AFP_ENG_19970429.0591

BIARO, Zaire, April 29 , 1997 (AFP)

Refugees flow into Biaro, as aid trickles through by Christophe Parayre

Around 10,000 exhausted and hungry Rwandan refugees flowed into Biaro on Tuesday, as humanitarian organisations managed to push through 10 tonnes of aid for the first time in a week.

Other refugees, meanwhile, continued to arrive in the camp, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south of Kisangani.

Some 30,000 people had been housed in Biaro until the beginning of last week, but the refugees, along with 55,000 others at nearby Kasese, fled after reportedly being attacked by villagers and rebel forces.

Groups of refugees have now begun emerging from the forest to head back for Biaro in search of humanitarian aid.

On Monday, a humanitarian mission found more than 5,000 refugees in the Biaro camp.

One man in a torn, filthy T-shirt and carrying a bundle on his head, described his flight.

"I heard gunfire in the middle of the night and I fled into the forest, as far away as possible. I left everything in the camp, I've got nothing left," he said.

"Then some Zairean villagers told us peace had returned, that we could go back to Biaro. We walked for two days to get here. But there are still lots of people in the forest, they are afraid to come back. You often hear firing."

Tuesday's aid shipment marked the first time since April 20 that international organisations have been able to get supplies through to the starving, exhausted and often diseased refugees, as Kabila's rebels have held back aid convoys for "security" regions.

Even on Tuesday, rebels only allowed through three trucks -- compared with the 11 requested by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- and the humanitarian organisations were held up until midday at Lula, just outside Kisangani, until a military escort could be provided.

Moreover, aid workers were only allowed to spend two hours in Biaro assisting refugees and they were prevented from travelling outside the camp, officially for security reasons.

At various points on the route linking Kisangani and Biaro, as well as in the camp, there was a strong smell of decomposing bodies.

The majority of rebels who spoke to AFP accused the mainly Tutsi rebels of massacring numerous Hutu refugees -- a charge vehemently denied by the rebels.

Witnesses said that on Tuesday they saw a group of about 15 rebel soldiers near Biaro order the weak and starving refugees to continue their trek to Ubundu, 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Kisangani), a region to which rebels forbid access.

There was also concern over the fate of more than 500 refugees, mostly men, made by rebels, who promised food would be distributed, to board a train heading for Ubundu, which people in Biaro said they feared was "a train of death."

Earlier on Tuesday, Zairean rebels asked UN staff to prepare to fly home a first group of about 1,000 Rwandan refugees from Kisangani in eastern Zaire, the UN refugee agency said.

Antonella Gesulfo of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in Kisangani that the rebels had told the UNHCR that the Hutu refugees were travelling to the city from Biaro by train.

"This was a surprise for us, it wasn't planned, but if it helps us speed up repatriations, why not?" Gesulfo said. The United Nations faces a monumental task if it is to find and fly home tens of thousands of exhausted and terrorised refugees within a 60-day rebel deadline starting Thursday.

The ultimatum, imposed by rebel leader Laurent Kabila on Sunday, has already been rejected as unreasonable by both the United States and United Nations.

French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette on Tuesday further denounced the ultimatum and urged that humanitarian organisations must be given immediate access to refugees.

European foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg also called on Kabila to guarantee humanitarian organisations access to conflict zones.

In Biaro, the humanitarian lorries unloaded biscuits, powdered milk, medicines, covers and cooking utensils.

Because of the limited supplies available, only children were allowed biscuits, amid disorderly scenes, with refugees, driven by hunger, jostling for food.

Some 170 unaccompanied children were among a group of refugees to be taken by the lorries which brought in the aid to a transit centre close to Kisangani, from where they were to be flown home to Rwanda on Wednesday, a UNHCR spokesman said.

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XIN_ENG_20051114.0334

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Finland opens commercial mobile TV license for bidding

HELSINKI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua)-- The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications announced on Monday that it will start accepting applications for a license of commercial mobile TV license.

Finland has thus become the first European country to issue a license for a commercial TV service for mobile phones.

The service will be based on DVB-H (digital video broadcasting - handheld) transmission technology.

Finland is one of many countries experimenting with TV on mobile phones. TV service for mobile phones has been tested last spring in a trial network in its capital, Helsinki. Around 500 people were involved in the test, which showed mobile TV was favorably received.

Susanna Huovinen, the transport and Communications minister, said that the government wants to promote the development of innovations, including mobile TV.

The operating license will be awarded early next year.

announced

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XIN_ENG_20061121.0116

ABUJA, Nov. 21 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Nigeria to host food security summit

Nigeria is to host a summit on food security in Africa from Dec. 4 to 7 to assess the implementation of resolutions on food security taken in the past, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported on Tuesday.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Malam Adamu Bello was quoted as saying that forthcoming summit was "a follow-up action aimed at assessing the level of implementation of such past resolutions."

According to him, all member countries will be expected to present an update on the implementations of the recommendations of the African Union 2003 Maputo Declaration on food security in Africa.

Bello said "issues about availability, accessibility and affordability of food would feature prominently at the summit."

It will also review national programs and projects that are making significant progress in contributing to the attainment of national food and nutrition security, the minister added.

In 2003, African heads of state and government committed their governments in the Maputo Declaration to allocating at least 10 percent of their national budgets for agriculture and rural development within five years.

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XIN_ENG_20051111.0309

RABAT, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Morocco: more kinds of poultry importation banned

Morocco's Agriculture Ministry announced on Friday that it had widened its ban on imports of poultry into the country to include wild birds such as pigeons and falcons.

All Moroccan citizens, as well as importers, have to comply with the enacted regulations, and all banned poultry discovered at border checkpoints will be returned or slaughtered, according to a statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry.

The statement also emphasized that no bird flu cases have been found in Morocco so far, and the country's veterinary administration will continue to closely monitor domestic poultry as well as the latest development of worldwide bird flu pandemic.

The ministry has announced a ban on the importation of live poultry and bird-related products from countries affected by the fatal strain of virus H5N1 on Oct. 17, and carried out more strict sanitary checks on poultry farms, border checkpoints and slaughterhouses.

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XIN_ENG_20061107.0128

TEHRAN, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

1st LD: Iran urges Saddam's death sentence to be carried out

Iran here Tuesday described former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as a criminal who deserved to die, urging for the death sentence on him to be carried out.

"We want the correct, fair and legal verdict against this criminal (Saddam)... could be enforced," Iran's government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told a news conference.

"There's no doubt that he (Saddam) is a criminal dictator, we hope no pressures will be made to pullback this verdict," said Elham.

The spokesman also refuted suggestions that the execution of Saddam may exacerbate the violent conflict between Iraq's Shiite and Sunni communities.

Iran wanted the former Iraqi leader would get further trials for other alleged crimes against humanity, including his waging war against Iran in 1980-1988, Elham added.

He stressed that "I think it's quite clear such kind of suggestion is mischief-making, Saddam has both Shiite and Sunni blood on his hands, his very existence is anti-human."

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AFP_ENG_20061213.0284

ROME, Dec 13 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - UPDATES with audience with pope  ///

Pope Benedict XVI, who hopes one day to visit the Holy Land, on Wednesday met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in Italy as part of a brief European tour mainly aimed at drumming up support for sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme.

The Israeli leader was given a private audience with the pope and was then to meet the Vatican head of government, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone. The head of the Roman Catholic Church said in August he hoped to visit the Holy Land, if possible "in times of peace".

Olmert, who flew to Italy on the second and final leg of a European visit, was then to meet his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi.

In Germany, his previous stop, Olmert won backing for anti-Tehran sanctions from Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that "unfortunately the time has come for sanctions" after Iran had turned its back on attempts to persuade it to stop enriching uranium.

Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin told AFP that Rome too was expected to rally behind moves by Israel and the United States to try to bring Iran into line.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has threatened to wipe Israel off the map, says his country's nuclear programme is aimed at purely civilian use.

Also during his talks with Prodi, Olmert will "underline the importance for Israel of Italy's participation in the Interim United Nations Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," Eisin said,

Rome is to send 2,500 troops and take over command of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, which was beefed up after a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in July and August.

As part of the UN force, German navy ships have been patrolling the Lebanese coast to prevent any arms smuggling into the country.

Olmert will also raise possible ways of reviving dormant peace talks with the Palestinians, provided Europe continues to boycott the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Eisin said.

"Germany, Italy and Europe in general have a role to play to advance the peace process," Eisin said. "But there cannot be any recognition of the Hamas government as long as this movement does not recognize Israel and does not give up its mission to destroy it."

