XIN_ENG_20051129.0263

KHARTOUM, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Khartoum voices optimism about new round of Darfur peace talks

Majzoub al-Khalifa, head of the Sudanese government's delegation to the 7th Abuja peace talks on Darfur, said his side was optimistic about the new round kicked off late Tuesday.

Khalifa made the remarks at a press conference before his departure for the Nigerian capital Abuja for the talks.

He told the reporters that his delegation has involved representatives from all Sudanese political parties of the national unity government in addition to the participation of the Darfur people through preparatory conferences which they had held on the issue.

He said he was optimistic on the next peace talks despite difficulties which might be brought up by differences inside a main faction of the Darfur rebels, referring to conflicts between two leaders of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).

The last round of the African Union (AU)-sponsored Abuja talks ended in October with a split in the SLM.

Khalifa noted that after reaching the Declaration of Principles between the Darfur conflicting sides in the fifth round, negotiators discussed in the sixth round 40 clear and decisive points and agreed on 37 of them.

The government has made positive efforts on internal, political and development levels as well as the voluntary return of the displaced people in the Darfur region and the acknowledgement of justice and the rule of law, which would contribute in the success of the new round, he added.

The official hoped that the seventh round of peace talks would be well exploited by the Darfur parties taking into consideration positive factors that have been available such as the formation of the government of national unity in the country and the support by the AU, the European Union (EU), the United States and the United Nations.

Yassir Arman, representative of the former rebel the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the government delegation, said that the SPLM representatives in the talks were part of the government of national unity and would represent the whole country.

"Our existence in the peace talks will contribute to build trust between the government of national unity and the armed movements in Darfur particularly the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement because of our good relations with these movements," he said.

Abuja has been hosting several rounds of peace talks on Darfur, but conflicts still exist in Darfur.

The 7th round of Darfur talks will endeavor to strike a consensus on how to run Darfur over the long-term, particularly on power-sharing and wealth-sharing between Darfur's inhabitants and Khartoum, according to AU officials.

Nov. 29 , 2005

late Tuesday

October


XIN_ENG_20061123.0200

HONG KONG, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China Enterprises Index close up -- Nov. 23

Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slowed down its rising pace by up 12.84 points, or 0.15 percent, to close at 8,622.88 on Thursday.

The index, initiated in August 1994 and readjusted on Sept. 11, 2006, tracks the overall performance of 37 Chinese mainland state-owned enterprises listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Hang Seng China-Affiliated Corporations Index rose 15.26 points, or 0.49 percent, to close at 3,146.13.

The index tracks the performance of 31 locally listed companies with a significant equity interest held by entities in the Chinese mainland.

Hang Seng Mainland Composite Index closed flat with 0.46 points up, or 0.02 percent, to close at 2,957.01.

Introduced on Oct. 3, 2001 and readjusted on Sept. 11, 2006, Hang Seng Mainland Composite Index gauges the performance of 103 Hong Kong-listed companies with principal places of business in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Nov. 23 , 2006

Thursday

August 1994

Sept. 11, 2006

Oct. 3, 2001

Sept. 11, 2006


XIN_ENG_20051104.0045

GUANGZHOU, Nov. 4 , 2005 (Xinhua)

China's southern province recruits volunteers to Myanmar

China's southern province Guangdong started to recruit volunteers on Thursday to assist Myanmar's agricultural and sports industries.

Ideal candidates will be college graduates between 25 and 40 years old and proficient in English, said Huang Qinghui, a publicity official and head of the provincial volunteers' association.

"We'll recruit 11 agrotechnicians and four sports professionals specializing in swimming, weight lifting, pingpong and badminton," Huang said. "They will leave on Dec. 5, the International Volunteer's Day, and will spend six months in Myanmar."

He said the volunteer agrotechnicians are expected to help Myanmar farmers raise silkworms, grow quality grapes and improve other plants' species.

This is the first time for Guangdong Province to recruit volunteers for overseas services, entrusted by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League and the Ministry of Commerce.

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League and the China Association of Youth Volunteers launched a long-term volunteer service project in May 2002 to assist other developing countries.

Chinese volunteers have since offered language and computer training as well as medical services to several countries including Laos, Myanmar and Ethiopia.

Nov. 4 , 2005

Thursday

Dec. 5

May 2002


AFP_ENG_19970430.0408

PARIS, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

French Socialists, Greens strike electoral deal

Leaders of France's small Greens party struck an electoral pact with the main opposition Socialists on Wednesday in a bid to bolster the left's chances of victory in forthcoming snap elections.

Socialist Party leader Lionel Jospin and Greens' leader Dominique Voynet ended months of joint talks on the terms of a pact with an agreement to run joint candidates in certain constituencies and avoid confrontation in others.

"We are satisfied," Voynet, who heads "Les Verts" (Greens), said on emerging from the talks. Jospin described the deal, which comes on the heels of a pact the previous day with the Communists, as part of his drive "to assemble the forces of the left."

Barely 10 days after President Jacques Chirac called the two-round ballot scheduled for May 25 and June 1, opinion polls are forecasting victory for his ruling rightwing coalition but with a sizeable cut in its 464-seat parliamentary majority.

The latest survey predicted 296 seats for the governing coalition against 258 for the left. The CSA polling institute gave the Socialists, Greens and small leftwing groups 237 seats and the Communists 21. The extreme right National Front could win one 1, it said.

At their talks, Voynet and Jospin agreed to refrain from fielding competing candidates in just over 100 of France's 577 constituencies but need further talks with the Communists before reach agreement on how best to hinder candidates from the extreme rightwing National Front from winning election.

The left, working hard to gather momentum ahead of the poll, on Tuesday also reached agreement with the Communists.

The seven-page text, a joint declaration rather than a program for government, lists several points of convergence between the two parties and calls on French voters to assure victory for the left.

Skirting the Communists' opposition to the contentious issue of the further integration of Europe, the document invokes a compromise, speaking of going "beyond the Treaty of Maastricht" and "redirecting European construction towards a social Europe".

The declaration vows that the left will make job creation "an absolute priority", creating 700,000 jobs for young people and reducing the work week to 35 hours while maintaining salary levels.

The PS-PC text also calls for a halt to privatisations including those of France Telecom and Air France.

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

10 days

May 25

June 1

Tuesday

week


AFP_ENG_19970411.0145

SEOUL. April 11 , 1997 (AFP)

Seoul shares close 0.9 percent higher

Share prices rebounded 0.9 percent on the Korea Stock Exchange on Friday, with buying interest emerging on undervalued stocks after a short correction, dealers said.

"Investors returned to the market after a correction, with individual stocks with respective themes at the centre of buying activity," Cho Hung Securities analyst Choi Youn-Gun said.

The composite index gained 5.90 points to finish at 693.94.

Turnover totalled 44.1 million shares worth 627 billion won (704 million dollars). Advancers led decliners 530 to 260 with 117 shares unchanged.

The market's basic tone was strong largely due to expectations of inflows of fresh funds after the planned expansion of the foreign shareholding limit on May 1, the analyst said.

The banking sector closed lower on rumours that Jinro Group had financial problems, dealers said. Commercial Bank Bank slid 200 won at 4,000 won and Korea Exchange Bank went down 130 won at 5,400 won.

Jinro Industries was limit-down 470 won at 5,410 won on rumours that Jinro Group's unlisted construction unit was on the verge of bankruptcy, dealers said.

Blue chips were mixed with Samsung Electronics unchanged at 62,900 won and LG Semicon up 600 won at 29,800 won.

Automakers performed well, with Kia Motors up 300 won at 15,300 won and Ssangyong Motor adding 190 won at 5,540 won. Hyundai Motor closed unchanged at 23,000 won.

April 11 , 1997

Friday

May 1


AFP_ENG_19970421.0123

HONG KONG, April 21 , 1997 (AFP)

No need for concern as Chinese troops arrive in Hong Kong: official

Hong Kong should not be concerned at the deployment of Chinese troops here 71 days before the territory's handover in July, a government official said Monday.

Nicholas Ng, secretary for constitutional affairs, told Hong Kong's Legislative Council the arrival of the advance party of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday "should not worry" people here.

"I understand the public's concern," said Ng, but "I believe they will carry out their duty with discretion."

Ng's remarks came as a convoy of eight cars and vans brought 40 members of the PLA from the southern Chinese border city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong at Lok Ma Chau crossing point.

The advance troops are the first unit of the Chinese army to be deployed in Hong Kong since Britain seized the territory in January 1841.

Ng said the deployment was "appropriate for the task of preparing for the transfer of responsibilities," when Hong Kong returns to China on July 1.

He said the fact the PLA vehicles carried Hong Kong licence plates showed the Chinese army would heed the territory's laws and would be granted no special privileges.

The leader of the advance PLA party, Major-General Zhou Borong, was greeted by the commander of the British forces here, Major-General Bryan Dutton when he arrived at the high-rise barracks on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.

Dutton gave a veiled warning about deep-rooted fears among the many Hongkongers who associate the PLA with bloody images of tanks crushing student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

"We intend to give the future garrison every possible assistance as they prepare for their role," he said, before expressing the hope that "their relationship with the local community will be as constructive and rewarding as ours has been."

China, implicitly acknowledging such concerns, has repeatedly promised its Hong Kong garrison will be drawn from the finest and most disciplined ranks of its armed forces.

Up to 10,000 Chinese soldiers are expected to be based in Hong Kong after the handover, a figure roughly equal to British numbers before 1994.

The British strength is now around 1,800 which will fall to around 1,600 by the end of May, leaving only a few to be withdrawn in the final few weeks before the handover.

April 21 , 1997

71 days

July

Monday

Monday

January 1841

July 1

June 1989

now

the end of May

the final few weeks


XIN_ENG_20061114.0441

BEIJING, Nov. 15 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Chain stores investigated for selling toxic clothes

Beijing consumer watchdogs are investigating how Wal-Mart, Carrefour and other leading chain stores came to be selling clothes containing cancer-causing chemicals.

