AFP_ENG_20051214.0326

DENVER, Colorado, Dec 14 , 2005

by Judith Crosson

Do you know why dinosaurs became meat eaters? After Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from the Garden of Eden, even grass-eating dinosaurs started killing other animals.

Turning evolution on its ear, this is one of the theories being offered on the "Biblically Correct" tour at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

And never mind about the Earth being 4.5 billion years old or that dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago because the world is only 6,000 years old.

"Evolution is nothing more than a philosophy," Rusty Carter tells an audience of about 25 children from a private Christian school on his guided tour at the museum.

Carter, who has a degree in biblical studies from Colorado Christian University and earns his living doing floor maintenance, cheerily challenges evolution as he leads students from one exhibit to another.

The museum and the scientific community in general do not endorse the information espoused by Carter, although he conducts his tours just like any other school group going through.

"We welcome everybody to the museum and I'm happy to see the kids being exposed to the science world," Kirk Johnson, chief curator at the museum, said. "But I completely disagree with their message."

Creationists take a literal approach to the origin of the Earth, meaning they believe God created the world in six 24-hour days.

The 6,000-year figure, first calculated by a 17th century Irish Anglican bishop, James Ussher, adds up the life spans of patriarchs listed in the book of Genesis, starting with Adam and Eve.

It is a theory not supported by most mainstream Christian churches.

Canadian-born George McCready Price, who had links to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, promoted the short history of the Earth in the 1920s.

He wrote that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and the deluge described in the bible happened about 4,000 years ago.

"History and current beliefs change over time with education and enlightenment," John Banks, spokesman for the 14.2 million-member church, said.

Carter goes for the drama. Hitler believed in evolution, he tells the students, but is careful to emphasize he does not mean people who believe in evolution are racists.

For a little hometown shock he calls Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, two Colorado teenagers who killed 13 people at Columbine High School before killing themselves, evolutionists.

"Creationism values each person," Carter says before ending the tour with a prayer.

The bible-oriented tour has been a fixture at the museum for 15 years, but is getting more attention thanks to the renewed American debate over evolution.

In 1925, the Scopes Monkey trial challenged the theory of evolution put forth by Charles Darwin in "The Origin of Species" written in 1859.

Although John Scopes was ordered to pay a fine for teaching evolution, the case put creationism under the microscope and found it wanting. After the trial, anti-evolution thinking suffered a setback.

However, not forever. The attack on evolution has been growing in recent decades and the Kansas State Board of Education has ordered teachers to discuss intelligent design -- a belief the universe is so complicated a supreme being must have planned it -- along with evolution.

Even US President George Bush has advocated teaching "both sides" of the issue.

"I'm not against evolution in the museum, I just wish creationism were also here," Carter tells students at the museum as he stands in front of a depiction of an archaeopteryx, whose fossil is believed by scientists to be a link between birds and dinosaurs.

"There are a zillion viewpoints out there," said Johnson, who has advanced degrees in paleontology and geology.

Carter has no room for theistic evolution, a belief held by most Christian churches, including the Catholic Church -- that God created the universe and then allowed evolution to proceed through billions of years.

Throughout the tour, Carter challenges fossil records and carbon dating.

He urges the students from the Truth Christian Academy, a private religious school, to always ask how does one know if something is true.

"That's a great question," the museum's Johnson said. "But the problem is they're teaching them how not to think."

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think


XIN_ENG_20061120.0240

CAIRO, Nov. 20 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Egypt to import wheat from Kazakhstan

Egypt Monday signed a contract worth some 29 million U.S. dollars with Kazakhstan to import 120,000 tons of wheat from the central Asian nation, the Egyptian Ministry said in a press release.

Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who signed the deal with Kazakhstan, said the agreement was the first of its kind between the two countries.

Rachid said the agreement fell within the framework of fostering cooperation with Kazakhstan, especially in the trade domain, as agreed during a recent visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to the central Asian country.

He said that in return, Kazakhstan would import a number of products, such as medicine, textiles, carpets and furniture, from Egypt.

According to Rachid, Egypt and Kazakhstan have recently approved forming a joint trade committee under the two countries' trade ministers to boost trade exchange and remove obstacles hindering bilateral cooperation.

The minister predicted that trade volume between the two nations could reach 170 million dollars annually under the work of the committee.

Mubarak visited Kazakhstan on Nov. 7 as part of his three- nation tour which also included Russia and China.

signed

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predicted

reach

visited


XIN_ENG_20061127.0017

MANILA, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Philippine stocks close flat

Philippine stock prices closed flat on Monday with a sluggish session in absence of strong leads, dealers said.

The 30-company composite index was down only 0.28 point at 2, 817.56.

The broader all-shares index rose 0.39 point to 1,759.88.

Losers beat gainers 55 to 46, while 61 stocks ended unchanged.

Trade volume was 4.09 billion shares valued at 2.25 billion pesos (45.3 million U.S. dollars).

closed

said

down

rose

beat

ended


XIN_ENG_20051123.0245

NAIROBI, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Urgent: Kenyan president dissolves cabinet

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Wednesday dissolved his entire cabinet, a day after the proposed draft constitution was rejected in a referendum. He said the new lineup will be announced in two weeks.

dissolved

rejected

referendum

said

announced


XIN_ENG_20061106.0150

GENEVA, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Swiss pharmaceutical giant to build research center in China

Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis is to build a 100 million-U.S.-dollar research and development center in Shanghai, China, employing 400 scientists, Swiss Radio International (SRI) reported on Monday.

The investment aims to tap into the fast-growing Chinese pharmacy market, and to take advantage of China's low cost scientific talent, the report said.

A start-up operation is expected to open next May, and construction work should begin in July. The center's primary focus will be the causes of cancer endemic in Asia.

"The level of scientific expertise in China is rising rapidly," Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella was quoted by SRI as saying.

"At the same time, the healthcare needs of the Chinese are growing -- primarily the result of urbanization, lifestyle changes and associated chronic diseases," he added.

Specialists say that as Chinese salaries and purchasing power rise, diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are appearing along with more sedentary lifestyles and richer diets.

Sales of pharmaceuticals in China in 2010 are expected to nearly double those of 2005, rising from 13 billion U.S. dollars to 25 billion U.S. dollars, according to Boston Consultancy, an independent consulting group. The global market is worth 570 billion U.S. dollars.

Novartis also plans to use the Shanghai center to combine modern drug discovery with traditional Chinese medicine, a move requiring local expertise, the report said.

In the past, Western drugmakers had been wary of making investments in China because of perceived weaknesses in patent protection. But the situation has been improving.

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improving


AFP_ENG_20061228.0078

DHAKA, Dec 28 , 2006, 2006

Thousands protest ex-Bangladesh dictator's polls disqualification

Thousands of supporters loyal to a former Bangladesh military ruler went on the rampage Thursday and paralysed two northern cities after a court verdict cost him his election hopes, police said.

Bangladesh's supreme court on Tuesday rejected a plea by Hussain Mohammad Ershad seeking overturn of a two-year jail sentence given by lower court three years ago for squandering government funds.

The verdict ruled out a return to politics for Ershad, as the election commission barred him from contesting in any of the five constituencies he hoped to stand in at the January 22 polls.

Police said supporters of the former dictator chanted "no Ershad, no elections", smashed cars and vans, and ransacked shops in the northern city of Rangpur.

The area is a bastion of support for Ershad, who ruled the country between 1982 and 1990.

"Police dispersed about 1,000 supporters of Ershad's Jatiya Party after they went unruly, smashing chairs at a government office, cars and ransacking shops," police sub-inspector Mohammad Solaiman said.

Hundreds of soldiers and armed police were deployed to quell the violence, he added.

The city of more than 200,000 was at a standstill after the Jatiya Party called a strike in protest at Ershad's disqualification. Offices were closed, schools and roads were empty.

Jatiya Party supporters also disurpted inter-district buses and trains and also enfored a strike in five other neighbouring district towns, police said.

The northeastern city of Sylhet was also brought to a halt after Ershad's supporters held rallies and marches to protest the decision, police official Shahidul Islam said.

Ershad, who leads the country's third biggest party, is a popular figure in Bangladesh and is seen as a potential kingmaker in the elections. He seized power in a bloodless coup in March 1982 but was ousted by a people's revolt in 1990.

Last week he joined an electoral alliance with the main opposition Awami League party.

Bangladeshi law bars any convict from contesting parliamentary elections for five years after completion of a sentence.

Ershad told reporters late Wednesday that his party and its allies, including the main opposition Awami League, may again decide to boycott next month's polls if he is barred from contesting elections.