Although Olmert said in Berlin on Tuesday that Israel remained opposed to talks with Syria as "the time is not ripe", Rome, which for its part favours dialogue with Damascus, is expected to discuss how European nations could play a role as an interface between the two camps.

Italy too will urge Israel to agree to place the disputed Shebaa Farms area, a small corner of land sandwiched between Lebanon, Syria and Israel, under UN administration, Italian diplomatic sources said.

The sources said this would bolster the hand of beleaguered Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora whose country has demanded sovereignty over the area since 1967, while Israel argues it is part of the Syrian Golan Heights annexed at the time.

The UN has offered to administer the territory pending a settlement.

"We will also seek how to develop the European observer mission at the Rafah border (between Gaza and Egypt) to guarantee better freedom of movement," the Italian sources said.

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XIN_ENG_20051122.0128

BEIJING, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese FM has phone coversation with Syrian counterpart

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing had a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Faruk al-Shareh Tuesday night, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The two exchanged views on regional issues, said a ministry press release without giving any details.

conversation

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AFP_ENG_20061201.0018

BEIJING, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

After 2008 Olympics, China looking to host 2014 World Cup

China plans to apply to host the 2014 World Cup as part of its efforts to continue attracting major international sporting events following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, state press said Friday.

"Following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, our plan is to apply to host the 2011 World Swimming Championships and the 2014 World Cup," the Beijing Times quoted Sun Kanglin, head of the Beijing Sports Bureau as saying.

No other details of the bid were made available.

Soccer's ruling body FIFA has already announced that World Cup 2014, although a formal vote to determine the tournament hosts will be made at the FIFA Congress in 2008.

Even if China has no chance for 2014, any potential bid could pave the way for the Asian nation to host a later World Cup event.

China participated in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea for the first-time-ever, but failed to qualify for the 2006 edition in Germany.

Under FIFA's policy of rotating the World Cup between continents, South America is guaranteed the right to host the 2014 finals, and Brazil has long been regarded as the front-runner.

Argentina and Chile could co-host the 2014 World Cup if Brazil was incapable of staging the greatest event in football, FIFA President Sepp Blatter was quoted as saying in April.

China is fast gaining a reputation as being able to hold major world sporting events ahead of Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Olympics.

The city has already won wide praise from International Olympic Committee chiefs for its preparations for 2008, while test events for the Games this year went smoothly.

China also already hosts major golf, tennis and motor racing events.

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XIN_ENG_20051115.0359

ATHENS, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

UN official urges Greece to protect rights of minors

A UN senior official has warned Tuesday that some 2,000 children are drawn into child sex rings in Greece each year, adding that the Greek government must implement a national policy to protect the rights of minors.

"Greece has made significant progress in the area of human rights during the last decade, but this has to be continued, especially as far as children's rights are concerned," said Juan Miguel Petit, the special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, quoted by the local English-language daily Kathimerini.

Concluding a six-day trip to Greece, the UN official highlighted shortcomings in Greece's protection of minors, such as the conditions in which Gypsy children live near the center of Athens.

The district is to be redeveloped into a new football stadium as home to Athens Panathinakos club, despite concerns of human rights groups over the forced relocation of families living in the area.

The conditions children had to endure were unacceptable. Most of the 400 children who left Albania on their own last year ended up in Greece, often with the help of traffickers, Petit said.

The UN official recommended that the Albanian and Greek governments should cooperate more closely over the issue.

He also advised the creation of a central body that would oversee the creation of a coherent policy on children's rights in Greece, so the current overlapping between state organizations would be avoided.

Meanwhile, Lambros Kanellopoulos, head of UNICEF's office in Greece, revealed that research had shown some 2,000 children are being sexually exploited by organized gangs in various parts of the country.

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XIN_ENG_20051118.0132

TIANJIN, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

China sees decline of computer virus infection ratio

About 80 percent of China's computers have been infected with virus in 2005, 8 percent lower than last year.

This is the first time of drop for the PC virus infection ratio in China over the past five years, said sources with the Eighth International Conference of the Association of Anti Virus Asia Researchers (AVAR) here Friday.

According to a latest survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Securities, China's companies, institutions and government offices have more access to the information technology this year.

They all strengthened the work concerning information network safety and are rewarded with a drop of virus infection ratio, said Zhang Jian, deputy director of the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center.

The survey also said that China is not hit by serious virus so far this year.

According to the analysis of types of computer virus, the worm virus infection ratio is obviously higher than others, accounting for 74 percent.

Zhang said that China still lacks professionals of network safety maintenance.

He urged the governments at all levels to provide more training chances for the related workers and specialists and increase investment for the development of anti-virus technologies and software.

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AFP_ENG_19970421.0447

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 , 1997 (AFP)

Baker launches new peace bid in forgotten West Sahara conflict

UN envoy James Baker launches a fresh initiative on Western Sahara beginning Tuesday, in a bid to revive plans for a long-delayed political settlement for the disputed mineral-rich territory.

Baker, who was named the personal envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for Western Sahara last month, made few predictions on what he hoped to achieve before his departure.

During a visit here for consultations earlier this month, the former US secretary of state said it was premature to envisage changes to a UN peace plan providing for a referendum on the future of the territory claimed by both Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

The UN-proposed referendum would determine whether Western Sahara should become part of Morocco or an independent state.

With a UN-monitored ceasefire holding since 1991, a resolution to the conflict which has festered for 22 years since Spain's withdrawal from the territory has been put on the international community's back burner for the past year.

During his mission, the 66-year-old Texan diplomat will hold talks with Moroccan and Polisario Front leaders and meet with officials in Algiers and in Nouakchott, the capital of neighboring Mauritania.

UN spokesman Juan Carlos Brandt said Baker would make "a fresh assessment of the situation" during his mission, expected to last until the end of the month.

Western diplomats here said Monday that Baker could assess the chances of a resumption of direct talks between the Polisario Front and Morocco, which could move forward the peace process.

However Morocco publicly insists that developments must take place within the framework of the UN peace plan.

UN plans for the identification of voters in the referendum have been on hold for the past 12 months amid disagreements over who would be entitled to take part.

Polisario stands by the 1974 census carried out by Spain, the former colonial ruler, fixing the number of Western Sahara voters at around 74,000. But Morocco wants to add tens of thousands of others who according to Moroccan officials fled the Spanish colony to seek refuge in Morocco.

"If there could be a resolution of this problem, there could be not just economic benefits for the region and for the parties, involved but political benefits as well," says Baker.

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AFP_ENG_20061204.0579

MOSCOW, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

URGENT  Ex-Russian PM released from hospital: report

Former Russian prime minister Yegor Gaidar, the victim of a suspicious poisoning last week, has been released from hospital in Moscow, the Interfax news agency reported late Monday quoting his spokesman.

released

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quoting


XIN_ENG_20051103.0356

YANGON, Nov. 4 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Myanmar stresses eye care services in rural areas

The Myanmar health authorities have stressed the need for eye care services in the country especially in the rural areas where the majority of the blind exist, a state- run newspaper reported Friday.

It was emphasized at a conference of eye ophthalmologists which is underway, the New Light of Myanmar said.

In Myanmar, there are some major eye diseases in prevalence such as cataract, trachoma and vitamin-C deficiency which can cause loss of sight.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has since 1999 launched a campaign aimed at bringing down the rate of avoidable blindness to less than 0.5 percent of its population as part of its efforts to eliminate such avoidable blindness by 2020 set by the World Health Organization.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2003, a "Vision Myanmar Program" has also been established by the Myanamr health ministry and the Royal Adelaide Hospital of Australia to provide opportunities for Myanmar eye surgeons to receive post-graduate training at the Australian hospital.

The program provides for Australian specialists to visit Myanmar annually to conduct training at two eye hospitals in Yangon and Mandalay where about 7,000 to 1,200 surgical operations on eye patients are respectively carried out each year.

In fighting blindness, Myanmar has also since 1964 launched trachoma control and blindness program to tackle the problem of blindness and the incidence of trachoma is being brought down from 43 percent to less than 4 percent.

Official statistics show that a total of 46,530 eye patients were cured under Mynamar's blindness control program which was implemented from 1989 to 1999. Of them 34,440 were cured of cataract and 12,090 cured of glaucoma.

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AFP_ENG_20051216.0335

ISTANBUL, Dec 16 , 2005

Turkey's top mafia boss jailed for 14 years

Turkey's most notorious mafia leader was sentenced Friday to more than 14 years in jail for a gang-related attack on a cafe but told his relatives "it is not important, do not be sad," the Anatolia news agency said.