Twenty-eight brands of clothes failed inspections by the Beijing Industry and Commerce Administration (BICA), and four brands were found to contain excessive levels of toxic aromatic ammine or formaldehyde.

The four brands were "Ming-Langdike" skirts (size 11) made by the Guangzhou Disheng company, "Pusheng" blouses (155/80A) by the Shanghai Pusheng, "Jeanberger" trousers (170/80A) by the Shenzhen Zhonghang and "Hafulu" trousers (size 23) by the Guangdong Hafulu.

The full list of failed items has been published on the BICA website.

Experts said aromatic ammine and formaldehyde were both carcinogenic substances. The former is banned in many other countries as a dye and the latter should be cleaned from end products.

The BICA said it seized all failed clothes from the stores, and both the producers and sellers would face prosecution.

"They could be fined up to three times the revenue they got from selling the goods," an official with the administration said.

"The problematic trousers are no longer sold in our stores," a Wal-Mart representative said, adding he was unaware of the investigation.

Carrefour's Fangyuan chain store, Lotus Liuliqiao chain store and Wangfujing Women's Collection were also listed for selling clothes that failed inspections.

Nov. 15 , 2006


WSJ891026-0048
 = 891026
 891026-0048.
 Business Brief -- Lawrence Insurance Group Inc.:
@  Houston Reinsurance Firm
@  Is Acquired for $28 Million
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 LWR
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)

   Lawrence Insurance Group Inc. said it acquired United Republic Reinsurance Co., a Houston property and casualty reinsurance company, from United Savings Association of Texas for $28 million.

   Lawrence Insurance also sold 3.2 million of its shares for $7.125 each to its parent, Lawrence Group Inc. Lawrence Insurance, based in Albany, N.Y., plans to use the $22.5 million in proceeds to help finance the acquisition of United Republic.

   By acquiring the shares, Lawrence Group increased its stake in Lawrence Insurance to 93.2% from 91.2%.
Lawrence Insurance underwrites mostly primary insurance, a company spokesman said.
A reinsurance company effectively insures insurance companies that wish to spread the risk of a particular policy.

   Lawrence Group also owns Lawrence Agency Corp., Schenectady, N.Y., an insurance agency and brokerage.


AFP_ENG_19970415.0397

THE HAGUE, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

The Hague vows to develop relations with China despite snub

The Dutch government on Tuesday vowed to develop relations with China, despite Beijing's rebuttal of a visit by the country's economic minister, following European criticism of its human rights record.

In a statement, the Netherlands, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, said it would "continue to commit itself to developing relations with China."

However, neither the Dutch foreign nor economic ministries would comment on China's decision on Tuesday to postpone all exchanges of visits with Denmark and to block a trip to Beijing by Dutch Economic Minister Hans Wijers scheduled for June 7-14.

The move to postpone the trip, which had been set for June 7-14, came after The Hague, current holder of the rotating EU presidency, sought to sponsor an EU resolution criticising China at the annual session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

Economics Minister Hans Wijers, who was to lead the delegation, "is not welcome," the Chinese authorities told The Hague.

The Netherlands reacted furiously early this month when France, Germany, Italy and Spain refused to back an EU motion, calling the affair "a serious reversal for the prospects of an EU foreign policy."

Denmark then took the initiative to put forward its own resolution damning Beijing's rights record, which is due to go before a vote in the 53-member commission later Tuesday.

Beijing retaliated immediately, a foreign ministry spokesman stating Tuesday that "China will postpone exchanges of visits with Denmark and stop further dialogue on human rights."

Denmark's motion received support from nine fellow EU members, the United States, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland.

The EU has made a resolution condemning China to the commission every year since the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in 1989, but each time China has managed to garner just enough support -- notably from developing countries -- to avoid formal censure.

April 15 , 1997

Tuesday

Tuesday

June 7-14

June 7-14

early this month

Tuesday

Tuesday

every year


XIN_ENG_20051122.0177

NAIROBI, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Kenya's draft constitution rejected: Electoral Commission

Kenya's proposed new constitution has been rejected in Monday's referendum, Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) Samuel Kivuitu announced on Tuesday.

The latest results given by the ECK show that opponents of the proposed charter had won 3,548,477 votes, or 57 percent of ballots that had been counted by Tuesday afternoon, gaining an unassailable lead of more than a million votes. Supporters garnered 2,532,918 votes, or 43 percent.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Tuesday in a televised speech conceded defeat in the referendum on the draft constitution which was soundly rejected by his people.

Nov. 22 , 2005

Monday

Tuesday

Tuesday afternoon


XIN_ENG_20061104.0110

SAPPORO, Japan, Nov. 4 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Pirates hijack commercial vessel off Somali coast

Pirates hijack commercial vessel off Somali coast

NAIROBI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates have hijacked a commercial vessel off the coast of the lawless nation, raising fears of resurgence of piracy after several months of lull activity.

Reports from Mogadishu said Saturday the United Arab Emirates- flagged MV Veesham carrying charcoal with 12-member crew on board was seized near Adale, 95 km northeast of Mogadishu on Thursday night.

Abduarhman Olow, a businessman in Mogadishu who chartered the ship, said the vessel was traveling to Dubai after leaving El Maan natural harbor in northern Mogadishu with a 12-member crew from India.

He said that the captain had contacted them and told them that Somali gunmen have hijacked the ship.

The businessman said that the reasons for the hijacking are still unclear and that they had no idea of where the pirates took the ship. Olow said that he expected the pirates to contact his company soon.

"I don't know the number of gunmen but the captain told me that gunmen hijacked the ship around Adale coast and they have taken it to an unknown destination," Olow was quoted as saying.

The new hijacking comes after months of lull in piracy incidents off the Somali coast after powerful Supreme Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC)'s takeover of central Somali regions in June this year.

"We thought the era of pirates ended..but this shows us that there are still pirates in our waters," Olow said.

The latest seizure came after ten pirates who were captured early this year by the United States Navy off the coast of the lawless nation were sentenced for seven years in Kenya this week for piracy and hijacking

The U.S. seizure of the alleged pirates came amid a surge in hijackings off the coast of Somalia, where the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) had reported about 40 attacks on ships since mid-March of last year.

Somalia's coastline is one of the world's worst areas for piracy, but incidents have declined since the Islamic courts rose to power in June.

Somalia has been in the grip of warlords and militias for years and has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

The decline in piracy has also been attributed to foreign navy patrols.

Nov. 4 , 2006

Nov. 4

several months

Saturday

Thursday night

June this year

early this year

seven years

mid-March of last year

June

years


AFP_ENG_19970415.0396

PORT LOUIS, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

Mauritius, China sign accords on Hong Kong

A top-level Mauritian delegation to China has signed two agreements pertaining to the future Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, officials said here Tuesday.

One accord waives visa requirements for Mauritians traveling to Hong Kong after the territory reverts to Chinese rule on July 1, and for Chinese citizens travelling to Mauritius.

It was signed in the presence of the Chinese and Mauritian premiers, Li Peng and Navin Ramgoolam, by Mauritian Cabinet Secretary Philippe Yan Sin and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Tang Xiaxuan.

China has also agreed to provide aid totalling five million yuan (600,000 dollars) to Mauritius, and trade officials signed a cooperation agreement.

Ramgoolam, who met Monday with Li, was due to meet Tuesday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

April 15 , 1997

Tuesday

July 1

Monday

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20061123.0341

TOKYO, Nov. 24 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Tokyo stocks open lower

Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday as exporters lost ground on a stronger yen.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 152.68 points, or 0.96 percent, to 15,761.55.

The broader Tokyo Stock Price Index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 13.22 points, or 0.85 percent, to 1,539.65. The Second Section fell.

Nov. 24 , 2006

Friday

the first 15 minutes


AFP_ENG_20051213.0634

SYDNEY, Dec 14 , 2005

Survey finds surprise drop in Australian consumer sentiment

Australian consumer confidence experienced a surprising fall in December, despite significantly lower petrol prices, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute index found that consumer sentiment dropped 2.7 percent in December to 104.7 points from the previous month.

"The index surprisingly fell by 2.7 percent -- I say surprisingly because last month it rose by nine percent and that was following a six percent fall in petrol prices," Westpac Banking Corp's global head of economics Bill Evans said.

"Since the last survey we've seen another 5.5 percent fall (in petrol prices) and yet the index actually fell," he told ABC radio.

The index has now settled at a point about six percent below the average level before higher global oil prices pushed up the price of petrol.

Evans said it appeared that petrol prices were no longer as important in defining consumer sentiment and it was more likely that the fear of interest rate rises was weighing on consumers' minds.

The Reserve Bank of Australia last lifted its key official cash rate 25 basis points to 5.50 percent in March.

Falling house prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the September quarter as well as reforms to labour laws could also be contributing to the negative sentiment, Evans said.

Dec 14 , 2005

December

Wednesday

December

the previous month

last month

now

last

March

September quarter


AFP_ENG_20061229.0486

BAGHDAD, Dec 30 , 2006, 2006

Rights group condemns Saddam execution

US-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) Saturday condemned the hanging of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, saying history would judge his trial and execution "harshly".

"Saddam Hussein was responsible for horrific, widespread human rights violations, but those acts, however brutal, cannot justify his execution, a cruel and inhuman punishment," said HRW International Justice Programme director Richard Dicker.

"The test of a government's commitment to human rights is measured by the way it treats its worst offenders. History will judge the deeply flawed Dujail trial and this execution harshly," Dicker said in a statement.

Dec 30 , 2006

Saturday


AFP_ENG_20061204.0292

LONDON, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

Struggling Hull sack Parkinson

English Championship strugglers Hull on Monday sacked manager Phil Parkinson.

Hull chairman Adam Pearson decided to dismiss Parkinson, who was only appointed in June, after Saturday's 4-2 home defeat against Southampton left his team in 23rd place in English football's second tier.

Parkinson's side had won just four of 21 league matches this season and fans called for him to quit after Saturday's loss.

