AFP_ENG_19970428.0521

ROME, April 28 , 1997 (AFP)

Italy's local polls a boost for Communists by Alain Jean-Robert

Italy's weekend municipal elections were a shot in the arm for the Refounded Communists, whose support is crucial to the survival of the centre-left coalition which governs the country.

The particularly strong showing by the Refounded Communist party emboldened its leader Fausto Bertinotti to serve notice that it wants a more prominent role in the country's political life.

The Marxist party's performance in the polls, in which one-fifth of the electorate voted in around 1,000 municipalities, made it "unthinkable" to ignore "a political force that is winning support from a growing proportion of the voters," Bertinotti told reporters.

He promptly suggested "a formal government agreement on a programme (of action) between the Refounded Communist and the parties of the current government coalition," which is dominated by the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), itself formerly communist.

The daily La Stampa commented that the Marxists had a "spectacular ability to lead the dance," but warned that their victory "could complicate the task of the government," adding that the ruling coalition would be forced to lean further to the left.

The Corriere Della Sera daily described the situation as a "serious problem" for Prime Minister Romano Prodi and PDS leader Massimo D'Alema.

Undaunted, D'Alema on Monday said he would go ahead with institutional reforms necessary for Italy's membership in the single European currency, despite the Communists' opposition to social spending cuts.

"The government should make its decision in accordance with the general interests of the country and not the Refounded Communists," he said.

The centre-left coalition's dependence on the Communists' support in the lower house was amply demonstrated early this month when their opposition to the deployment of Italian troops in Albania nearly brought down the government.

The big loser in the municipal polls was the Northern League, which has paid for its secessionist aspirations with Milan's city hall, whose mayor was voted out Sunday.

The League's Marco Formentini came in third behind two business leaders, Gabriele Albertini for the right, with 40.2 percent of the vote, and Aldo Fumagalli for the left, who garnered 27.4 percent.

At least Formentini won enough support -- 20 percent -- to swing the second round, scheduled for May 11.

The PDS announced in Rome that talks were taking place between centre- left parties and the communists to reach an accord on presenting a single candidate, with the less well-placed candidate standing down, against centre-right candidates in the second round of elections scheduled to take place on May 11.

Party official Marco Menitti said the logic of the second round was "to enlarge the alliance so as to reach a different result from the first round."

The Northern League's decline became irreversible last September, when party leader Umberto Bossi solemnly proclaimed the independence of Padania, the League's name for the northern region.

The celebration on the banks of the River Po was a fiasco, failing to attract the huge crowds that Bossi had predicted.

In Turin, the hub of Italy's automobile industry, outgoing Olive Tree Mayor Valentino Castellani is hoping for a better showing in the runoff, after being forced into second place by right-wing candidate Raffaele Costa. Costa took around 43.5 percent of the vote to Castellani's 34 percent.

In Trieste, centre-left Mayor Ricardo Illy came in well in front with 38 percent of the vote, but will face one of two centre-right candidates who each took about 21.7 percent in the second round.

Elsewhere, the left won the central cities of Siena and Ravenna outright, as well as the northern town of Belluno.

April 28 , 1997

daily

Monday

early this month

Sunday

May 11

May 11

last September


AFP_ENG_20051216.0115

FRANKFURT, Dec 16 , 2005

DaimlerChrysler to cut thousands more jobs: report

DaimlerChrysler, the German-US auto giant, plans to axe several thousand more jobs on top of the recent job cuts announced at its prestigious Mercedes brand, the regional daily Stuttgarter Zeitung reported on Friday.

DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board was scheduled to examine a working paper drawn up by the management board that entailed big job cuts between 2006 and 2008, the newspaper said, without revealing its sources.

However, a formal decision was not expected to be announced after the meeting, it added.

DaimlerChrysler was not immediately available to comment on the report.

But the car maker recently embarked on a restructuring at its Mercedes division that would entail the loss of 8,500 jobs in Germany over the next 12 months.

Stuttgarter Zeitung said the new job cuts would affect the heavy trucks divsion, which has hitherto been spared any blood-letting.

Dec 16 , 2005

Friday

the next 12 months


XIN_ENG_20061123.0174

BEIJING, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Few Chinese college students remember parents' birthdays: survey

Only one tenth of college students remember their parents' birthdays, while nearly half of them have never done anything to move their father and mother, according to a recent survey conducted in central China's Henan Province.

Two hundred students from four local universities were questioned on a number of issues prior to the Thanksgiving Day, an American festival which is gaining acceptance among Chinese young people.

According to the survey, only 10 percent of the students are capable of writing down their parents' birthdays, 33 percent want to celebrate their birthday with their parents, and 16 percent said they had moved their parents when they presented birthday gifts.

"When I filled out the survey, I suddenly realized how little I had done for my parents," said Yang Bo, a student from the Henan University of Industry.

Like Yang, many students found it very difficult to fill out the form, even though the questions looked simple.

Yang Jie, a girl student from the Henan University of Agriculture, said many students hold a big birthday dinner with their classmates, forgetting to thank their parents on the day. "Everyone's birthday is a day of suffering for their mother, so people should at least call their parents to express their gratitude on that special day," she said.

Most Chinese parents, however, prefer to see their children get a good exam score rather than receive a birthday call. "An excellent school report is better than anything else," said a local woman named Fu, whose son is an 18-year student.

Chinese students, mostly from one-child families, are the focus of the family and are growing up to be careless of others, said Peng Yi, a licensed psychiatrist.

Peng said that, traditionally, Chinese parents never demand anything from their children, and the children believe they deserve everything their parents have done for them.

Nov. 23 , 2006

Thanksgiving Day

the day

that special day


XIN_ENG_20051122.0370

KATHMANDU, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Nepal forwards 100-item list for duty free access to China

Nepal forwarded on Wednesday a list of over 100 items to the Chinese government for the purpose of acquiring duty free market access to China, a Nepali official said here.

The list has been forwarded after China agreed to consider positively on providing zero tariff facility to certain products of Nepali in bilateral ministerial-level meeting held in August this year, said Naindra Prasad Upadhyaya, joint secretary of Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.

"We have identified over 100 products which could help Nepali export volume to rise and to bridge the widening trade deficit in preferential trading regime," Upadhyaya noted.

The list includes all major items which are already enjoying good growth in export and possess further growth potential in the Chinese market, and also the ones which are subjected to higher customs duty by China, said Upadhyaya.

Handicrafts, incense sticks, vegetable ghee, biscuits, noodles, cosmetics, cement, iron rod, paint, refined wheat flour, rice, vegetables, fruits and processed meat are among the major products included in the list.

While handicrafts, vegetable ghee, noodles, wheat flour, vegetables and fruits are among the products whose export volume has been increasing fast in recent years, cement and other construction materials have been included considering their future export potential.

Items such as cosmetics, processed meat and other fast-moving consumer goods are also identified as products which can post robust growth in export if taxes imposed on them are waived off, Upadhyaya said.

Nov. 23 , 2005

Wednesday

August this year

recent years


AFP_ENG_20061217.0269

BAGHDAD, Dec 17 , 2006, 2006

Iraq peace talks end in broad-based proposals

Leaders of Iraq's bitterly divided political parties unveiled a series of reform ideas Sunday after two days of peace talks aimed at ending the bloodshed engulfing the country.

But a conference spokesman told AFP that delegates had managed to make only one practical suggestion amid various declarations of good intent, an apparent sign that the much-hyped event had ended in disappointment.

"The only important practical measure recommended by the conference is paying sizeable pensions to former soldiers," Naseer al-Ani told AFP.

On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki invited some Saddam Hussein-era servicemen to join his armed forces and offered pensions to the others in an olive branch to a community that has filled the ranks of the insurgency.

"Other than that, participants reiterated slogans about national unity and expressed good intentions for reforms that will have to be approved (by government and parliament)," said Ani.

The four committees that compiled the string of recommendations, after two days of talks that Maliki had hoped would isolate insurgents, will now work on implementing their suggestions with government and parliament.

One recommendation would see Iraq reinstate compulsory military service, another suggests independent deputy ministers to be appointed alongside political appointees, and a third wants the Iraqi constitution reviewed.

Yet participants still reaffirmed the principle of articles in the constitution that bans the Baath Party as a political entity.

Tens of thousands of Baathists and Saddam-era military officers were purged from the public service in the aftermath of the March 2003 US-led invasion, with many going on to swell the ranks of groups fighting the new Shiite-led government.

There is now a growing consensus that more junior party members not proven to have supported Saddam-era atrocities or the post-invasion rebellion should be allowed into the political process as a gesture of reconciliation.

The conference marked the first attempt by the coalition government to draw former members of Saddam's army and Baath party into the political process.

But while a small number of former Baathists attended, delegates were disappointed that few representatives of insurgent groups turned up.

Iraq is in the grip of a dirty war between rival Sunni and Shiite factions battling for turf and political power in the chaos that has descended on the country as the government and US military battle Sunni insurgents.