Alaattin Cakici was convicted of ordering an armed attack in 2000 that injured 15 people at a cafe frequented by a rival gang, and sentenced to 14 years, nine months and 20 days.

"It is not important. Do not be sad," the 52-year-old told relatives as he was being escorted out of the court building, Anatolia said.

It was the second time the mafia boss had been tried over the attack.

He had already spent three years in jail, but the appeals court overturned part of the ruling and asked that his sentence be increased.

Cakici is a former far-right militant turned mob leader in the 1990s. He claims to have links with the country's intelligence services and to have enjoyed protection by politicians.

Cakici, who was extradited from Austria last year, is indicted in five other cases.

He risks life imprisonment for two of them -- for ordering the murders of his wife 1995 and of four other people, including his former right-hand man, in 1996.

He will also stand trial for his role in the failed privatization of the public Turkbank in 1998, which toppled the government then in power.

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AFP_ENG_19970411.0052

SYDNEY, April 11 , 1997 (AFP)

Quit or we'll vote you out, Australian PM tells embattled senator

Australian Prime Minister John Howard warned Friday that embattled senate deputy president Mal Colston would be voted out if he does not resign amid deepening scandal by the May 6 resumption of parliament.

Howard earlier this week bowed to intensifying pressure to dump the senator over fraudulent travel allowance claims and called for his resignation saying he had referred the allegations to police for investigation.

But the prime minister went a step further Friday and told a television chat show audience: "I'm sure he'll be gone as deputy president before the senate resumes and if he's not we'll vote him out."

He also promised to change the rules for travelling allowances to make the system more transparent, adding he was "quite serious" about devising a system that is as fraud-proof as possible.

Clearly concerned about the damage the scandal appears to be causing the government, he said: "I repeat, 99 percent of members of parliament on both sides are very honest, hardworking men and women."

Colston, whose Brisbane home has been besieged by media crews for two days, was taken to hospital late Thursday suffering from what doctors would describe only as "a medical condition."

"Senator Colston has allowed me to make a statement that says he's here with a medical condition, and he's here to rest," a spokesman said.

The ex-Labor senator turned independent was appointed to the key senate job eight months ago as a reward for giving Howard's conservative coalition the majority it lacked in the upper house by quitting Labor and switching his vote.

Howard's decision followed a statement by Colston staffer Christine Smith retracting earlier evidence accepting responsibility for almost 7,000 dollars (5,500 US) misclaimed for travel allowances "due to sloppy bookingkeeping."

Colston had to repay the cash, which had been claimed for 43 nights in Canberra when he was actually at home in Brisbane.

It also emerged that he was forced in 1983 to repay more than 6,000 dollars misclaimed for charter air travel from a company owned by his wife, and in 1982 repaid nearly 4,200 in misclaimed travel expenses.

The Labor opposition and centrist Democrats, who along with a handful of independents hold the balance of power in the Senate, want Colston to resign from politics altogether -- which would rob Howard of his upper house majority.

Howard refused for weeks to dump Colston, but explained Smith's new statement changed "the basis on which the matter had been seen previously."

The prime minister's announcement came only hours after the government admitted fraud charges had also been laid against a government MP and a former government senator over similar alleged irregularities.

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AFP_ENG_20051209.0149

LONDON, Dec 10 , 2005

Santa sacked for being too nice to children

A British Santa got the sack and was booted out of his grotto by bouncers for spending too long chatting to children, a newspaper reported Saturday.

It was more "Go! Go! Go!" than "Ho! Ho! Ho!" for actor Alan Seymour, 57, who was told to clear off when he refused to stick to a strict 30-second time limit with each Santa-loving child, the Daily Mirror said.

The sessions cost 17.50 pounds (26 euros, 30.70 dollars) each. The actor was accused of losing customers because bored children were spending too long queuing up for the grotto.

Seymour, complete with white beard and red suit, claims he was frogmarched out by the heavies as he got one sack more than he bargained for.

"There's no way it can be done in 30 seconds. People were complaining they didn't have long enough with Santa," he told the tabloid.

"Children were bringing me lists they had written. They also wanted to have their picture taken," he explained.

"I was hustled out by bouncers. It was very humiliating. I was trying to do my job as best I could for the children. They're being ripped off."

Seymour's turn as Santa went up the chimney after just one hour at the Santa Land exhibition at Earl's Court in central London.

Promoters Dreamtime Events said: "He was taking about 10 minutes with each family. We find people would rather have a brief visit than spend hours in a queue."

However, it seems the spirit of Christmas is not completely dead.

The firm claimed Seymour had been offered alternative Santa shifts in the region.

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went

exhibition

said

taking

find

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seems

claimed

offered


XIN_ENG_20061120.0161

BEIJING, Nov. 20 , 2006 (Xinhua)

death

The Chinese government will tighten safety provisions in elementary and secondary schools after six children were trampled to death at a school in east China.

Local education departments should conduct thorough inspections of corridors and stairways and check school buildings, canteens, dormitories and bathrooms, Education Minister Zhou Ji said Monday at a teleconference on the school administration.

Six middle school students, five boys and a girl aged 12 and 13, died and 39 were injured in east China's Jiangxi Province on Saturday evening.

"The root of the accident lies in the school's faulty management," Zhou said. "The accident has taught us a hard lesson, and exposed serious safety risks in schools."

The ministry would evaluate the work of school principals, who played a key role in safety and had ultimate responsibility for safety administration, Zhou said.

Principals who failed to meet the standards of their posts would be demoted and those whose dereliction of duty or misconduct caused accidents will be seriously punished, he said.

The local government of Jiujiang City, where the tragedy occurred, appears to be holding the school responsible for the incident. The school principal has been detained by the local authorities.

According to the ministry, China has more than 450,000 elementary and secondAcoordingary schools with more than 210 million students and more than 120,000 kindergartens with 22 million children.

Zhou also called for immediate measures to eliminate safety risks involving food poisoning, student fights and other mass incidents.

tighten

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said

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said

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failed

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demoted

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said

tragedy

appears

holding

incident

detained

According

has

called

eliminate


XIN_ENG_20061122.0253

LAGOS, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

One hostage killed in rescue operation in south Nigeria

One foreign oil worker was killed and another injured on Wednesday in a hostage rescue mission launched by the Nigerian military.

They were among the seven oil workers taken hostage by gunmen from an oil installation in south Nigeria on early Wednesday. The other five were freed in the operation.

No details of the dead and the wounded were available now.

Occupying oil facilities or taking oil workers hostage is common in southern Nigeria as local people are angry for not benefiting from oil exploration and instead suffer from pollution discharged from the industry.

killed

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launched

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freed

operation

taking

benefiting

suffer

discharged


AFP_ENG_20061218.0011

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 , 2006, 2006

by Maxim Kniazkov

Newly-minted US Defense Secretary Robert Gates takes control of the Department of Defense Monday, facing deepening divisions among government officials and policy experts about handling violence-torn Iraq.

Gates, a 63-year-old seasoned Washington insider who owes much of his career to president George Bush, the father of the current US leader, will be sworn in at a Pentagon ceremony just three days after his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, who is blamed for the current mess in Iraq, was given a full-honors send-off.

The former Central Intelligence Agency director, known for his professionalism more than political skills, was offered the job one day after US voters, angry over the gruesome Iraqi carnage, stripped the Republican Party of its majority in both chambers of Congress in the November 7 elections.

Shortly thereafter, the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel of foreign policy luminaries, declared that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating" and recommended wrapping up US combat operations there by early 2008.

President George W. Bush, who has withheld a wholesale endorsement of the report, is expected to announced a new Iraq policy early next year.

Gates, who was confirmed in his new job by an overwhelming 95-2 US Senate vote on December 7, is likely to be involved in shaping this new strategy, but how much exactly remains unknown.

"There are a lot of people who are going to be involved in the process," White House spokesman Tony Snow said evasively when asked on Friday about Gates's future role.

"But, ultimately," added the press secretary, the president "is the one who has to make the important decisions."

Options under consideration reportedly include boosting the number of US soldiers in Iraq by between 20,000 and 50,000 to secure its chaotic capital, forge an alliance between moderate Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis at the expense of radicals on both sides, or even throwing the US lot with majority Shiites.

But advocates of the "victory-still-possible" approach received a bucketful of cold water Sunday from one of the chief architects of the allied victory in the 1991 Gulf War, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell.

Powell, who later went on the become secretary of state when the United States invaded Iraq, said that "we are losing" the war because US troops have been unable to quell the insurgency and stave off sectarian violence.