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contesting

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told

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barred


AFP_ENG_19970415.0304

MOSCOW, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

URGENT Russia, NATO "getting closer" after Moscow talks

NATO and Russia "getting closer" to an accord on future relations, the Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday after talks between NATO Secretary General Javier Solana and Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov.

getting

said

talks


AFP_ENG_19970412.0294

VUKOVAR, Croatia, April 12 , 1997 (AFP)

Last day of uncertainty for Eastern Slavonia Serbs before key poll by Sonia Bakaric

Eastern Slavonia, the only part of Croatia still in Serb hands, lived through a last day of uncertainty Saturday before a nationwide vote for local councils and Croatia's upper house Sunday, with the turnout seen likely to decide their future.

The vote will be the first in which they can express their wishes at the ballot box since the region was captured by rebel Serbs in 1991 during a war in which the rebels captured almost one third of the country.

Croatian government troops retook all the land they held except Eastern Slavonia in 1995 and the elections will be a major step before their last stronghold is turned over to Zagreb.

Within the region, the polls are being organised by the UN administration which has run Eastern Slavonia since January last year.

Serbs have expressed fears about reprisals for their role in the war and over the expected return of tens of thousands of Croat refugees who were "ethnically cleansed" in 1991.

The Serbs only lifted their threat of a boycott Friday after heavy international pressure and the intervention of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, a longtime supporter of the rebels.

In a last-minute attempt to get people to vote, the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), led by Vojislav Stanimirovic, launched into what seemed more like a mobilisation rather than a real political campaign.

"Everything is going too quickly for us but we must all vote if we are to stay here because we have no other place to go to," said Milena, a young Serb refugee.

She was originally from the Croatian town of Glina, south of Zagreb, which the Croatian army retook from the rebels in 1995.

The Serbs are being urged to go to the polls to counteract the vote of about 70,000 Croat refugees now living in other regions of the country and many of them eager to return.

Realising that every Serb vote will count, the media in Eastern Slavonia spent Saturday urging people to go to the polls, even if they had already decided that they did not want to stay under Croatian rule.

"If you have decided to leave, then leave but vote beforehand and give your vote to assure the future of the young," read one of the slogans.

International officials have expressed fears that up to 20,000 Serbs could go.

The hesitation shown by their leadership has contributed to the Serbs' confusion, who feel betrayed by Milosevic, the architect of the dream of a "Greater Serbia" -- a state where all Serbs would live.

Last Sunday, the Serbs voted in a referendum in which they overwhelmingly called for their territory to be one unit, in defiance of the Croat electoral boundaries which split the region.

Even before the referendum, their demand had been turned down by Zagreb, Belgrade and the international community.

The same voters will now have to vote to return their territory to Croatian rule.

"I am sorry the decision to take part in the elections was taken so late. The elections are nonetheless an experiment on the 150,000 people in a region where war raged for five years," Stanimirovic said Friday.

Serb officials are still arguing about irregularities in the voting registers but the UN administration has said that the conditions are right for free and fair elections.

On Saturday fierce winds tore at the few electoral posters of the Independent Democratic Serb Party in this desolate and abandoned town, Eastern Slavonia's largest, which was flattened during a bitter three- month siege by the rebels.

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abandoned

flattened


AFP_ENG_20061204.0637

BEIRUT, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

Lebanese army breaks up street clashes in Beirut

The Lebanese army intervened to break up clashes in Beirut on Monday evening between government supporters and protestors calling for the government to resign, an AFP journalist witnessed.

The clashes broke out in several Sunni Muslim-majority neighbourhoods near where tens of thousands of people were holding a sit-in protest, overseen by the Shiite Hezbollah militia, to demand the resignation of the Western-backed government.

Soldiers already deployed in the capital went into action after riot police were overwhelmed by protestors who invaded one of the Sunni neighbourhoods in vehicles, prompting residents to retaliate, witnesses and an AFP reporter said.

Calm was restored after an hour of unrest, which followed a day of tension after a Shiite was killed in a street fight on Sunday night.

The exact number of casualities was not known, but the official ANI news agency reported at least two people injured in the Kaskas district, the scene of earlier rioting.

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injured


XIN_ENG_20061101.0211

SINGAPORE, Nov. 1 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Franchising Industry in Asia rising: Singaporean official

The franchising industry in Asia is taking off, with the annual revenue growing by more than 50 billion U.S. dollars annually, a Singaporean senior official said here Wednesday.

In five years time, annual growth will hit 100 billion U.S. dollars, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan said at this year's franchising and licensing award.

According to Lee, the rapid growth is underpinned by the large and relatively undeveloped franchise markets in the region. For instance, the Chinese and Indian markets grow by 40 percent each year compared with 5 percent of the U.S. market.

In Singapore's side, the sales turnover of Singapore-based franchises already exceeds 15 percent of the total domestic retail sales volume, Lee said.

He expected this number to continue growing, as he saw more homegrown franchises emerge.

And he pointed out that the franchising industry in Singapore will continue to flourish and grow in the years to come.

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XIN_ENG_20051101.0332

HANOI, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Hu Jintao concludes visit to Vietnam

Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and president of China, ended his official goodwill visit to Vietnam and left Hanoi for Beijing Wednesday.

During his stay in Hanoi, Hu held talks with Nong Duc Manh, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong. They discussed party relations and bilateral ties.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Hu arrived in Hanoi on Monday morning.

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AFP_ENG_19970418.0359

NEW DELHI, April 18 , 1997 (AFP)

India will have new government by Monday: spokesman by M.R. Narayan Swamy

A centre-left Indian coalition, toppled a week ago, vowed Friday to return to power by Monday after making up with an estranged ally.

The United Front coalition said it hoped to give a new government to the country after electing a successor to caretaker Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda late Friday or early Saturday.

"The formation of a new government is entirely likely before parliament resumes its session" on Monday, Front spokesman Jaipal Reddy told reporters at the coalition headquarters here.

There was no immediate reaction from the office of Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma, who Thursday urged the country's major parties to end the dragging political crisis by April 21.

The decks for a new Front leader were cleared Friday after the Congress (I) party, which voted out the coalition government April 11, formally pledged support to the same alliance minus Deve Gowda, who promptly agreed to the new arrangement.

The Congress made the promise to the president as the 13-party United Front intensified its search for a new head to become the country's next -- and 12th -- prime minister.

Congress chief Sitaram Kesri said in a letter to President Sharma that his party "resolved to extend support to the formation of a government by a new leader of the United Front."

The Congress action removed the last hitch in its attempt to again tie up with the Front and signalled the end of a political paralysis which gripped India at the end of last month.

Reddy said the new United Front government would have better relations with the Congress to avoid another divorce but ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the Congress.

"The question of coalition never arose and does not arise," he said.

The Front's previous minority government fell after the Congress alleged it was not consulted on major decisions.

The Congress began the crisis, ending 10 months of support to the Front coalition on March 30, and then made a bid to form its own administration. It later backed down after failing to woo support in India's hung lower house of parliament for a rival coalition.

Some Front leaders had suspected the Congress, who said its renewed support was conditional on the 64-year-old Deve Gowda's exit, might harbour secret ambitions of taking power. Kesri removed the doubts Friday.

The United Front's only remaining problem now is to find a consensus candidate suitable to all its centrist, leftist and regional parties. Front leaders said a search was on.

"Informal consultations are going on," said Doraiswamy Raja, a communist leader.

The new prime minister is widely expected to be G.K. Moopanar, a Tamil politician from the country's south. Others reportedly in the race include External Affairs Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.

The coming together of the Front and Congress is being attributed to their mutual fear of new elections, which they argue would favour the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian People's Party).

Both accuse the resurgent nationalists, who have been successful in a series of recent state polls, of religious bigotry.

The BJP said Friday another Front government was not the answer to the present crisis.

"The best solution is fresh election," BJP Vice President Krishan Lal Sharma told AFP. "No cosmetic change will be able to sort out the mess that has been created by the Congress and United Front."

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AFP_ENG_19970417.0188

BANGKOK, April 17 , 1997 (AFP)

Thai cabinet approves fiscal 1988 budget worth one trillion baht

Thailand's cabinet Thursday approved a draft budget for the next fiscal year to September 1998 worth 1,008 billion baht (38.7 billion dollars), a Budget Bureau official said.

The figure was up nine percent on the current year's budget of 925 billion baht and only 2.4 percent on the original allocation for fiscal 1997, from which the cabinet approved cuts of 59 billion baht last month.

Investment expenditure accounted for 39 percent of the total fiscal 1998 budget, down from 42 percent a year earlier, the official said.

Ministries will have to submit final spending plans to the cabinet for reconsideration on May 21, he said.

Transport and Communications Minister Suwat Lippatapallop said his ministry had been given a 1998 budget of 100 billion baht, up 25 percent from the current fiscal year.

The ministry is responsible for the Highways Department and several telecommunications projects.

Budget Bureau director Seree Sukstaporn said earlier that stable inflation was forecast at around five percent in 1998, while the country's gross domestic product was expected to rise 6.7 to 6.8 percent to around five trillion baht.