Hull coaches Colin Murphy and Phil Brown will take charge of the first team on a temporary basis.

Dec 4 , 2006

Monday

June

Saturday


AFP_ENG_19970429.0126

NEW DELHI, April 29 , 1997 (AFP)

Yadav's Bihar: India's most violent state By Pratap Chakravarty

Ruling and opposition leaders, bureaucrats, government clerks, doctors, vets, businessmen and even housewives are named as conspirators in a 271-million-dollar fraud in India's Bihar state, the most crime-prone in the country.

"The system has collapsed. Nothing works," commented Uttam Sengupta, editor of The Times of India's regional edition in Bihar, India's second most populous state where some 12 million educated youths are jobless.

Sengupta and others do not blame Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav for the virtual anarchy in the state.

"Lawlessness is partly because the system has collapsed. All political parties patronise criminals and the police does not function."

Yadav, two of his cabinet colleagues and a federal minister from Bihar, are among 56 others charged in the swindle, which federal investigators now say has been going on openly since 1977.

Despite the spiralling lawlessness, economic chaos and rampant unemployment, Yadav was re-elected chief minister for a second time in 1995.

But now, Yadav faces mounting demands for his removal in connection with the scandal which people in Bihar say is a symbol of the state's malaise.

Bihar, with a population of 90 million, witnessed 5,193 murders last year, up by 157 reported homicides over the previous year while 5,039 people were killed in non-political violence during 1994.

The state's 75,000-member police department deployed across 55 districts reported 2,603 robberies last year and 2,472 the previous. It also saw some 12,490 armed clashes during 1996 and 12,000 a year before.

Maoist guerrillas killed 60 people last year while 73 others lost their lives and 88 were robbed on trains running across Bihar.

On Tuesday, fed up with rampant crime, some 5,000 Bihari students smashed through police barriers in the Indian capital to protest the daylight murder earlier this month of a prominent university leader in the state, allegedly by a politician from Yadav's party.

Massive power breakdowns, annual droughts and floods have stunted industrial growth in Bihar, which accounts for a third of India's mineral deposits. It also has two of the country's biggest steel plants and is one of largest producer of fertiliser.

The Times editor Sengupta describes the situation in Bihar, where per capita income is one of the lowest in India, as "paradoxical."

"The situation is complex here," he said.

Bihar is India's second largest grower of vegetables, third largest exporter of fruits and accounts for a large number of professionals settled in Europe and the United states.

"The situation appears bad because the population is so large and its density is very high.

April 29 , 1997

now

now

last year

the previous year

last year

12,000 a year before

last year

Tuesday

this month


AFP_ENG_19970422.0185

MANILA, April 22 , 1997 (AFP)

Bounty offered for information on big firms using pirated software

Software companies Tuesday launched a campaign to track down big Philippine firms using pirated software with a reward of 50,000 pesos (1,900 dollars) to anyone giving incriminating information.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA), an association of information technology firms, said corporate end users account for two-thirds of software piracy losses in the Philippines.

"We are committed to eradicating corporate end user piracy even as we continue to pursue our enforcement action against dealers" who sell pirated software, said Stuart Ong, vice-president of BSA.

Ong said the alliance would encourage past and present employees of big companies to report use of pirated software.

A BSA statement said those who assist them will be compensated while remaining anonymous. It estimated that 90 percent of the software in use in this country was pirated.

April 22 , 1997

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20061229.0227

MADRID, Dec 29 , 2006, 2006

Troubled Basque situation will be better in a year:  Spain's PM

Spain's prime minister Friday confidently predicted an improvement during the coming year in the country's troubled Basque region following a start to dialogue with the armed separatist group ETA.

"The situation will be better in a year," said Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, reporting that negotiations were proceeding "discreetly," despite the view of critics that the peace process is currently blocked.

ETA declared a permanent ceasefire last March after nearly four decades of bombings and shootings claiming more than 850 lives in pursuit of an independent Basque country.

Despite recent incidents the situation had now improved, Zapatero assured a press conference.

"It's better with a permanent ceasefire than when bombs go off as was happening a year ago," the Socialist prime minister commented.

"It's also better than four or five years ago when we had tragic lethal attacks."

ETA's last killing was in May 2003.

But many observers are sceptical about whether ETA really wants to negotiate an end to violence.

Doubts have been prompted by various developments including an arms theft in neighbouring France for which ETA was held responsible, discovery of an arms cache in the Basque country in northern Spain, and a return to street violence in the province.

Zapatero declined to comment on these developments or to confirm there had been a first official meeting this month between ETA and representatives of Spain's national government.

However, the prime minister said the banned separatist Basque political party Batasuna might be allowed to stand again in the next Basque regional elections if it showed respect for rule of law and distanced itself from violence.

Spain's main political opposition, the right-wing Popular Party, takes a harder line, saying Batasuna, seen as the political wing of ETA, should not be allowed to stand in local and regional elections until it expressly renounces violence.

Dec 29 , 2006

Friday

the coming year

a year

last March

nearly four decades

a year ago

five years ago

May 2003

this month


AFP_ENG_20061214.0316

TOKYO, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS quotes on nuclear issue ///

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Thursday for an "arc of prosperity" with fellow democracy Japan but pressed Asia's largest economy to invest more and support nuclear cooperation.

Singh is the first Indian premier in five years to visit Japan, whose conservative government has made improving ties with New Delhi a top priority to balance frequent friction with a rising China.

"Strong ties between India and Japan will be a major factor in building an open and inclusive Asia and in enhancing peace and stability in the region," Singh said in an address to a joint session of the Japanese parliament.

"Our partnership has the potential to create an arc of advantage and prosperity across Asia, laying the foundation for the creation of an Asian economic community."

Japan's ties with communist China remain strained by the legacy of its atrocities in the 1930s and 1940s, when it invaded neighboring countries in the name of creating a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

But both Singh and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he will hold talks Friday, have been trying to repair relations with China. And India, despite warming ties with the US, has long called for a "multipolar" world.

Singh is seeking Japan's blessing for a controversial India-US pact that allows civilian nuclear cooperation even though New Delhi has developed nuclear weapons.

In an aside from his prepared text, Singh told lawmakers that India's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons was "unshakable" even though it refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The support of Japan, the only nation to be attacked by atomic weapons, could open the door for international nuclear cooperation with India and counter Singh's critics, who say he has conceded too much to Washington.

But Yohei Kono, the speaker of the lower house, offered a gentle rebuke as he welcomed Singh to the podium.

He thanked the Indian parliament for offering an annual silent prayer to victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and added: "Again we call on your country to mutually cooperate to abolish nuclear weapons."

Despite Japanese conservatives' bid to ally with New Delhi to balance Beijing, Singh did not mention China by name in his address -- other than to point out disapprovingly that it conducted more trade with India than Japan did.

"Economic ties must be the bedrock of our relationship and a strong push is required in this area. Our trade and investment ties are well below potential," said Singh, who is accompanied by a high-level business delegation.

India in 2004 replaced China as the top destination for Japan's low-interest loans, a key tool of Tokyo's diplomacy and sign of its political intentions.

But investment has not followed. Japan invested 170 million dollars in India last year, less than three percent of the amount it invested in China, according to official Japanese figures.

Japan had shown initial enthusiasm when India ended five decades of rigid protectionism in 1991. Singh, who as finance minister fathered the reforms, secured Japanese loans to end a balance-of-payments crisis.

"I return to Japan as the prime minister of a new India," Singh said, pointing to India's breakneck macroeconomic growth.

In talks with ministers Thursday, Singh sought Japanese financing for a proposed 2,800 kilometer (1,700 mile) high-speed freight railway seen as vital to improving India's creaky infrastructure.

Japan will look at the proposal once details are set, Finance Minister Koji Omi told him.

Dec 14 , 2006

Thursday

five years

the 1930s

Friday

last year

five decades

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061113.0265

NAIROBI, Nov. 13 , 2006, (Xinhua)

Interview: Africa needs support in adapting to climate change

African countries need funds, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and technology transfer to combat climate change, Kivutha Kibwana, president-designate of the UN Climate Change Conference has said.

African countries are the least emitters in the world whose emission only accounts for about 3 or 4 percent of the world's total. "They are impacted quite significantly by the climate change. Therefore they are frustrated that in this process they are not able to mobilize the funds that are required for particular adaptation." Kibwana said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

One of the most important issues in this meeting is what people are going to do regarding the adaptation to climate change. It should be made sure that the fund is substantial, said Kibwana, who is also Kenya's minister for Environment and Natural Resources.

"We think that in Nairobi, those positions are required to be taken so the least developed countries and African countries can all feel that they are being supported to deal with the challenge of climate change," Kibwana said.

There are three funds established under Climate Change Convention and Kyoto Protocol to help developing countries. In them, the Adaptation Fund, which will be discussed in the Nairobi meeting to reach political agreement on how to be managed, is designated to finance practical adaptation projects and programs in developing countries and support capacity-building activities.

Kibwana also said that Africa emphasizes an equitable distribution of CDM projects . Part of the debates at the conference is on how to ensure the capacity of African and poor countries to develop CDM projects which permit industrialized countries to generate emission credits through investments in sustainable development projects which reduce emissions in developing countries.

In addition, Kibwana called for technology transfer to African countries which will help them to deal with the effects of climate change.

As the developed countries are discussing about the future while African and poor nations are concerned about immediate effects of climate change, the challenge of the meeting is to come up with a win-win situation for all blocks, the president said.

"According to a report from Britain, it is clear that the climate change is an extremely serious matter. We can not postpone on how to deal with it because the cost for not dealing with it today is so high in the future. And that is why it is my hope that this meeting is going to come up with concrete solutions," Kibwana said.

Nov. 13 , 2006

today

the future


AFP_ENG_20051211.0463

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 11 , 2005

ATTENTION - ADDS details, quote ///

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was expected to decide on Monday whether to spare ex-gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams, whose death sentence is to be executed early Tuesday.

Williams, whose case has prompted an international campaign for clemency, faces the death penalty for murdering four people unless the governor intervenes before Tuesday.

