
reach."
   ---
   Geraldine Brooks in Amman, Jordan, and Craig Forman in
Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this article.

battle

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penetrated

said

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on

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progressing

said

cautioning

uncertainty

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reports

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reports

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continued

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risks

rejection

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enabled

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dictating

offended

believe

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war

asked

participating

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think

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says

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wants

destroy

indications

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become

bogged

encounter

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appears

goal

destroy

regime

hurting

worries

notes

crumbles

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say

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crossing

movement

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occupying

insisted

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aim

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became

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declaring

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regime

goal

supported

message

told

goal

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went

add

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said

resolutions

condemning

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XIN_ENG_20051105.0037

MACAO, Nov. 5 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Japan stuns China in men's basketball

Underdog Japan stunned Asian champion China 68-60 to reach the men's basketball final at the East Asian Games here on Saturday.

Japan, who suffered a 78-62 loss to South Korea Friday, played a completely different game, leading from the very beginning and enlarging the gap by every quarter on the way.

Japan's coach Zeljko Pavlicevic said they deserved the win as they played better than the Chinese in both defense and offense.

"We played a great game," said Zeljko. "We led from the beginning and never looked back. It wasn't a final-ball game and we won it by eight points."

"You see the scoreboard, we are good in almost every thing, points, assists, rebounds and steals, we did play a great game."

Leading the first quarter 17-14, Japan ran away 35-27 at the half break thanks to point guard Igarashi Kei, who scored eight points in a row in the second quarter.

Japan widened its advantage to close the third quarter 54-43 after China's inside dominance Yi Jianlian was benched with four fouls in hand.

China, who had the semifinals without a loss, fought hard to close the margin to five points in the fourth quarter but Japanese forward Amino Tomoo's two shots ended China's comeback dream.

Igarashi led the Japanese side with 19 points, seven assists, three steals and forward Amino added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Yi, who averaged more than 20 points in the preliminary round, scored a team high of 14 points yet only pulled down four rebounds. Guards Lu Xiaoming and Wang Shipeng each added 10 points.

In Saturday's another semifinal, Chinese Taipei nipped South Korea 61-48 thanks to a solid defense that limited its rival's shooting percentage to a poor 22 percent.

Chinese Taipei out-scored the South Korean side 14-6 in the fourth quarter to seal a final berth.

Guard Zeng Wending scored a team high of 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Chinese Taipei, while forward Tianlei added 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Guard Park Ji Hyon led South Korea with 20 points, forward Jung Hoon added 11 points.

"It's surprising that Japan upset China today, but we are glad to have Japan as the final rival," said Chinese Taipei coach Jin Hyo Joon.

Chinese Taipei, who beat Japan 89-78 in the preliminary round, will play the final on Sunday, while South Korea plays against China for the bronze.

stunned

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upset

glad

said

beat

play

plays


AFP_ENG_20061215.0062

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

Cuba's Castro is near death: US intelligence

Cuban leader Fidel Castro is very ill and close to death, the US Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte told the Washington Post on Friday.

"Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer... months, not years," Negroponte told the Post.

However Negroponte, the top US intelligence official, gave no details in the interview to back up his statement.

Castro, 80, handed over the reins of power on July 31 to his brother Raul Castro, the army chief, after undergoing intestinal surgery. He has not been seen in public since July 26.

Raul Castro has reached out to the United States in the past four months, calling for negotiations.

The United States and Cuba do not have full diplomatic relations, and Washington has an economic embargo on the only one-party communist state in the Americas.

On Wednesday the top US diplomat for Latin America indicated that the United States had yet to find a reformer in the communist Cuban government, but did not flatly rule out dialogue with Havana in the context of a political opening.

On Friday a bipartisan group of 10 US lawmakers, all supporters of easing US sanctions on Cuba, were to depart for Havana to meet with top Cuban officials.

told

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negotiations

has

embargo

indicated

find

rule

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sanctions

depart

meet


XIN_ENG_20051104.0292

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina, Nov. 4 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Riots continue in Argentina amid summit of Americas

Riots and violent clashes between police and demonstrators were continuing in the Argentine beach city of Mar del Plata and the capital Buenos Aires on Friday.

Dozens of people, including Mayor Daniel Katz of Mar del Plata and several policemen, were wounded in the clashes which began soon after the fourth Summit of the Americas began in the city, about 400 km south of Buenos Aires.

More than 65 people have been arrested in Mar del Plata, well-informed sources told Xinhua.

Heavily armed police fired tear gas to drive away demonstrators who gathered near the venue of the summit since Friday morning to protest against US foreign and trade policy, and the US-led war on Iraq.

Some 40,000 people joined the organized demonstrations. The angry demonstrators threw stones at police, set American national flags on fire, and attacked banks and stores nearby.

While the riots and violence in Mar del Plata were yet to be put under control, hundreds of protesters took to the street in downtown Buenos Aires.

Several stores and commercial institutions were set ablaze and seriously damaged.

Police detained a number of demonstrators to prevent the situation from swirling out of control.

No death was reported so far.

US President George W. Bush, who arrived here Thursday night, was attending the two-day summit which will be focusing on topics like free trade and fighting poverty.

The Argentine authorities have mobilized some 35,000 policeman and government troops to guard against any possible terror attack.

Riots

clashes

continuing

wounded

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began

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attack


XIN_ENG_20051124.0146

AMMAN, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

URGENT: Jordanian king orders to set up new cabinet

Jordanian King Abdullah II asked the head of national security Maaruf Bakhit on Thursday to set up a cabinet, government sources said.

asked

set

said


AFP_ENG_19970401.0541

TAIPEI, April 2 , 1997 (AFP)

US Speaker Gingrich meets Taiwan President Lee

US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich met Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui Wednesday for talks on bilateral ties at the start of a whirlwind visit to the nationalist island.

Gingrich is the first speaker to visit Taiwan since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

"We are glad to have this good friend come for a visit," Foreign Minister John Chan said after Gingrich's arrival at 10:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), adding that Taiwan had built a strong friendship with the US Congress.