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XIN_ENG_20061117.0328

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Mexican Espinosa makes to diving Grand Prix final

Mexican diver Paola Espinosa reached the final of the 10-meter board in the 2006 Diving Grand Prix, by scoring 363.1 points from five rounds on Friday, beating nearest rival, China's Chen Ruolin by 37 points.

Some 50 athletes qualified for the competition, which runs until this weekend, in Guadalajara, capital of the western Mexico state of Jalisco, run by the International Swimming Federation.

Espinosa, trained by China's Ma Jin, will challenge China's Tong Jia and Russia's Olva Vintoniak on Friday night.

Espinosa came fifth in the Athens Olympic Games, in both the three-meter board and the 10-meter synchronized platform.

It is the fifth time that the competition has been held in Mexico. Athletes of 12 teams are taking part in , including Mexico, U.S., Russia, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela.

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XIN_ENG_20051118.0065

JERUSALEM, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

threat: report

The Erez crossing on the Gaza- Israel border was partly closed Friday morning due to a possible terror threat, Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reported.

The border crossing, which was the main exit for people in Gaza, was totally closed before dawn Friday, but was partly reopened in the morning time, said the report.

Earlier, the Israel Radio reported that intelligence information indicates that a terror organization was planning to carry out an attack at the Erez terminal.

Humanitarian cases and VIPs will be allowed to cross the border Friday, the radio said.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice extended her stay in the Middle East to broker a Gaza border deal.

The Rafah border crossing is slated to open on Nov. 25, when European inspectors are set to arrive to monitor compliance with the border agreements.

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XIN_ENG_20051125.0301

BEIJING, Nov. 26 , 2005 (Xinhua)

president

Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Saturday the fact that China had realized the great jump from one-person-one-day space flight to multi-person-multi-day space mission within two years has marked a new landmark victory in China's manned space technology.

Hu made the remarks at a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to mark the great success of Shenzhou VI mission.

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XIN_ENG_20051110.0251

MONROVIA, Nov. 10 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Johnson-Sirleaf appears to be Africa's first female president

Harvard-trained Iron Lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf appeared to be the first female president in Africa as results from nearly 90 percent of the polling stations on Thursday gave her a commanding advantage over football great George Weah in Liberia's post-war presidential runoff.

The 66-year-old grandmother and former finance minister had 59. 2 percent of the votes while the 39-year-old former FIFA player of the year had 40.8 percent, Frances Johnson-Morris, chairwoman of the National Elections Commission, told a news conference.

The results, she said, are from 2719 of the 3,070 polling stations across the war-torn west African country.

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AFP_ENG_19970418.0545

WASHINGTON, April 18 , 1997 (AFP)

Senate probe into Louisiana lawmaker's election stirs partisan trouble

A Republican-controlled Congressional committee has decided to beef up a probe into the 1996 election of a Democratic Senator from Louisiana, sparking a fresh partisan furor.

The Rules and Administration Committee angered Democrats by voting Thursday to appoint a top Republican lawyer as head of an expanded investigation into Senator Mary Landrieu's narrow victory last November.

Landrieu won by a mere 5,788 votes over Republican rival Louis "Woody" Jenkins, who has charged that the local Democratic machine committed widespread fraud, including paying voters in impoverished New Orleans neighborhoods to vote more than once.

Last week, two lawyers hired by the committee -- one Republican, one Democrat -- said they wanted to look into three charges relating to voter fraud before making a recommendation on a full-scale investigation.

However, the nine-member committee bypassed their appeals and agreed to a probe headed by Republican heavyweight Richard Cullen, who is set to become the attorney general of the state of Virginia.

The Democrats responded that the Cullen probe would sanction a "fishing expedition" on behalf of a revenge-seeking Jenkins and would undermine the principle of bi-partisanship in Senate investigations.

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AFP_ENG_20061214.0742

HOUSTON, Texas, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details ///

Two astronauts on Thursday completed the second spacewalk in the space shuttle Discovery's 12-day mission to refurbish the International Space Station, NASA said.

Mission specialist Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang, Sweden's first astronaut, remained outside the ISS exactly five hours rewiring the space station for a new solar array that will double its power output.

The astronauts completed all their tasks ahead of schedule, NASA said. The potentially risky work involved shutting off the electricity to half the space station to prevent the astronauts from getting electrocuted.

completed

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AFP_ENG_20061213.0679

SYDNEY, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

URGENT  Australia's Qantas agrees takeover offer

Australian flag carrier Qantas on Thursday agreed to an 11-billion-dollar (8.6 billion US) takeover bid from a private equity consortium.

agreed


XIN_ENG_20051122.0284

MOSCOW, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Bird flu kills swans in southern Russia

Russia's veterinarian authorities confirmed Tuesday that some 250 swans had died of bird flu in the southern region of Astrakhan in the past week.

"Tests showed that nearly 250 swans had died of bird flu" in the Volga River delta in southern Russia, Yevgeny Nepoklonov, deputy head of the Federal Veterinarian and Phytosanitary Control Service, told the Itar-Tass news agency.

"Villages in the Volga delta are under quarantine, and domestic birds are staying indoors," Nepoklonov said.

The Astrakhan veterinarian service said swan deaths started near the Astrakhan Nature Park a week ago. The region's chief veterinarian, Alexander Vasilyev, said many birds had gathered in the Volga River delta but only swans born in spring died.

"They might have been weakened by the long voyage," he said.

The Agriculture Ministry said four other regions are still affected by the bird flu -- Altai, Kurgan, Chelyabinsk and Tambov regions -- but quarantine is expected to be lifted in previously infected localities in the Altai, Tambov and Chelyabinsk regions later this week.

The bird flu virus, strains of which can spread to humans and can be fatal, has claimed the lives of more than 60 people in Southeast Asia since 2003.

confirmed

died

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died

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said

said

started

said

gathered

born

died

weakened

said

said

affected

expected

lifted

spread

claimed


XIN_ENG_20061127.0437

KINSHASA, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

mission

UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and government troops have driven rebel soldiers out of an eastern town they had captured at the weekend, the UN mission announced Monday.

The UN mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, said that its blue helmets (UN forces), fighting alongside the National Army Force in the DRC (FARDC), launched air strikes on the rebel 81st and the 83rd brigades loyal to General Laurent Nkunda.

The rebel soldiers began to retreat from the town of Sake under the pressure of UN attack helicopters and ground forces. The MONUC suffered no casualties, it said.

Nkunda's men launched attacks on Saturday, taking the town of Sake which is close to Goma, the chief town of North-Kivu province. The FARDC formed its defense at Kazingani, a few kilometers to the east of Sake, after abandoning the town on Sunday. The fighting has killed eight people.

The MONUC said blue helmets were tightening patrol around Goma to ensure the situation remained stable and citizens were safe. It was trying its utmost to prevent the flare-up from approaching the city.

In June 2004, Nkunda, a disgraced Tutsi general of the FARDC, led his soldiers in rebellion against President Joseph Kabila. They kept a week-long occupation of Bukavu, capital of South-Kivu province.

Since then, the Tutsi general has been under an international warrant for war crimes and crime against humanity committed in Bukavu. His whereabouts has never been officially reported till now. He is thought to be in the North-Kivu province close to the Rwanda border.

driven

captured

announced

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fighting

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began

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suffered

said

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taking

formed

abandoning

fighting

killed

said

tightening

ensure

remained

trying

prevent

approaching

led

rebellion

kept

occupation

committed

reported

thought


AFP_ENG_20061210.0254

PARIS, Dec 10 , 2006, 2006

France's Royal boosted in presidential bid by deal with rival

Segolene Royal's chances of becoming France's first woman president improved Sunday when a left-wing rival struck a deal with her to give up his own bid for head of state.

Jean-Pierre Chevenement, a former interior minister, told his eurosceptic Republican and Citizens' Movement (MRC) party that he was withdrawing his announced presidential candidacy.

He made the announcement under an agreement with Royal's Socialist Party which would see MRC candidates supported by the Socialists in 10 electorates, according to a copy obtained by AFP.

"Nobody was forcing me to be a candidate. Nobody forced me to withdraw my candidacy," Chevenement said.

"I do so of my own will to open the way for a positive outcome in the first round" of the presidential elections, he said.

Divisions on the left that dissipated voters' ballots resulted in the Socialist candidate in the 2002 presidential elections, then prime minister Lionel Jospin, being defeated by far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Incumbent conservative President Jacques Chirac then went on to be re-elected by a landslide, backed by thousands of disenfranchised Socialist voters ferociously opposed to Le Pen.

Delegates from Chevenement's party on Sunday voted to back Royal in the next elections due in April and May.