Hollywood celebrities, including Jamie Foxx and Danny Glover, African-American leaders and opponents of the death penalty have championed Williams' case, citing his work against gang violence.

The governor is the only man who can halt the death of Williams, who has been on death row for two decades and who is sentenced to die by lethal injection at 00:01 (0801 GMT) Tuesday.

The "Terminator" movie star turned politician heard final arguments on Thursday from prosecutors and defense lawyers, who had 30 minutes each to make their cases in a private hearing at the governor's office in Sacramento.

Schwarzenegger's office said no decision on the case was expected on Sunday, but was likely to be announced on Monday.

Williams, 51, has insisted he is innocent of the murders but has renounced his gangster past, writing several children's books.

His lawyers argued that he has had a change of heart displayed by his work to turn others against gang violence and asked for his death sentence to be commuted to life in prison without parole.

The founder of the notorious Crips gang in Los Angeles who has appealed to youth to avoid gangs has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The prosecutor who secured Williams' conviction in 1981, Robert Martin, said on US television Sunday that the former gang leader did not deserve clemency because he had failed to show remorse for the shotgun murders of four people during two robberies.

"If he does not take responsibility for the four brutal murders that he committed, he can't begin to be rehabilitated, and we can't say that there's a moral equivalency between four brutal murders and co-authoring some children's books," Martin told on "Fox News on Sunday."

"I think society is not going to accept that," he said.

Schwarzenegger said last week that the decision he faced was "very tough".

Decisions on whether to spare convicted killers such as Williams from execution "are very heavy responsibilities," the one-time champion body builder said.

The first-term governor has refused clemency appeals in two other death row cases.

California's highest court last month rejected a request to take a new look at evidence that put Williams on death row.

The defense team for Williams says it has received "tens of thousands" of letters and e-mails contending that Williams' anti-gang message is reaching city streets and juvenile detention facilities.

Dec 11 , 2005

Monday

early Tuesday

Tuesday

two decades

Tuesday

Thursday

Sunday

Monday

Sunday

Sunday

last week

last month


AFP_ENG_19970404.0607

WASHINGTON, April 4 , 1997 (AFP)

Albright meets with three leaders of Serbian opposition

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Friday met with three leaders of the Serbian opposition, in a further US effort to distance itself from Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

"The United States supports the efforts of the Zajedno coalition and the other democratic forces in Serbia to lead Serbia out of the dead end it currently finds itself in and to begin the process of developing a modern European country," State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said.

Burns said the meeting was intended "to underscore the very strong support that the United States gives to democratic change in Serbia."

Albright met with the three members of the opposition Zajedno coalition, Vuk Draskovic, Zoran Djindjic and Vesna Pesic.

It was the first time the leaders had met with State Department officials since recent political turmoil broke out in Serbia.

The high-profile US support also comes at a crucial time when Serbia prepares for key legislative and presidential elections at the end of the year.

April 4 , 1997

Friday

currently

the end of the year


AFP_ENG_20061218.0244

BAGHDAD, Dec 18 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - UPDATES kidnap details, ADDS prison escape ///

Iraqi Red Crescent aid workers suspended work in war-torn Baghdad on Monday after two dozen of their colleagues fell victim to the latest mass kidnap to shock a city plagued by sectarian violence.

At least 14 Iraqis were killed in a string of bombings and shootings as new US Defence Secretary Robert Gates prepared to take office in Washington amid deepening US divisions about how to handle the crisis in Iraq.

A former Iraqi cabinet minister, an Iraqi-US dual national who was jailed for corruption, staged an escape from jail in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone, in a further sign of the rampant chaos engulfing the country.

"We have frozen or stopped temporarily activities in Baghdad, but this is not affecting civilian needs. This was logical because our main staff is still kidnapped," the Iraqi Red Crescent's secretary general Mazen Abdallah said.

"We are the only organisation working in all of Iraq. We don't want to stop," he added, emphasising that the closure applied only to the capital.

In addition to the main branch targeted in the kidnapping, the Iraqi Red Crescent has closed another 40 subsidiary offices in Baghdad, affecting more than 600 staff, a large proportion of them security guards, Abdallah said.

Seventeen of more than 30 men snatched in Sunday's brazen raid by gunmen dressed in police uniforms have been released, including three guards from the nearby Dutch embassy and 10 Red Crescent guards and drivers, Abdallah added.

But 19 Red Crescent staff -- a mixed group of Shiite and Sunni disaster, relief and health workers -- are still missing following what was the second mass abduction to terrorise Baghdad in less than a week.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, part of the same movement, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, and condemned the kidnapping as a breach of international humanitarian law.

Fully aware of the ugly sectarian tensions threatening to rip Iraq apart, Abdallah said he ordered his staff not to reveal their family names while at work, in order not to disclose their religious or ethnic background.

With US experts and politicians increasingly anxious over how to manage the chaos in Iraq, where around 129,000 US troops are fighting insurgents and training local forces, a new defence secretary was to take office.

Gates, a former Central Intelligence Agency director, was to be sworn in at the Pentagon just three days after his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld, blamed for the current mess in Iraq, was given a full honours send-off.

His arrival precedes the announcement of a new policy on Iraq set to be unveiled by US President George W. Bush early next year -- a new strategy that Gates is likely to be involved in shaping.

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

Bush has effectively dismissed a report by the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel of foreign policy luminaries, which recommended wrapping up US combat operations in the country by early 2008.

Meanwhile, the violence continues unchecked.

In Baghdad, five people were killed and 19 wounded Monday when a car bomb exploded in a bustling marketplace in the mixed Shiite-Sunni neighbourhood of Saidiyah, a security source said.

Three other people were killed in separate attacks and Iraq's disgraced former electricity minister Ayham al-Samarrai escaped from a jail under joint Iraqi-US guard in Baghdad, two months after he was jailed for corruption.

Five more civilians were killed in the Baquba area, north of Baghdad, with one attack targeting mourners accompanying bodies to the Shiite south of the capital for burial, police and medical sources said.

In the northern city of Mosul, unidentified gunmen ambushed and shot dead Khayreddin al-Dabbagh, a member of the municipal council, police said.

The US military also announced that two more troops were killed in action, bringing the number of US fatalities in Iraq since the 2003 invasion to 2,946, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.

Dec 18 , 2006

Monday

Sunday

less than a week

three days

early next year

early 2008

Monday

two months


XIN_ENG_20051110.0077

DAMASCUS, Nov. 10 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Iraqi election

Syria and Iraq have singed a memo of understanding to give facilities to Iraqis living in Syria to cast ballots in the Iraqi election due in December, the Tishin newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the memo, 10 voting centers will be established in and around the capital of Damascus to guarantee participation of a large number of Iraqis living there.

"This move comes to assert Syria's desire to make the current political process in Iraq a success, which aims at putting an end to bloody violence that kills innocent civilians and boosting Iraq's stability and unity," the paper quoted a foreign ministry statement as saying.

Director of the Organizations and International Conferences at the Foreign Ministry Faisal Hamwi and Head of Iraqi Custody Service in Damascus Sabah Imam inked the memo, the paper said.

The Iraqi election will be held in mid-December to choose members of the National Assembly.

Nov. 10 , 2005

December

Thursday

current


XIN_ENG_20051113.0069

GAZA, Nov. 13 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Israeli army kills two Palestinian militants

Two Palestinian militants were killed by Israeli forces overnight in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said on Sunday.

Israeli troops shot dead 17-year-old Bilal Ashaar and wounded another Palestinian in the southern Gaza Strip late Thursday, said Moaweya Hasaneen, chief of emergency in the Palestinian Ministry of Public Health.

In a separate incident, Israeli troops shot dead a member of al- Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, armed wing of the dominant Fatah movement, in the northern West Bank city of Jenin early on Sunday.

Israel Radio reported that Shujah al-Balawi, 20, was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops. Two other militants were also wounded in the clash.

Israeli forces have stepped up raids and hunts for Palestinian militants after a deadly suicide bomb attack killed six Israelis last month.

Nov. 13 , 2005

Sunday

late Thursday

Sunday

Shujah al-Balawi, 20

last month


XIN_ENG_20061116.0416

BEIJING, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Health ministry orders inspections for harmful duck eggs

China's Ministry of Health has ordered local health authorities to inspect markets and restaurants, vowing to prosecute those who are still selling or serving red-yolk duck eggs.

The move follows revelations that farmers had been feeding cancer-causing dyes to ducks in order to produce the valued red-yolk eggs.

In an urgent circular to all provinces, regions and China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the ministry said the Sudan range of industrial dyes was banned as a food additive under the national regulation on the use of food additives.

It required local health inspection departments to launch immediate checks on the sales of eggs from Beijing and Hebei Province, where eggs containing the carcinogenic dye have been found.

Anyone who continued serving or selling the eggs must be prosecuted, said the ministry, adding the inspections must be reported to the local governments and the ministry.

Red Sudan dyes are used in the leather and fabric industries. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, assessed Sudan dyes as Group 3 genotoxic carcinogens.

Last year, the ministry reiterated the ban on production, sales and use of Sudan dyes in food, after it was found in some brands of pepper sauce, chili oil and fast food giant KFC's New Orleans roast chicken wings.

It was also found by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency in February 2005 in a batch of chili powder sold by Premier Foods, one of the country's largest food and beverage companies.

Chinese red-yolk salted duck eggs are commonly thought to be more nutritious than yellow-yolk eggs and so are usually more expensive.

An investigation showed farmers in Hebei bought a "red drug" from a trader and used it in duck feed to make the ducks produce red-yolk eggs.

The contamination was first disclosed in a weekly quality report program on China Central Television. The Beijing authorities immediately banned the sales of red-yolk eggs from Hebei and advised consumers to return them.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision has launched nationwide inspections of egg products and poultry meat.

Beijing officials have seized at least 1,159 kilograms of red-yolk eggs, and the eggs have been banned in markets in Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.