Gingrich and a 23-member delegation were greeted at the Sungshan Military Airport by Chang and Darryl Johnson, director of Washington's quasi-embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

They were then escorted to limousines and whisked away to the presidential office, where the US speaker met Lee accompanied by 11 delegation members.

Gingrich is due to have lunch with Premier Lien Chan, who is also vice president, as well as other high-ranking Taipei officials before leaving for home at 1:00 p.m. (0500 GMT).

Chang stressed that Taipei would continue to show the world that cross-strait ties were not soley an internal Chinese issue.

"Our existence must be recognized by the international community," he said.

Gingrich told President Jian Zemin during a visit to China last week that the United States would be prepared to intervene if China invaded Taiwan, which Beijing has regarded as a renegade province since the natinalists fled here in 1949.

Jiang responded with a warning, saying: "We hope the US administration and the Congress will handle the Taiwan issue with caution."

On Tuesday, Beijing again told Washington to stay clear.

"The controversy beween China and the United States on the Taiwan issue revolves around one point which is US interference," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Shen Guofang.

"The US government and the Congress have expressed their support for the 'one China' policy ... and we hope that the United States will keep its agreements," he added.

Gingrich toned down his remarks Tuesday in Tokyo, saying Washington would stick to its "one-China policy."

"Taiwan is a question of great concern ... We favor a one-China policy... with voluntary dicussions between China and Taiwan," he said.

met

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said


AFP_ENG_20061225.0149

LISBON, Dec 25 , 2006, 2006

National squads play too many matches: Mourinho

National teams are required to play far too many matches, Chelsea's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho said in a newspaper interview published on Monday.

"There are too many matches with minor teams and because of this when there are serious matches players are at risk of not being at the level that people expect," he told Portuguese sports daily O Jogo.

"It is too much to have groups of seven to eight teams that play 14, 15, 16 matches to qualify, which serve mostly to injure players," he added.

Mourinho, who has guided Chelsea to two successive Premiership titles after taking FC Porto to the Champions League triumph, suggested that qualifying groups should instead consist of just three or four national teams matched by their ability.

"The best would play against the best and the worst against the worst. Instead of Portugal playing against Kazakhstan and England against San Marino, let Kazakhstan and San Marino play against Andorra," he said.

Mourinho, who is under contract with Chelsea until 2010, has said he would like to coach Portugal before retiring from football.

required

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XIN_ENG_20051124.0266

BRUSSELS, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Over 2 million problem drug users in EU: report

There are up to 2.1 million problem drug users in the European Union (EU) today, of whom over 1 million are likely to be drug injectors, said Europe's drugs monitoring center on Thursday.

Around 9 million Europeans, or three percent of all adults, have used cocaine at some stage in their lives. Some 2.6 million adults in the EU have used ecstasy recently, said the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drugs Addiction in its 2005 report.

Over 62 million Europeans, or over 20 percent of all adults, have ever tried cannabis and around 20 million -- six percent of all adults -- have used it in the last 12 months, said the report.

said

used

used

said

tried

used

said


XIN_ENG_20051128.0182

HONG KONG, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese Taikonauts pay visit to HK Disneyland

Chinese taikonauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng on Monday made "shuttle tours" to Hong Kong Disneyland, Statue Square in the Central and some other places to meet with Hong Kong citizens.

The two men toured Disneyland's "Tomorrowland" which features space theme and took pictures with Disney movie space character Buzz Lightyear.

Instead of a routine parade of Disney characters in the afternoon, the two taikonauts, in their blue uniforms, toured the Hong Kong Disneyland streets in an open old-styled Rolls-Royce.

Thousands of visitors in the park excitedly called them by names and took pictures with cameras and mobile phones. Even Mickey wore a specially designed space uniform.

The two men also watched 3D computer digital fantasy film together with hundreds of audience there.

During their visit to the Statue Square in the Central, they presided over a lighting ceremony for the newly arranged winter Christmas trees and put their cards for wishes on the Christmas trees there.

Fei wished Hong Kong compatriots to live and work in peace and contentment while Nie wished Hong Kong a better tomorrow with great prospects.

During their visit, they often waved to the Hong Kong citizens and shook hands with some of them.

The two taikonauts and leading engineers of the Delegation of Shenzhou-6 Manned Space Mission met with university students at Chinese University of Hong Kong and visited Hong Kong Science Park earlier in the day.

The delegation arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday for a three-day visit.

made

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visit


XIN_ENG_20061106.0156

TOKYO, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

talks begin

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and visiting senior U.S. diplomats agreed on Monday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should abandon all nuclear programs in line with U.N. resolutions and that U.N. and Japanese sanctions would remain in place even after the meeting started.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between Nicholas Burns, who is U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Robert Joseph, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Aso.

Japan and the United States are in agreement that Security Council Resolution 1718 "must be fully and effectively implemented" until the DPRK "meets all of the demands of the Security Council," Joseph was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

Aso said the two nations agreed that they would not accept the DPRK as "a nuclear state" and that sanctions in line with the resolution as well as Japan's own sanctions "would not be relaxed" just because the six-party talks were being held.

The foreign minister said he would propose holding five-nation talks with his counterparts from the United States, South Korea, China and Russia to discuss the DPRK's nuclear program on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Vietnam's Hanoi next week.

The DPRK nuclear test early last month sparked U.N. condemnations and sanctions. Japan had imposed its own sweeping sanctions before the nuclear test.

Pyongyang agreed on Nov. 1 to return the negotiation table on the premise that the issue of lifting U.S. financial sanctions against the DPRK would be discussed and settled within the framework of the six-party talks.

Joseph and Burns also met with Japanese Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma. Joseph was also quoted as saying during the meeting that trilateral cooperation between Australia, Japan, the United States is necessary in operational and intelligence matters.

visiting

agreed

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relaxed

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sparked

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imposed

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discussed

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talks

met

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saying

meeting

cooperation


AFP_ENG_20061220.0703

SYDNEY, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

AWB shrugs off ban from US government contracts, programmes

Australia's AWB on Thursday said a US decision to punish the disgraced wheat exporter for bribing the ousted Iraqi regime by barring it from government contracts and programmes would have no impact.