A high-ranking party member, Patrick Trannoy, said the agreement struck allowed the two movements "to define a legislative programme that will constitute a lasting alternative to the right's policies."

becoming

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told

withdrawing

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made

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supported

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forcing

forced

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candidacy

said

open

said

resulted

defeated

went

re-elected

landslide

backed

opposed

voted

back

said

struck

allowed

define

constitute


XIN_ENG_20061116.0130

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Malaysia stock market ends higher

The Malaysia stock market ended higher Thursday, led by gains on telecommunication companies ' shares.

The benchmark Composite Index (CI) closed 9.22 points higher at 1,037.60, a record high since July 1997.

The Second Board Index rose 0.71 of a point to 89.27 and the Industrial Index advanced 10.20 points to 2,150.55.

The Mesdaq Index went up 1.10 points to 120.16 and the Emas increased 60.94 points to 6,744.49.

Gainers led losers by 562 to 293, with 294 other counters unchanged, 232 untraded and 29 suspended.

Turnover improved to 1.20 billion shares valued at 1.55 billion ringgit (418.92 million U.S. dollars compared with Wednesday's closing of 969.25 million shares valued at 1.35 billion ringgit ( 364.86 million U.S. dollars

ended

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advanced

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suspended

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closing


AFP_ENG_20051216.0013

SYDNEY, Dec 16 , 2005

= (PICTURE) =

Hollywood star Cate Blanchett led a group of Australian celebrities in a Sydney beach ceremony Friday to appeal for calm after race riots this week.

The Oscar-winning Australian actress turned out at upmarket Coogee Beach with other actors and musicians to urge racial tolerance after mobs of whites attacked Arab-Australians on a beach last Sunday.

"It's actually very clear and simple," said Blanchett, dressed casually in a sun-hat, jacket and designer jeans in front of a banner calling for a "wave of tolerance" to sweep Australia.

"Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned (and) we should not turn a blind eye to them.

"It's about respect. Respect for others, respect for the rights of others and respect of the rights of everyone to go about their lives in a peaceful way."

The group with Blanchett, who won best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in the 2004 film The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, included former Midnight Oil rock star turned politician Peter Garrett.

Garrett, now a member of parliament for the opposition Labor Party, said the group was delivering a message about "the unacceptability of violence (and) the necessity for us to embrace respect and tolerance".

The appeal was sparked by fears that new clashes could erupt on Sydney beaches this weekend.

Dozens of people were injured and arrested in the violence, in which white mobs set out to "reclaim the beach" from groups of Lebanese-Australians accused of intimidating other beachgoers with boorish behaviour at weekends.

Groups of mainly ethnic-Lebanese men then launched a wave of revenge attacks, and thousands of police will patrol trouble spots this weekend in an attempt to prevent a repeat performance.

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ceremony

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appeal

sparked

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accused

intimidating

launched

attacks

spots

attempt

prevent


XIN_ENG_20061128.0429

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Paulson, Bernanke to lead U.S. team to Beijing next month

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will lead a high- level U.S. team next month for the first meeting of the Strategic Economic Dialogue, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Heath and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and Stephen Johnson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, will also join in the delegation, said the department in a statement.

The discussions, which will take place Dec. 14-15 in Beijing, would cover a range of issues including global growth, China's integration into the world trading system, stable energy markets and cooperation between the two countries on environmental issues, said the statement.

The U.S. delegation will also meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice Premier Wu Yi, it added.

lead

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discussions

take

cover

growth

integration

cooperation

said

meet

added


XIN_ENG_20061129.0460

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 29 , 2006 (Xinhua)

S. Africa to publish new AIDS-combating strategy

The South African government is expected to announce a newly-revised AIDS-combating strategy this week with intensified prevention and treatment measures, a long-waited boost to the country's arduous fight against the world's most serious AIDS epidemic.

South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Wednesday that a revised Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS for the 2007- 2011 period would be announced on the World AIDS Day, which falls on Friday, at a national commemorative event in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Province.

The plan "will guide the country's response to HIV/AIDS in a manner that ensures continuity of the current strategies while introducing additional interventions required to keep up with recent advances in knowledge," Tshabalala-Msimang said in a statement.

South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who also chairs the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), would elaborate the plan, said Tshabalala-Msimang, who, however, said she would not attend the event.

A South African newspaper revealed the plan two weeks ago, whose aims include halving the HIV-infection rate in the next five years while providing treatment to 750,000 patients.

The new plan spells out 30 goals under four priority areas -- preventing new infections; providing treatment, care and support to people infected with HIV; improving HIV research, and implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the plan's targets; and ensuring that the rights of people infected with HIV are protected, according to national newspaper Business Day.

More than 5.5 million South Africans, or 12 percent of the population, are infected with HIV. The United Nations said this number is the second largest in the world, only after India.

The plan, if published, comes amid signs of a dramatic rethink in government circles about a comprehensive approach to the pandemic.

It coincides with a new drive led by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as the head of the SANAC to reverse negative international perceptions of South Africa's AIDS-fighting efforts.

Pretoria has long been under domestic and international pressures, blamed of lacking firm and clear leadership to tackle with the epidemic.

The draft plan is a marked departure from the government's 2000-2005 plan, which has been widely criticized for its failure to include clear targets and a monitoring and evaluation framework.

However, the health minister defended that the government has achieved remarkable progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"We are keeping our promise as the South African Department of Health to increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services," she said on Wednesday.

More than 1.7 million people have used the voluntary counseling and testing services available in 4,172 clinics in the last financial year, she said, adding that more than 380 million condoms are being distributed annually.

Services to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV are available in all hospitals and 86 percent of clinics,

A total of 213,828 adults and children have been put on the government-paid Antiretroviral treatment (ART) program by end of September 2006, with an average of 11,000 patients joining the ART program every month, the minister said.

But the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society estimated that the number was only about a fifth of the HIV patients in need of life-prolonging antiretroviral medicines.

Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang becomes highly controversial in recent two years, partly because she adamantly promoted a diet of beetroot, lemons and garlic as an alternative treatment of AIDS, causing confusion over what is effective AIDS treatment.

In past months international and domestic AIDS campaigners have repeatedly demanded Tshabalala-Msimang to resign. President Thabo Mbeki's decision to make his deputy president the head of SANAC was also seen a move to marginalize the embattled health minister.

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said

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revealed

halving

providing

spells

infected

improving

implementing

ensuring

protected

according

infected

said

published

comes

pandemic

coincides

led

reverse

lacking

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epidemic

departure

criticized

failure

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defended

achieved

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keeping

increasing

said

used

said

adding

distributed

reduce

available

put

joining

said

estimated

becomes

promoted

causing

demanded

resign

decision

make

seen

move

marginalize


XIN_ENG_20061102.0001

LANZHOU, Nov. 2 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China

All the 16 coal miners who were trapped after a Wednesday landslide in northwest China's Gansu Province were rescued late Wednesday night.

The miners fought to escape from the shaft while rescuers outside struggled to reopen the pit head, Yan Chenglu, deputy secretary-general of the Lanzhou city government, said at the rescue site.

The miners dug an eight-meter-long tunnel with a diameter of about one meter with spades, bars and other tools they found in the mine shaft, said Yan.

The miners appeared to be in good physical condition when they stepped out of the pit and were sent to hospital for a medical check.

"We guessed it was a landslide and not a gas blast or flood because there was no water and no smell of gas in the shaft," a rescued miner called Wang told Xinhua.

Wang, the last miner to emerge from the blocked mine, is receiving treatment at Honggu District hospital in Lanzhou, where the coal mine is located.

"We were frightened at the beginning, but we soon calmed down because we knew we were not far from ground surface," said Wang. "I told myself we can definitely get out safely."

"Later, we heard the sound of excavators digging and that boosted our morale enormously," he said.

The miners spent more than 14 hours digging their "tunnel of life".

"It's so wonderful to be able to see our families and colleagues again," said Wang.

An estimated 1.4 million cubic meters of mud slid and blocked the mouths of the main pit in Deshun Coal Mine Fields at around 10 a.m. Wednesday, trapping all the 16 miners underground, and burying a number of houses.

trapped

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called

told

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receiving

treatment

located

frightened

beginning

calmed

knew

were

said

told

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heard

boosted

said

spent

digging

able

see

said

slid

blocked

trapping

burying


XIN_ENG_20061104.0159

HANGZHOU, Nov. 4 , 2006 (Xinhua)

4th Chinese private enterprise summit opens in east China

The fourth Chinese Private Enterprise Summit, the largest of its kind in China, opened Saturday in east China's Zhejiang Province.

More than 3,000 private entrepreneurs both at home and abroad attended the two-day summit held in Hangzhou, the provincial capital.

With the theme of "Innovation, Credibility and Harmony", the summit had a series of forums on innovation, real estate development and Chinese private entrepreneurs.