Dec 17 , 2006

Sunday

two days

Saturday

two days

March 2003

now


XIN_ENG_20051113.0231

BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 13 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Colon ends Boca Juniors' winning run

Colon, the Santa Fe team, beat soccer giant Boca Juniors, bringing the team's seven-match winning streak to an end, Argentine media reported on Sunday.

This weekend's results changed the leader board of Argentina's Apertura 2005 tournament dramatically: Boca now finds itself sharing the lead with Gymnasio and Esgrime La Plata, following wins by those two teams. All three have 28 points.

Spanish mid-fielder Ivan Moreno y Fabianesi, a Badajoz native, scored Colon's winning goal in the 82nd minute, beating a Boca Juniors team that had been weakened by a busy schedule of league, and Copa SudAmerica commitments.

Independiete and Velez Sarsfield share second place with 26 points, with five playing days to go in the competition.

Nov. 13 , 2005

Sunday

now

the 82nd minute


XIN_ENG_20061121.0292

NAIROBI, Nov. 21 , 2006 (Xinhua)

UN envoy calls on donors to help flood-hit Somalis

The United Nations envoy for Somalia on Tuesday called on the international community to respond generously to the needs of Somali communities affected by rising flood waters.

In a statement issued in Nairobi, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia Francois Lonseny Fall said during his visit to Baidoa on Monday, Somali leaders expressed concerns that too little relief was being offered to people in dire need.

"It was also clear to me that the extent of flooding is beyond anything seen in Somalia in many years," Fall said in the statement issued after his visit to the flood-hit Horn of African nation.

In the past six weeks, most parts of the country have already received more than 300 percent of their normal rainfall. UN agencies and non-governmental organizations are delivering food relief, shelter materials and other emergency support, but more will be needed.

The UN estimates that about 1.1 million in southern Somalia are already facing a humanitarian emergency and the rainy season will still last several weeks.

Fall flew to Baidoa on Monday to emphasize the need for Somalia 's Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) to remain united.

He sought assurances from President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi that they were committed to the unity of the TFIs and a resumption of dialogues with the Islamic Courts following the postponement of the third round of the Khartoum peace talks early this month.

The UN envoy was accompanied to Baidoa by several representatives from the International Advisory Contact Group for Somalia, which was set up earlier this year to assist the peace process.

Nov. 21 , 2006

Tuesday

Monday

many years

the past six weeks

Monday

this month

this year


XIN_ENG_20051103.0184

BANGKOK, Nov. 3 , 2005 (Xinhua)

2nd ACMECS Summit ends with agreements on expanded regional cooperation

Leaders from five Mekong Delta countries ended a summit meeting Thursday, agreeing on the importance of a joint forward-looking approach in inter-country cooperation to lay a strong foundation for meeting regional needs and achieving regional goals in various areas in the future.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra joined the heads of governments of four other member states of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, in signing the Bangkok Declaration on the agreed cooperation at the end of the Second ACMECS Summit, according to the Thai News Agency.

The agreements include deepening regional cooperation in areas of high priority, collectively addressing regional threats posed by newly-emerging and re-emerging diseases in a timely manner, bringing more advanced technology to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of ACMECS wherever possible and appropriate and taking collective measures to strengthen the five-nation ACMECS grouping.

Areas of high priority include trade, investment, as well as agricultural, industrial, transport and energy cooperation, in which the five member countries have agreed to reduce tariff barriers, further promote cross border trade by all means and jointly study on alternative energy programs and jointly push for regional transport links.

The member states recognized the potential threat to human lives as well as to economic development posed by newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and diseases related to water, hygiene and food quality and the need to enhance regional preparedness for and effectiveness in tackling such threats.

They have agreed to endorse the establishment of public health as a new sector of cooperation under ACMECS, undertake concrete collective measures to prevent a regional pandemic of avian influenza as outlined in the ACMECS Leaders' Declaration on Partnership in Combating Avian Influenza and Other Infectious Diseases.

They also agreed to establish a network of public health agencies to promote information sharing, provide early warning and cooperate on capacity building, identify areas of cooperation and necessary measures to contain trans-border diseases and mitigate their impact.

Thailand has also pledged to contribute 100 million baht (2.5 million US dollars) to a regional fund on combating avian flu and preventing its mutation.

Nov. 3 , 2005

Thursday

the future


AFP_ENG_20061220.0475

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 , 2006, 2006

Bush tells of pain over dead soldiers

US President George W. Bush spoke Wednesday of his heartbreak and pain at the deaths of US soldiers in Iraq, but said the best way to honor their sacrifice was to ensure it was not in vain.

"(The) most painful aspect of my presidency has been knowing that good men and women have died in combat," Bush said during a year-end news conference.

"I read about it every night. I -- my heart breaks for a mother or father or husband and wife or son and daughter," he said gravely.

"I reach out to a lot of the families. I spend time with them. I am always inspired by their spirit.

"Most people have asked me to do one thing, and that is to make sure that their child didn't die in vain. And I agree with that -- that the sacrifice has been worth it. We'll accomplish our objective."

"You know, my heart breaks for them. It just does -- on a regular basis."

His remarks came after a reporter asked whether he lay awake at night second guessing his decisions, as former US president Lyndon Johnson reputedly did, during the Vietnam War.

The US death toll in Iraq has now reached 2,947, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures. In December alone, at least 64 soldiers have been killed.

Bush has been harshly criticized in some quarters for not attending funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, but frequently holds private meetings with families of the fallen.

The president also said he was also at peace with the decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

"I haven't questioned whether or not it was right to take Saddam Hussein out. I mean, I've questioned it -- I've come to the conclusion that it was the right decision.

"It's the right decision for America to stay engaged, and to take the lead, and to deal with these radicals and extremists, and to help support young democracies.

"It's the calling of our time, and I firmly believe it is necessary."

Dec 20 , 2006

Wednesday

every night

December


AFP_ENG_19970425.0415

SEOUL, April 25 , 1997 (AFP)

North Korea's Kim reviews massive military parade to mark army day by Kate Webb

North Korea's uncrowned leader Kim Jong-Il on Friday reviewed a massive military parade in Pyongyang to mark the twin anniversaries of army day and the late leader Kim Il-Sung's birthday.

North Korea's mouthpiece Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the son and heir of Kim Il-Sung reviewed the marchpast from a platform.

"When Supreme Commander of the KPA (Korean People's Army) comrade Kim Jong-Il appeared on the platform a storm of cheers burst forth," KCNA said.

Also present in his first public appearance in some 16 months was Kang Song-San, 66, believed to have been sacked as North Korea's prime minister.

KCNA in its Korean-language service, did not specify Kang's title, however, making it impossible to confirm whether he remained prime minister, the Jiji Press and Kyodo News agencies said.

The KCNA's English service did not mention Kang's name.

Kang, who reportedly suffers from diabets and other health problems, became premier in the diehard Stalinist state in 1992, but was widely believed to have been dismissed as premier when North Korea's official media referred to Hong Song-Nam as acting premier in late February.

Kang's name was absent from a list of members commissioned to prepare for the funeral of the then armed forces minister, Choe Kwang, who died in February.

The Korean-language KCNA report said that sharing the reviewing platform with the junior Kim at the parade were Vice Presidents Ri Jong-Ok, Pak Song-Chol and Kim Yong-Ju as well as Kang and Kim Pyong- Sik, another vice president.

It also said they were accompanied by such military officers as Li Ul- Sol, chief of the secret service, and Cho Myong-Rok, head of the general political bureau of the People's Army, the Jiji and Kyodo agencies said.

Columns of guard units, military academies, worker-peasant red guards and young red guards took part in the march, after Kim Jong-Il had taken a salute from Kim Yong-Chun, chief of the general staff of the KPA, and waved to the parade participants, it said.

Friday is marked in North Korea as the official 65th anniversary of the people's army, which traces its birth to the fight against Japanese occupation before the two Koreas were divided after Japan's defeat in World War II.

Kim Il-Sung, the country's sole leader until he died in 1994, would have been 85 on April 15 .

KCNA said Kim Il-Sung's portrait, escorted by the colors of the three services, preceded the flag of the "Supreme Commander of the armed forces," the only top official post held by his son.

The country's presidency, and the key post of Workers' (Communist) party general secretary, have remained vacant since the elder Kim's death.

KCNA said that the junior Kim went on one of his trademark field trips to a KPA unit on Thursday to congratulate it on the anniversary.

"He noted with great satisfaction that the soldiers (of Unit 969) have grown into invincible combatants able to smash any enemy in one stroke, as taught by the president during his personal visits," it said.

Other mass events marking the twin anniversaries were listed by KCNA as the laying of wreaths at the giant statue of Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang and at the Mount Taesong martyrs cemetery and the unveiling of busts of Korean War heroes.

No mention was made by the agency of the drastic food shortages facing North Korea which have forced it to call on the international community for the third straight year for massive food aid.

April 25 , 1997

Friday

birthday

some 16 months

late February

February

Friday

April 15

Thursday

the anniversary

the third straight year


XIN_ENG_20051101.0139

ANKARA, Nov. 1 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Four killed in armed clash in southeastern Turkey

Two Turkish soldiers and a village guard were killed and four soldiers wounded in a clash between the Turkish security forces and the members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, an official statement said on Tuesday.