US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced overnight the suspension of AWB and its affiliates, as well as 11 former employees, from US government contracts and participation in programs such as export credits.

However AWB spokesman Peter McBride said the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) move would have little practical effect as the company had not used US subsidies since early 2004.

"As we haven't used the program for over two and a half years and we are currently not using it, we will just continue to have discussions with them (USDA) going forward," he said.

"We have informed them recently that we would voluntarily step down from using the export program. We don't envisage using it in the foreseeable future."

McBride said there seemed to have been some misunderstanding as AWB had yet to receive official notification of suspension from the USDA, despite ongoing discussions on the issue.

Last month, an official inquiry here recommended that 11 former executives of AWB face criminal prosecution over corruption linked to the United Nations oil-for-food program in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

AWB, formerly the government-owned Australian Wheat Board, was found guilty of paying some 220 million US dollars in bribes to secure wheat contracts from the regime before Saddam was ousted in the US-led invasion of March 2003.

USDA spokeswoman Dana Johnson said the action was taken after the Foreign Agricultural Service scrutinised the Cole report.

The final report of the 10-month Cole inquiry, an investigation by former judge Terence Cole, concluded that AWB knowingly paid bribes to Baghdad to win wheat contracts and then misled the Australian government and the United Nations.

"We have taken this step based on the evidence and on our duty to protect the public interest and to ensure the USDA only does business with responsible individuals," Johnson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Although most of the personnel named in the Cole report were no longer involved with the company, the debarment still applied to AWB, Johnson said.

She said the immediate suspension barred AWB and individuals from contracting with the US government and participating in most US programs.

"AWB USA Limited had in the past in 2002-04 accessed some of the USDA export credit guarantee programs," she said.

AWB now has a month to announce whether it will contest the move, a decision that could spark a drawn-out hearing process.

said

decision

punish

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contest

move

decision

spark


WSJ891102-0031
 = 891102
 891102-0031.
 Business Brief -- Savin Corp.:
@  Office Products Firm Posts
@  Net Loss for Third Quarter
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 SVB
 EARNINGS (ERN)

   Savin Corp. reported a third-quarter net loss of $35.2 million, or 31 cents a share, compared with year-earlier profit of $3.8 million, or one cent a share.

   A spokesman for the Stamford, Conn.based company said operations had a loss of $5.5 million for the quarter; in addition, the loss was magnified by nonrecurring charges totaling $23.5 million and $8.2 million in asset-valuation adjustments that he described as "unusual."
The charges were partly offset by a $2 million gain on the sale of investments of two joint ventures, he said.

   Revenue declined 8% to $85.7 million, from $93.3 million a year earlier.
Savin cited "a general softening in the demand for office products in the market segments in which Savin competes."

reported

loss

profit

said

loss

loss

magnified

offset

gain

sale

said

declined

cited

softening


WSJ891026-0043
 = 891026
 891026-0043.
 Columbia SampL Posts $226.3 Million Loss
@  After Writing Down High-Yield Portfolio
@  ----
@  By Pauline Yoshihashi
@  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 CSV
 EARNINGS (ERN)
 BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

   Columbia Savings amp Loan Association, reeling from thrift-accounting changes mandated by Congress and the recent collapse of the junk-bond market, announced a loss for the third quarter of $226.3 million, or $11.57 a share.

   For the quarter a year ago, Columbia reported earnings of $16.3 million, or 37 cents a share.
Total assets increased to $12.7 billion in the latest quarter from $12.4 billion a year earlier.

   The loss stems from $357.5 million of write-downs on Columbia's $4.4 billion high-yield investment securities portfolio, which includes about $3.7 billion of junk bonds, $400 million of preferred stock, and Treasury securities.

   Columbia owes its spectacular growth in recent years to its junk-bond portfolio, the largest of any U.S. thrift.
Much of Columbia's junk-bond trading has been done through the high-yield department of its Beverly Hills neighbor, Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc.

   For the nine months, losses totaled $212 million, or $10.83 a share, compared with net income of $48.7 million, or $1.11 a share, a year earlier.

   The results include a $130.2 million write-down of the securities in the high-yield portfolio to the lower of their cost or market value.

   Columbia also added $227.3 million to reserves for losses on the portfolio, increasing general reserves to $300 million, or about 6.7% of the total portfolio, as of Sept. 30.
On June 30, loss reserves stood at $108.3 million.
Thrift officials said the $300 million reserve will be adjusted quarterly and will reflect the rate of dispositions and market conditions.

   The adjustments result from the recently passed thrift-industry bailout legislation, which requires thrifts to divest all high-yield bond investments by 1994.
Previously, Columbia did n't have to adjust the book value of its junk-bond holdings to reflect declines in market prices, because it held the bonds as long-term investments.
Because Columbia now must sell the bonds within five years, accounting rules require the thrift to value the bonds at the lower of cost or market prices.

   For its future strategy, Columbia officials said the thrift may branch out into commercial lending or managing outside investments, as well as beefing up more traditional thrift activities.

   The quarterly results also reflected $21.4 million in non-recurring losses from commercial real-estate activities in California.

   Thomas Spiegel, Columbia's chairman, said in a statement that the thrift was " disappointed" by the effects of the accounting changes.
But he said Columbia remains "one of the most strongly capitalized thrifts in the industry," based on the economic value of its assets and tangible capital.

   Columbia announced the results after the close of the stock market.
Its shares closed at $5.125 each in composite New York Stock Exchange trading, down 37.5 cents.
The price of Columbia shares has been cut nearly in half since August, when they traded at about $10, as investors apparently realized that the thrift would be forced to take a big write-down.
The stock's decline accelerated in the past two weeks, from a price of $8 a share on Oct. 9.

   Columbia officials said they do n't know how quickly they will dispose of the thrift's junk bonds, because federal regulations, such as those that would allow thrifts to continue holding the bonds in separately capitalized subsidiaries, have n't yet been completed.

   Columbia officials also said the thrift should n't face problems meeting regulatory capital requirements, despite the large reserves and write-downs and stiffer regulatory requirements that should be in place by year's end.
Its ratio of tangible equity to total assets as of Sept. 30 was 3.6%, and total equity was $457.9 million.