"Weakness in innovation and enterprise management now hinder the development of private enterprises in China," said Jiang Zhenghua,vice-chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's top legislature, at the opening ceremony.

Chinese private enterprises should make use of the opportunities in globalization and nurture their own brands on the basis of good management, he said.

The summit was sponsored by the Private Economic Studies Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce, and Zhejiang Private (Non-Governmental) Enterprises' Association.

A key sector in the province's economy, private enterprises hold 90 percent of jobs and 70 percent of the gross domestic product in Zhejiang.

opened

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development

said

ceremony

make

use

nurture

said

summit

sponsored

hold


XIN_ENG_20051115.0283

KABUL, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

US solider killed, 4 injured in bomb explosion in Afghanistan

A US soldier was killed and four other people were injured by an improvised explosive device Tuesday in Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktika, the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, US military said.

"The unit was conducting offensive operations to prevent enemy activity in Gayan area when the device detonated. One US service member was killed, and another US service member, two Afghan Security Forces members and an Afghan civilian were injured in the explosion," US military said in a press release.

"They were traveling in an up-armored high-mobility, multi- purpose, wheeled vehicle when this occurred. Those injured were evacuated by air to a nearby forward operating base for treatment. All are currently in stable condition," it added.

The name and unit of the deceased service member is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Taliban militants, who have vowed to continue Jihad or the holy war against the Karzai government and foreign troops, have intensified attacks against Afghan and foreign soldiers. More than 1,500 have been killed with the majority of them Taliban militants in the Taliban-linked militancy since the beginning of this year.

About 18,000-strong US-led Coalition forces have been stationed in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001 with the main task of anti-terrorism. More than 80 US soldiers have died this year in Taliban-linked militancy, which makes this year the bloodiest one since the beginning of the Operation Enduring Freedom.

killed

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said

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killed

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occurred

evacuated

added

withheld

notification

vowed

continue

war

intensified

attacks

killed

beginning

stationed

collapse

task

died

makes

beginning


XIN_ENG_20051105.0101

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 5 , 2005 (Xinhua)

At least six killed in self-made bomb blast in Pakistan

At least six people were killed when a bomb they were making exploded in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border on Saturday, officials and locals said.

"It seems the explosion occurred when these people were busy making an improvised explosive device for terrorist activity," Pakistan's chief military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan was quoted as saying.

Sultan said that the six people were killed, one of whom was female, and that they were all believed to be foreigners although their exact nationalities were still being investigated.

Some press reports claimed that they were Al-Qaida members.

Meanwhile, locals said that eight people, including four men, one woman and three children were killed in the incident on Saturday morning in a village in Mir Ali, 20 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town of the Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan.

killed

making

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said

seems

explosion

occurred

making

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quoted

saying

said

killed

believed

investigated

claimed

said

killed

incident


XIN_ENG_20051103.0150

BEIJING, Nov. 3 , 2005 (Xinhua)

cooperation

China is strengthening its efforts in combating climate change by participating actively in international projects, said an expert with the State Development and Reform Commission Thursday.

Jiang Kejun, a researcher with the Energy Research Institute of the commission, said at a conference on China and Climate Change that China regards such international cooperation frameworks as the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate (APCDC) as a good complementary to its participation in the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

China, the United States, Australia, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea signed an APCDC agreement in July which emphasizes limiting greenhouse gas emission through technological cooperation without setting a quota for each member's emission reduction.

As a signatory country of the Kyoto Protocol, China has been thirsty for advanced technologies to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emission, said Jiang.

According to him, China's current participation in the Kyoto Protocol is mainly in the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows developing countries to sell greenhouse gas emission quotas to developed countries.

As the top coal consumer of the world, China saw nearly 70 percent of its energy demand met by coal, emitting large a amount of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

China and the European Union signed a declaration in September on climate change that emphasizes technological cooperation in such fields as advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage and clean coal.

Jiang said that by promoting international technological cooperation, China expects more cooperation under the framework of the Kyoto Protocol.

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said

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saw

met

emitting

signed

change

cooperation

said

promoting

cooperation

expects


XIN_ENG_20051114.0245

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

EU ready to play role in Rafah crossing: Solana

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said here on Monday that the European Union (EU) is ready to play its role at Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border.

Solana made the statements to reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah following a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on the Rafah crossing issue.

Solana said he hoped that the Palestinians will bridge gaps with Israel soon on the issue.

"We hope that the disagreement on Rafah crossing will be resolved in the coming days," Solana said, adding that the European Union is ready to play its role as a third party in supervising the crossing.

"The European role will not replace the Palestinian role," he added.

Rafah crossing is the only exit for Palestinians living in Gaza to travel abroad. The crossing has been shut down since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September.

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to an Egypt-proposed plan to reopen the crossing under the EU supervision.

However, Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over the role of the EU inspectors and whether to install monitors at the crossing.

Israel wants the EU to arrest any Palestinian suspected of smuggling arms through the crossing, while the EU wants its role to be confined to only monitoring and reporting.

Solana started a visit to the Middle East on Nov. 11 aimed at underscoring the EU's political engagement in the region.

Solana also held a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the two discussed ways to solve the disagreements between Israel and the Palestinians on Rafah crossing.

Rice said earlier Monday that the two sides were very close to reaching an agreement on the crossing.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said the crossing will be opened for two days from Tuesday to Thursday.

said

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withdrew

agreed

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crossing

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crossing

wants

confined

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started

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aimed

underscoring

held

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visiting

discussed

solve

crossing

said

close

reaching

agreement

crossing

said

opened


AFP_ENG_20061215.0319

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

=(PICTURE)=

British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended the decision to ditch a fraud inquiry into a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, insisting here Friday it was vital to protect Britain's national interests.

Blair said the decision was crucial for Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia, its interests in the Middle East and the counter-terrorism fight, not to mention the British jobs potentially at stake.

Blair said he took "full responsibility" for his advice to Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith, who announced Thursday that the investigation into the Al-Yamamah BAE Systems deal from the 1980s was being stopped after two years.

And Blair's official spokesman added that the prime minister made "no apology" for acting in what he saw as the national interest.

The Serious Fraud Office had been probing claims that defence giant BAE established a slush fund for some Saudi royals, which allegedly provided perks including luxury cars to keep them doing business with BAE.

"I think it's a very important issue for our country," Blair said on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in Brussels.

"Leave aside the effect on thousands of British jobs and billions worth of pounds for British industry.

"Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is vitally important for our country in terms of counter-terrorism, in terms of the broader Middle East, in terms of helping in respect of Israel-Palestine.

"My role as prime minister is to advise on what is in the best national and strategic interest of our country and I've absolutely no doubt at all that the right decision was taken in this regard."

BAE earlier this year agreed to a 10 billion-pound (14.8-billion-euro, 19.8-billion-dollar) deal with Saudi Arabia for 72 Eurofighter jets, and the deal was reportedly under threat due to the investigation.

The "slush fund" was allegedly linked to an estimated 50-billion-pound Al-Yamamah deal involving the supply and support of Tornado and Hawk jets as well as the contruction of an airbase.

Goldsmith said it was unlikely that there would be a successful prosecution even after a further period of investigation, Blair's spokesman stressed.

"Saudi Arabia, given its position in the world, is a very important ally in the fight against terrorism," he added, saying that he was not aware of the issue being raised at the meeting of European leaders.

Blair is about to leave for Turkey at the start of a wider tour to the Middle East, where international efforts to combat terrorism are bound to feature.

defended

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established

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keep

doing

think

said

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Leave

helping

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decision

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raised

meeting

leave

start

tour

combat

bound

feature


AFP_ENG_19970430.0412

COPENHAGEN, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

Prince and rocker "just good friends"

Danish rock singer Maria Montell and Denmark's Prince Frederik are "just friends" and won't be tying the knot, the mass-market Extra Bladet newspaper reported Wednesday.

Montell, 28, scotched rumours of a love affair with the prince, also 28, telling the paper she has "no romantic relationship with Frederik" but that they had become "very good friends."

Montell, irked by the constant media attention and rumours since the friendship became public earlier this year, added: "It's very good too. He is single, so am I. We go out on the town a lot together, but he is not my boyfriend. I have always said that, but nobody wants to hear it."

tying

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said

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XIN_ENG_20051116.0270

NANNING, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

flashy

Traditional Chinese festivals like the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival give many expectations and mean a lot to Chinese people: family reunion, relaxation from strenuous work and even an opportunity to travel around.

But the flavors of "warmth", "happiness" and "joy" that should have been brought about to people by these traditional festivals are becoming "thinner and thinner" not only because of the intrusion of western festivals like the Valentine's Day and Christmas, but also because of various man-made festivals that have run rampant across the country in recent years.