One PKK member was also killed in the shootout on Monday night as the security forces realized that the PKK members were trying to infiltrate in Uludere town in Sirnak province, Sirnak governor' s office said.

The PKK has intensified landmine and remote-control bomb attacks in Turkey over the past few months.

At least 200 Turkish soldiers have been reportedly killed in clashes with PKK this year.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since the rebel group took up arms against the government forces for an independent Kurdish state in the mainly Kurdish southeastern area in 1984.

Violence resurged after the group called off a unilateral five- year ceasefire in 2004.

Nov. 1 , 2005

Tuesday

Monday night

the past few months

this year

year


AFP_ENG_20061229.0474

PARIS, Dec 30 , 2006, 2006

Saddam hung despite global condemnation of capital punishment

From Sao Paulo to London to New Delhi, governments worldwide have spoken out against the execution of Saddam Hussein, with the Vatican too lending a voice of moral authority to the anti-capital punishment camp.

"We don't think a crime should be avenged by another crime," Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, who heads the Vatican's Justice and Peace department, said this week.

Even Britain, whose Prime Minister Tony Blair has been a staunch US ally since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, reiterated its opposition to capital punishment while saying the decision to execute Saddam rested with Baghdad.

"We are opposed to the death penalty as a matter of principle but the decision is one for the Iraqi authorities" a foreign office spokesman told AFP.

That position was much in line with Washington's own, however.

Asked whether the US government had a hand in deciding when Saddam was to be hanged, a White House spokesman said last week that that "was a matter for the Iraqi people, and we are observers to that process. They are a sovereign government."

Braving the US stand of non-interference, defence lawyers for the convicted former Iraqi chief made a last-ditch bid on Friday and asked a US judge to stop the US military from handing over Saddam to Iraqi authorities for execution.

Hours before Saddam was taken to the gallows, the US Justice Department said the attorneys had filed a request for an immediate "temporary stay of execution", arguing that as a prisoner of war, he deserved protection under the Geneva Conventions.

A US federal judge rejected the request, CBS news reported.

Italy meanwhile, echoing strong opposition to the execution in European Union countries, issued yet another plea for generosity.

"No fault can determine one man to be the bearer of death to another," said Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

"This is a principle that unites all civilisations and all religions. And it is the only principle that can allow the building of solid and lasting peace," he said.

"I issue a final and sad plea for wisdom and magnanimity to prevail", he said, according the ANSA news agency.

Brazil and Chile, both opposed to the US-led war in Iraq, agreed.

Santiago argued against carrying out the hanging after the sentence was confirmed. "The application of the death penalty in such a swift manner is contrary to our principles," a junior minister said Friday.

Brazil added in an official statement that it "does not believe the execution of the sentence contributes to the pacification of Iraq."

In the United States, two major newspapers also wondered what impact the execution of Saddam would have on Iraq and the world.

The New York Times took a critical tone, warning that hanging the deposed Iraqi leader would not solve Iraq's ills. "Toppling Saddam Hussein did not automatically create a new and better Iraq. Executing him won't either."

The Washington Post was more circumspect, saying that the execution came on the heels of an "imperfect" trial for Saddam.

"For those who oppose the death penalty, as we do, any execution is regrettable -- and this one, should it come to pass, will follow highly imperfect judicial proceedings and may, in the short term, inflame sectarian divisions," the daily said.

Not unexpectedly, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was far harsher, calling Saddam's execution illegal and he was still a prisoner of war.

"The court which tried him is illegal. Iraq is an occupied country. It is the American and British forces (in Iraq) that judged him and, in this case, decided to execute him, and they bear the responsibility," Kadhafi said Friday.

Although the condemned man himself has said he would go to the gallows as a potential "martyr", India, which enjoyed close ties with Iraq, too appealed for leniency for Saddam this week.

"India hopes the death sentence against... Saddam Hussein will not be carried out," a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying.

In a letter penned in his cell and released Wednesday, the 69-year-old former leader convicted for crimes against humanity wrote: "I sacrifice myself. If God wills it, he will place me among the true men and martyrs.

Dec 30 , 2006

this week

last week

Friday

Friday

the short term

Friday

this week

Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20051114.0329

AMMAN, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Rice visits Jordan to back anti-terror campaign

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived here Monday evening to show support to Jordan's anti- terror campaign following last Wednesday's deadly suicide bombings in the Jordanian capital.

"There is no justification for the wanton killing of innocents and we stand in solidarity with the people of Jordan," Rice told reporters during a visit to Radisson SAS hotel, one of three attacked hotels, where at least 20 people were killed.

"We will all stand until terrorism is defeated and until those who simply want to live a normal life and to live in peace can return to the days when this sort of tragedy, this sort of outrage does not happen," she added.

Meanwhile, Jordan's state-run Petra news agency reported that King Abdullah II reaffirmed in his meeting with Rice that the bombings will not "dissuade Jordan from its active role in supporting peace and security to prevail in the region."

"Terrorism does not only target Jordan, but the whole international community and this requires efforts of all to fight it," Abdullah was quoted as saying.

Rice also discussed the Mideast peace process with the king and briefed him on talks she held earlier in the day with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, the report said.

Rice flew into Amman from Jerusalem.

Al-Qaida branch in Iraq claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings on three Amman hotels, which killed 57 people and wounded over 100.

Nov. 14 , 2005

Monday evening

last Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970416.0040

NEW DELHI, April 16 , 1997 (AFP)

Indian FM stunned by Mecca fire, sends sympathy to Pakistan, Bangladesh

India's Foreign Minister Inder Kumar Gujral expressed grief here Wednesday after an inferno near Mecca killed 217 Moslem pilgrims, including an estimated 100 Indians.

Gujral told AFP: "It's a tragedy, it's very. very sad. So many lives have been lost.

"These were humans. It's not just Indians. There were people from Pakistan and Bangladesh. I share their grief."

A spokesman from the Indian foreign ministry here said earlier: "We have no means of knowing accurately how many Indians have died.

"We fear the number will be slightly below 100. That is what we suspect."

The Saudi authorities Wednesday increased the overall toll from the blaze in Mina, near Mecca, to 217. Another 1,290 people were injured, many seriously.

The inferno was sparked by a gas cooking bottle. Thousands of tents in camps housing pilgrims from Pakistan, India, Jordan and Palestine were burnt down.

Gujral said around 60 Indian doctors working in the region had been alerted while India's junior home minister, Maqbool Dhar, was already on the spot to supervise assistance.

"We have set up a control office here and in Jeddah to co-ordinate the operation -- I hope we can provide some help."

The foreign ministry spokesman, however, added: "We will have to wait for the pilgrims to return to Mecca from Arafat to know exactly how many are missing ... it is not an easy job."

Earlier, the Press Trust of India (PTI), quoting India's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, estimated the Indian dead at around 100. He said another 37 Indians had been hospitalised.

Ambassador M.H. Ansari said: "We are in a crisis situation."

Around 4,000 Indian pilgrims were housed in a camp near the site of the tragedy. The foreign ministry spokesman said there had been 80,000 Indians among the two million pilgrims.

A prominent Indian Moslem cleric, meanwhile, said it was "highly regrettable" that there had not been better safety measures and called for a ban of cooking inside Hajj pilgrim camps.

"When a fire starts in the tents housing the pilgrims, it tends to spread very fast because of strong winds," said Mohammed Mouzzam Ahmed of the Fatehpuri mosque, one of India's biggest Islamic shrines.

"While the Saudi authorities make excellent arrangements, their fire- fighting measures are somewhat lacking. This is highly regrettable.

"There should be a centralised cooking system, and that place should be heavily protected against fires."

India's population of 950 million is made up of a majority of Hindus, but includes around 120 million Moslems.

April 16 , 1997

Wednesday

Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20051111.0297

HAVANA, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Trinidad, Bahrain play World Cup play-off on Saturday

Trinidad and Tobago will play the first leg of the two-match play-offs against Bahrain for a place in the 2006 German World Cup, in Port of Spain, capital of the Caribbean island nation, local media said on Friday.

Trinidad wants to achieve its first ever World Cup apperance, with the help of stars from the British football league Dwight Yorke, formerly of Manchester United, and Russell Latapy.

The team has won three of the last four matches, boosted by new coach Leo Beenhakker of the Netherlands, who was hired after the Caribbeans suffered a painful 5-1 defeat at the hands of Guatemala.

"This is our biggest ever effort to qualify for the World Cup yet and we are going to grab it with both hands," said Trinidad's sports minister.

Bahrain, managed by Luka Peruzovic, was in the third place in the Asian region finals. Among its star players are Hussain Ali and Mohammed Hubail, from the Qatari league, rated the strongest in its region.

Nov. 11 , 2005

Friday

last


XIN_ENG_20061121.0192

BEIJING, Nov. 21 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China to double land use fees on construction sites

The Chinese government is to double the land use fees on new sites for construction from January 1, 2007.

The Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Land and Resources and the People's Bank of China have issued a notice adjusting the land use fees.