Nov. 17 , 2006

Last year

February 2005


XIN_ENG_20061120.0268

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. says Syria should become "positive actor" in Iraq

The United States said on Monday that Syria should become "a positive actor" in Iraq and take actions necessary to help improve the situation in Iraq.

"What we would like to see the Syrians do is to take steps to become a positive actor in Iraq and not to do things that would foment violence or that would help support violence there," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

"And I think the most important thing for the Syrian government is to look to themselves and take the actions that are necessary to help improve the situation in Iraq," Casey said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, who is paying a landmark visit to Iraq, has called for the withdrawal of foreign troops out of Iraq to end the violence in the country.

However, the United States has accused Syria of allowing terrorists to go into Iraq to fight against the U.S.-led coalition troops in the country.

The U.S. military has alleged that up to 100 foreign fighters cross into Iraq from Syria every month.

Nov. 20 , 2006

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061102.0108

MOSCOW, Nov. 2 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Russia to double price of gas to Georgia in 2007: report

Russian gas giant Gazprom plans to hike the price of natural gas supplied to Georgia to 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters next year from the 110 dollars it is paying now, a company source said on Thursday.

The new price was part of proposals sent to the Georgian side from Gazprom, the source was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Gazprom nearly doubled the price of gas supplied to Ukraine at the start of this year, and deals reached this past month would allow Ukraine to import gas from Russia next year at a moderately higher price than this year.

Nov. 2 , 2006

next year

now

Thursday

this year

this past month

next year

this year


XIN_ENG_20051102.0256

CAIRO, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Egypt moves against possible bird flu outbreak

Egyptian authorities have worked hard to spot any sign that the bird flu disease might strike in the Arab world's most populous country, state media reported Wednesday.

Officials from various government ministries met Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive plan for fighting against the bird flu, according to the official MENA news agency.

The ministers of agriculture, environment, civil aviation and transport have agreed to increase bird flu detection sites in Egypt to five, namely, in Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Ismailia and Gharbiya.

They also called for coordination between the various ministries and the World Health Organization and the American Naval Research Unit (NAMRU) to detect any bird flu cases in the country.

A national committee on fighting the bird flu issued a decree urging all fever hospitals across Egypt to heighten preventive measures against the disease.

"Different scenarios were prepared for with a view to handling any possible outbreak of the viral disease," Minister of Health and Population Mohammad Awad Afifi Tag Eddin was quoted by MENA as saying.

The environment ministry had banned the hunt of migratory birds and 1,500 samples of migratory birds had been examined at the NAMRU laboratories for the bird flu but results were negative, Minister of State for the Environment Magid George Ilyas was quoted as saying.

Egyptian authorities have said there was no sign of the bird flu in the country so far, but experts warn that pathways of migratory birds make an outbreak in the Middle East, including Egypt, almost "inevitable."

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20061205.0371

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Dec 5 , 2006, 2006

India face pace barrage in warm-up match

India will have the benefit of playing on one of the best batting pitches in South Africa as they warm up for a Test series against the host nation - but they will also have to deal with another battery of fast bowlers.

The Rest of South Africa team which faces the Indians in a four-day match starting Thursday includes Mornantau Hayward, one of the fastest bowlers in the country, and Morne Morkel, a rising star who has been tipped for Test honours soon, as well as Garnett Kruger, who has been on the fringes of the national squad for the past two seasons.

The Indians go into the warm-up match low on confidence after being beaten 4-0 in a one-day series during which they failed to deal competently with the South African fast bowlers.

Hayward, 29, played in 16 Tests up until 2004. He fell out with the country's administrators early in 2003 when it was revealed, while he was playing in a Test against Pakistan, that he had signed a contract with English county Worcestershire which gave the county first call on his services, ahead of his country.

One of South Africa's more volatile cricketers, Hayward has been in good form for the Warriors franchise team this season and the Indians can expect to deal with plenty of fast, short-pitched bowling from him.

Morkel, 22, is the taller and younger brother of Albie Morkel, who played for South Africa in a Twenty20 international in Johannesburg last Friday.

Whereas Albie Morkel has become known for his big-hitting feats, Morne is an out-and-out fast bowler, who has been one of the most impressive performers in franchise cricket since being promoted to the Titans team midway through the domestic one-day competition this season.

Kruger, 29, toured Australia with the South African team last season without playing in a Test match and has been a consistent wicket-taker at domestic level.

Provided they can weather the first bursts of the fast men, it could be ideal preparation for the tourists, who play the first of three Tests against South Africa in Johannesburg from December 15 to 19.

The pitch at Potchefstroom consistently yields high scores and will be a chance for the Indian batsmen to play themselves into form.

The Indians have been strengthened by the inclusion of experienced batsmen VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly in their Test squad. They will join Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and the currently injured captain Rahul Dravid to form a potentially solid core of batting for the series.

Teams:

Rest of South Africa: Jacques Rudolph (captain), Alviro Petersen, Morne van Wyk, Jean Paul Duminy, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Justin Kemp, Vernon Philander, Paul Adams, Morne Morkel, Garnett Kruger, Mornantau Hayward.

Indians (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), VVS Laxman (vice-captain), Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, VRV Singh, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh.

Dec 5 , 2006

Thursday

the past two seasons

this season

last Friday

this season

last season

December 15


AFP_ENG_19970430.0520

BUJUMBURA, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

Burundian rebels 'killed seminarists': army

Burundian Hutu rebels killed more than 40 people during a raid on a seminary at Buta, in the south of the country, an army spokesman said here Wednesday.

The rebels killed 34 pupils and seven lay members of the seminary in the attack Tuesday, the spokesman told independent Ijambo radio.

Another 34 seminarists were seriously wounded, he said.

The spokesman said the Tutsi-dominated army had killed almost 300 Hutu rebels in Makamba province, in the far south, since the outbreak of fighting in the region on April 4.

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

Tuesday

April 4


AFP_ENG_19970424.0358

VATICAN CITY, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

Further studies may be done on Turin shroud

The findings of official studies by the Roman Catholic Church on the Turin shroud, a strip of cloth traditionally held to have wrapped the body of Christ after his crucifixion, are not definitive, the archbishop of Turin announced here Thursday.

An official commission appointed by the Vatican in 1988 carbon-dated "with a 95-percent reliability rate" the cloth to between 1260 and 1390.

During a press conference about two exhibitions on the shroud which will take place in 1998 and 2000, Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini, the Vatican's official guardian of the shroud, said fresh scientific studies could be carried out.

However, he added, such studies "are not planned for the moment."

The exhibitions will be for exclusively religious ends, the cardinal said, and do not imply the Church had taken a "position on the scientific discussions on the authenticity of this historic, unique and prestigious artifact evoking the death of Christ on the cross."

The 4.4-metre (14.5-foot) by 1.1-metre (3.3-foot) shroud was saved at the last minute on April 12 when a blaze ravaged the chapel in Turin cathedral where it is normally housed. It had been transferred to another part of the cathedral earlier while restoration work was underway in the chapel.

Three sections of one centimetre (0.4 inch) by seven centimetres (2.8 inches) each had been cut from the cloth for the carbon-testing by British, Swiss and US laboratories.

According to another Vatican study of the Shroud by specialist Giulio Ricci, the man who was held in the cloth measured 1.62 metres (five foot four inches).

It is currently being held in a secret location.

The last time the Shroud was shown, in 1978, more than three million pilgrims made the trip to Turin to view it.

A negative imprint on the cloth suggesting a face and body bearing wounds was worshipped to be that of Christ.

First reports of the Shroud go back to the seventh century in Jerusalem. It was transferred to Constantinople where it was put on show every Friday until the 12th century.

The relic disappeared during the fourth Crusades between 1202 and 1204, carried off, according to legend, by crusading knight Geoffroy de Charny, after the fall of Constantinople.

It is believed the current Shroud is not the one that disappeared from Constantinople.

Without taking a stand, the Church nevertheless holds the cloth is valuable for the feeling it produces among the faithful.

"This unique and unsettling image continues to call to all people as a gift made by God to the conscience of all those who want to reflect on the mysteries of God's love," Saldarini said.

He added that while it was "completely understandable to want to know if this shroud really held Jesus after his death, it is necessary to note that the Shroud is not in any way Jesus, but only a sign which speaks to us of what he did for us."

April 24 , 1997

Thursday

the last minute

April 12

currently

Friday

the 12th century


AFP_ENG_20051206.0149

TEHRAN, Dec 6 , 2005

level ///

Schools in the Iranian capital were shut down and the sick or elderly told to lock themselves indoors Tuesday as the city continued to choke on a thick blanket of yellow-brown smog.

Tehran's Air Quality Control Unit said the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) -- a standard measurement incorporating carbon monoxide, dust and other pollutants -- has hovered around the "very unhealthy" level of 160 for several days.

Such alerts are becoming increasing common, with increased traffic causing the sprawling city's air to be deemed unhealthy for at least 100 days of the year. This week the situation is worse due to a total lack of wind.

"But you cannot just blame nature," Elmira Parto, a Tehran pollution official, told AFP. "It is the cars that are the problem."

Many of the two million plus vehicles in the city of 10 million are more than 20 years old and consume cheap subsidised petrol at an alarming rate. Private car ownership has also exploded, with the public transport system failing to provide adequate coverage.

The government has proposed various steps to resolve the problem, such as phasing out the old cars and restricting vehicle use on certain days of the week -- but so far none have been effectively applied.

"There's a huge demand for pain killers and anti-histamines at the moment. People are suffering from chronic headaches, allergies and nose irritation," said Mahsa Vosouqi, a local pharmacist.

Anti-asthmatic inhalers and face masks, manufactured locally and on open sale in most chemists, have also been selling out.

And Tehran's Darabad hospital, which specialises in respiratory ailments, said the number of visiting outpatients has tripled in recent days.

According to a recent study, each resident of Tehran -- now considered one of the world's most polluted cities -- inhales an estimated 7.1 to 9.3 kilograms (15.6 to 20.5 pounds) of dust every year.