Since years ago, many young Chinese have been more crazy for western festivals than traditional Chinese festivals, a fact that makes bussiness people happy but frustrates many people, especially experts of folk-custom and sociologists who are worried that Chinese tradition and culture are to be forgotten by younger generations.

They are more worried today as fake festivals such as the Tortoise Festival, Chinese Chestnut Festival, Trousers Festival, Pig King Festival, Shopping Festival, the Twins Festivals and many others, often manipulated by commercial purposes, come onto the stage one after another through out the year. Sometimes, several festivals with the same theme are simultaneously held in a same place.

TOO MANY FESTIVALS DEVALUATE FESTIVE JOY

In some places, the so-called Moon Cake Festival is held to replace the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion of family reunion, the Glutinous Rice Dumpling Festival to replace the Dragon Boat Festival and many other man-made festivals like the Mobile Phone Festival, Motorcycle Festival and Ornament Festival show up during traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, or China's Lunar New Year, and the National Day Holiday period, the first week of October.

"The significance of festivals and the content of traditional culture are being devoured by the flood of man-made festivals which are empty, dull and identical," said Jiang Shouhuo, an expert of folk-customs.

Traditional festivals originate from centuries-old history and beautiful legends, Jiang said, adding that history and culture are the main factors that attract the general public and prolong the life of traditional festivals.

Like the dragon boat racing, which originated in China, dating back to about 2, 300 years ago, Jiang said. The tradition is based on a legend that disillusioned poet Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River to demonstrate his will to serve the country. People raced to the site in boats to search for him. They made loud sounds to scare away fish and dropped glutinous rice dumping into the water to lure them away from Qu's body. Now the Chinese mark the anniversary of Qu's death by racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of May on China's lunar calendar.

Man-made festivals are created based on various excuses, Jiang said. Chestnut Festival is held because a place produces chestnuts and Trousers Festival is held because a place is flourishing with trousers producing industry. And some business operators take great pains to create festivals to make bigger profits: Such as when a new model of mobile phone is launched, then a mobile phone festival is held.

"The excuses used by people to create festivals actually ring the passing bell to these created festivals," said Fan Kai, a scholar of folk-custom.

Voluntary participation injects vitality into festivals that are celebrated by people from generation to generation, and created festivals which attract few people are doomed to die, Fan said.

"We can have many festivals but they can not go popular, and the festive atmosphere and joy should not be distorted by commercial manipulations," Jiang said, "With festivals flooding, festive joy will be devalued."

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE MAN-MADE FESTIVALS?

Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province, is one of the economically underdeveloped regions in western China. To push forward local economic development, local government launched the Daba Mountain Tourism Festival in 2003, which was designed to serve as a platform to lure investment.

The city government promised high payment to invite famous singers to perform for the purpose of adding to the fun of the festival. But the "top singer" invited did not show up for certain reasons.

The "top singer" at last appeared in the city at an occasion to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle to safeguard Wanyuan City last August. Local government lavished 400,000 yuan (about 49,000 US dollars) as the payment for the singer.

A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) criticized such activities using public funds to idolize singers and movie stars at the CPPCC annual session last year. A storm of criticism against such activities swept across the country. But the situation did not turn around.

Despite economic backwardness, the north China city has since last year spent one million yuan (about 123,000 US dollars) annually to invite singers to perform at the city's tourism festival to lure investment. But the city has actually not absorbed much investment.

Flooding man-made festivals reflect an incorrect concept of some local government officials toward achievements, pointed out a sociologist who declined to be named.

The sociologist said that these officials act on impulse and speculative purposes in developing local economy, and they pay more attention to the form than substantial results. Man-made festivals are also hotbeds of corruption, said the sociologist.

"Using festivals as a platform to lure investment and to develop the economy should have been an effective way but the problem is that how people make them attractive not only to business people but also common people," said Chen Yi, deputy head of the cultural exchange center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China.

"Festivals should not be held to make a show of strength or to build up great momentum," Chen said.

As policy-makers, local governments should not blindly "worship festivals" but should set to improve the local investment environment to lure investors, experts said.

"Not endowing too much meaning to festivals, as festivals are just occasions during which people seek fun and relax themselves," said one expert, "If you want to do business or lure investment, trade fairs are much better than festivals."

give

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brought

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run

frustrates

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manipulated

come

held

DEVALUATE

held

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held

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BENEFITS

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designed

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promised

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said

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endowing

occasions

seek

relax

said

want

do


XIN_ENG_20051101.0027

SEOUL, Nov. 1 , 2005 (Xinhua)

URGENT: Military truck carrying missile parts blasts in S. Korea

A military truck carrying missile parts exploded Tuesday inside a highway tunnel linking the South Korean city of Taegu and Masan, news reports said.

It is not clear whether the explosion caused any casualties.

carrying

exploded

linking

said

explosion

caused


AFP_ENG_20051212.0134

PALE, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Dec 12 , 2005

= (PICTURE) =

NATO troops in Bosnia on Monday raided the home of a supporter of top Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic in a bid to track down the fugitive, a spokesman said.

The soldiers conducted a search of the Pale residence of Dragan Stajcic, who was "suspected to be a close associate of Radovan Karadzic and part of his support network," said Derek Chappell.

"The search was conducted in an effort to find additional information on Karadzic's movement, whereabouts and to gather information about (his) support network," said the NATO spokesman.

Chappell said the aim of the operation was to disrupt and put pressure on the support network of Karadzic, the political leader of Bosnian Serbs during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.

Stajcic was a former director of Radio Sveti Jovan (St. John), the station owned by Karadzic's daughter Sonja that was recently closed down after frequent NATO raids.

The operation comes five days after a high-profile Croatian war crimes suspect, former general Ante Gotovina, was arrested in Spain after four years on the run.

Gotovina's arrest raised the pressure on authorities in Bosnia's Serb entity and neighbouring Serbia-Montenegro to bring about the arrests of Karadzic and his wartime military chief Ratko Mladic, who were both indicted by The Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal more than 10 years ago.

The two are wanted on charges including genocide over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre of an estimated 8,000 Muslim males, the single worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.

Both remain at large despite bounties of five million dollars for information leading to their arrest offered by the United States.

Karadzic is thought to spend his time in either Bosnia or across the border in Montenegro and Mladic is widely believed to be hiding in Serbia.

NATO has failed in repeated efforts to capture Mladic and Karadzic, who remain heroes to nationalist Serbs.

raided

suspect

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said

conducted

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suspected

said

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said

said

operation

disrupt

put

war

owned

closed

raids

operation

comes

arrested

arrest

raised

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arrests

indicted

wanted

genocide

siege

massacre

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remain

leading

arrest

offered

thought

spend

believed

hiding

failed

efforts

capture


XIN_ENG_20051124.0267

LUANDA, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Sao Tome's lawmakers reject constitutional referendum

Sao Tome and Principe's Parliament on Thursday voted against holding of a constitutional referendum on the country's system of power sharing, a national consultation wanted by President Fradique de Menezes.

According to reports reaching here, a motion to reject the referendum, originally agreed for next year by parliament and the president in 2003, was supported by 45 parliament members and opposed by only five members of the 55-seat legislature.

The Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP) , the archipelago's biggest party, publicly distanced itself last month from the planned referendum, aimed to formalize the respective weighting of sovereign bodies in the islands' semi- presidential system.

MLSTP leader Guilherme Posser da Costa is widely expected to challenge President Menezes' bid for a second term in office next year. Local and parliamentary elections are also expected in 2006.

voted

referendum

consultation

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reaching

reject

referendum

agreed

supported

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distanced

referendum

aimed

formalize

expected

challenge

bid

elections

expected


AFP_ENG_19970430.0048

HONG KONG, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

47 people killed crossing southern China railroad in four months: report

At least 47 people have been killed and 14 more injured while taking short cuts across a railway line in southern China's Guangdong province in the past four months, it was reported Wednesday.

Most of the victims struck down by trains were villagers and migrant workers along the 147-kilometer (91-mile) railway line which links Guangzhou with Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, the Chinese-language Apple Daily said.

Despite security fences and footbridges being set up across the rail line, local people continued to take short cuts across the lines, with railway officials finding more than 300 places where fences were cut down, the report said.

The number of accidents has risen sharply in recent months, the paper said.

High-speed trains running at speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour began running along the route two years ago.

killed

injured

taking

reported

struck

said

set

continued

take

finding

cut

said

risen

said

running

began

running


AFP_ENG_20061204.0462

NEW YORK, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

US stocks higher as Bank of New York buys Mellon Financial

The main US stock indexes posted solid gains in Monday morning trading after The Bank of New York and Mellon Financial announced a 16.5 billion-dollar merger.

At 1657 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 65.61 points (0.54 percent) to 12,259.74 while the Nasdaq composite was 31.69 points (1.31 percent) higher at 2,444.90.

The broad-market Standard and Poor's 500 index had gained 8.68 points (0.62 percent) to 1,405.39.