The notice requires 30 percent of the collected land use fees to be handed over to the central revenue, while 70 percent is to be retained by the provincial-level government.

The notice said both are to be used specifically for the development of cultivated land.

Pan Ming, of the Ministry of Land and Resources, said the new standards would have a positive impact on the protection and development of cultivated land.

The country had made great efforts to stop excessive use of land for construction and industrial projects, checking violations of laws and regulations in land requisitions, and banning the illegal requisition of farmland.

The current land use fees were set in 1999 and have 15 classes with the highest class at 70 yuan (8.75 U.S. dollars) per square meter and the lowest at five yuan.

Pan said the current standards failed to match actual earnings on the land use and had failed to discourage the blind expansion of land use for construction.

Collected land use fees in 2005 were only 21.45 billion yuan, compared with 76.3 billion yuan of net earnings on newly added land for construction.

The notice said the supervision of the collection of land use fees would be strengthened.

Nov. 21 , 2006

January 1, 2007


AFP_ENG_20061228.0183

ANKARA, Dec 28 , 2006, 2006

minister

Turkey's 4.0-percent inflation target for 2007 remains within reach despite the government's failure to rein in price increases this year, Economy Minister Ali Babacan said on Thursday.

"We believe the 4.0 percent target for 2007 is achievable," Babacan told a news conference, pledging that Ankara would stick to tight fiscal policies under an IMF-sponsored economic program.

Annual inflation in consumer prices stood at 9.86 percent in November, almost double the official target of 5.0 percent for the year-end.

Inflation in Turkey has been rising since the beginning of the year, pushed up by higher oil prices and a depreciation of the Turkish lira triggered by domestic political tensions and global capital flight from emerging markets.

Far-reaching IMF-backed reforms aiming to heal the scars of a severe economic crisis in 2001 have helped Ankara beat its inflation targets over the past three years, bringing the rate from 29.7 percent in 2002 to 7.7 percent in 2005.

Babacan dismissed concerns that the government would sacrifice fiscal discipline for populist policies ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year.

"Fiscal discipline will be maintained in 2007 with determination and with no concessions," he said.

The government, he said, will maintain its 6.5 percent target for the primary budget surplus, or surplus excluding debt repayments -- a key IMF condition.

Fighting inflation is a key element in a three-year economic stability program Turkey is implementing with the support of a 10-billion-dollar IMF loan.

Dec 28 , 2006

this year

Thursday

November

the year

the past three years

next year


AFP_ENG_20061221.0460

MOSCOW, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

prisoners

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders on Thursday called on Turkmenistan to free journalists and political prisoners from the country's jails after the death of president Saparmurat Niyazov.

The authoritarian Turkmen president's death "revives the hope of a liberalization of the country", Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a statement.

"RSF calls on Turkmen transitional authorities to free journalists and political prisoners without delay."

In its 2006 world press freedom rankings, RSF placed Turkmenistan in 167th place out of 168, just behind North Korea.

Dec 21 , 2006

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20051207.0096

CANNES, France, Dec 7 , 2005

ATTENTION - ADDS details ///

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was due to tour a hi-tech satellite facility Wednesday as he wraps up a four-day visit to France, during which he has secured a huge Airbus plane deal and stressed his country's nuclear energy ambitions.

The focus of his trip has been clearly strategic business-making, shown by his involvement in a contract Monday to purchase 150 mid-range Airbus planes worth nearly an estimated 10 billion dollars (8.3 billion euros).

On Tuesday, he inspected a site in southern France that is to host a future experimental nuclear reactor which China is participating in.

On Wednesday, he was to tour a satellite facility in Cannes, on the French Riviera, belonging to Alcatel. One of several deals he signed Monday in Paris was for the French firm to make a Chinasat 6B telecommunications satellite.

Wen was to continue his European tour by flying to Slovakia later Wednesday before he heads to the Czech Republic and Portugal.

The biggest announcement by far during his stay in France was the Airbus order for jets from its single-aisle A320 family -- the largest contract ever received by the European plane-maker, which is fighting US rival Boeing for Chinese market share.

In an indication of the deal's importance, Wen began his trip by visiting the headquarters of the European plane-maker in France's southwestern city of Toulouse on Sunday.

There, he highlighted China's goal to master its own economic development by having a memorandum signed that commits Airbus to exploring the feasibility of building an aircraft assembly plant in China.

With Western companies seriously courting China -- which boasts a burgeoning economy and a population of 1.3 billion people -- Wen and his government are ensuring that any big deals come with strings attached, namely the transfer of knowhow and technology so China can be a heavy manufacturing powerhouse of the future.

Experts say the transfer of technology is often a clincher in negotiations.

That interest in technology was also at the forefront of Wen's visit to the site of the planned International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France.

"The energy issue elicits great attention in the whole world, and the ITER site also attracts great attention in the world," Wen said at Cadarache, north of Marseille.

Nuclear energy is seen as a key component behind China's economic expansion, filling a demand created by the multiplication of Chinese industries.

Although ITER is a joint research project by the European Union, Japan, the United States, China, Russia, South Korea and India and will not be operational for another decade, Beijing is seeking to extend its current nuclear energy programme.

To that end, Wen told his French hosts Tuesday that more effort was needed if they wanted to win an eight-billion-dollar (6.8-billion-euro) tender to construct four third-generation nuclear energy reactors in China.

"China hopes that France will offer more attractive conditions on technology transfer as well as price so that Franco-Chinese cooperation in this field can develop," he said just before visiting the ITER site.

French company Areva is vying for that contract but faces stiff competition from Westinghouse of the United States and Russia's AtomStroyExport.

Dec 7 , 2005

Wednesday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Monday

Wednesday

Sunday

another decade

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051107.0244

MOSCOW, Nov. 7 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Russian communists commemorate anniversary of 1917 Revolution

Over 10,000 members and supporters of the Russian Communist Party Monday held rally in downtown Moscow to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the 1917 Revolution.

Earlier in the day, the Communists brandishing red flags of the party and slogans scroll marched across the central streets in the capital of Russia.

The slogans that were carried by the communist-demonstrators read "A National Status to the Great October Holiday!", "Lenin! October! Socialism!" "November 7 was, is and will be the Holiday of People!", "State Television for the People and not for Bureaucracy!".

According to the Russian media, the rallies and demonstrations organized by the Russian communists and the left parties were also held on Monday in other regions and cities, such as St. Petersburg, Krasnojarsk, Ulyanovsk, Kurgan, Kirov and Tula.

Today -- a former holiday marking "the October Revolution" -- has become an official working day for the first time in decades, according to a presidential decree.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on July 21 canceling the Nov. 7 holiday and replacing it with the Day of People's Unity, a Nov. 4 celebration of the end of Polish intervention in 1612.

Before 1991, Nov. 7 was a major holiday in Soviet Union. From 1991 to 1996 the Russian authorities no longer celebrated the day, but which still remain a holiday. In 1996, Nov. 7 was renamed the Day of Reconciliation and Accord in accordance with a presidential decree.

On Monday morning, over 3,000 people, including 500 veterans, 500 soldiers and cadets, also marched on Red Square to mark the anniversary of a parade of thousands of 8,000 Soviet troops heading off to the front in 1941, when the German invaders were just a few dozen kilometers from Moscow.

About 3,400 local policemen were engaged in safeguarding security and social order. No riot or unrest have been reported on the day.

Nov. 7 , 2005

Monday

October Holiday

October

November 7

Monday

decades

July 21

Nov. 7 holiday

Nov. 4

Nov. 7

Nov. 7

Monday morning

the day


XIN_ENG_20051130.0011

DHAKA, Nov. 30 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Bangladesh to cut double taxation with 14 more countries

Bangladesh is going to sign agreements with 14 more countries in a row for withdrawal of double taxation to boost trade and investment in the country and abroad.

As part of a move towards clearing the way for enhanced business, Bangladesh already has struck agreements with 23 countries, local daily The Bangladesh Observer reported on Wednesday.

According to the daily, the countries now under process of signing the deal are Norway, the United States, Indonesia, Mauritius, Qatar, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Russia, Nepal, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Africa and Morocco.

Formalities for the accord with Norway, the United States and Indonesia have completed on Bangladesh's part. As soon as the governments of these countries endorse the agreement in their parliament, Bangladesh will be able to avoid double taxation with these countries in doing business at lesser costs.

Meanwhile, officials said, the agreements that were signed with Mauritius and Qatar are awaiting approval from the cabinet body of Bangladesh. The deals with Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are under vetting for further checkup from the law ministry.

The second-round talks with Russia and Nepal completed and were being sent to the cabinet while the second round of talks with Iran is underway.

Besides, preliminary talks with Uzbekistan, South Africa and Morocco have already finished and further negotiations are ahead.

The daily quoted Jahir Muhammad, member of the National Board of Revenue, as saying that in the first quarter of the next year they are expecting to start the process of signing agreement with one or two countries. Spain may be one of them as they already showed their interest in signing a deal with Bangladesh to withdraw double taxation.

Nov. 30 , 2005

Wednesday

now

the first quarter of the next year


XIN_ENG_20051117.0274

CAIRO, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

parliamentary polls

Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Muslim Brotherhood, a powerful opposition group, have showed their political strength as the first phase of Egypt's parliamentary elections ended.