"If victory means you have gotten rid of every insurgent, you have peace throughout the country, I don't see that in the cards right now," the retired general told CBS News.

And he dismissed as unrealistic plans for throwing more troops into Iraq, arguing that "the American army isn't large enough to secure Baghdad."

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid for his part indicated he would be willing to support a troop increase only as a stop-gap measure tied to "a program to get us out of there ... by this time next year."

Supporters of sending more troops to Iraq, which also include Republican Senator John McCain, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, also face rising public opposition.

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg opinion pull conducted on December 8-11 found that 59 percent of Americans believed that Bush should adopt the Iraq Study Group's recommendation of reducing American troops by early 2008.

A similar survey conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post showed that only 17 percent of respondents supported the idea of boosting troop levels while 52 percent opposed it.

Some of non-governmental policy experts, meanwhile, have come to the conclusion the United States has now simply run out of good options.

"US policy in Iraq must come to grip with two realities: Iraq is in a civil war, and Iraq is a failed state," Carlos Pascual and Kenneth Pollack, two top Brookings Institution foreign policy experts wrote earlier this month.

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facing

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wrote


AFP_ENG_19970409.0436

WASHINGTON, April 9 , 1997 (AFP)

Hong Kong democracy leader scoffs at fundraising limits

Hong Kong democracy leader Martin Lee scoffed at draft regulations Wednesday that would bar Hong Kong politicians from accepting funds from abroad after the territory reverts to China in July.

Hong Kong's pro-China leader in waiting, Tung Chee-hwa, "is really the guilty party in this regard," Lee, in Washington as part of a 15-stop North American speaking and fundraising tour, told reporters here.

Lee also rejected any link between suspected Chinese efforts to funnel illicit donations last year to US congressional campaigns -- allegedly to influence US China policy -- and his own foreign fundraising for the Hong Kong Democratic Party.

Hong Kong's future government, unlike the US Congress, "will have no say in defense and foreign affairs," Lee said, noting that his party will have no role in government after Beijing regains control of Hong Kong on July 1.

"They are so afraid of us ... because we have the support of the people of Hong Kong," the Democratic Party leader said. "They will do anything to stop us."

Lee estimated that his own foreign fundraising efforts since March in Canada and the United States had netted 2.5 million Hong Kong dollars (about 320,000 dollars US).

In Hong Kong, Tung's office issued a "consultation document" arguing that Hong Kong faced a legal vacuum after the July 1 handover and was "extremely vulnerable to external forces" that required firm laws.

The paper proposed barring local political groups from "financial assistance or loans of any kind" from any alien or foreign organization, a reference that includes Taiwan individuals and groups, it said.

It also proposed empowering the government to outlaw parties based on national security considerations and the police to bar political ralllies.

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arguing

faced

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proposed

barring

said

proposed

empowering

outlaw


AFP_ENG_19970401.0099

BEIJING, April 1 , 1997 (AFP)

China warns US after Gingrich comments on Taiwan

Beijing warned the United States Tuesday against interfering in Taiwan after US House of Representative speaker Newt Gingrich said Washington would defend the island against attacks from Beijing.

"The controversy between 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 said Sunday in Shanghai after meeting Wang Daohan, a top Chinese official on relations between China and Taiwan, that the United States would defend Taiwan if China launched a military assault to recover the island.

"We understand that in principle you will not renounce your right to use force. We want you to understand that we will defend Taiwan," Gingrich said.

"This is not waving a saber. It's just a reminder that it is in the scabbard and available," he added.

Shen reiterated China's hopes for a peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but warned: "If the question of independence arises on the island or a foreign force interferes in Taiwan issues, we will be forced to adopt other necessary measures."

He also attacked Washington for its continued arms sales to Taipei.

"These give clear support and encouragement to separtist forces on the island and retards the process of peaceful reunification," he said.

However, Gingrich then toned down his statements Tuesday when speaking to journalists in Tokyo and emphasized that Washington would stick to its 'one China' policy.

Noting Chinese leaders had told him they would not resort to military force easily, Gingrich said: "So, we wouldn't have to defend."

Gingrich is to pay a short visit to Taiwan Wednesday in which he is to meet with President Lee Teng-hui and Premier Lien Chan, a Taiwan presidential spokesman said Tuesday.

They are to discuss US-Taiwan relations, cross-strait ties and other issues of mutual interest, he said.

Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949 when the defeated Nationalist government fled there after a bitter civil war.

Last year, Beijing launched a series of intimidatory war games against the island, which ground to a halt when Washington dispatched two aircraft carriers to the region.

While China says its policy towards Taiwan is eventual reunification, Shen refused to comment on reports over the weekend from Tokyo that Jiang would offer the post of vice-president to Taiwan's top official upon reunification.

"I also read these reports, but they were from the meeting between President Jiang and the Japanese foreign minister and I have nothing more to say about that," he said.

"What is more far more urgent is the organisation of high-level political meetings with Taiwan to resolve issues currently on ice. This would have positive effects on peaceful reunification," he added.

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have

added


XIN_ENG_20051114.0074

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Senior Hamas leader killed by Israeli troops in W. Bank

A senior leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) was shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Nablus early on Monday, Palestinian sources said.

The sources said Israeli troops backed by 15 military jeeps raided eastern Nablus early on Monday and Israeli soldiers stormed a building where Amjan Hannawi, commander of Hamas' armed wing Ezzel Dein al-Qassam Brigades in Nablus, was hiding.

Hannawi, 32, was shot in the head and died on the spot when he tried to flee the building, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed the killing, saying that Hannawi is one of the most wanted Palestinian militants, who is believed to have masterminded several suicide bombings in Israel in the 1990s.

In addition, eight other suspected Hamas militants were also arrested during the raid, the army added.

Al-Qassam Brigades vowed revenge in a statement.

A few hours after the incident, a Palestinian was killed and at least two others wounded by Israeli troops' gunfire in the Gaza Strip.

Monday's violence has cast pall over a visit to the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to revive the stalled peace process.

Israel has stepped up raids and targeted killings of Palestinian militants since a suicide bomb attack killed six Israelis in a seaside city last month.

The recent worsening of violence has dampened peace hopes ignited by the Israel Gaza withdrawal in September.

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stepped

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attack

killed

worsening

dampened

ignited

withdrawal


XIN_ENG_20061108.0138

BEIJING, Nov. 8 , 2006 (Xinhua)

2nd Ld: China, U.S. hold third strategic dialogue

China and the United States on Wednesday held their third round of strategic dialogue in Beijing, discussing bilateral ties and other issues of common concern.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and the U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns co-chaired the strategic dialogue.

"The United States and China have very important relationship," Burns said in the opening address.

"The relationship focuses on bilateral issues that motivate us from day to day, and we also have other issues. (Because) together we have responsibility for global peace and global security," Burns said.

The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The dialogue also touched upon the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue. Burns said in a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo that "we will see what we can do with" the North Korea's nuclear issue.

Later Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also met with Burns.

Burns arrived in Beijing Tuesday evening. This was his first time to lead the U.S. side in strategic dialogue with China.

Two rounds of China-U.S. strategic dialogues had been held in August and December last year.

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dialogue

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held


VOA19980305.1800.2603
 NEWS STORY

 International Women's Day is this coming Sunday, March eighth.
 A major focus of International Women's Day is the plight of Afghan women.
 Special events are being organized by the European Commission and
 individual nations in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world.
 Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

 Afghanistan has been at war for twenty years, leaving a large part of the
 country's male population dead or in exile. The United Nations says women
 and children make up about seventy-five percent of the Afghan population. An Afghan
 refugee in Switzerland, Homira Atimadi, is a senior official of a group called the
 International Working Group on Afghan Women. The group has branches in
 Pakistan, Iran, Europe, Australia, and North America. Ms. Atimadi says
 Afghan women have been victims of severe violations of human rights for the past twenty
 years and she says she sees no end to the misery. She says security under
 the fundamentalist Taleban government is better, but everything else is worse.

 Women do not become victims of armed attack, but they do not have the
 right to work. And today, the right to work is equal to r- the right to survival.

 Ms. Atimadi says the war has created a nation of widows. Women have become
 the sole support of their families. Yet, the Taliban have forbidden them to
 work. She says this puts the very existence of women's families at risk.
 She says the plight of women in urban areas is greater than that which exists
 in rural parts of the country. In cities, such as the capital Kabul, women
 are totally dependent on international aid for survival. Ms. Atimadi says the
 women of Kabul symbolize the suffering of all the women in Afghanistan.