   The thrift emphasized that it has a large portfolio of equity securities issued in connection with corporate restructurings and leveraged buy-outs, which has a book value of $90 million.

   Although many of the transactions related to those securities have n't been completed, Columbia said the ultimate gain on the sale of those assets will range from $200 million to $300 million.
Columbia also has unrealized gains in its public equity securities portfolio of more than $70 million.

   ---

   David B. Hilder in New York contributed to this article.

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AFP_ENG_20061223.0034

MANILA, Dec 23 , 2006, 2006

ADB lends 320 million dollars to help Pakistan's poor

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Saturday it was lending 320 million dollars to help the poor in Pakistan obtain access to wider financial services, including microfinance.

The loans would go to developing a legal and regulatory framework and removing bottlenecks that would allow more of the country's poor access to financial networks, the ADB said in a statement from its headquarters in the Philippine capital.

This would include improving technology for delivering financial services more efficiently and at lower cost and expanding the range and quality of financial products and services "including those for the Islamic market", the ADB said.

The bank would also work to set up public-private partnerships, including reliable business and credit information systems as well as improved, reliable and lower-cost remittance services for overseas workers.

"There is a large potential demand for microfinance services among the poorest people in Pakistan, especially for savings and remittances facilities," the ADB said.

Microfinance reaches fewer than a million people in Pakistan, even though the potential market is about 20 million people, the bank added.

While the microfinance sector has improved, it still does not touch vast numbers of people. This could be addressed by expanding the financial sector's coverage, making it more inclusive and by increasing quality and efficiency, the bank said.

said

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AFP_ENG_20061201.0085

ADELAIDE, Australia, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - UPDATES to stumps ///

Kevin Pietersen won his battle with Shane Warne as England escaped from Australia's clutches onto a sound position on the opening day of the second Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Paul Collingwood was poised for a century and Pietersen hoisted a lusty six over long-on off Warne in a hustling century stand for the tourists, fighting back after their punishing 277-run defeat in the first Test at the Gabba.

England were 266 for three at stumps. Collingwood followed on from his 96 in Brisbane to be unbeaten on 98 and Pietersen was on 60, after captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss.

The pair rattled an unbroken 108 runs for the fourth wicket in just 115 minutes.

Amid cautious field placements and curious bowling preferences by skipper Ricky Ponting, England wriggled out of Australia's grip in the final session with Stuart Clark under-bowled despite taking two wickets in the morning.

Pietersen's one-on-one contests with his Hampshire county team-mate have been much-anticipated highlights of the series and he didn't disappoint after their contretemps in Brisbane last week.

It was Pietersen's arrival at the wicket after the loss of Ian Bell for 60 that quickened England's scoring rate after it had dawdled along at 2.4 runs an over amid tight Australian bowling.

Pietersen wasted little time raising his half-century off 69 balls while Collingwood played more the anchor role to help restore the England innings after the loss of both openers before lunch.

During Pietersen's counter-attacking second innings of 92 in the first Test, Warne hurled the ball at his head, forcing the England No.5 to knock it away with his bat and yell at Warne.

Collingwood, who sacrificed a century in Brisbane when he charged Warne on 96 and was stumped, had occupied the crease for 277 minutes by the close in another influential innings for his country.

Warne finished the day with 0-85 off 27 overs.

Collingwood and Bell played strait-jacket cricket to put on 113 runs for the third wicket before Bell went to hook a short ball only to sky a catch to bowler Brett Lee 13 minutes after tea.

Bell, who hit 50 in the first innings in Brisbane and wrestled with Warne's tricks early, batted for just over three hours with six boundaries.

Medium-pacer Clark followed up his seven wickets in Brisbane with the scalps of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook inside his first six overs in the morning session.

Strauss continued his poor series after Gabba scores of 12 and 11 when he miscued a leading edge to a diving Damien Martyn at mid-on and then had Cook caught behind by Adam Gilchrist.

But Clark only bowled two overs after tea and finished with 2-25 off 15 overs.

Australian pace spearhead Glenn McGrath was passed fit to play after concern over a heel injury, while left-arm spinner Monty Panesar was left out of an unchanged England eleven.

McGrath had to convince his skipper Ponting that he would be able to complete a five-day match after needing painkillers to see out Australia's win at the Gabba. He bowled 18 overs for 0-51.

England decided against playing attacking finger-spinner Panesar, despite coach Duncan Fletcher's comments this week that he was strongly considering using both spinners on an Adelaide pitch expected to take turn.

The Adelaide Oval is traditionally a high-scoring ground with the Australians amassing 500-plus in three of their last four Tests here with four batsmen scoring double-centuries -- West Indies' Brian Lara (226) last year, Justin Langer (215) against New Zealand in 2004 and Ponting (242) and Indian Rahul Dravid (233) in the 2003 Test loss to India.

won

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won

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rattled

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session

taking

disappoint

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arrival

loss

quickened

dawdled

bowling

wasted

raising

played

anchor

help

restore

loss

openers

hurled

forcing

knock

sacrificed

charged

stumped

occupied

close

innings

finished

played

put

went

hit

wrestled

tricks

batted

followed

continued

caught

bowled

finished

passed

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left

convince

complete

needing

see

win

bowled

decided

playing

considering

using

expected

take

turn

amassing

loss


XIN_ENG_20061127.0217

BEIJING, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China to tighten supervision of advertising for medical products

Chinese authorities are to tighten the supervision and regulation of advertisements for medical products, and crack down on false and misleading advertising.

The campaign will be jointly managed by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

An official with the SAIC said Monday that the SAIC would inspect media that release large numbers of medical treatment advertisements, and the results would be publicized.

Advertisements that have not been approved by the relevant monitoring department or that have been altered without authorization would incur prosecution for those responsible.

The supervisory departments would strengthen inspection of media that release medical advertisements, and heads of media that release the illegal advertisements would face penalties.

The regulatory departments should enhance their communication, the official said.

The MOH, along with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, plans to organise all local healthy service departments to clean up false medical advertising, said the official.

China's medical advertising market had grown rapidly in recent years. The country's advertising business was worth 7.6 billion yuan (950 million U.S. dollars) in 2005, ranking sixth in the world.