Dec 6 , 2005

Tuesday

several

at least 100 days of the year

This week

certain days of the week

recent

now

every year


AFP_ENG_19970415.0335

SINGAPORE, April 15 , 1997 (AFP)

Egyptian PM lands in Singapore under rain (picture)

Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal Ahmed El-Ganzoury arrived here Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Singapore to boost political and economic ties, officials said.

Kamal, who flew here from neighbouring Malaysia where he was on a three-day visit, was received on arrival in rainy weather by his Singaporean counterpart Goh Chok Tong.

A ceremonial welcome for the Egyptian visitor was held under a shelter in front of the Changi airport's VIP complex where he inspected a guard of honour.

Goh will host a dinner for Kamal later Tuesday.

Kamal would on Wednesday attend briefings on Singapore's successful public transport, housing and port development systems and hold talks with President Ong Teng Cheong and former premier Lee Kuan Yew.

On Thursday, he would be briefed on Singapore's pension scheme at the Central Provident Fund office and visit the Trade Development Board before leaving for China on the last leg of his Asian tour.

April 15 , 1997

Tuesday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051102.0298

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

US files WTO case against Turkey over rice sales restrictions

The United States has filed a trade case with the World Trade Organization (WTO) accusing Turkey of imposing unfair restrictions on US rice exports, US Trade Representative Rob Portman announced Wednesday.

"Right now American rice exporters are being unfairly restricted. That's wrong," Portman said in a statement.

The decision to file a case with the WTO came after discussions with Turkey had failed to resolve the dispute, he said.

The trade case contends that Turkey's import licensing system violates global trading rules by imposing significant barriers to the sale of US rice in the country, according to the statement.

The United States said that its rice sales to Turkey had declined by two-thirds since 2003 due to the restrictions with sales of US milled and semi-milled rice falling by 91 percent over this period.

As the first step after a case is filed, consultations are required under WTO rules. If those discussions do not resolve the issue, the dispute can proceed to a hearing before a WTO panel.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

now


XIN_ENG_20061119.0216

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 19 , 2006 (Xinhua)

S. Africa, India international called off due to rain

The first MTN one-day international between South African and Indian cricket teams at the Wanderers in Johannesburg was called off on Sunday due to persistent rain.

About 30,000 people had braved the elements, hoping to see some action. It was overcast in the morning, but rain started falling just before the toss at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), and the covers were brought on.

The main covers came on and off several times during the afternoon because of the rain. At 6.30 p.m. (1630 GMT), it was announced that the match had officially been called off.

The opening match had not been without its problems. Originally scheduled as a day match, the organizers had to change it to a day-night affair because of the Pick'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which took place earlier in the day.

Several major roads in Johannesburg were closed for the cycle race, in which 28,000 cyclists took part, and access to the Wanderers would have been difficult.

The next match is a day-night match at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday afternoon.

Nov. 19 , 2006

Sunday

the afternoon

Wednesday afternoon


AFP_ENG_20051205.0602

BERLIN, Dec 5 , 2005

Fight terror, Rice tells Palestinians

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Monday condemned a suicide bombing in which five Israelis were killed and called on Palestinians to "deal with the terrorist organizations" in their midst.

"This kind of terrorist attack has to be condemned and condemned thoroughly," Rice said aboard the plane bringing her to Berlin, where she began a five-day European tour. "The Palestinian Authority has done so."

"We call upon the Palestinians to fight terror and to begin to deal with the terrorist organisations that are in their midst," she said. "Because clearly they are terrorist organisations who do not intend to be a part of a national consensus, but rather intend to continue to kill innocent people."

She said the blast at a shopping mall in the northern Israeli coastal town of Netanya was the work of "people who wish to arrest the potential progress for peace that Israel and the Palestinians are trying to make."

In Washington, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli noted that responsibility for the attack was was claimed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has its offices in Syria and has been behind all suicide bombings since armed Palestinian factions signed a truce in March.

"So if anybody needed a reminder, this is it, that the Syrian government should take immediate steps to crack down on this group and to inhibit its activities by shutting down Islamic Jihad offices and expelling its personnel," Ereli said.

Dec 5 , 2005

Monday

March


AFP_ENG_19970406.0166

MOSCOW, April 6 , 1997 (AFP)

Two killed by avalanche on road in Caucasus

Two people were killed and two others injured when their car was hit by an avalanche on a main road running through the Russian republic of Northern Ossetia, ITAR-TASS news agency reported Sunday.

Several avalanches have hit the region this weekend following the Spring thaw, local official Boris Degoyev said.

He said traffic has been banned during the day because of the warming temperatures that increase the risk of avalanches.

April 6 , 1997

Sunday

this weekend

the day


WSJ891102-0017
 = 891102
 891102-0017.
 Business Brief -- Coleco Industries Inc.:
@  Ailing Toy Maker Submits
@  Chapter 11 Revamp Plan
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 CLO
 BANKRUPTCIES (BCY)

   Coleco Industries Inc., a once high-flying toy maker whose stock peaked at $65 a share in the early 1980s, filed a Chapter 11 reorganization plan that provides just 1.125 cents a share for common stockholders.

   Under the plan, unsecured creditors, who  are owed about $430 million, would receive about $92 million, or 21 cents for each dollar they  are owed.
In addition, they  will receive stock in the reorganized company, which  will  be named Ranger Industries Inc.
After these payments, about $225,000 will be available for the 20 million common shares outstanding.

   The Avon, Conn., company's stock hit a high in 1983 after it unveiled its Adam home computer, but the product  was plagued with glitches and the company's fortunes plunged.
But Coleco bounced back with the introduction of the Cabbage Patch dolls, whose sales hit $600 million in 1985.
But as the craze died, Coleco failed  to come up with another winner and filed for bankruptcy-law protection in July 1988.

   The plan  was filed jointly with unsecured creditors in federal bankruptcy court in New York and must  be approved by the court.

once

the early 1980s

July 1988


WSJ891026-0136
 = 891026
 891026-0136.
 Kyle Technology Plans Sale
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 KYLE
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
 ROISEBURG, Ore.

   Kyle Technology Corp. said a Seattle investor has signed a letter of intent to buy the company for about $3.1 million, or $1.20 a share.

   The investor, Donald A. Wright, plans to run the company, said a spokesman for Kyle.

   The transaction has been approved by Kyle's board, but requires the approval of the company's shareholders.
Kyle manufactures electronic components.


XIN_ENG_20051111.0263

BERLIN, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

German Stocks end higher

German stocks rose Friday in Frankfurt led by Siemens AG and DaimlerChrysler AG.

The 30-share benchmark DAX Index jumped 1.50 percent to 5090.75 with 29 stocks rising.

Siemens AG rose 0.97 euros to 63.30 euros after the company sold its stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

DaimlerChrysler AG gained 0.69 euros to 42.65 euros after selling part of its holding in Juniper Networks Inc.

The index of medium-sized firms, MDAX, rose 0.79 percent to 6992.74 points.

The index of high-tech stocks, TecDAX, was up 0.77 percent to 581.41 points.

Nov. 11 , 2005

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051113.0223

DOHA, Nov. 13 , 2005 (Xinhua)

China and Russia split golds at weightlifting worlds

China and Russia split the two gold medals on offer as Liu Chunhong and Zarema Kasaeva won the women's 75kg and 69kg category respectively at the World Weightlifting Championships here on Sunday.

European champion Zarema Kasaeva beat Liu Haixia of China to win the women's 69kg category while breaking the world record of the jerk.

Olympic champion Liu Chunhong, shifting from 69kg to 75kg after the Games, confirmed her supremacy as she beat strong challenge from Russian weightlifters to win the gold medal with a world-record-breaking result at 285kg.

European Champion Natalia Zabolotnaya of Russia and her compatriot Svetlana Podobedova challenged Liu from the very beginning of the competition, but the 20-year-old strongwoman showed her calmness to hoist 126kg in the snatch, 4kg less than Podobedova's and jerked 159kg, 4kg more than the Russians.

Both having a total result of 285kg, Liu won the gold medal due to the body weight advantage.

"My right shoulder was injured in the training last month. I just told myself to go all out in competing with Russian girls," Liu said.

"I did not feel nervous when they challenged me, but I did feel the pressure having arrived here. I competed in the National Games in October, and I was tired after that competition. I was afraid that I would not have a good result here,"she added.

Liu also smashed the jerk world records and levelled the world record with a total of 285kg, which was made by Podobedova in her sixth attempt Sunday.

Zabolotnaya, at the same age with Liu, beat the world record of snatch twice, with her last attempt in the snatch reaching 130kg.

Svetlana Podobedova followed Zabolotnaya at 279kg for the bronze.

In the women's 69kg competition, the 17-year-old Kasaeva, who lifted 265kg at European Championships, did not took the lead in the snatch as she hoisted 118kg, 2kg less than the 25-year-old strongwoman Liu Haixia.

Kasaeva pulled herself under her 157kg world record clean and jerk, for a junior and a senior world record in the last attempt, 3kg more than Liu Haixia's final lift, thus claiming the first gold medal with a total result of 275kg for Russia at the worlds.

"I trained quite hard this year, so I succeeded," Zarema Kasaeva said after the match.

Liu Haixia followed Kasaeva with a total result of 274kg for the silver medal, with Olga Kiseleva of Russia, the silver medalist European Championships, finishing third.

"I have done my best, the result was 9kg more than the weight I lifted in the National Games in October," Liu Haixia said.

Liu's coach Ma Wenhui said that they are going to learn from the Russian weightlifters in this category.

"Russian girls will become a huge threat to China in this category in the Bejing Olympics," Ma said.

Nov. 13 , 2005

Sunday

last month

October

Sunday

this year

October


XIN_ENG_20061126.0107

BEIJING, Nov. 26 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China bans entertainment places in residential compounds

Chinese Ministry of Culture on Sunday reiterated regulations on entertainment places, noting that new entertainment places can not be set up in residential compounds or historical buildings.