 The aim is to bring in not only the focus on women's right to education,
 access to work, but look beyond that and look at the roots of, uh of these
 problems. These are only the symptoms of the problems that are facing
 Afghanistan. For women in Afghanistan to be able to realize their rights,
 there have to be conditions of peace and justice.

 Ms. Atimadi says that is the primary focus of her group, peace and
 justice. She says her group is appealing to individuals, to the international
 community, and to the combatants and people of Afghanistan to stop the
 bloodletting which has torn the country apart.
 Lisa Schlein for VOA News, Geneva.

Day

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events

organized

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bloodletting

torn


XIN_ENG_20061106.0193

BUCHAREST, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Romanian Press Club concerned about denigrating articles in British press

The Romanian Press Club on Monday sent Great Britain's Ambassador to Bucharest Robin Barnett an open letter, expressing "concern over the articles whereby the British public opinion is systematically manipulated and instigated against the Romanians as ethnics and nation."

"Since the British press is a model to Romanian journalists, we address you our concern that such manifestations will considerably decrease the confidence of our press in this model. Nor is the risk negligible, that the denigration and slander of Romanians might affect Great Britain's image in the eyes of the Romanian public, which we believe nobody would desire," writes the cited letter.

A series of wide circulation British dailies started in summer this year a campaign in support of the London government's decision to impose restrictions on the labor market for workers coming from Romania and Bulgaria, after the two countries join the EU on January 1, 2007, according to reports by Romanian media.

The Sun, the journal with the broadest circulation in Great Britain, and other papers, published articles rendering a negative picture of Romania and her people, depicting her as an East European country where "hundreds of thousands" of pauperized citizens are waiting for accession to rush on Great Britain's labor market, said the reports.

The press campaign continued even after the British authorities announced the restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian workers. Thus, The Sun on Friday warned that Romanian immigrants could spark a tuberculosis outbreak in Great Britain, a country where this plague was long before eradicated.

Before this article, The Sun had published last week articles about the trafficking of persons and drugs and organized crime in Romania, warning against the gangs of Romanians involved in defrauding bank machines.

The Romanian Press Club is the main professional organization of Romanian mass media.

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spark

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warning


XIN_ENG_20061114.0211

TAIYUAN, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Death toll in north China colliery gas blast rises to 40

The death toll from a colliery blast in north China last week has risen to 40 while seven people remain missing, rescuers confirmed on Tuesday.

Search and rescue teams found five more bodies on Tuesday in the Jiaojiazhai Colliery in Xinzhou, a city in the central northern area of Shanxi Province, where a gas explosion occurred at 11:45 a.m. on Nov. 5.

The death toll stood at 35 on Monday.

Altogether 393 miners were working in the pit when the blast occurred, of whom 346 escaped.

Search and rescue efforts are continuing though rescuers believe the remaining seven miners have little chance of survival, given the high intensity of toxic gas and serious cave-ins following the blast.

Families of the dead will each receive 200,000 yuan (25,000 U.S. dollars) in compensation. Seven families have been compensated so far.

Jiaojiazhai Colliery is owned by Xuangang Coal and Electricity Company under the Datong Coal Mine Group.

The State Council, the cabinet, set up an investigation team on Friday to investigate the tragedy.

Though the direct cause is still under investigation, the central government task force said it probably stemmed from ignorance of workplace safety and poor management.

The gas monitoring system showed that the gas concentration was abnormal and that there was a risk of explosion, according to a report from the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) released on Monday.

But the production managers did not take effective measures and did not order the miners to stop working, the report said.

Li Yizhong, the SAWS head who is heading the task force, vowed to severely punish the individuals and company responsible for the accident, and urged all coal mine owners in the country to learn a lesson.

Coal mine accidents have claimed 104 lives from Nov. 5 to Nov. 13, according to the SAWS' report.

Analysts said the accidents were a warning of a possible surge of coal mine disasters as the demand for black coal rises in winter.

In October, the number of coal mine accidents surged by 26.1 percent over September. The number of miners killed rose by 44.4 percent.

The "infinite greed" of some mine owners, driven by the growing demand of the winter coal market, was the ultimate cause of the disasters, said Wu Jianming, professor with Taiyuan University of Science and Technologies.

"Winter is hell for miners. Some of the small, hazardous mines that have been closed will probably resume production in the winter regardless of the threat to life," said Wu, who also works for the State Administration of Work Safety as a consultant.

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works


XIN_ENG_20051128.0223

GAZA, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Urgent: Fatah primaries in Gaza Strip suspended

Fatah primaries in the Gaza Strip were suspended, a poll official announced on Monday.

primaries

suspended

announced


XIN_ENG_20061126.0141

DOHA, Nov. 26 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Journalists give thumbs up to Asian Games food

With an aim to deliver a best ever Asian Games, Doha organizers are catering not only to the needs of athletes and officials, but also to more than 4,500 journalists from all over the world, including their palates.

"A big Thank You to the organizers, who provide delicious food in the Main Press Center," said Chinese reporter Xue Jianying, who has covered five Asian Games and as many Summer Olympics.

"The organizers are hospitable," he added.

The organizers offer two meals to the journalists each day, one breakfast in hotels and one in the Main Media Center, where an international buffet is served during the Games.

The buffet offers Arabian, Asian, continental and sub- continental dishes including salads, cheeses, cold cuts, pastries, fresh fruits, breads, preserves, cereals and beverages.

"I'd rather say that I have the best food in a sports meet after covering so many events," said another Chinese reporter Yang Ming.

"It is out of my expectation," said Yang's colleague Pan Yi. " After talking to the catering service manager, I know that there are 1,200 dishes on the menu, which means that the journalists will have different food for at least one week."

Athletes will enjoy more variety of fine cuisine.

Sun Yi, a Chinese reporter with Legal Mirror, wrote that he was impressed by the 4,800-seat dining hall and 5,000 different dishes.

"I spent 10 months on making the menu. I am sure from the opening of the Athletes' Village to its closing, the daily menu will not repeat at all," chef Chen Zhida, a Chinese Singaporean, was quoted by Sun.

It seems that the organizers have determined to give all participants the best taste of the Games.

"The organizing committee has employed a Master Caterer with extensive international and Olympic experience to work with us, to plan, liaise and deliver all catering requirements for the Games," said Yousef M Al Othman, Deputy Director General of the Doha organizing committee.

"The menus will not only meet the diverse cultural needs of our multi-national participants, but will also look at their vegetarian and medical considerations.

"We are aware of the athletes' culinary likes and dislikes, thanks to extensive research already done."

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said

meet

look

aware

done


AFP_ENG_19970415.0457

GENEVA, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

UN rights body condemns Iran killings

The UN Human Rights Commission on Tuesday condemned the killings of Iranian opposition figures and called for legal action to be taken against the killers.

The call came five days after a German court implicated Iranian leaders in the killing of four Iranian Kurd opposition figures in a Berlin restaurant in 1982.

A motion presented by the Netherlands representing the European Union called on Tehran to "refrain from violence against members of the Iranian opposition living abroad."

Passed by 26 votes to 7 with 19 abstentions, it also urged Tehran to cooperate with the authories of countries investigating the killings.

Turning to the death sentence, or fatwa, issued by the Iranian authorities against British author Salman Rushdie for his allegedly blasphemous novel "The Satanic Verses," the Commission demanded that Iran "provide satisfactory written assurances that it does not support or incite threats to the life of Mr Rushdie."

It deplored a recent decision by an Iranian foundation to increase the reward offered to an eventual killer of Rushdie from 2 million to 2.5 million dollars.

Last Thursday an Iranian and a Lebanese were given life sentences by a Berlin court after being convicted of the assassination of four Iranian Kurd opposition figures on the direct orders of the Iranian regime.

The presiding judge said "the background (to the killings) reaches to the highest levels of the Iranian state."

condemned

killings

called

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implicated

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presented

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called

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violence

opposition

urged

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investigating

killings

Turning

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demanded

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offered

given

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assassination

said

killings

reaches


XIN_ENG_20061107.0260

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. has no involvement in religious school attack, says Boucher

The visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher on Tuesday said the United States did not have any involvement in the attack on a religious school in Pakistan's tribal region.

"The Pakistani government has said they carried out initiative to deal with serious threats from fighters who were in that location," Boucher told reporters at U.S. embassy.

"The Pakistani government says it has carried out this action. And it was necessary because militants, terrorists created a training center," he said.

He supported Pakistan's policy to engage tribal elders to establish peace in the tribal region.

"Certainly our hope is that these areas can be more peaceful through combination of political steps, economic steps, political influence of people in the areas, the tribal leaders and others," Boucher said.