However, some ads for fake medicines have misled consumers and harmed their interests. In the first three quarters last year, 11,000 irregular medical advertisements were reported.

tighten

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grown

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misled

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reported


XIN_ENG_20051115.0253

SHANGHAI, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

win over Ljubicic (updated 2)

World number one Roger Federer kept in low status Tuesday as the two-time defending champion of the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup was pulled into tiebreaker of decider before avoiding a defeat at just the second match in Shanghai.

It took two hours and 17 minutes of the 24-year-old Swiss to defeat the in-form Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4), with a forehanded shot out of Ljubicic's reach for the tiebreaker win.

After Sunday's stumble win from Federer against Argentina's David Nalbandian, the last man having qualified for the elite eight-man field, nothing wrong from the tennis super star could be more shocking, even another rare fightback and a tiebreaker.

With all the embarrassments of backhand errors, weak returns and slow paces, Federer just repeated his sluggish form shown in Nalbandian's match, being broken twice in the second set after taking the first using an advantage of serving first.

Forced the decider, the superlative, who has compiled another outstanding season with an ATP-best 11 titles including two Grand Slam and a record four ATP Masters Series crown, should have shorten his work of Ljubicic in the ninth game before his two match points in hand were denied by the Croatian with some placement shots.

Ljubicic, who enjoyed his best season by winning two ATP titles in eight finals and broke into top ten for first time, then continually moved Federer to play close to the net and transferred errors from the Swiss to his own benefit before holding on to force tiebreaker.

With the victory, Federer saved his near-perfect record at the Tennis Masters Cup, increased his winning streak to 33, and extended his season-best match record to 79-3.

The Shanghai match was the first in six weeks for Federer, who has already clinched the world No. 1 year-end ranking for the second year in succession. He last competed in Bangkok, winning his 11th title of the season on October 2.

Ljubicic, the 26-year-old sensation of the late-season, had earned in place in Shanghai thanks to his autumn efforts, including the indoor title win over the past month in Metz and Vienna as well as the final encounters in both the Masters Series Madrid and Paris two week ago.

The Croatian struck 10 aces and managed 36 winner, but else committed 5 double faults and 41 unforced errors in his defeat to Federer.

"It was very close match. I reel really upset because I felt I deserved this one," said Ljubicic at a post-match news conference.

"Today I felt like for the first time I was the better player on the court (against Federer), and that's why it feels frustrating because some shots just went out that they were not supposed to."

Before taking over control of the match, Ljubicic seemed to have problems moving during the first set.

"I had problems with him because he was playing just unbelievable," he said. "I think he played really high-class tennis in the first set, but I was also expecting his pace is going to drop because he dropped against Nalbandian, and I know he's not in top form physically.

"So I was just waiting my chances, and they came, and I took them."

"But I mean, Federer is not struggling. I just think that he's not top fit. He's not sharp as he usually is...I just tried to play my best tennis. It was almost enough. Unfortunately, it wasn't," added the Croatian.

The usually flawless Federer declined to agree with the negative comments on his performance, said: "I felt like this is exactly the match I expected."

"I expected a close match. I thought maybe he was even slightly the favorite because of what I've been going through the last few weeks. Obviously, I'm very pleased with the result because a win is a win no matter if it's two or three sets."

Federer called physiotherapist coming on court to treat on his sore ankle at the beginning of the third set, which raised worries that he might retire. And the Swiss denied that he remained on court trying to imitate the other five players who left.

"I did it for my well-being because I felt like my leg was starting to tighten up. Already I had that feeling against Nalbandian a little bit because maybe I'm compensating because of my injury."

He said "No" whenever asked whether to quit because of the injury, and also he emphasized that "it means very much to me (that I can play). It's also should show a message how much and how important this tournament means to tennis. For me, this is equaling like a Grand Slam."

The Swiss is building upon an imposing 14-1 record at the Masters Cup, with his only loss came to Lleyton Hewitt in the Shanghai 2002 semifinals.

Federer overcame the effects of the ankle ligament injury scare which threatened to keep him off the court at the Qi Zhong tennis center, and after American veteran Andre Agassi and second seed Rafael Nadal pulled out due to injuries on Monday, the Swiss has been left the only top-five player in the elite field.

kept

defending

pulled

avoiding

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match

took

defeat

win

qualified

errors

repeated

shown

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taking

using

serving

compiled

shorten

work

game

denied

enjoyed

winning

broke

moved

play

transferred

holding

force

saved

increased

extended

clinched

competed

winning

earned

win

struck

managed

committed

errors

defeat

reel

felt

deserved

said

conference

felt

feels

went

supposed

taking

seemed

moving

playing

said

think

played

expecting

drop

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mean

struggling

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said

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win

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treat

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compensating

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tennis

equaling

building

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threatened

keep

pulled

injuries

left


XIN_ENG_20051114.0321

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

S. Africa's ruling party denies inside rift

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has denied reported differences between President Thabo Mbeki and his party deputy Jacob Zuma over ways to heal a rift within the party.

The party's powerful National Working Committee (NWC) said on Monday evening this emerged from its weekly meeting held in Johannesburg earlier in the day.

"The NWC received and discussed the joint report of the ANC president and deputy president as mandated by the ANC national executive committee (NEC) on September 9," the committee said in a statement, which was carried by the SAPA news agency.

"Media reports to the effect that there were differences between the president and deputy president on the substance of the report are false and without basis," it said.

South African media has suggested that Mbeki and Zuma had been unable to come to an agreement on proposals to deal with tension in party after Mbeki sacked Zuma as the country's deputy president in June and Zuma was prosecuted on two corruption charges.

Zuma has repeatedly protested his innocence. His supporters hold that the corruption and the newly-emerged rape allegations were part of a political conspiracy by the ANC elite to block his path to the presidency in 2009, after Mbeki completes his second term.

Zuma currently is still the No. 2 figure of the ANC. Some political analysts in South Africa have said he could easily win the 2009 elections if he can be acquitted of corruption charges and succeed Mbeki as the party's president in 2007.