After the first round of voting held last Wednesday and Tuesday 's run-offs, the NDP won a total of 112 seats out of 164, up for grab in the first phase of the three-stage legislative polls, according to the latest results announced by elections officials Thursday.

The number included some 30 NDP renegades, who failed to appear on the party-sanctioned candidates list and ran as independents, but rejoined the party before the final results came out.

The Muslim Brotherhood took 34 seats, while other opposition parties and groups won just five seats. The remaining 13 seats went to independents.

"Results of the first phase of the parliamentary elections are quite interesting," Hassan Nafi'a, an Egyptian political analyst, said, adding "there are some surprising things but they are not too far beyond expectation."

"The NDP confirmed its grip to power and the Muslim Brotherhood showed its strength," he said, "meanwhile, the so-called secular opposition groups fared rather poorly."

Egypt's traditional opposition parties, including the newly- formed National United Front for Change and the Al Ghad party, are both losing their ground after failing to score major wins.

The NDP, the largest political party in Egypt, holds 404 seats in the outgoing 454-member People's Assembly. Its dominance in the legislative polls is widely expected given to its highly organized party machine and vast resources at its disposal.

The party has been implementing an internal restructuring plan in the past years, making itself appear to be more like a modern ruling political party.

Campaigning under the slogan "new thinking, across into the future," the NDP promises comprehensive political and economic reforms in the coming years.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's de facto largest opposition group, has also achieved some major gains in the first phase of the parliamentary elections.

With two other phases of elections yet to open, the group has already doubled its representation of 17 seats in the outgoing 454- member People's Assembly.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, was outlawed as Egypt' s constitution banned political parties based on religion, but the group renounced violence decades ago and has been largely tolerated by the government.

The first phase of Egypt's three-stage parliamentary election kicked off last Wednesday in 82 constituencies across eight governorates, including Cairo.

The second and third stages will be held on Nov. 20 and Dec. 1 respectively. Any run-offs, if necessary, will be held six days after each round of voting.

"The first phase of the parliamentary elections only confirms perceptions of many Egypt's politics will be increasingly polarized by the competition between the ruling party and its strong Islamist challenger," Nafi'a analyzed.

"Small fish have to fight hard for survival," he added, referring to traditional and small opposition parties.

Nov. 17 , 2005

last Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

the past years

the future

the coming years

the outgoing

decades ago

last Wednesday

Nov. 20

Dec. 1 respectively

six days


AFP_ENG_19970407.0311

BERLIN, April 7 , 1997 (AFP)

German writer Stephan Hermlin dies aged 81

The controversial German writer Stefan Hermlin died overnight in Berlin at the age of 81, his publisher announced Monday.

Hermlin was one of the leading figures of official Communist literature in the former East Germany, and was awarded the National Prize several times by the state.

He was a Communist militant from his youth, and was active in the struggle against fascism. He also spoke out for East German dissidents like singer and writer Wolf Biermann.

In 1937, Hermlin emigrated to Palestine, then moved to France in 1940 before moving to Switzerland in 1943.

April 7 , 1997

Monday


AFP_ENG_19970421.0505

BONN, April 21 , 1997 (AFP)

Germany: 109 fires in asylum-seekers' homes in 1996

A total of 109 fires broke out in asylum-seekers' homes in Germany last year, killing 12 people and injuring 107, the German government announced Monday.

Some fires were deliberately set while others were started accidentally, caused by dropped cigarettes or faulty wiring, the government told the lower house of parliament. The interior ministry did not detail how many were of criminal origin.

The issue of fires that target asylum seekers or other foreigners is emotive in Germany where in 1992 and 1993 fires killed eight women and young girls. The fires were believed to have been started by xenophobes.

In March, a deliberately set fire killed three people of Turkish origin at Krefeld in eastern Germany. The father of the family was charged with starting the fire after his wife said she wanted a divorce.

April 21 , 1997

last year

Monday

March


AFP_ENG_20061219.0477

NAIROBI, Dec 19 , 2006, 2006

repetition ///

Kenyan athletics officials Tuesday allayed fears by foreign athletes over the risk of contracting malaria during next year's World cross country championships in Mombasa.

Britian's former European title holder Jon Brown said he had cancelled plans to run in the March 24 championships because the Kenyan venue is located in a region prone to malaria outbreaks.

But Athletics Kenya (AK) spokesman Peter Angwenyi said precautions had been taken to ensure the hotels where the athletes will be sleeping were free from malaria-carrying parasites.

"There is no cause of alarm," said Angwenyi told AFP. "Our medical authorities are working in conjunction with the IAAF medical commission to ensure the health of all the competitors will be safeguarded. This includes making sure that Mombasa is a complete malaria-free zone," he added.

"Mombasa is a top tourist destination. We cannot accept to take the athletes to a place where their health will be at a risk. In fact the month of March is a very hot season when there are no mosquitoes," he said.

Malaria is one of the country's top killer diseases.

Dec 19 , 2006

next year

March 24

the month

March


XIN_ENG_20061110.0137

HARARE, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Home-based care reduces HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's National AIDS Council ( NAC) has attributed the decline in the AIDS prevalence rate to various projects such as the home-based care system which deals with people living with the HIV/AIDS virus, local media reported on Friday.

The Zimbabwe Independent quoted NAC board chairman Murombedzi Kuchera as saying that the awareness campaigns being carried out by various stakeholders nationwide were helping reduce the prevalence rate.

The prevalence rate for the HIV virus is now down at 18.1 percent from the previous 20.1 percent, while projections point to a reduction to a single digit rate by 2010, he said.

"Home-based care is one of the very important strategies in national efforts to address challenges faced by AIDS victims at home," he said.

Zimbabwe has over 300,000 people who require anti-retroviral drugs, but only 42,000 of them are receiving treatment. The remainder have to be catered for through home-based care initiatives.

The NAC said it was receiving 250,000 US dollars for anti- retroviral drugs every month from the central bank to cater for those who cannot survive without the drugs.

Nov. 10 , 2006

Friday

now

every month


AFP_ENG_19970402.0678

BEIJING, April 3 , 1997 (AFP)

Xinhua denies dead journmalist wanted to defect

China's official Xinhua news agency on Thursday denied that its former Washington bureau chief had killed himself after plans to defect were found out.

"I read the New York Times article about the death of Wei Guoqiang. Their story is ridiculous and baseless," Chen Boliang the head of the agency's foreign affairs department said.

"It could even be said that it is totally made up," he added.

The US newspaper said Wednesday that Wei, 47, had been recalled to Beijing in late March after a colleagues in Washington discovered that he was preparing to ask for political asylum for himself, his wife and his 17-year-old daughter.

Chinese journalists and diplomats are not allowed to leave the country with their children, although sources here say that rule may soon be changed.

Chen conceded that Wei had commited suicide but insisted the death had "nothing to do with poltics."

"He had come back to Beijing before going on to a new post in Singapore," he said. "He was preparing the paperwork for the move, following the course of an absolutely standard transfer.

"Sadly he killed himself at home in the meantime."

The New York Times said Wei had been under close watch at home, but was left briefly alone over the weekend. He then chose that moment to hang himself in the bathroom of his apartment, a colleague was quoted as saying.

Wei held degrees from Beijing's Foreign Languages University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A specialist in US affairs, he was appointed Washington bureau chief in early 1996, during an especially stormy period in Sino-American relations.

April 3 , 1997

Thursday

Wednesday

late March

the weekend

early 1996


XIN_ENG_20061113.0033

BEIJING, Nov. 13 , 2006 (Xinhua)

copying

Unauthorized copies of foreign textbooks have been banned from Chinese universities in a move to protect intellectual property rights (IPR).

A Ministry of Education circular has instructed universities to conduct thorough checks for unauthorized foreign textbook copies and to stop IPR violations by the end of this year.

The circular came amid one of the government's moves to wipe out the country's rampant illegal copying of music, films and publications.

Chinese universities have witnessed a growing demand for quality foreign textbooks as the country's education undergoes reforms to embrace globalization and face competition from overseas.

Original copies and authorized editions are too expensive for many college students and photocopying is the only way acquire foreign textbooks recommended by teachers.

The circular bans publishing houses affiliated to Chinese schools from publishing domestic editions of foreign textbooks without the permission of the foreign publisher.

"School leaders will be penalized if illegal copies of foreign books are found in Chinese schools," the circular warns.

It also stipulates that the selection of foreign textbooks should be recommended by teaching faculties and subject to the examination of school administrations.

The New Oriental School (NOS), the biggest private English teaching network in China, was sued by U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) for publishing and selling ETS's test materials in 2001.

The Higher People's Court of Beijing ordered the NOS pay 450,000 U.S. dollars to ETS in compensation in 2005.

Nov. 13 , 2006

the end of this year


XIN_ENG_20061111.0084

GAZA/RAMALLAH, Nov. 11 , 2006 (Xinhua)

decease

The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip marked on Saturday two-year anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's decease.

A ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Abbas, ministers of the Hamas-led government and faction leaders was held on Saturday morning in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Palestinian official television and radio broadcasted the mourning ceremony lively.

"If Yasser Arafat was present, the Palestinian scene would never have witnessed feuds and disagreements," said Ahmed Abdel Rahman, former advisor of Arafat and the spokesman of Fatah movement which is now led by Arafat's successor Mahmoud Abbas.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator who accompanied Arafat after the latter signed Oslo peace accords in 1993, also delivered speech at the ceremony, saying that "the deteriorating condition of the Palestinian cause on Arab and international levels along with Israeli daily offensives are killing Arafat in his grave."

Apart from the West Bank, the poor enclave Gaza Strip which is under Israeli siege also witnessed the commemorating activities for their historic leader.

The posters with Arafat's pictures on it were posted all over the Gaza streets, including the street where the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) locates.

A huge Arafat picture with a word "My dreams won't be achieved without Jerusalem" was hung in front of the PLC building.

The Palestinians yearn for their late historic and symbolic leader today much more than ever before, especially after they experienced a cluster of changes and blows.

Palestinians faced formidable difficulties after the decease of Arafat, who used to lead the Palestinians out of crisis.

Two months after Arafat's death, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) defeated Arafat's Fatah movement and won the legislative elections in January and thus given the mandate to replace Fatah to form the current Hamas-led government.

Deviating from Arafat's steps, Hamas rejected former peace deals signed by Arafat and refused to recognize Israel.

Hamas' refusal to the international demands pushed the fledging government and the Palestinians into dual plights of economy and politics immediately after its coming to power.

Israel and the international donors cut off the direct aid to the Palestinian government led by Hamas, which was subsequently unable to pay its 160,000 civil servants for months.

Furthermore, Israel restored its military operation in the Gaza Strip on June 28, three days after three Palestinian militant groups, headed by a Hamas armed wing, abducted Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid on an Israeli post in southern Gaza Strip.

The operation that caused huge Palestinian civilian casualties continued so far as the abducted soldier has been held hostage since this June.

International siege and Israeli offensives after the death of Arafat undoubtedly deteriorated the life conditions of the already poor Palestinian people, who began to be aware of the significance of Arafat.

In the most Palestinians' mind, Arafat is a great leader with wisdom and political skills.

They said that both Arafat and Hamas were besieged by Israel, especially the former who had been besieged for three years, but the Palestinians were never in such a crisis like that of today under the leadership of Arafat.

Arafat was besieged by Israeli army in his compound in West Bank city of Ramallah in 2002 following his refusal to Israel's demands and his adherence to the Palestinian principles, in particular the Palestinians' claim to Jerusalem.

He died in a hospital in France on Nov. 11, 2004, a few days after he was allowed to go out from his residence in Ramallah after his health deteriorated.

Nov. 11 , 2006

Saturday

Saturday morning

now

today

Two months

January

months

June 28, three days

this June

three years

today

Nov. 11, 2004


XIN_ENG_20061117.0025

XI'AN, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Chinese man undergoes face rebuilding surgery

Chinese doctors performed an operation Wednesday to rebuild the face of a man severely disfigured by a construction site accident, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The nine-hour operation on Wednesday, which is said to be the first step in a one-year face rebuilding project, was "more successful than we expected", according to the stomatological hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi.

Chen Yong, a 36-year-old villager from the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, was repairing a concrete mixer at a construction site this July in Chongqing when his head became trapped in the machine.

Nearly three fifths of his face was destroyed. Several bones were broken and he was no longer able to chew, swallow or speak.

"Today we repositioned the broken bones on the left part of his faces and rebuilt his right eye socket. In a couple of months, we will repair soft facial tissue, like muscles, in another operation," said He Lisheng, Chen's surgeon.

"After that, we will repair his chin and lower jaw and mend the lost part of his face with bones and skin from his own body," said He.

"I hope the operation will be successful and my husband will get his face back," said Li Xiuqing, Chen's wife, who waited outside the surgery room throughout the operation.

Chen's boss will cover the surgical expenses of more than 100,000 yuan (about 12,700 U.S.dollars), according to Li.

Xi'an was home to China's first face transplant surgery in April this year when doctors helped rebuild the face of a 30-year-old farmer attacked by a bear.

Nov. 17 , 2006

Wednesday

Wednesday

this July

Today

April


AFP_ENG_20051216.0054

ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 , 2005

Pakistan

The World Bank has approved a 400 million dollars emergency credit for Pakistan to help rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the country's quake-devastated regions, a bank statement said Friday.

The is the second credit under a one billion-dollar assistance announced by the Bank following the October 8 earthquake which killed more than 73,000 people and made some three million homeless mainly in the Pakistan zone of Kashmir.

In October the Bank's board approved the first credit of 475 million dollars.

The statement said the new package included 220 million dollars support for housing reconstruction, 85 million dollars each for livelihood support and import financing and 10 million dollars for capacity building.

"This credit will allow people to put their lives and homes back together," the World Bank's Pakistan Director John Wall said in the statement.

He said the poor people living in inaccessible mountain areas bore the brunt of the 7.6 magnitude quake losing family members, their homes, assets and work.  "This project will support these people rebuilding their houses and restore their livelihood through income transfer."

The credit carries a 10-year grace period and a maturity of 35 years.

The bank said reconstruction in quake hit regions could take many years and it would continue to provide assistance and support.

Pakistan has received aid pledges of more than six billion dollars, of which two billion dollars is in the form of grants.

Dec 16 , 2005

Friday

October 8

October

a maturity of 35 years


AFP_ENG_20061204.0421

TOKYO, Dec 4 , 2006, 2006

Buchwald to leave Urawa Reds, return to Germany: report

Guido Buchwald, who has just guided Urawa Reds to their first J-League championship title, said Monday he would leave the club at the end of the season and return to Germany, Kyodo News reported.

Urawa offered Buchwald a new contract, but the 45-year-old turned it down because he wants to spend more time with his family in Germany.

"Private commitments have played a part in this decision but also I feel that I have achieved all I can over three years at one club," Buchwald said.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me to make. I have been working with a team I enjoy working with and delivered results, so it hurts to be leaving."

When asked if he plans to work with Jurgen Klinsmann, Germany's World Cup coach and his close friend, Buchwald said: "We have been close friends since childhood and have a great understanding but we have not talked about working together."

Buchwald, a member of West Germany's World Cup-winning squad in 1990, played for Urawa from 1994-1997 and became their manager in 2004, when he led the team to the J-League second-stage title and the final of the league cup.

Urawa beat defending champions Gamba Osaka 3-2 on Saturday to secure the league crown.

Dec 4 , 2006

Monday

the end of the season

three years

childhood

Saturday


AFP_ENG_20051210.0130

ABIDJAN, Dec 10 , 2005

Cote d'Ivoire given rough deal say the press

Cote d'Ivoire press on Saturday reported they had been handed a rough deal by the World Cup draw in Leipzig.

Fraternite Matin newspaper said: "The Cote d'Ivoire are in the toughest group," while headlines in dailies Le Jour Plus and Le Patriot read "The Elephants are in the Group of Death."

Le Jour Plus said Cote d'Ivoire were up against it against "top drawer opponents" in twice World Cup winners Argentina, twice World Cup finalists Holland and Serbia-Montenegro in Group C.

The paper noted Cote d'Ivoire played Argentina in 1992 in the Confederations Cup and were thrashed 5-2.

Le Nouveau Reveil reported that the Elephants were in a "complicated" group for their first World Cup finals.

24 Heures said that the hands of football legends Johan Cruyff, Lothar Matthaus, and Roger Milla, who were involved in doing Friday's draw, had not been kind to Cote d'Ivoire who were in the worst position of the five African nations at next year's finals in Germany.

"But do we have to despair?" asked the newspaper who set an optimistic tone that perhaps Henri Michel's players might just again surprise the world as they had done by qualifying for the tournament.

Nord Sud set a similarly optimistic tone, suggesting there were "glorious uncertainties in football" although they did admit they had not been fortunate with the draw.

Dec 10 , 2005

Saturday

Friday

next year


XIN_ENG_20061109.0070

BEIJING, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China's high earners to report income

Employees earning more than 120,000 yuan (about 15,000 U.S. dollars) annually must file individual income declarations to tax authorities starting next year, according to a newly released regulation from the State Administration of Taxation.

The regulation issued on Wednesday said that anyone working in China, including foreigners, who meets any of the following criteria -- people with a yearly income of more than 120,000 yuan, people with income from more than one organization, those with income from overseas, those whose employer does not pay tax, or those in other particular situations defined by the State Council -- must report their income to the taxation authorities.

Contributions to endowment insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and housing accumulation fund paid by companies or individuals are not counted as yearly income.

An official with the State Administration of Taxation said many high income individuals in China obtain income through different channels, some of which are not made public. This creates difficulties for the tax authorities and leaves space for loopholes.

This is the first time that the State Administration of Taxation has required high-income earners to report their earnings. However, their taxes will continue to be deducted at source by employers.

High income earners will be subject to fines ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 yuan if they fail to report their income by the 31 March deadline, and those who file false reports will face fines of up to 50,000 yuan.