"But we also recognize there are militants and fighters in these areas. They need to be dealt with by other means," he said.

Boucher ruled out any change in American policy after the mid- term polls.

"We want a long-term partnership with Pakistan," he said.

Boucher met President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday and discussed with them bilateral and regional matters.

He also met Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Foreign Secretary and other senior officials from the foreign ministry as well as people from business community.

He said the United States is working together with the government of Pakistan for economic opportunities for the people who are living in the border areas.

Asked if Pakistan is doing enough in the war on terror as media in the United States is critical to Pakistan's role, he said it does not reflects facts.

"Pakistan is a key ally in war on terror. The extremism, the violence, we are fighting against is the same violence threatening the people and the government of Pakistan as well as people in the neighborhood," he said.

"So we have common interests along with others in this region. If any body says it is enough, to me the question does not make any sense. None of us has done enough. We have to keep battle," Boucher said.

"This is strategic struggle for the future of this region. The future of this nation," he said.

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said

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said

struggle

said


AFP_ENG_20051213.0031

HONG KONG, Dec 13 , 2005

G-20 says African cotton must be addressed in Hong Kong

The World Trade Organisation talks here must come up with a firm commitment to help African cotton producers, who count as some of the poorest countries on earth, the Group of 20 said Tuesday.

The G-20, which comprises developed countries and the largest emerging economies, said problems faced by African cotton producers reflect distortions in global trade of agricultural goods.

"The plight of the African cotton producing countries and of other cotton producers in the developing world is evidence of the distortions in agriculture that we are committed to eliminate," the G-20 said in a statement;

"The G-20 ministers emphasise the need for a firm commitment to be made at Hong Kong to address the issue of cotton ambitiously."

The WTO meeting in Hong Kong, which opens later Tuesday, is tasked with keeping on track the faltering four-year-old Doha Round meant to tear down global trade barriers and spur growth in the world's poorest nations.

The key issue is farm trade, mainly the system of European and US subsidies which they say they will only surrender in exchange for a deal opening up markets in the developed world to their industrial goods and services.

Africa's cotton-producing countries have been on the offensive in the run-up to the meeting, insisting that rich countries, and the United States in particular, end subsidies to their cotton farmers.

The African states say such subsidies depress prices globally and effectively shut them out of what should be major markets, undercutting their development efforts.

Asked earlier Tuesday whether Washington would be willing to come to an agreement on cotton here, US Trade Representative Rob Portman said: "In July 2004 we agreed to deal with cotton expeditiously, ambitiously and specifically, within the framework of the agricultural negotiations.

"If we can resolve something this week with regards to cotton, that would be great," he said, without elaborating.

talks

come

help

count

said

said

distortions

distortions

committed

eliminate

said

emphasise

address

meeting

opens

tasked

keeping

meant

tear

spur

say

surrender

opening

run-up

meeting

insisting

end

say

depress

shut

undercutting

Asked

come

said

agreed

deal

negotiations

resolve

said

elaborating


XIN_ENG_20051129.0036

LUSAKA, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Zambia's sugar exports likely to reduce upon EU decision

Zambia's sugar exports will be dealt a heavy blow by the European Union's decision to lower the prices of commodities such as sugar, industry insiders have said.

Lovemore Sievu, Zambia Sugar corporate affairs manager, was cited by Tuesday's The Post as saying the planned move by the EU which is expected take effect next year would likely reduce the company's export receipts by as much as 40 percent.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa also complained during the just-ended Commonwealth summit in the Mediterranean island country Malta that price reduction would translate into reducing the standard of living for the people in countries like Zambia which are main providers of such commodities.

Sievu said the company was also affected by the constant appreciation of the local currency kwacha against the US dollar, of which the devaluation entails that the value of each unit of sugar exported is lower when converted into kwacha.

Trade Network of Zambia coordinator Stephen Muyakwa said the recent announcement by the EU would be disadvantageous to producers in countries such as Zambia.

He said it would be very unfair especially for small-scale farmers who were selling their produce to companies like Zambia Sugar.

Muyakwa thus urged the EU to come up measures to cushion the effects of the reduction so as to enable those affected countries to become more efficient in the production of sugar and other commodities.

"We also need support to enable us develop capacity to diversify to other commodities such as beef so that we can compete favorably on the market," Muyakwa was quoted as saying.

During the summit, President Mwanawasa also called upon the EU to remove subsidies on agricultural commodities in favor of developing countries like Zambia.

dealt

decision

lower

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cited

saying

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effect

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complained

summit

reduction

translate

reducing

said

affected

entails

exported

converted

said

announcement

said

unfair

selling

urged

come

cushion

enable

become

need

enable

develop

diversify

compete

quoted

saying

summit

called

remove


XIN_ENG_20051114.0351

TOKYO, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

M6.9 quake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 jolted extensive areas on the Pacific side of north and east Japan Tuesday morning, with the Japan Meteorological Agency issuing a tsunami warning.

The warning for a tsunami up to 50 centimeters high was issued for the Pacific side of the Hokkaido and Tohoku areas in northern and northeastern Japan.

The 6:39 a.m. (2139 GMT) quake measured 3 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in those areas.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake.

The focus was at a shallow depth under the seabed in the Pacific some 310 kilometers east of the Oshika Peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture.

jolted

issuing

warning

warning

tsunami

issued

measured


XIN_ENG_20061130.0053

LHASA, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Tibet steps up efforts to limit spread of AIDS/HIV

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is taking measures to ensure that there are no more than 300 AIDS/HIV cases there by 2010, sources with the regional AIDS/HIV control authorities said on Thursday.

The measures include establishing a special lab for final diagnosis of AIDS/HIV and labs for preliminary sample screening in seven prefectures and cities and 22 counties. Bilingual AIDS/HIV control publicity materials in Chinese and Tibetan are being distributed to peasants and herdsmen and the use of condoms is being promoted throughout the region.

"There are fewer AIDS/HIV cases here than in other regions of the country, but they are on the rise and the disease is spreading from high-risk people to the general public and from cities to rural areas," said Jiang Zugang, an official with the regional AIDS/HIV control authorities.

Jiang said Tibet recorded its first AIDS patient in 1994 and the first death from the disease in 2001. Two years later, it detected a first Tibetan AIDS patient.

From 1994 to Oct. 31, 2006, 40 HIV carriers were registered in Tibet, including five who developed into AIDS and two deaths. In 2005 alone, there were 18 new AIDS/HIV cases, Jiang added.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, China has about 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, including 75,000 who have developed AIDS.

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ensure

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establishing

distributed

use

promoted

rise

spreading

said

said

recorded

death

detected

registered

developed

added

developed


AFP_ENG_19970424.0099

BANGKOK, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

Thai ratings agency joins with US firm

Thai Ratings and Information Services (TRIS) announced Thursday it was forming a three-year partnership with Fitch Investors Service of the United States.

TRIS president Vuthipong Priebjrivat said his agency, which previously had a training arrangement with Standards and Poor's, would sign the agreement to exchange staff and information with Fitch on May 6.

He said Fitch had been chosen for the partnership due to its specialization in rating structured finance issues covering securitization, insurance businesses, bonds, mutual funds and pension funds.

"This agreement will help TRIS upgrade to international standards," he said.

Vuthipong added that this specialization was in line with the Thai government's efforts to boost the domestic bond market.

While the two companies would work closely together in Thailand, they would be rating companies separately, giving clients two ratings for the price of one, Vuthipong said, adding that the grades would necessarily be the same.

The TRIS president said the two companies would also promote each other's ratings and analytical qualifications and adopt a joint rating process for both domestic and international issues.

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forming

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chosen

specialization

structured

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upgrade

said

added

specialization

efforts

boost

work

giving

said

adding

said

promote

adopt


XIN_ENG_20061110.0155

BANGKOK, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

for karaoke bars

by Xinhua writer Tian Sulei

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Karaoke bars in China's main cities will have to pay 12 yuan (1.50 U.S. dollars) a day in royalties to music artists for each room, according to a new regulation set by China's National Copyright Administration.

A statement on the administration's website said royalties would first be collected in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on a trial basis. The practice will gradually be widened to cover other cities, with the payment rate varying according to local economic conditions.

The move is another measure China has taken to improve its copyright protection in response to increasing pressure and is deemed vital in encouraging innovation.

The China Audio and Video Association has been designated as the temporary agent to collect the royalties for music being played in karaoke bars. This function will be taken over by an association for the collective management of audio and video copyrights after it is granted official approval by the government.

Karaoke bars in China generally range from several rooms to more than 100 rooms.