"With market participants focused on the prospect of a slowing economy, upcoming economic releases will be front-and-center, especially Friday's November employment report," said AG Edwards analyst Al Goldman.

"Today, negative news on Pfizer will weigh on the market but will be partially off set by merger developments," Goldman said.

The Bank of New York, which was founded in 1784, and Mellon Financial said they had agreed to merge in a bid to create one of the world's largest global asset managers.

The new firm, which will be called The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, will rank among the top 10 global asset managers with over one trillion dollars in assets under management, according to a joint statement from the two banks.

The share prices of both banks soared in morning deals.

The Bank of New York's shares were up 3.51 dollars, or 9.9 percent, at 38.99 dollars while Mellon's stock was up 1.87 dollars, or 4.7 percent, at 41.92 dollars.

Citing the "interests of patient safety," US drug manufacturer Pfizer said over the weekend that it was stopping all clinical trials of the cholesterol-controlling drug Torcetrapib.

The company said Saturday that it was in the process of notifying all clinical investigators and regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration.

The decision comes after Pfizer officials were informed that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reviewing a morbidity and mortality study for Torcetrapib recommended terminating the trial "because of an imbalance of mortality and cardiovascular events."

Pfizer is asking all clinical investigators involved in the program to inform patient participants to stop taking the medication immediately.

The drug maker's stock was down 3.19 dollars at 24.67 dollars.

In other stock action, Merrill Lynch was up 1.52 dollars at 88.30 dollars while Bank of America was down 89 cents at 52.61 dollars. Bristol-Myers Squibb was up 30 cents at 25.14 dollars while General Motors was 35 cents higher at 30.04 dollars.

Bond prices weakened. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond rose to 4.440 percent from 4.425 percent Friday while that on the 30-year bond climbed to 4.552 percent against 4.541 percent.

Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

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said

stopping

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notifying

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informed

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terminating

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asking

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taking

weakened

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climbed

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XIN_ENG_20061117.0144

MANILA, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Philippine President leaves for APEC meeting in Hanoi

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on Friday she would push for closer economic and security cooperation in the region as she left here for the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi.

Philippines-U.S. strategic alliance against terrorism and poverty would be the focus of her bilateral talk on Saturday with President George W. Bush on the sidelines of APEC, Arroyo told reporters before she boarded the flight.

As chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) this year, Arroyo also vowed to "aggressively push for closer economic and security cooperation in the larger Asia- Pacific basin."

The President said she will make a "strong pitch" for the immediate resumption of the stalled World Trade Organization talks and for further discussions on the possibility of establishing a free trade agreement among the APEC member economies.

"I am to make the Philippines a key player in the emerging economic and security synergies of the region, considering our strategic location in the Pacific Rim and the millions of overseas Filipinos whose presence are felt in building and bridging nations across the Pacific," Arroyo said.

President Arroyo left at around 5:30 p.m. Manila time for Hanoi and was expected to meet the Filipino community shortly after her arrival. More than 900 Filipinos are working in Vietnam.

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push

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considering

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said

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expected

meet

arrival

working


XIN_ENG_20051129.0082

COLOMBO, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Colombo stocks close up

Share prices on the Colombo Stock Exchange closed up Tuesday with the key Colombo All Share Price Index rising 17.85 points to close at 2290.70 points.

On the other hand, the highly capitalized Milanka Price Index gained 6.15 points to close at 2934.35 points.

A total turnover of 241 million rupee (2.41 million US dollars) was recorded during the day with a volume of 12.51 million shares being traded.

closed

rising

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gained

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recorded

traded


AFP_ENG_19970418.0635

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 , 1997 (AFP)

Malaysian drug peddlers adopt new ploy to confuse police

Drug traffickers in Malaysia are resorting to new tactics to peddle drugs by hiding them in public places and schools to avoid detection, reports said Saturday.

Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob said traffickers were prepared to hide the drugs in public places because they knew it would be difficult for authorities to prove who the drugs belonged to.

"We need the co-opertion of not only the school authorities, but also every member of the public to be more alert and report any dubious activities," The Star newspaper quoted him as saying in the northern state of Perak.

In the past week two large drug caches have been uncovered in public areas.

On Tuesday, Johore police found 5.47 kilograms (12 pounds) of heroin in a men's toilet at a highway interchange. On Thursday, more than 63 kilograms of marijuana was located hidden in the ceiling of a Kuala Lumpur secondary school classroom.

Four people were arrested following the marijuana seizure, and police said they were believed to be members of a syndicate using the school as a storage place in an attempt to avoid detection.

Megat Junid said more such cases would emerge as the authorities stepped up enforcement on illegal drug dealings.

Malaysia has hanged 214 drug traffickers since the introduction of the mandatory death penalty in 1980, while 118 are on death row.

A death sentence is mandatory for anyone caught with 15 grams (0.5 ounce) or more of heroin or morphine in Malaysia.

Malaysia, which describes all proven drug users as addicts, has an estimated 400,000 addicts in a population of 20 million people.

Narcotics officials say the death penalty has to some extent failed to deter drug trafficking because of the huge profits to be gained from trafficking.

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said

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said

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gained


AFP_ENG_20061201.0028

HONG KONG, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

Hong Kong cardinal slams China over "illegitimate" bishop

The leader of Hong Kong's Catholics Friday condemned China for ordaining a bishop without papal approval and urged Beijing to work towards restoring ties with the Vatican.

In a strongly worded statement, Cardinal Joseph Zen described the ordination of Wang Renlei, 36, as Bishop of Xuzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu, as "illegitimate".

"It is hard to understand how there can be people who obstinately work for destruction," the outspoken Zen said.

"Under the cloak of serving the Church, they work to destroy her unity."

Zen, 74, said China's move showed "how those with vested interests are terribly afraid that the Church one day may operate normally and freely according to her constitution."

China's state-run Catholic Church Thursday ordained Wang Renlei, 36, as Bishop of Xuzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu. He became the fourth bishop ordained in China this year without the blessing of the Vatican.

China installed new bishops Ma Yinglin on April 30 in Anhui province, and Liu Xinhong in Yunnan province on May 3 despite Vatican objections, in a move seen as further damaging relations between the Holy See and Beijing.

On May 14, Zhan Silu was ordained a bishop in southwestern China's Fujian province.

Zen, who leads 250,000 Catholics here, said the latest ordination was a "very serious offence".

He chastised China for going back on its promise to a Vatican delegation not to ordain any more bishops without papal approval.

"In order to achieve their purpose, the methods they used this time are not only threat, allurement and deceit, but also forceful abduction and kidnapping!" said Zen.

He was apparently referring to a report by the Vatican-based AsiaNews agency that two Chinese bishops recognised by the Holy See, Li Liangui and Peter Feng Xinmao, were forced to take part in the ordination ceremony.

The Shanghai-born Zen made an appeal to the Chinese leaders and "begged" them to start a dialogue with the Holy See to restore diplomatic ties that were cut in 1951, prompting the Vatican to switch recognition to Taiwan.

"We beg you to make a firm decision to start a substantial dialogue with the Holy See, to find a way acceptable to both, the State and the Holy See, so that the Church in our country may operate normally and the faithful may be happy to offer themselves and contribute to the real good of our country," he said.

Since becoming pope last year, Benedict XVI has sought to improve ties with Beijing in an effort to get closer to millions of Chinese Catholics, but the consecrations have been seen as a setback to those efforts.

China's state-sanctioned church, which does not answer to the pope, has about four million worshippers, official figures show. The Vatican estimates the country's underground Catholic church has around 10 million followers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday reaffirmed China's policy of independence from the Vatican.

She reiterated that to re-establish ties, the Vatican must sever ties with Taiwan and not interfere with its internal affairs. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

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described

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said

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sever

interfere


XIN_ENG_20061115.0351

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Oil prices end higher

Oil prices rose Wednesday on falling gas inventories.

Light sweet crude for December settlement closed up 48 cents at 58.76 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, touching 59.40 dollars in earlier trading.

Brent North Sea crude for December delivery rose 62 cents to 59. 46 dollars a barrel.

The Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that crude oil inventories rose 1.3 million barrels to 336.0 million barrels last week. Gasoline inventories fell by 3.7 million barrels to 200.3 million barrels. The weekly report showed that refineries operated at 87.3 percent of capacity last week, down 0. 8 percent point from the prior week.

rose

closed

touching

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AFP_ENG_19970429.0209

BONN, April 29 , 1997 (AFP)

Bonn demands freedom for arrested German journalist

Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel has instructed the German ambassador in Beijing, Konrad Seitz, to make immediate representations to the Chinese foreign ministry regarding the arrest of German journalist Juergen Kremb, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Seitz had been instructed to request an explanation and the "restoration of his freedom of movement", ministry spokesman Martin Erdmann said.

instructed

make

arrest

said

instructed

request

said


XIN_ENG_20061109.0299

ABUJA, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

GAVI to boost Nigeria's immunization activities

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) is to inject 13 million U.S. dollars into Nigeria's immunization activities in 2007.