During the enforcement of regulations on the administration of entertainment places, which took effect in March, several problems have emerged and need to be clarified, an official with the ministry told Xinhua.

Newly-approved entertainment places can not be established in residential compounds, museums, libraries or historical buildings under cultural relics protection, said the official, quoting a guideline recently issued by the ministry on enforcing the regulations.

Such places are also banned in crowded places such as railway stations and airports, or inside or near schools, hospitals and government departments. They can only be set up on the ground floor or the first floor underground.

The guideline also sets minimum coverage of area for new KTVs and dancing places, which is 200 square meters with each compartment of eight square meters.

The establishment of any entertainment places must be known by the public and go through public hearings. Representatives from nearby residential committees or schools, hospitals, government departments and stores of dangerous chemicals should be informed to attend the hearings.

Administrators of entertainment places would be punished if they failed to set up archives for their staff or keep business notes, or they are found to have been involved in illegal activities, noted the official.

Apart from the guideline, in the regulations issued by the State Council, civil servants are prohibited from running or getting involved in the management of entertainment places.

It also bans electronic gaming facilities possessing gamble functions in entertainment places, and the use of pirated audio and video products.

Nov. 26 , 2006

Sunday

March


AFP_ENG_20061224.0073

LAGOS, Dec 24 , 2006, 2006

unconstitutional

Nigerian vice president Atiku Abubakar's new party, the Action Congress (AC), Sunday slammed President Olusegun Obasanjo's declaration that his former deputy's office was now vacant as "unconstititional".

Obasanjo on Saturday declared vacant the office of his embattled deputy after he defected to the rival opposition AC party ahead of the April 2007 elections.

Presidential spokesman Uba Sani told reporters in Abuja Saturday that the decision had been taken in response to Abubakar's defection early last week.

The vice president was expelled from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday after he defected to the AC and was chosen as its presidential candidate for the 2007 elections.

In its reaction on Sunday, the AC described as "unconstitutional, null and void" the declaration that Abubakar's seat had become vacant because he dumped the ruling party.

"Just when we thought this lawless party and its visionless leaders have reached rock bottom in their acts of brigandage, they over-reached themselves by perpetrating the mother of all illegalities," it said in a statement.

Saturday, Abubakar said that he would challenge "this illegality in a competent court of law and I have also begun wide consultation with stakeholders in the nation to halt this sad and regrettable slide to tyranny and lawlessness".

However, the PDP had earlier cited constitutional rules stating that the vice-president must belong to the same party as the president.

The PDP had already suspended Abubakar last September after he was indicted on corruption charges by the country's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Major local newspapers on Sunday, reported on their front pages, Abubakar's sacking and the alleged invasion of his home by security agents who carted away his official cars.

The Sunday Punch newspaper also reported that Abubakar, currently on a two-week vacation in the United States, might be arrested on his return to face corruption charges.

Dec 24 , 2006

now

Saturday

April 2007

Saturday

early last week

Friday

Sunday

Saturday

last September

Sunday

Sunday


AFP_ENG_19970418.0252

HONG KONG, April 18 , 1997 (AFP)

I made contributions to British Tories, says Tung

Hong Kong's future leader Tung Chee-hwa, who hopes to ban political donations from abroad, admitted Friday he had made "modest" contributions in the past to Britain's ruling Conservative Party.

Tung's comments came amid a growing row with the democratic lobby over his plans to tighten human rights law, including banning donations from foreign individuals and political organisations.

He has argued that such a move would prevent outside influence on local politicians.

"As a person I have in the past made modest donations to the Conservative Party, that's well known to everyone," Tung told reporters Friday.

"As a result of that I am particularly sensitive that this should not happen in Hong Kong."

Tung's comments were rounded on by local legislators.

"It looks like a question of 'do as I say, not as I do," said independent legislator Emily Lau.

"Everyone understands that this is a sensitive matter. I think the overriding concern is that we should not make drastic changes... there is no public outcry for such drastic changes."

"He does it and now he wants to ban people from doing it".

"What a laugh," said fellow legislator Christine Loh on hearing the news.

"Why did he give it? In order to influence the British Government?"

At the time of his donations Tung held a British National Overseas passport, which he has since rescinded.

His proposed law changes do not cover political donations from Hong Kong residents to parties overseas.

Tung was granted a Chinese passport by Beijing in January, shortly after he was confirmed as Chief Executive-designate. He will take over as Hong Kong's leader from Governor Chris Patten, a former Conservative MP, on July 1 when China assumes sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain.

April 18 , 1997

Friday

the past

Friday

now

January

July 1


XIN_ENG_20051126.0166

LONDON, Nov. 26 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Arsenal beat Blackburn 3-0

Thierry Henry became the first Gunner to net 100 goals at Highbury when he led Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Blackburn on Saturday.

Arsenal raced to a 1-0 ahead with Cesc Fabregas' shot but Rovers reacted strongly with Craig Bellamy a constant threat.

Henry made it 2-0 just before half-time as Arsenal looked comfortably on top.

Bellamy and David Thompson went close with headers as Rovers refused to give up, before Robin van Persie's stunning late effort wrapped up the points.

Arsenal led after four minutes when Fabregas was left unmarked to curl a low shot into the bottom corner from outside the box.

But any thoughts that this would herald a stroll for Arsenal proved unfounded as Rovers responded positively.

The combination of Shefki Kuqi's physical presence and Morten Gamst Pedersen's deft footwork kept Sol Campbell and Pascal Cygan on their toes.

Rovers' best early chance came when Lucas Neill's long ball bisected Campbell and Kolo Toure, but Bellamy had to stretch just that bit too far and his lob was off target.

In the dying moments of the half Henry created another piece of history, clocking up his Highbury century when he stroked home Pires' through-ball.

Shortly after the restart Kuqi and Steven Reid both went close for Rovers, and Bellamy's header inches wide gave Arsenal another scare.

But just when the home side were starting to worry, substitute Van Persie cut in from the right and produced a sweet shot into the far top corner to settle matters.

Nov. 26 , 2005

Saturday


AFP_ENG_19970417.0042

MANILA, April 17 , 1997 (AFP)

ADB forecasts moderate recovery for battered Asian electronics exports

Global demand for high-technology electronics products should make a moderate recovery in 1997 but the boom years of the early 1990s are unlikely to return, the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Thursday.

The ADB's annual Asian Development Outlook report said the upturn would be good news for Asia, whose export success in the sector helped establish "from virtually nothing" the world's newest economic miracles.

"In the short term, Asia's electronics producers will face a demand upturn following inventory adjustment," it said.

"However, growth is likely to be moderate in the absence of new watershed innovations of the magnitude of the compact-disc player or the PC."

This means the industry "is unlikely to return to its pre-1996 boom years, but with continuing growth in the global economy, demand and supply should come into line with each other and the basis for profitable business should be restored."

"New products like digital video discs may spark a renewed boom and the range of uses of electronic components is continually widening, which will make the industry less dependent on the PC," the report said.

The bank said the slump in world electronics trade last year, particularly the sharp decline in semiconductor prices, took their heaviest toll in Asia.

The "biggest losers" were South Korea, Malaysia, where a third of the world's microprocessor production is tested and packaged, Singapore, which makes 40 percent of the world's disk drives, and Taiwan, which makes eight out of 10 circuit boards and half of all keyboards.

The fall was caused by the interplay of a maturing PC market, a shift toward fewer end-product producers and the fast expansion of production capacity, it said.

The second factor means "many input producers now compete to supply standardized products, rendering the market for inputs subject to instability similar to that of primary commodity markets," it added.

The ADB said the growth of the Internet and the resulting demand for faster processors and network access "will support continuing PC sales, even if there is a decline in new customers."

However, it said Intel Corp.'s launch this year of its MMX chip "may mean the market will be left with large quantities of discounted-price Pentium machines."

April 17 , 1997

the boom years

Thursday

last year

now

this year


AFP_ENG_19970414.0051

SINGAPORE, April 14 , 1997 (AFP)

Top Singapore insurer sets up asset management arm

Singapore's top insurer Great Eastern Life Assurance (GE Life) has set up an asset management arm to handle two billion Singapore dollars (1.4 billion US) in funds, the Straits Times reported Monday.

GE Life chief executive Tan Beng Lee told the newspaper that the new firm, Straits Lion Asset Management, will initially handle GE Life's own funds but would expand its activities later after establishing a track record.

"Subsequently, we would consider the management of third-party funds," Tan said.

The new company is to be 90-percent owned by GE Life and the rest by Straits Trading Co., a sister company under the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. group. Both are listed on the mainboard of the Stock Exchange of Singapore.

The move is part of GE Life's efforts to find better returns from its growing assets amid pressure on the Singapore insurance industry from declining investment income and low interest rates, the newspaper said.

GE Life's funds are currently being managed in-house.

"Straits Lion will provide a more active and focused platform in managing our funds," Tan was quoted as saying.

GE Life, with about 500,000 policyholders in a nation of three million, had an asset base of 9.5 billion dollars in 1996, up from only four billion dollars in 1992.

The report said that under insurance laws, life insurers can invest no more than 35 percent of their assets in equities, 20 percent in property, 20 percent in foreign funds, and the rest in cash and near cash.

April 14 , 1997

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051101.0326

BEIJING, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

CPPCC vice-chairman meets Austrian defence minister

Wang Zhongyu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met here Wednesday with Austrian Defence Minister Gunther Platter.

Platter and his party arrived in Beijing Monday for an official visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

Monday


CNN_20130322_1243

March 22, 2013

Google Keep is a note-taking app with great potential

Before the arrival of Keep, which Google launched this week, there was no default note-taking app for Android. It was a glaring hole, considering that Apple's iPhone has built-in Notes and Reminders apps that can be powered by Siri.

Instead of settling for a bare bones app to fill the void, the search giant took things one step further. Keep isn't simply just a place to bank whatever random half-thoughts come to mind: Users can construct to-do lists, stash photos, and color code your notes -- all in one well-designed and easy-to-use interface.