The new regulation will improve tax collection among high income individuals and help narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, the official said.

A study shows China's Gini Coefficient, a measure of income inequality, has reached 0.46, reflecting a big and expanding wealth gap.

In another move to reduce the country's widening income gap, China's legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), doubled the personal income tax exemption threshold in late 2005 to 1,600 yuan a month. This halved the number of people required to pay tax.

Nov. 9 , 2006

next year

Wednesday

the 31 March deadline

late 2005

a month


AFP_ENG_19970425.0504

KINSHASA, April 25 , 1997 (AFP)

Zaire accuses Angola of attacking its territory

The Zairean presidency accused Angolan troops of attacking its southwestern Bas-Zaire province, sending 1,400 troops to aid Zaireans rebels led by Laurent Kabila.

In a statement broadcast on state radio the presidency said the troops had crossed into the Yema municpality near the border with Angola.

"Today, everyone knows that Angolan troops are attacking Zaire for no reason and without declaring war," the statement said.

Angolan troops were also in the area of Tshipaka, in Western Kasai province, a city some 650 kilometres (400 miles) southeast of the capital Kinshasa which Kabila's forces said Wednesday they had captured.

According to the presidency statement the Kinshasa authorities will raise the Angolan incursions with the United Nations, and ask UN envoy Alioune Blondin Beye to visit the zones currently occupied by Angolan forces.

April 25 , 1997

Today

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20061220.0595

BRUSSELS, Dec 20 , 2006, 2006

International Crisis Group urges EU unity over Kosovo

The European Union should show unity over Kosovo to avoid a long-awaited decision on the Serbian province's final status being delayed further into 2007, the International Crisis group said Wednesday.

The warning came amid election campaigning in Serbia for January 21 polls, in which Kosovo's aspirations for independence are playing an important role.

"A number of EU states are showing signs that they are reluctant to change Kosovo's status in the face of continued Serbian opposition," the Brussels-based thinktank said in a statement.

"If Brussels fails to coalesce quickly around a strong internal consensus, it risks inheriting a major new crisis," it said, noting that Germany faces an "urgent challenge" as it takes over the EU presidency next month.

Kosovo has been run by a United Nations mission since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown by Belgrade on separatist ethnic Albanian rebels in the province.

The UN envoy to Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, began negotiations in February with Serbian and Kosovo authorities to define the future status of the province.

He was due to make recommendations to the UN by the end of the year, but has now said that he will reveal his plans for the future of the majority ethnic-Albanian region after the Serbian elections.

"It is a fact of life that the risk of implosion does become greater the deeper Kosovo goes into 2007 without its status settled," the group said.

It said Ahtisaari's proposals are not likely to explicitly use the term "independence" for Kosovo, but that it expects him to build a strong case for such a future.

"The incoming German presidency should make uniting member states behind the Ahtisaari proposals a top priority," it said.

It noted that Germany and Italy appeared to prefer to wait until Serbia has formed a new government, while Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Romania were also listed as close to Serbia's position.

On Friday, EU leaders sent a signal to Belgrade that its future lies in Europe.

But they encouraged it to cooperate with the United Nations war crimes court seeking former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic, believed to have been in hiding in Serbia.

The EU froze talks on closer ties with Serbia in May over its failure to cooperate fully with the Hague-based tribunal, but a number of countries have been pushing for negotiations to resume.

Dec 20 , 2006

Wednesday

January 21

next month

February

the end of the year

Friday

May


WSJ891025-0157
 = 891025
 891025-0157.
 Advanced Medical Makes Purchase
 10/25/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 AMA HENG
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
MEDICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGY (MTC)
 SAN FRANCISCO

   Advanced Medical Technologies Inc. said it purchased 93% of a unit of Henley Group Inc.

   Advanced Medical paid $106 million in cash for its share in a unit of Henley's Fisher Scientific subsidiary.
The unit makes intravenous pumps used by hospitals and had more than $110 million in sales last year, according to Advanced Medical.

last year


XIN_ENG_20061119.0067

TOKYO, Nov. 19 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Japan beat Australia 1-0 in Asian Games warm-up

Shinobu Ono scored the only goal to give Japan women's team a 1-0 win over Australia on Sunday in a warm-up soccer match for the Asian Games next month in Doha.

The decisive goal came in the 51st minute when Yuki Nagasato sent a cross into the area, which Ono fired in with a right-footed shot.

The Japanese women missed good chances afterwards, but they showed tight defence to fend off the Australian attacks.

Japan will play Germany in another warm-up game next Thursday before heading to the Asian Games a week later.

Nov. 19 , 2006

Sunday

next month

the 51st minute

next Thursday

a week


AFP_ENG_20051206.0089

BAGHDAD, Dec 6 , 2005

ATTENTION - ADDS recess for technical problem ///

The gripping trial of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein over a Shiite massacre 23 years ago made a shaky restart Tuesday with the court due to hear testimony from witnesses with protected identities.

As in three previous hearings, Saddam was the last to enter the courtroom. Apart from his usual Koran, he carried files and papers, after his protests to the judge Monday that he had been forced to take notes on his hands.

"Good morning to all those who respect the law," the deposed president said, greeting his co-defendants.

Shortly after the audience began, the court, which defence lawyers have accused of being chaotic, cut the audio feed to journalists, allowing a woman witness to speak without her voice being identified for security reasons.

Presiding judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin then ruled a 10-minute break in order to decide how the woman, sitting behind a curtain, would be able to speak and be understood in the heavily-defended courtroom of the Iraqi High Tribunal.

"Everyone has to hear," Amin said.

A US official close to the proceedings said witnesses would on Tuesday give testimony without their faces appearing on delayed television footage and with their voices disguised for security reasons.

Mesmerising the world with chilling accounts of torture from witnesses and angry tirades from Saddam blasting the legality of the proceedings, the Iraqi courtroom drama has been hailed the "trial of the century" by the local media.

Saddam, for decades one of the most feared leaders in the Middle East before being ousted by invading US-led troops in 2003, is on trial with seven henchmen for the massacre of 148 people from the Shiite village of Dujail in 1982.

He and his seven deputies, who have pleaded not guilty, face the death penalty by hanging if convicted over the killings, which followed an assassination bid against Iraq's former strongman during a visit to the town.

The trial has been plagued by a range of problems since its inception, most notably serious security issues.

Two defence lawyers have been killed and Iraqi security forces said Sunday they foiled an insurgent group's plot to fire rockets at the court building.

At a marathon session on Monday, Saddam insisted he was unafraid of execution as the court was subjected to tearful accounts of murder and torture -- including the use of a meat grinder and electric shocks -- from one witness.

"I am not afraid of being executed" if found guilty, Saddam vowed, after an earlier outburst in which he shouted, "Long live Iraq."

Ahmed Mohammed Hassem al-Dujaili on Monday was the first witness to testify in person at the trial and be cross-examined just metres (yards) from Saddam, who contested his testimony.

A second witness, Jawad Abdul Aziz, recalled how Saddam's presidential guard "bombarded his village" before Amin adjourned the first marathon session.

Iraq's newly empowered Shiite majority has heavily criticised the slow start of the trial, which is anyway likely to be adjourned ahead of landmark general elections on December 15.

Commentators have accused Saddam of trying to hijack the trial with his repeated tirades, mirrored by similarly theatrical interjections from his co-defendant and half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti, who is suffering from cancer.

US former attorney general Ramsey Clark, who is among those representing Saddam, has claimed it will be very difficult for his client to receive a fair trial and on Monday criticised the proceedings as "chaotic".

"I think it's going to be very, very difficult," he told CNN, also questioning the impartiality of the presiding judge, a Kurd.

"If you don't have an impartial judge, why have a trial?" Ramsey asked. "You have to probe the prejudice. You have to find out if there is something in their background that makes it difficult for them to be fair."

Saddam is facing charges in this trial over the killing of Shiite villagers, but his regime also launched the bloody Anfal campaign against the Kurds, killing more than 180,000 people over the past two decades.

Clark, who with other defence lawyers briefly walked out of proceedings on Monday, has also demanded better protection for the defence lawyers.

A second member of Saddam's defence team said the court set up under US occupation was forbidden by international law, and called for his client to be tried in an international tribunal.

Among the other defendants are Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's former vice president, and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, the head judge of the scrapped revolutionary court.

The process began with a brief opening on October 19, followed by a 40-day delay and a two-hour session on November 28 before a week-long adjournment until Monday's hearing.

Dec 6 , 2005

23 years ago

Tuesday

Monday

Tuesday

Sunday

Monday

Monday

December 15

Monday

the past two decades

Monday

October 19

November 28

Monday


AFP_ENG_20061219.0452

LONDON, Dec 19 , 2006, 2006

McCarthy happy to see justice done over racist abuse

Benni McCarthy has praised UEFA for dishing out a five-match ban to Wisla Krakow's Nikola Mijailovic, the Serbian defender who was found guilty of racially abusing him during a UEFA Cup match in October.

"I was pleased with the way the situation was handled," Blackburn's South African forward said.