Edugie Abebe, chief executive of Nigerian National Program on Immunization, said on Thursday the money would be sent to deserving Nigerian states, based on the number of additional children they had immunized.

Abebe told a press conference that Nigeria is qualified for the movement because it has passed a "data quality audit" which was conducted by international auditors sent by the GAVI.

She explained that the auditors who assessed immunization activities observed that additional 650,000 children were immunized in Nigeria between 2004 and 2005.

The GAVI, an alliance of many organizations concerned with immunization activities, was formed in 2001 with its headquarters in Geneva. The GAVI Fund now has over 3 billion U.S. dollars in commitments over the next ten years.

inject

said

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observed

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concerned

formed


XIN_ENG_20061114.0295

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. Democrats elect Senate leadership

One week after their victories in the midterm elections, U.S. Senate Democrats elected their leadership for the 110th Congress that convenes early January next year.

Senator Harry Reid, a moderate Democrat from Nevada, was elected unchallenged as U.S. Senate majority leader for the new Congress, to succeed Republican Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who did not seek a third term in this year's elections.

Speaking to reporters after the election, Reid said Democrats " must do everything we can to move the country forward. We're going to do it in a spirit of bipartisanship."

Reid has served as the Senate minority leader for the past two years, since his predecessor, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, lost his reelection bid in 2004.

Richard Durbin of Illinois was elected as the Senate majority whip, Patty Murray of Washington was elected as party conference secretary, and Charles Schumer remained as chairman of the party's Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Republicans would elect their leadership Senate leadership Wednesday.

On Thursday, Democrats would elect their House leadership, and on Friday, Republicans would select their leadership in House.

Democrats retook control of both chambers of Congress in last week's elections, the first time in 12 years.

victories

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elect

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retook


AFP_ENG_20061211.0777

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

position ///

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed optimism Monday that the UN Security Council will finally impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program after the US and Russia closed ranks around a European draft resolution that was months in the making.

"It's a good resolution," Rice told AFP in an exclusive interview after a revised draft resolution was submitted to the full Security Council at UN headquarters in New York earlier Monday.

Rice said she was "optimistic" the resolution aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment would pass soon, though she stopped short of predicting a final vote before the end of the year.

"It has to be voted soon. I think this has gone on long enough," she said as negotiations over specific details of the resolution drawn up by Britain and France continued in New York.

The six major powers dealing with the issue -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- have been wrangling for months over the terms of the sanctions resolution.

The punitive measures were agreed in principle under an earlier Security Council resolution, which gave Iran until August 31 to suspend its enrichment of uranium, which can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants but also to provide the fissile material for atomic weapons.

But agreement proved elusive as Russia and China objected to an earlier European draft as too harsh, while Washington felt it did not go far enough.

Russia on Monday welcomed changes to the text, but still had reservations over a provision imposing travel bans on officials linked to Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.

"Clearly this draft does absorb the Russian philosophy of the direction and content of this resolution," Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told reporters after a round of informal talks among ambassadors of six major powers.

Churkin hailed the sponsors' decision to drop all references in the draft to Iran's first nuclear power station, a one-billion-dollar facility which Russia is helping to build in Bushehr.

Rice said Monday that she was satisfied with the latest draft, notably because it will be voted under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which makes the measures mandatory for all UN members.

"It establishes Chapter 7, which to my mind is the most important element here," she said.

"It would make very clear to the Iranians that they are not going to be able to pursue this program and remain integrated into the international system and I would hope would give them pause so they might consider coming back to negotiations," she said.

Rice has steadfastly rejected calls for Washington to break a 27-year ban on direct negotiations with Iran in order to deal with the nuclear issue or gain Tehran's help in resolving the crisis in neighboring Iraq.

But she reaffirmed on Monday her willingness to meet her Iranian counterpart "any place, any time, anywhere, about any subject" once Tehran suspends its enrichment program.

The revised European draft, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, would mandate a ban on trade with Iran on goods related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and impose financial and travel restrictions on persons and entities involved.

Despite Russian objections, it includes a list of a dozen Iranian officials directly involved in their country's nuclear and ballistic programs who would be targeted for UN sanctions.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for the production of energy.

The West claims Iran is running a secret nuclear military program parallel to its civilian one.

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said

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reaffirmed

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involved

involved

targeted

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production

claims

running


XIN_ENG_20061118.0057

CANBERRA, Nov. 18 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Gronholm leads New Zealand rally

Finland's Marcus Gronholm established a big lead after the second day of the Rally of New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday.

Gronholm won three of Saturday's six stages around Waikato to head into Sunday's final leg with a commanding 50.3 second lead over his Finnish team mate Mikko Hirvonen.

Austria's Manfred Stohl, driving a Peugeot, finished the day in third place with Spain's Dani Sordo fourth in a Citroen. Both were more than two minutes behind Gronholm.

Italian MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi climbed 10 places to finish the day 13th, but is almost 17 minutes off the pace.

The 27-year-old Yamaha rider failed to progress beyond the first day at his only previous appearance in the British round of the 2002 world rally championship but has been driving more cautiously this time.

Gronholm, who is assured of finishing second behind Senastien Loeb in this year's driver's championship, is bidding to join Frenchman Carlos Sainz as the only four-time winners of the New Zealand Rally.

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XIN_ENG_20051123.0221

BERLIN, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Schroeder resigns from German parliament

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder resigned Wednesday from the parliament, one day after he

transferred power to his successor Angela Merkel.

Schroeder, 61, signed the resignation in the office of the speaker of parliament, Norbert Lammert. Clemens Bollen, a Social Democrat, will move into the Bundestag after Schroeder relinquished his seat.

Schroeder was first elected to the Bundestag in 1980 and became

governor in Lower Saxony a decade later. He defeated conservative chancellor Helmut Kohl and went into office in 1998.

On Tuesday, Merkel was sworn in as the head of the grand coalition government formed by Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.

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XIN_ENG_20051108.0187

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 8 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Update: De Beers sells 26 percent stakes to S. Africa's black-owned firm

Global diamond giant De Beers has sold 26 percent of its South African operation to a black- owned consortium for 3.8 billion rand (about 575 million US dollars) in compliance with the country's mining charter.

The company's South African unit, De Beers Consolidated Mines ( DBCM), said on Tuesday that the upfront sale exceeded the 2009 mining charter target, and put the company in immediate compliance with target for 2014.

South Africa's mining charter stipulates that 15 percent of mining companies' units of production, not 15 percent of their assets, has to be black-owned in the medium term, and 26 percent in the longer term.

It is understood that the deal will only affect DBCM, which were split off from the rest of De Beers during the past 18 months of restructuring at the firm, which mines half of the world's diamonds.

De Beers, 45 percent owned by mining giant Anglo American and 40 percent owned by the Oppenheimer family, has been slammed by the government for not having enough black faces in its management.

Lulu Xingwana, deputy minister of minerals and energy, had fiercely criticized De Beers as a "white cartel" that was "looting " South Africa's mineral wealth.

Ponahalo, the company which bought the stake from De Beers, is owned by Mannie Dipico, a former premier of the Northern Cape province and now head of the election committee of the ruling African National Congress.

In terms of the deal, Ponahalo will utilize 10 million rand ( escalating at five percent per year) of its dividend income to make other investments in South Africa, primarily in areas in which De Beers operated with the intent of aiding economic growth and facilitating job creation, said a SAPA news agency report.

Ponahalo is 50 percent owned by current De Beers employees and pensioners while the other 50 percent is held by Ponahalo Investment Holding.

The deal was described by local media as "the most significant change in ownership" in its 117-year history since the Barnato Diamond Mining Company was merged with De Beers in 1888.

Three weeks ago David Noko became the first black person to run De Beers' local operations, taking over from Johathan Oppenheimer, who is the fourth generation of the Oppenheimer family to have managed the business.

But local newspaper The Star on Tuesday pointed out that the black empowerment deal will be "tricky" because five out of the seven local mines are losing money.

Added to this an eight percent royalty on revenues is being contemplated by the government, which De Beers has warned will close mines.

Reacting to De Beers' announcement, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the deal "sends the right signals in an industry that is seemingly hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace transformation enshrined in the Mining Charter, a document they are signatories to, anyway."

NUM general secretary Gwede Mantashe also noted his union was pleased to see Ponahalo was chaired by Dipico, a former diamond mineworker and NUM shop steward.

"We hope that his experiences will assist in ensuring that this new partnership with De Beers will lead to the betterment of workers and the communities of diamond mineworkers," Mantashe said.

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