The reported tensions inside the ruling party were described as the most serious one since ANC took power in post-apartheid South Africa 11 years ago.

ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe was reportedly tasked to facilitate a final report for the next weekend's NEC meeting, described by local media as a "make-or-break" one.

The NWC said the report it discussed at Monday's meeting captured the substance of "interactions" between Mbeki and Zuma over the last two months.

"The report was accepted by the NWC," the committee said. "The working committee was satisfied that the report would form the basis for a substantive discussion at the NEC meeting scheduled to take place this weekend."

ruling

denied

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heal

said

emerged

meeting

held

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mandated

said

carried

said

suggested

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agreement

deal

sacked

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protested

innocence

hold

block

path

presidency

completes

said

win

elections

acquitted

succeed

tensions

described

took

tasked

facilitate

meeting

said

discussed

meeting

captured

accepted

said

satisfied

form

discussion

meeting

scheduled

take


XIN_ENG_20061123.0192

DHAKA, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Bangladeshi former main opposition postpones nationwide blockade

Bangladeshi former main opposition Awami League(AL)-led 14-party combine announced the postponement of the nationwide blockade from Thursday.

President Sheikh Hasina at a press conference at her party's office here announced sit-in demonstrations outside President House from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for November 27 and Election Commission office from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for November 28.

The 14-party combine enforced countrywide water-railway-road blockade on Nov. 20 to press its 11-point demands that include removal of the controversial Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Aziz, and "depoliticization" of the administration for free and fair elections.

To resolve the political crisis prevailing the country, Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed, who is also the chief advisor of caretaker government, requested Aziz to take a three- month leave and Aziz agreed the request Wednesday night.

Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, one of the three election commissioners, who became Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Thursday, said the main challenge before him is to hold free, fair and acceptable general elections due in January next.

League(AL)-led

announced

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conference

announced

demonstrations

p.m.

p.m.

combine

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press

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resolve

prevailing

requested

take

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agreed

request

became

said

hold

elections


AFP_ENG_20061231.0059

LJUBLJANA, Dec 31 , 2006, 2006

by Bojan Kavcic

All is ready for Slovenia to at midnight on New Year's Sunday become the first former Communist state to adopt the European Union's common currency, officials here said.

Five years after euro bills and coins were introduced, almost three years after Slovenia acceded to the EU, and 15 years after Slovenia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia, a new stage in the East-West integration of Europe is to be reached on January 1.

"We are replacing something good (the Slovenian currency, the tolar) with something even better (the euro)," Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk said on Friday as he announced that preparations for the changeover had concluded.

As of January 1, the euro will replace the tolar, a currency introduced in 1991 as a symbol of the tiny country's independence and an instrument aimed at cutting Belgrade's monetary control over the Slovenian economy.

Under the exchange rate, one euro will equal 239.64 tolars.

"The euro isn't important only for our economy, we also expect psychological benefits ... we are coming closer to the most developed part of the EU and this will give (citizens) confidence," Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa told AFP in a recent interview.

The accession to the eurozone is a coup for Slovenia as it is the only one of the 10 countries -- eight former Communist states plus Malta and Cyprus -- that joined in 2004 to have met the tough Maastricht criteria on public finances, inflation, interest and exchange rates that are required for eurozone newcomers.

After EU finance ministers gave Slovenia the green light last July to join the euro, the government and central bank had to carry out wide preparations for the switch, such as minting Slovenian euro coins and distributing bills to banks.

"I believe we are well-prepared," central bank governor Mitja Gaspari said on Friday.

"There will be no trouble concerning cash in circulation," Gaspari said.

He said the central bank planned to put into circulation around one billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) in bills and coins to replace the 215 billion tolars (some 900 million euros) currently circulating in the two-million-population central European state.

Banks will be closed from December 30-January 3, with the exception of 52 bank offices in 42 cities and towns that will open on January 1 and 2 to change tolars into euros.

The changeover to the single European currency foresees that tolars and euros will circulate simultaneously for only the first two weeks of January.

To prevent a rounding upward of prices as has happened when other nations changed over to the euro, the government introduced last March the double labelling of prices, in euros and tolars, and this will remain in force for six months.

Despite this measure, inflation in December increased by 0.4 percent from the previous month pushing 12-month inflation, in unadjusted terms, to end at 2.8 percent, compared to 2.3 percent registered in December 2005.

But Gaspari said: "We can't blame the euro for any increase of prices in December, January or February, and there is no justification for any raising of prices."

Slovenia's Consumer Association reported on Friday that during the last week before the changeover prices in some fast-food restaurants of capital Ljubljana increased between six and 20 percent and prices for parking in the center of the city are also expected to rise.

Another problem Slovenian banks will face on New Year's Eve will be the switch to euros on 1,300 ATMs (automatic teller machines). These are expected to be out of use during the transition for only three hours (between 9 pm and midnight).

Meanwhile, Cyprus and Malta are expected to follow Slovenia into the eurozone in 2008 and Slovakia is aiming to adopt the single currency in 2009.

The Czech Republic is now aiming to join the euro in 2012 and Hungary in 2013.

become

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replacing

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announced

concluded

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cutting

equal

expect

coming

give

told

interview

accession

coup

joined

met

finances

required

gave

join

carry

preparations

minting

believe

said

said

said

planned

put

replace

circulating

closed

open

change

changeover

foresees

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prevent

happened

changed

introduced

remain

increased

pushing

end

registered

said

blame

increase

reported

increased

parking

expected

rise

face

expected

use

transition

expected

follow

aiming

adopt

aiming

join


AFP_ENG_20051204.0479

AMSTERDAM, Dec 5 , 2005

=(PICTURE)=

Fourteen men accused of belonging to a radical Muslim terrorist group, including the convicted killer of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, go on trial Monday at Amsterdam's high security court.

The murder of outspoken Islam critic Van Gogh and the subsequent arrests of the alleged members of the terror ring dubbed the Hofstad group have heightened fears that the country is a target for Islamic terrorists.

However, prosecutors have already suffered setbacks, being forced to drop charges the group was specifically planning to kill several Dutch politicians, and losing a similar case against another accused terrorist.