Liu Wenhe, who is working to establish audio and video copyright association, said the charges collected from the karaoke bars will be paid to music producers, song writers and music companies.

"We will leave our foreign counterparts to handle payments to foreign companies and individuals," said Liu.

He said a special team will be established to start collecting the fees from karaoke bars, possibly before the end of this year.

The Chinese government's efforts in combating piracy and protect intellectual property rights (IPR) has resulted in more shops and restaurants signing up to pay royalties on the ubiquitous background music that had long been used for free.

Standard international practice requires public venues to obtain permission and pay royalties for background music, according to China Music Copyright Protection Association (CMCPA).

More than 5,000 companies in China have signed up, including McDonald's, KFC, Wal-Mart, and Carrefour. Internet portal Sohu.com signed with the CMCPA for the use of music on-line.

pay

according

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working

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said

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handle

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said

established

start

collecting

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combating

protect

resulted

signing

pay

used

requires

obtain

pay

according

signed

signed

use


XIN_ENG_20061106.0181

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. urges six-party talks to resume as soon as possible

The United States said on Monday that it hopes the six-party talks aimed at addressing the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) could resume as soon as possible.

"Certainly, we're looking forward to having those talks reconvene at the earliest possible date," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

However, "I don't have a specific date yet to offer you," Casey said.

"I think we're still looking to see when that's going to be possible," Casey added.

The DPRK said on Nov. 1 that it had decided to return to the six-party talks, but did not offer a specific date.

The six-party talks, which involve the United States, the DPRK, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan, and are aimed at persuading the DPRK to abandon its nuclear programs, have been stalled since last November.

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looking

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added

said

decided

return

talks

offer

talks

involve

aimed

persuading

abandon

stalled


XIN_ENG_20051129.0112

TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

1st lead: Gunmen release abducted Iranian females

Gunmen on Tuesday released two Iranian women and an Iraqi female guide who were abducted Monday night north of Baghdad, a source of US-Iraqi coordination office in Tikrit told Xinhua.

"Two Iranian Shiite pilgrims and an Iraqi female guide were released and found near the place where they were kidnapped Monday night," the source said.

The three were safe, the source said, quoting them as saying they were released shortly after their abduction Monday night.

Earlier, the office said gunmen opened fire at a minibus and kidnapped four men and two women Iranian Shiite pilgrims in the town of Balad, some 80 km north of Baghdad.

An Iraqi female guide was kidnapped along with the Iranians and the Iraqi driver of the minibus was wounded in Balad, it said.

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abducted

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released

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kidnapped

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quoting

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abduction

said

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kidnapped

kidnapped

wounded

said


XIN_ENG_20061130.0029

SEOUL, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Seoul stock market ends up

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 9.66 points to 1,432.21 on Thursday with a volume of 247 million shares worth 3.17 trillion won (3.40 billion U.S. dollars).

The tech-rich KOSDAQ index gained 4.98 points to 622.17 with a volume of 660.756 million shares worth 2.121 trillion won (2.281 billion U.S. dollars).

The local currency ended at 929.50 won against one U.S. dollar, up 1.00 won from Wednesday's close.

rose

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close


AFP_ENG_20051215.0020

KARACHI, Dec 15 , 2005

England win toss, put Pakistan into bat in third one-dayer

England captain Marcus Trescothick won his third consecutive toss and put Pakistan into bat in the third day-night limited overs international at the National stadium here on Thursday.

The series is levelled at 1-1 after England won the first match by 42 runs, while Pakistan won the second by seven wickets -- both played in Lahore.

England lost batsman Kevin Pietersen two days before the match when back and rib cage problems forced him to return home.

His place was taken by Vikram Solanki, who was super-sub in Monday's second match.

Pakistan included allrounder Shahid Afridi in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria from their line-up of the first two matches.

Afridi served a ban of one Test and two one-day matches over damaging the pitch during the second Test at Faisalabad.

England: Marcus Trescothick (capt), Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Vikram Solanki, Ian Blackwell, Geraint Jones, Matthew Prior, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett. Super-sub: Ian Bell

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Super-sub: Yasir Arafat

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA) and Tony Hill (NZL)

TV umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

won

toss

put

levelled

won

won

played

lost

forced

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taken

match

included

matches

served

matches

damaging

Test


XIN_ENG_20051122.0337

BRASILIA, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Brazil to provide free AIDS tests to the poor in 2006

Brazil's Health Ministry will provide 50,000 free AIDS tests to pregnant women and adolescents in the poorest region in 2006, officials said here Tuesday.

The tests will be sponsored by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

Last year, the country tested 75 percent of pregnant women for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. The tests next year will cover the majority of the remaining 25 percent.

"In spite of the alarming numbers, the policies to combat the epidemic haven't given priority to children. Children are rarely mentioned when AIDS is discussed," UNICEF Representative Marie Pierre Poirier told reporters.

Early diagnosis of HIV could prevent 99 percent of transmissions from mother to baby, said the health ministry.

A United Nations report published on Monday said that around 600,000 of Brazil's 183 million citizens (or around 0.3 percent) suffer from HIV.

UNICEF is also campaigning to provide AIDS education and expand access to anti-AIDS drugs in Bolivia, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principe, and East Timor.

provide

said

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told

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said

published

said

suffer

campaigning

provide

expand


XIN_ENG_20051123.0314

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Christie considering retirement because of sore left ankle

The Dallas Mavericks guard Doug Christie is considering retirement because of his recurring sore left ankle, reports from Dallas said.

Christie went home to Seattle last week to have the surgically repaired ankle examined by his personal physician. He missed the final 24 games last season for Orlando because of bone spurs in his ankle that were removed.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday that he expects to know within a few days what Christie will do. Retirement is an option, he said.

The 35-year-old Christie, in his 14th NBA season, signed a three-year contract with Dallas in August, but only the $3.15 million for the first season is guaranteed.

Christie played the first seven games this season for Dallas, averaging just 3.7 points and 2.0 assists a game. He got permission to go home and hasn't been with the team the last three games, including Tuesday night's 102-93 victory over Houston.

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considering

said

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examined

missed

spurs

removed

said

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know

do

said

signed

guaranteed

played

averaging

assists

game

got

go

victory


XIN_ENG_20051102.0112

LONDON, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Britons warned possible attacks in coming months

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair is warning Britons of more attempts to attack the country in the coming months.

The police chief of Britain said of the threat as he battled for more powers to deal with suspected terrorists while members of parliament debate the Terrorism Bill.

Blair said in the last few weeks the security service and his force have prevented attacks on Britain.

"The sky is dark. Intelligence exists to suggest that other groups will attempt to attack Britain in the coming months," he was quoted by Sky news on Wednesday.

Ian said police chiefs are united in their support of the 90-day detention proposal which has been highly controversial in the new Terrorism Bill.

Opponents are lobbying for ministers to drop plans to allow police to hold terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge, saying the Bill contains "sweeping and vague provisions that undermine the rights to freedom and expression and association."

Home Secretary Charles Clarke, a staunch supporter of the 90-day proposal, has been pressurized to compromise, saying he is prepared to be "flexible".

However, he warns that the government cannot fight terrorism with "one legal hand tied behind our back."

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lobbying

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saying

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pressurized

compromise

saying

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warns

fight

tied


XIN_ENG_20051123.0053

KHARTOUM, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Sudan's ruling party starts general conference

The general conference of Sudan's ruling National Congress (NC) party kicked off in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Wednesday.

About 6,000 NC members, a number of leaders and representatives of other Sudanese political parties and civil and religious organizations as well as foreign ambassadors in Khartoum attended the opening ceremony of the conference which is expected to last three days.

Sudanese President and Chairman of the NC Omar al-Bashir is expected to address the inaugural session, outlining the achievements the NC has made since it took power in 1989.

The NC's consultative council on Monday unanimously re-elected Bashir as the party's chairman and candidate for the country's upcoming presidential election.

The consultative council stressed the importance to unite fronts in a bid to ensure unity and stability in Sudan.

Bashir said at the council's meeting that the NC would face the current challenges bravely and commit itself to a comprehensive peace agreement inked between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan, which ended the longest running civil war on the African continent.

He also pledged to further the NC's cooperation with all the other parties.

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outlining

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said

meeting

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agreement

inked

ended

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pledged

further

cooperation


XIN_ENG_20051123.0056

BEIJING, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

northeastern river

China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said here on Wednesday that the Songhua River in northeast China suffered a major water pollution incident owing to the explosion of a petrochemical plant at the upper reaches.

"After the explosion at the Jilin Petrochemical Company under China National Petroleum Corporation, our observation showed pollutants containing benzene had flown into the Songhua River and caused water pollution," said an official with SEPA.

