AFP_ENG_19970401.0099

BEIJING, April 1 , 1997 (AFP)

China warns US after Gingrich comments on Taiwan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 1 , 1997

Tuesday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Last year

the weekend


XIN_ENG_20051114.0074

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Senior Hamas leader killed by Israeli troops in W. Bank

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

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

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

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

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

Al-Qassam Brigades vowed revenge in a statement.

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

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

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

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

Nov. 14 , 2005

Monday

Monday

the 1990s

A few hours

Monday

last month

September


XIN_ENG_20061108.0138

BEIJING, Nov. 8 , 2006 (Xinhua)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 8 , 2006

Wednesday

from day to day

Wednesday

Tuesday evening

August

December last year


VOA19980305.1800.2603
 NEWS STORY

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

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

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

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

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

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

this coming Sunday, March eighth

twenty years

the past twenty
 years

today


XIN_ENG_20061106.0193

BUCHAREST, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Romanian Press Club concerned about denigrating articles in British press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

summer this year

January 1, 2007

Friday

last week


XIN_ENG_20061114.0211

TAIYUAN, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Death toll in north China colliery gas blast rises to 40

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

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

The death toll stood at 35 on Monday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 14 , 2006

last week

Tuesday

Tuesday

Nov. 5

Monday

Friday

Monday

Nov. 5 to Nov. 13

winter

October

September

the winter


XIN_ENG_20051128.0223

GAZA, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Urgent: Fatah primaries in Gaza Strip suspended

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

Nov. 28 , 2005

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061126.0141

DOHA, Nov. 26 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Journalists give thumbs up to Asian Games food

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

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

"The organizers are hospitable," he added.

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

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

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

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

Athletes will enjoy more variety of fine cuisine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 26 , 2006

at least one week

10 months


AFP_ENG_19970415.0457

GENEVA, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

UN rights body condemns Iran killings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 15 , 1997

Tuesday

five days

Last Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061107.0260

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 7 , 2006

Tuesday

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20051213.0031

HONG KONG, Dec 13 , 2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 13 , 2005

Tuesday

Tuesday

Tuesday

July 2004

this week


XIN_ENG_20051129.0036

LUSAKA, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Zambia's sugar exports likely to reduce upon EU decision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 29 , 2005

Tuesday

next year


XIN_ENG_20051114.0351

TOKYO, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

M6.9 quake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 15 , 2005

Tuesday morning

6:39 a.m.


XIN_ENG_20061130.0053

LHASA, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Tibet steps up efforts to limit spread of AIDS/HIV

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 30 , 2006

Thursday

Two years

Oct. 31, 2006


AFP_ENG_19970424.0099

BANGKOK, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

Thai ratings agency joins with US firm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 24 , 1997

Thursday

May 6


XIN_ENG_20061110.0155

BANGKOK, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

for karaoke bars

by Xinhua writer Tian Sulei

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 10 , 2006

Nov. 10

the end of this year


XIN_ENG_20061106.0181

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

Nov. 1

last November


XIN_ENG_20051129.0112

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

1st lead: Gunmen release abducted Iranian females

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 29 , 2005

Tuesday

Monday night

Monday night

Monday night


XIN_ENG_20061130.0029

SEOUL, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Seoul stock market ends up

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

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

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

Nov. 30 , 2006

Thursday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20051215.0020

KARACHI, Dec 15 , 2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Dec 15 , 2005

Thursday

two days

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051122.0337

BRASILIA, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Brazil to provide free AIDS tests to the poor in 2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 22 , 2005

Tuesday

Last year

next year

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051123.0314

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Christie considering retirement because of sore left ankle

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 23 , 2005

last week

last season

Tuesday

August

Tuesday night


XIN_ENG_20051102.0112

LONDON, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Britons warned possible attacks in coming months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 2 , 2005

coming months

the last few weeks

coming months

Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20051123.0053

KHARTOUM, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Sudan's ruling party starts general conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 23 , 2005

Wednesday

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051123.0056

BEIJING, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

northeastern river

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

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

Benzene is a substance harmful to human health.