Prosecutor Koos Plooy has admitted that they have insufficient evidence to proceed with charges the group was planning specific attacks, but said they were definitely heading that way.

The prosecution alleges that 27-year-old Mohammed Bouyeri, convicted to life in prison for murdering Van Gogh, was a leading member of the Hofstad group.

Despite the fact that he already has the maximum sentence given in the Netherlands, the prosecution also wants Bouyeri to appear in the Hofstad group trial because if his alleged key role.

Prosecutors say that the majority of the group's meetings were held in Bouyeri's Amsterdam home and that he spread radical Islamic texts among its members.

Some of the others charged have been linked to a radical Islamist jailed in Spain for the May 2003 bombings in Casablanca, Morocco that left 45 people dead.

The group was dubbed the Hofstad (court city) group as some of its members were active in The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government and the royal house.

Besides the accusations of membership in a terrorist organisation, the prosecution has filed additional charges against two of the group's members for throwing a grenade at the police team coming to arrest them in The Hague in November 2004.

A weapons charge has been pressed against one member who was arrested in Amsterdam last June with a loaded gun.

According to NOS Dutch public television there was some concrete evidence that this suspect, Nourredine El Fatmi, was planning an attack. Quoting from prosecution documents they obtained the NOS said Fatmi apparently told a fellow inmate that he was looking for two Dutch politicians known for their criticism of Islam in the days before his arrest.

The judges of the court in The Hague handling the trial will exceptionally sit in Amsterdam's high security court, nicknamed the bunker, during the trial set to last at least two months.

The first two days of the case will be taken up with the prosecution's opening statement and the questioning of (expert) witnesses relevant to all cases.

The trial is set to close February 10 after all the suspects have gotten a change to make a final declaration and the judges are expected to hand down a verdict on February 24.

accused

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admitted

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said

heading

alleges

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murdering

has

given

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meetings

held

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charged

linked

jailed

bombings

left

dubbed

filed

charges

throwing

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charge

pressed

arrested

According

planning

attack

Quoting

obtained

said

told

looking

arrest

handling

trial

sit

nicknamed

trial

set

last

taken

questioning

trial

set

close

gotten

change

make

expected

hand

verdict


AFP_ENG_19970412.0154

HONG KONG, April 12 , 1997 (AFP)

Pro-democracy group sets Thatcher demo to protest "lip service" to HK

A Hong Kong pro-democracy group on Saturday turned its wrath on Britain, saying it would stage protests at an upcoming visit by ex- premier Margaret Thatcher in anger at British "lip service" on the territory's future.

The announcement was made by the United Front Against the Provisional Legislature, a loose alliance of politicians and grass-roots activists opposing the assembly set up by China to legislate in Hong Kong after the July 1 handover.

Thatcher is an architect of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the treaty that set down the terms for Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule and Beijing's promises to grant it wide-ranging autonomy for the following 50 years.

She is due to make a visit to the territory in two weeks, when she will officiate at the opening of the Tsing Ma Bridge -- part of the project to build Hong Kong's new airport -- on April 27.

"It is obvious that the British Hong Kong government has made too many compromises with communist China to betray democracy and the human rights of Hong Kong people," the United Front said in a statement.

"Recently, the Hong Kong government has taken steps to suppress peaceful demonstration by prosecuting a number of protestors during the selection of the (future) chief executive and the establishment of the Provisional Legislature."

It said the bridge ceremony, and a scheduled fireworks display that will commemorate the opening, "is nothing worthwhile, but an indication of the so-called glory withdrawal of the British government."

The statement called on Governor Chris Patten to withdraw the invitation to Thatcher and added it would organise "various protests" to show "the 'lip service' of British commitment to Hong Kong."

The United Front gathers individuals from Hong Kong's beleaguered pro- democracy faction, including the Frontier group and Democratic Party. Its demonstrations are small but vocal.

Critics of Britain's 156-year rule over Hong Kong say the colonial power moved too late to set down democratic institutions here.

The Legislative Council (LegCo), which will be replaced by the Provisional Legislature, is a fully-elected body.

But only a third of its 60 seats are chosen by universal suffrage. The others are chosen by local councils and by organisations representing Hong Kong's various professions.

In the last LegCo elections, in September 1995, democrats triumphed in the seats chosen by universal but mainly lost in the functional constituencies, which are dominated by pro-China figures.

turned

saying

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made

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set

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project

build

made

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betray

said

taken

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establishment

said

ceremony

commemorate

withdrawal

called

withdraw

added

organise

show

gathers

demonstrations

say

moved

set

replaced

chosen

chosen

elections

triumphed

chosen

lost

dominated


WSJ891101-0035
 = 891101
 891101-0035.
 Business Brief -- Coda Energy Inc.:
@  Oil and Gas Firm Arranges
@  $50 Million Credit Facility
 11/01/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 CODA
 BUYBACKS, REDEMPTIONS, SWAP OFFERS (BBK)
TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)

   Coda Energy Inc. said it arranged a $50 million credit facility with NCNB Texas National Bank, a unit of NCNB Corp., of Charlotte, N.C.
   The Dallas oil and gas concern said that $10 million of the facility would  be used  to consolidate the company's $8.1 million of existing bank debt,  to repurchase 4 million of its 4.9 million shares outstanding of Series D convertible preferred stock, and  to purchase a 10% net-profits interest in certain oil and gas properties from one of its existing lenders, National Canada Corp.
The remaining $40 million can  be used over three years for oil and gas acquisitions, the company said.

   Ted Eubank, Coda's president, said the loan carries an interest rate of prime plus one percentage point, with 85% of the company's net oil and gas revenue each month dedicated to repayment.
The company put up "virtually all" of its oil and gas properties as collateral, he said.

said

arranged

said

used

consolidate

repurchase

purchase

used

said

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dedicated

put

said


AFP_ENG_20061222.0175

TOKYO, Dec 22 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS quotes on Japan's involvement ///

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Friday chances were running out for peace in the Middle East, with "disastrous" consequences in store unless progress is made in the first half of the new year.

Speaking on a visit to Japan, a key donor to the region, Abdullah made an impassioned call for the world to restore hope for Palestinians amid chaos in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the region.