The second you log anything into your phone, it is also accessible from a PC Web browser via Google Drive. Alternatively, you can save things while working on your computer, and it will instantly appear on your phone, ready for use while on the go.

The design may not be as progressive as the to-do app Clear, but Keep makes up for that in its simplicity and efficiency.

Everything in Keep is presented like a Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) Windows Phone-esque stream of tiles. Swiping left or right will archive those notes you no longer need (but don't want to erase entirely). At the top of the app is a text entry field that serves as your main point of entry for all new notes. And when viewing any specific note, tapping any part of that note (title, body, etc.) will allow you to edit it. The entire experience is frictionless.

That said, it's not going to conquer the world quite yet. Organization options are limited -- color coding is your only choice, and you can't re-order your notes. Sharing with others is mostly limited to email and Google+, and the desktop features are pretty bare bones.

But that's more a function of it being new, rather than poorly thought out. Like most things Google, expect the company to flesh out Keep over time and really turn it into our personal internet junk drawer.

It's easy to foresee the day the when users will be able to send anything from their Web browser or Maps directly to Keep. The prospect of Keep incorporating features of services such as Pinterest or Pocket, or even making it easy to catalog streaming media, could turn it into something big. That should scare Evernote.

Keep is not the reinvention of the wheel in any aspect -- there are a plethora of third-party apps already available for Android. But it is a well-exectuted refinement.

In filling a minor, but important gap in its mobile ecosystem, Google gives the competition one less claim of superiority over Android.

March 22, 2013

this week


AFP_ENG_19970425.0129

COTABATO, Philippines, April 25 , 1997 (AFP)

Philippine government, Moslem rebel truce talks stall

Ceasefire talks between Moslem guerrillas and the Philippine government have stalled here with both sides agreeing to meet again next month, officials said Friday.

The two-day talks which ended Thursday are aimed at forging a truce with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's last remaining major Moslem guerrilla group, to allow negotiations on a political settlement to the civil war to begin.

The two sides scrapped a scheduled news conference Friday after failing to agree on the wording of a joint communique, but agreed to meet again at a Roman Catholic university here on May 13-14 to try to break the impasse.

The MILF, founded in 1978 and which commands around 10,000 guerrillas, wants a ceasefire agreement in place throughout the country's south, known as the Mindanao region, with its forces being allowed to maintain their current positions.

Before any Mindanao-wide truce, the government first wants to put to paper a three-month-old informal truce around the guerrilla stronghold of Buldon, where 4,000 Army units and an equal number of MILF guerrillas are locked in a standoff that has claimed around 60 lives this year.

"We failed to reach further understanding on the positioning of troops in Buldon but we will discuss it further," the chief ceasefire negotiator for the government, Major General Joselin Nazareno, told AFP.

The two sides discussed a "repositioning of forces" in Buldon, "and it was there unfortunately, (that) we failed to reach any agreement."

The rebel panel's legal counsel, Lanang Ali, confirmed the impasse, saying: "We could not agree on the specific (disposition) of our forces in Buldon. We wanted one thing, the (government panel) wanted another thing. Even on compromise, we failed to agree."

As negotiators prepared for this week's talks, an Army spokesman said an MILF unit ambushed a military-escorted crew of a road construction project near the town of Aliosan on Monday, killing one soldier and wounding another.

The attack forced around 2,000 villagers to flee, Captain Noel Detoyato told AFP.

The military deployed a Marine battalion and a "Rapid Deployment Force" of the Army in the area on Wednesday, he added.

The MILF is a splinter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which last year signed a peace treaty with the government to end a 24-year guerrilla campaign aimed at setting up a separate Moslem state in the country's south.

The MILF, which had refused to join the negotiations, was left out in the political settlement, which installed MNLF chief Nur Misuari as the chief overseer of development funds which the government pledged to pour into Mindanao.

President Fidel Ramos' government believes a peace settlement with the MILF would solve rampant crime in Mindanao, perpetrated by rogue guerrilla units who kidnap local businessmen for ransom, and improve the region's attraction as an investment site.

April 25 , 1997

next month

Friday

Thursday

Friday

May 13-14

this year

this week

Monday

Wednesday

last year


XIN_ENG_20061118.0033

LUSAKA, Nov. 18 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Zambian oil refinery plant resumes production after maintenance

Zambia's sole oil refinery plant has resumed its full production after a one-month shutdown for annual routine maintenance, Saturday Post reported.

The local newspaper quoted sources of Indeni refinery plant as saying, "the plant resumed full production this week. Of course this was after the crude oil we were waiting for from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was fully stocked."

Among the products it has begun supplying at the market are diesel, jet fuel, heavy fuel oil, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas and bitumen, said the report.

Last month's shutdown, which was postponed twice, has been without incident. Indeni Managing Director Luis Urbano said the country did not experience any disruption in fuel supplies.

The country experienced a crippling fuel shortage last year when the Zambian-French joint venture in Ndola, capital of Copperbelt province, was shut down for maintenance.

Nov. 18 , 2006

this week

Last month

last year


XIN_ENG_20061111.0187

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 11 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Aid agency airlifts supplies to Ethiopian flood victims

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said here Saturday it airlifted essential supplies to flood-affected communities in Gode Zone of Somali State in response to the recent deadly flash flood in southeastern Ethiopia.

According to a news release from IRC Ethiopia, 18 tons of cooking pots and plates, soap, and blankets were transported to Gode, some 650 km southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, via U.S. military air carrier early on Saturday.

The items will be distributed by the United Nations and other national and international NGOs working on the ground. IRC hopes to send an additional airlift of supplies in the following days.

"Gode Zone is completely cut off by road to the outside world because of the flooding," said IRC Country Director David Murphy.

"We hear reports that there are trucks loaded with emergency relief stranded in the surrounding areas but unable to get through. We're just lucky that we can airlift our emergency relief via the U.S. military."

Sixty-seven people have died and up to 217,000 people have been affected after the Wabe Shebelle river burst its banks after five days of heavy rain. It is not known how many people have been displaced by the latest flash flooding, which occurred ten days ago. It's feared the situation will be further exacerbated with continuing heavy rains.

"This region has already been hit hard. In mid-August, flooding in the same area killed four people and displaced approximately 56, 000," said Murphy. "IRC will do everything it can to support this community."

IRC's emergency intervention is supported by the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

The IRC serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression and violent conflict worldwide through the provision of emergency relief, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance and advocacy.

Nov. 11 , 2006

Saturday

Saturday

five days

ten days ago

mid-August


AFP_ENG_20061222.0139

WELLINGTON, Dec 22 , 2006, 2006

Rain ends Sri Lanka charge in Twenty20

The opening Twenty20 cricket international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka came to an early end here Friday with play abandoned because of rain as the tourists mounted a fiery run charge.

Under the Duckworth-Lewis system, Sri Lanka won by 18 runs after New Zealand made 162 for eight and Sri Lanka were 62 for one after 5.5 overs when the heavy rain forced players from the field.

After a rollicking start by Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum produced 80 runs in seven overs, New Zealand's batting faltered and they added just 82 runs in the remaining 13 overs.

Man-of-the-match Sanath Jayasuriya led Sri Lanka's reply with a near-solo masterpiece, hitting a rapid 51 in 23 balls, including 10 fours and one six, to score all but 11 of Sri Lanka's 62 runs.

New Zealand's opening onslaught came to an end when Farveez Maharoof bowled Fleming for 38 with a slower ball.

Spin twins Muttiah Muralitharan and Jayasuriya applied the pressure and the run rate slowed to a crawl.

Muralitharan was hit for two sixes in his first three balls before McCullum mistimed a slog and was caught by Upul Tharanga at deep midwicket for 39.

James Franklin, sent in as a pinch hitter, was trapped leg before wicket by Jayasuriya for 18, and Ross Taylor went lbw to Muralitharan for 21.

James Marshall lasted four balls and made one run before before being caught by a leaping Chamara Silva at midwicket for Jayasuriya's second wicket.

New Zealand turned to the veteran Nathan Astle to arrest the middle order collapse but he was bowled by Jayasuriya for 19.

With New Zealand finding runs hard to come by and wickets falling regularly, Silva was called on to bowl and he removed debutant wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan for five.

Shane Bond was back in the pavilion soon after, bowled by Chaminda Vaas without scoring.

Jayasuriya finished with figures of four for 21 from four overs, while Muralitharan took two for 27.

The only wicket to fall in Sri Lanka's run chase was that of Tharanga, who was caught by Fleming off the bowling of Bond for six.

The second and final Twenty20 match is at Auckland on December 26 and the first of the five one-day internationals is at Napier on December 28.

Dec 22 , 2006

Friday

December 26

December 28


AFP_ENG_20061219.0256

BISHKEK, Dec 19 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details, quotes, background ///

Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Felix Kulov and the entire government of the Central Asian republic tendered their resignation Tuesday in line with a new constitution that requires formation of a fresh cabinet.

"Today, I tendered my resignation to the president," Kulov said in a national radio interview. "In that way we want to set the conditions for the full-blooded work of the new constitution."

The constitution was signed November 9, significantly reducing the powers of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Under the new basic law, parliament, not the president will appoint the next premier and government.

Kyrgyzstan, an impoverished but strategically located republic that hosts both Russian and US air bases, has been struggling to stabilise since longtime president Askar Akayev was overthrown in a street revolt in March 2005.

The country has been plagued by political unrest, contract killings and organised crime.

In November, opposition demonstrators spent a week camped out in the main square of Bishkek demanding constitutional reform.

After an outbreak of violence, Bakiyev finally gave in, signing the new constitution in what he said was "one more step towards democracy."

The new constitution limits the president's powers to dissolve parliament and also gives the legislature the right to appoint the government.

Kulov has been prime minister since the revolution, but his reappointment is not guaranteed in the deeply divided parliament.

In May 2006, Kulov's government tendered its resignation, but this was not accepted by Bakiyev.

Dec 19 , 2006

Tuesday

Today

November 9

March 2005

November

a week

May 2006