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 23 , 2005

Wednesday

24 hours every day


AFP_ENG_19970423.0683

TOKYO, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 24 , 1997

Thursday

this week

Wednesday

Friday

last year

last week


AFP_ENG_20061212.0116

BEIJING, Dec 12 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - UPDATES with quotes from Gao ///

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 12 , 2006

nearly eight years

Tuesday

eight years

Tuesday

December 7

eight years

recently

December 1


AFP_ENG_20061212.0251

LONDON, Dec 12 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details, quotes ///

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 12 , 2006

Tuesday

next year

July 1

46th birthday

August 31

10 years

July 1981

December 1992

August 1996

August 1997

Sunday

now

May

0900 GMT Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20061108.0119

HONG KONG, Nov. 8 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Asia Culture Co-operation Forum 2006 opens in HK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 8 , 2006

Wednesday

this year

the 18th century

the 21st Century


XIN_ENG_20051114.0420

MANILA, Nov. 15 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Typhoon Pepeng to enter Philippines

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 15 , 2005

Tuesday

this year


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

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

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

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

the end of this week

Nov. 21


XIN_ENG_20061122.0143

LAGOS, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Seven foreign oil workers confirmed hostages in southern Nigeria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 22 , 2006

Wednesday

the beginning of the year


AFP_ENG_19970415.0143

PORT MORESBY, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"All the way," Singirok replied.

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

April 15 , 1997

five months

March

Tuesday

September 8 last year

Tuesday

last July

October 31

Tuesday

October 12 last year


XIN_ENG_20061119.0169

HANOI, Nov. 19 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Vietnam, Japan to strive for economic partnership agreement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 19 , 2006

Sunday

Sunday

Saturday

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061114.0192

GAZA, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Hamas says its stance on Israel unchanged

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 14 , 2006

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970407.0521

KAMPALA, April 7 , 1997 (AFP)

Museveni will not talk with rebels: adviser

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

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

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

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

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

April 7 , 1997

Monday

the past 10 years


XIN_ENG_20061126.0159

LAGOS, Nov. 26 , 2006 (Xinhua)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 26 , 2006

Saturday


XIN_ENG_20061116.0105

CANBERRA, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Australian dollar closes lower

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 16 , 2006

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051102.0093

MANILA, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Presidential term limit premature: Philippine gov't

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

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

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

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

Bunye neither confirmed nor denied the story.

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

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

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

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

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

Wednesday

Monday

Wednesday afternoon

Dec. 15

6 years


VOA19980501.1800.0355
 NEWS STORY

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

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

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

next week

Monday


WSJ910225-0066

910225-0066.

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

02/25/91

WALL STREET JOURNAL (J), PAGE A1

   MDEST EUROP FREST

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

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

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

late yesterday

yesterday

the weekend

Feb. 11

a week or so ago

Saturday night

The date

within a week

noon Saturday.

last August

a week

the four days

nearly an hour

Saturday night

the next few days.

eight-year


XIN_ENG_20051105.0037

MACAO, Nov. 5 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Japan stuns China in men's basketball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 5 , 2005

China 68-60

Saturday

Friday

every quarter

the second quarter

the third quarter 54-43

the fourth quarter

Saturday

the fourth quarter

today

Sunday


AFP_ENG_20061215.0062

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

Cuba's Castro is near death: US intelligence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 15 , 2006

Friday

July 31

July 26

the past four months

Wednesday

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051104.0292

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

Riots continue in Argentina amid summit of Americas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No death was reported so far.

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

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

Nov. 4 , 2005

Friday

Friday morning

Mar

Thursday night


XIN_ENG_20051124.0146

AMMAN, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

URGENT: Jordanian king orders to set up new cabinet

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

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday


AFP_ENG_19970401.0541

TAIPEI, April 2 , 1997 (AFP)

US Speaker Gingrich meets Taiwan President Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Tuesday, Beijing again told Washington to stay clear.

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

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

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

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

April 2 , 1997

Wednesday

10:30 a.m.

last week

Tuesday

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20061225.0149

LISBON, Dec 25 , 2006, 2006

National squads play too many matches: Mourinho

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 25 , 2006

Monday

14, 15, 16


XIN_ENG_20051124.0266

BRUSSELS, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Over 2 million problem drug users in EU: report

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

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

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

Nov. 24 , 2005

today

Thursday

the last 12 months


XIN_ENG_20051128.0182

HONG KONG, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese Taikonauts pay visit to HK Disneyland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 28 , 2005

Monday

the afternoon

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061106.0156

TOKYO, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

talks begin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

next week

early last month

Nov. 1


AFP_ENG_20061220.0703

SYDNEY, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

AWB shrugs off ban from US government contracts, programmes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 21 , 2006

Thursday

early 2004

Last month

March 2003

now


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

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

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

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

third-quarter

year-earlier

the quarter

a year earlier