"I believe that the window of opportunity is diminishing and it won't be long before we can say that the futures of the Palestinians are gone," he told the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

"2007 is a very critical year, and if we don't create a process to move forward in the next six or seven months, then I don't think we ever will. And the outcome of that will be disastrous for all of us, Israel included."

He said the international community needed to prove to both the Palestinian and Israeli people that a two-state solution of an independent Israel and Palestine was "irreversible".

"If we don't move forward, I fear we will find ourselves in a situation where we will never have a two-state solution," he said.

"Therefore we will never have peace between Israelis and Palestinians, therefore we will never have peace between Israelis and Arabs, and therefore we will condemn our region for another decade or two of violence, which none of us can afford."

Abdullah, who held talks Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is seen as a key Western ally in the Middle East, with his kingdom straddling Israel, the Palestinian territories and Iraq.

He visited Japan amid turmoil in the region, with clashes in the Palestinian territories between rival factions, pressure on the Western-backed government in Lebanon and daily carnage in Iraq.

Abdullah said he told US President George W. Bush, who visited Jordan last month for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, that the world needed to look at the three Middle Eastern crises all at once.

"We have to know how to walk and chew gum at the same time," he said. "We cannot focus on just one issue."

Abdullah said he supported Japan's bid for greater involvement in the region. Japan, the world's second largest economy, relies almost entirely on Arab countries and Iran for its oil.

"You can't afford instability in our part of the world," Abdullah said.

"You are in a very unique position as a strong member of the international community because you have not involved in politics. Therefore you are considered an honest broker and that is increasingly important," he said.

On a visit to the region in July, Japan's then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed building a "peace and prosperity corridor" in the West Bank.

Under the initiative, Japan would work with Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians to develop the West Bank's broken economy, including designing an agro-industrial park.

Abdullah said he supported the initiative but that it was no substitute for a political solution.

"The people living on the ground won't buy in into any economic formula or initiative unless they are guaranteed that the political process is moving forward," he said.

warned

running

made

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made

call

restore

believe

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say

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told

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think

disastrous

included

said

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said

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condemn

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held

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seen

visited

carnage

said

told

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needed

look

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walk

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said

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said

supported

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XIN_ENG_20061125.0136

HONG KONG, Nov. 25 , 2006 (Xinhua)

PLA forces in HK conduct ninth routine rotation

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison troops in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Saturday conducted its ninth troop rotation since it assumed Hong Kong's defense responsibility on July 1, 1997.

The annual rotation started at 00:00 Nov. 25 when a number of military vehicles of the ground troops rolled across the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint into Hong Kong under the escort of the Hong Kong police.

Six military helicopters landed at the Skek Kong Barracks in the morning. The last part of the rotation was carried out at the Stonecutters Island Naval Base.

The naval rotation involved a missile escort vessel, a landing ship.

The annual rotation was conducted in accordance with the HKSAR Garrison Law of the People's Republic of China.

The size of the forces remained unchanged in both personnel and weaponry after the rotation, said Lieutenant Colonel Cheng Dongfang, spokesman for the PLA garrison troops in Hong Kong.

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AFP_ENG_20061212.0392

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 12 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS ISAF soldier killed ///

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a governor's house in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, killing eight people, in the latest bloodshed linked to a spiralling Taliban insurgency.

Separately, US-led security forces shot dead four suspected Taliban militants and a teenage girl, while elsewhere a soldier from a NATO-led force was killed in a firefight with insurgents.

The violence came as President Hamid Karzai attended a high-level security conference in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban regime, to urge foreign forces to do their best to avoid civilian casualties.

Six bodyguards, a district chief and a civilian were killed when the suicide bomber sneaked into the heavily guarded residence of the governor of troubled Helmand province, provincial police chief Mohammad Nabi Mullahkhil told AFP.

"Governor Mohammad Daud was about to leave and as his motorcade and bodyguards were prepared the attacker penetrated into the governor's house and tried to approach the governor," Mullahkil said.

"The bodyguard suspected he might be an attacker and stopped him but then the man exploded himself," he said, adding that eight other bodyguards were injured.

The interior ministry also said eight people were killed in the attack, which took place during working hours at the house in Lashkargah, the provincial capital, but said seven of the victims were policemen and one was a civilian.

NATO troops rushed to the governor's house after the explosion but there were no casualties among foreign troops, said Jason Chalk, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

"All we can say is that the governor is safe," Chalk said.

More than 30,000 NATO-led troops are currently hunting Taliban insurgents and their Islamic extremist allies, mainly in southern Afghanistan. Another 10,000 US-led troops are operating in the conflict-ridden country.

ISAF said one NATO soldier was killed in a gunbattle with insurgents in Helmand on Tuesday. It did not give the soldier's nationality or any more details but most of the troops in the province are British.

Separately on Tuesday, the US-led coalition and the Afghan army killed four suspected Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said in a statement.

A 13-year-old girl was killed and an eight-year-old girl injured in the incident, when the soldiers raided a house near the village of Darnami in restive Khost province, where the alleged insurgents were hiding out, it said.

The wounded girl was taken to a coalition hospital, escorted by a family member, the coalition said. There were no casualties among the Afghan soldiers or coalition troops.

Karzai said he discussed the issue of civilian casualties when he held a meeting on security and reconstruction with NATO and US commanders, key foreign diplomats and government ministers in Kandahar, which borders Helmand.

"We discussed it. It was one of the very serious and main topics. We take it very seriously. NATO takes it very seriously," the president told reporters after flying into the restive city by US helicopter.

It was the first meeting of the so-called Policy Action Group that the beleaguered Afghan leader has attended and the first outside Kabul. Security was tight for the meeting, an AFP correspondent said.

Karzai said NATO commanders were holding a meeting later Tuesday to discuss ways to avoid civilian losses during their operations.

At least 1,000 civilians have died in Afghanistan's worst year of violence since the Taliban regime fell in late 2001 -- most through insurgent action but some in NATO and coalition operations, according to an official report.

The 2006 death toll -- taking into account civilian, militant, police, and Afghan and foreign troop casualties -- is more than 3,700, four times the number in 2005.

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