Benzene is a substance harmful to human health.

The official said upon receiving the report, the administration immediately sent experts to Heilongjiang Province to assist local pollution-control efforts. Quality of the river water is under close observation for 24 hours every day.

The Jilin and Heilongjiang provincial governments have activated their contingency programs for environmental incidents, and have taken measures to ensure the safety of potable water, said the official.

He said Jilin had quickly blocked entry of the pollutants into the river and discharged water from a reservoir to dilute pollutants in the river. It also organized environmental, water conservancy and chemical experts to discuss pollution control plans, and beefed up monitoring work.

The finance department of the Heilongjiang provincial government has allocated 10 million yuan (approximately 1.23 million US dollars) specially for handling the pollution incident, said the official.

According to the official, observation data shows the degree of river water pollution has been declining.

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handling

said

According

shows

declining


AFP_ENG_19970423.0683

TOKYO, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

US regrets alleged assault of Japanese woman by US officer in Okinawa

The US Air Force on Thursday expressed "sincere regrets" about the alleged assault of a 28-year-old local woman in Okinawa by a US servicemen who has been arrested this week.

Japanese police announced Wednesday that Air Force sergeant Danny Matlock, stationed at the Kadena base on the southern Japanese island, had been arrested for the Monday attack.

"The commander of the 353rd SOG (Special Operations Group) expressed his sincere regrets about this incident," the US Air Force said in a statement.

The statement was issued hours before Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's scheduled departure for the United States, where he will hold a summit with President Bill Clinton in Washington on Friday.

"The Air Force Office of Special Investigations and base officials are assisting in the investigation with the Okinawa City Police," the statement said.

No further details are available, it said, adding: "The incident is still under investigation."

The Jiji Press news agency said he was alleged to have entered the woman's room through a second-floor window and assaulted her but escaped when she screamed.

The rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen triggered anti- US base protests on the island in 1995, leading to a US pledge last year to return some 20 percent of Okinawan land used by the US military.

The US forces in Japan also vowed to tighten discipline among its personnel following the rape.

The southern island prefecture is home to more than half of the 47,000 American troops in Japan and also accounts for about 75 percent of US military facilities on the entire archipelago.

Japanese parliament passed legislation last week allowing the US military to keep using land in Okinawa despite protest from landowners and their supporters.

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using

protest


AFP_ENG_20061212.0116

BEIJING, Dec 12 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - UPDATES with quotes from Gao ///

A Chinese journalist jailed for nearly eight years after exposing government corruption said Tuesday after being released early for good behavior that he should never have been sent to prison.

"I have mixed feelings," Gao Qinrong, 51, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail in 1999, told AFP by telephone about how he felt to finally be free.

"I'm very excited and happy to see my wife and daughter again after eight years ... on the other hand I feel angry and indignant."

Gao, a journalist for the official Xinhua news agency, was jailed on what media rights groups have said were trumped up charges of corruption and pimping after he accused officials in northern China's Shanxi province of graft.

His expose about a sham irrigation project was reported in the Communist Party's main newspaper, the People's Daily, and made television news bulletins, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

But instead of the officials being held to account, Gao was jailed.

He maintained Tuesday that he was innocent and that he would continue trying to clear his name, although he held out little hope.

"I plan to appeal ... but I think this anti-corruption issue is very difficult. My hopes are dim but I will continue struggling."

Gao said he was not treated badly in jail because authorities also knew he had been set up.

"When I was in prison, every officer and prisoner knew that I was innocent through media reports, so I was treated well there," he said from his home in Shanxi.

Gao was released on December 7 after getting his term reduced for "good behaviour", Reporters Without Borders said in an earlier statement.

"We are delighted at his release but it is important to point out that this journalist has already spent eight years of his life in prison," the international media rights group said.

"Gao Qinrong, who was unfairly sentenced to a very harsh prison term, has already paid very dearly for his work as a journalist investigating the corruption which is poisoning China."

The group also highlighted the plight of 31 other reporters it says are languishing in Chinese jails for simply carrying out their work.

The group ranks China 163rd out of 167 countries on its global press freedom index.

In one of the most high-profile cases recently, Zhao Yan, 44, a Chinese assistant for the New York Times, lost his appeal on December 1 against a three-year sentence on what his family said were trumped up fraud charges.

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said

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said

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highlighted

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languishing

carrying

work

ranks

lost

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said

trumped


AFP_ENG_20061212.0251

LONDON, Dec 12 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details, quotes ///

Britain's Princes William and Harry unveiled Tuesday plans for a huge pop concert next year to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of their mother Diana, princess of Wales.

The charity "Concert for Diana" -- featuring Sir Elton John among others -- is due to be held at the currently unfinished new Wembley Stadium on July 1, which would have been her 46th birthday.

In a rare interview, William, 24, and Harry, 22, also said a memorial service would take place in London on August 31 -- exactly 10 years on from the princess's death in a Paris car crash.

Top acts from Britain and the United States are expected to perform at the concert before up to 90,000 fans, with the event likely to be televised live worldwide.

The acts are chosen by the princes, with many reflective of their late mother's tastes.

"It's to remember her and to commemorate her life and celebrate it," William said. "We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted, how she was.

"We wanted to have this big concert, full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted.

"And on her birthday as well, it's got to be the best birthday present she ever had."

John, who performed at Diana's funeral, will play, as will the princess's favourite band Duran Duran.

Singers Bryan Ferry and Joss Stone, plus US rapper Pharrell Williams will also appear as will further acts yet to be announced.

Diana's love of musicals and dancing will also be recognised with a performance by the English National Ballet while composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will put on a medley of songs from his stage shows.

Harry said he and his brother would likely appear at the start.

Royals and Diana's relatives will attend the memorial service in a rare show of unity.

"The service is going to include both sides of the family, our mother's side and our father's side -- everyone getting together," Harry said.

Diana's brother Earl Charles Spencer ruffled feathers at her funeral by vowing his family would ensure the princes were not confined to stuffy royal circles.

But Spencer and his sisters are to attend, along with Queen Elizabeth II, Diana's former husband Prince Charles, and his second wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. The pair had an affair while Charles and Diana were still married.

Diana married Charles, the heir to the throne, in July 1981 and was a hugely popular member of Britain's royal family. The couple separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996.

Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in August 1997 along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and his chauffeur Henri Paul.

A long-awaited report into Diana's death will confirm a French probe that it was an accident and refute theories of a plot by British intelligence, news leaks said Sunday.

The new Wembley Stadium in northwest London has run vastly over-budget and been repeatedly delayed. The 757-million-pound (1.5-billion-dollar, 1.1-billion-euro) venue is now scheduled to open in May.

Tickets costing 45 pounds (88 dollars, 67 euros) go on sale from 0900 GMT Wednesday via the www.concertfordiana.com website.

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XIN_ENG_20061108.0119

HONG KONG, Nov. 8 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Asia Culture Co-operation Forum 2006 opens in HK

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2006 opened here Wednesday by holding a Chinese delegations' closed meeting.

The meeting, entitled Opportunities for Culture and Creative industries under Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, was attended by government officials from Hong Kong and the Mainland.

When delivering a welcoming speech at the meeting, Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho said that the theme of this year's Forum is "Asian Arts, Culture and Modernity" in which participants are expected to discuss a lot about the process of modernization in Asia and the characteristics of Asia modern art.

Ho said that since Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, Asia has lagged behind western countries in aspects like culture and art. But as economic takes off in Asia, the development pattern of Asian culture has become a hot discussing issue.

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2006 was organized by the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong government. Participants from different parts of the world discuss their experiences in the process of modernization, particularly reflected in culture and the arts, and explore the idea of an Asian concept of modernity.

The five-day forum features a Chinese delegations' meeting and an Asian cultural ministers' meeting and a series of 12 open forums around six thematic programs --"Cultural Ecologies: Communicating Contemporary Art in the 21st Century", "Measuring Creativity, Happiness and Well Being", "Creative Education Summit", "Media Arts in the Contemporary Society", "Experiencing Architecture" and "Asian Arts, Culture and Modernity".

Cultural ministers or their representatives from Asian countries and regions, including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, as well as a large delegation of senior cultural officials from the Ministry of Culture and 15 provinces and municipals of the Chinese Mainland joined the forum.

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum was initiated by the Home Affairs Bureau in 2003. It aims at fostering and enhancing partnership between governments, facilitating and promoting private sector initiatives in cultural and creative industries, and enhancing Hong Kong's profile as the cultural and creative hub of Asia.

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