"Every club and every league is against racism - and football is trying hard to fight against it, but you still get people - players, coaches or fans - who will use offensive terms.

"Sport should unite people, not divide them, so I am glad an example was set."

McCarthy, speaking to www.fifa.com, added: "Maybe the next person who is considering using a racist term during a match will think twice."

Blackburn's South African striker Benni McCarthy has admitted he has found life in the Premiership tougher than he had expected.

McCarthy, who joined Blackburn in a 2.5-million-pound summer transfer from FC Porto, admitted he was finding English football physically challenging, although his nine goals in a struggling side suggest he has not had that many problems adapting.

"It's so physically demanding and every game is like a cup final," he said. "I've played in Holland, I've played in Spain, I've played in Portugal, and not every game is so fast and so difficult.

"Even if you're playing against the bottom team in the league, it's as difficult as playing Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea. In Holland, Spain and Portugal only a few teams made you really work hard and concentrate for 90 minutes. Here you have to be in top form in every game."

The 29-year-old also revealed that he had been drawn to Blackburn because of his admiration for manager Mark Hughes, a Manchester United star when the South African was growing up.

"He used to be my hero," said McCarthy. "He was a player who I always wanted to be like. I have so much respect for him - and I love learning from him.

"It's a little bit strange actually because I have gone from being a big fan to standing next to him on the training pitch.

"In South Africa I used to watch a lot of English football - everyone likes to see winning teams and I think that's why I adopted Manchester United. I used to know everything about them, but now I'm Blackburn through and through.

"I couldn't have come to a better club. It may be a smaller club than United, but it has a big heart. I'm feeling loved and very welcome."

Dec 19 , 2006

October

90 minutes

now


XIN_ENG_20061119.0077

COLOMBO, Nov. 19 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Sri Lankan president vows to tackle terrorism

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who was celebrating his first year in office, said Sunday that his government would pursue its struggle in tackling the threat of terrorism posed by the Tamil Tiger rebels and would not be cowed down by it.

Rajapakse made the remarks while addressing a public gathering at the launching of the construction of the island's second international airport at Weerawila, 255 kms from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, in the deep southern district of Hambantota.

Rajapakse, who was also celebrating his first year in office on Sunday, said "A terrorist group who claimed all powerful has now been limited to 4 or 5 villages in the eastern province", referring to the military victories against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

The president said that he has kept the pledge made at last November's presidential election not to lower the esteem of the country's security forces.

Rajapakse in his election campaign was critical of the Norwegian-backed peace process with the Tiger rebels, which he claimed was giving in too much to the Tigers and the forces have been humiliated by it.

The Sri Lankan President said in his address that despite action against the Tiger rebels in the battle fields of north and east, the rights of the peace-loving Tamil people must be safeguarded.

Rajapakse's first year in office was dominated by its military campaign against the LTTE who accuse the Sri Lankan president of leading a secret war against them while saying that his government was supportive of the Norwegian-backed peace process to end the island's long drawn out separatist armed conflict.

Nov. 19 , 2006

Sunday

Sunday

now

last November


XIN_ENG_20061120.0139

GENEVA, Nov. 20 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Annan calls for global safeguards against biological weapons

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday urged 155 countries to make more efforts to intensify safeguards against biological weapons and address the threat posed by terrorists and criminal groups seeking to obtain such weapons.

"The horror of biological weapons is shared by all," Annan told a meeting in Geneva to review the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, which has been ratified by 155 countries.

"Now it is time for countries to build on results, and take further steps to ensure that the Convention will continue to serve as an effective barrier against biological weapons," Annan told the conference, which began on Monday and will end on Dec. 8.

Annan said global circumstances had changed and risks had evolved since the Convention was last reviewed five years ago.

"We see today a strong focus on preventing terrorism, as well as renewed concern about naturally occurring diseases such as SARS and avian flu," he said.

Over the past five years, advances in biological science and technology continued to accelerate, promising enormous benefits for human development, but also posing potential risks, he added.

The outgoing UN chief highlighted terrorism and crime and urged countries to address these threats "to ensure that peaceful uses of biological science and technology can safely reach their potential."

The Convention, which bans the development, use and stockpiling of germ-based weapons, has never been seriously enforced because the threat of biological warfare was seen as minimal when it was drafted at the height of the Cold War.

Efforts to strengthen the treaty have been largely fruitless due to divisions among countries.

Nov. 20 , 2006

Monday

Monday

Dec. 8

five years ago

the past five years


XIN_ENG_20051119.0168

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 19 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Ethiopia registers 8.9 percent GDP growth last fiscal year

Ethiopia said Saturday an 8.9 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) was registered during the previous budget year that ended on July 7.

Fantahun Belew, head of Macroeconomic Policy and Management Department of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development ( MoFED), told journalists that the rapid growth was registered for the second time in a row.

Fantahun said the government has been exerting efforts to equitably distribute resources by undertaking the construction of roads and health facilities as well as expanding the provision of electric power and telecommunications services.

Out of the growth registered during the period, 12.3 percent was registered by the agriculture sector, while the share of the industry and service sectors stood at 6.3 and 5.3 percent, he said.

Fantahun said agriculture continues to play the leading role to the growth of the national economy, and added that the volume of agricultural export during the period has shown a 36.2 percent growth from that of the preceding year.

The growth in agricultural produces export is attributed to the rise of the coffee price in the international market, as well as the increase in the volume of other exportable produce, according to the official.

Fantahun said due to the better performance in the agriculture sector and the decline in the price of food items, inflation registered during the budget year was only 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Fantahun said, the import trade has shown a 4 percent increase during the budget year due to the rise in fuel price and increase in the volume and price of imported capital goods and construction materials.

The government has been engaged in various activities aimed at further developing the agriculture sector, including supply of agricultural inputs, expansion of extension services and irrigation development, among others, he added.

Expansion of small-scale agro-industries and expansion of investment that create job opportunities would also be strengthened, Fantahun said.

He said a large sum of budget was allocated during the current fiscal year in a bid to efficiently implement the poverty reduction efforts in the various regional states.

Ethiopia is an extremely poor and overwhelmingly agricultural country, with farm products accounting for over half of the country's GDP and 90 percent of its exports.

Officials say 46 percent of Ethiopia's 71 million people live below the poverty line, with many peasant farmers in the rural areas trapped in abject poverty.

Nov. 19 , 2005

Saturday

year

July 7

the budget year

the current fiscal year


XIN_ENG_20051101.0360

MACAO, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Number of vehicles hits new high in Macao

The number of licensed vehicles in Macao, a region with a population of nearly 470,000, reached 151, 000 in September, a year-on-year rise of 20 percent.

Statistics issued by the government-run Statistics and Census Service (SCS) Wednesday showed 51 percent of the registered vehicles are motorcycles and 45 percent light vehicles.

The SCS figures showed that there were 9,966 cases of traffic accidents reported in the first three quarters of 2005, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent.

The accidents led to 3,216 casualties, according to the figures.

Nov. 2 , 2005

September

Wednesday

the first three quarters of 2005


AFP_ENG_20061214.0270

LONDON, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

by Lachlan Carmichael

A British military probe has found insufficient proof to back charges that British troops raped hundreds of Kenyan women while on training missions in Kenya going back decades, officials said Thursday.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) published the findings of the military police inquiry after a team of up to 20 officers investigated more than 2,000 claims of rape over a 55-year period.

"In terms of a criminal investigation, there is no corroborative evidence that would lead to the successful prosecution of a named individual in a UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) court," the MoD said.

The ministry released the findings by the Royal Military Police's (RMP) Special Investigations Branch (SIB) following what it said was an external review by Devon and Cornwall Police, a civilian force in southwest England.

The army's main personnel officer Lieutenant General Freddie Viggers said the findings were properly vetted.

"The British Army has taken these allegations extremely seriously and they have been extensively and sensitively examined," Viggers said in the MoD statement.

"It has been a complex and detailed investigation which has been subject to rigorous internal and external reviews and all viable lines of inquiry have been pursued," he said.

The Times's newspaper said the RMP's investigation involved a team of between 12 and 18 investigators interviewing all 2,187 claimants, most of them Masai and Samburu tribeswomen from some of the remotest areas of the country.

They had demanded 20 million pounds (30 million euros, 39 million dollars) in compensation from the British Army for the the alleged rapes.

The newspaper said the investigators deemed just 281 of the total set of allegations worthy of closer inspection, all of which fell apart during follow-up interviews with local people and former members of the British Army and upon further scrutiny.

Though several women with mixed-race babies staged demonstrations outside the British High Commission when the allegations surfaced in 2003, The Times said that it now appears that the children resulted either from consensual sex or rapes by other men.

One woman told the newspaper that she only took part in the protest because she had been told that there was a chance of large payouts.

The MoD said that each claim was carefully examined by the SIB, working with Home Office specialists and the Kenyan authorities.

It was reported that the team uncovered large numbers of forged entries in the Kenyan police files about the alleged rapes -- some of them described as "astonishingly clumsy".

"A large amount of the information provided by the Kenyan police and medical authorities appears to have been fabricated," an MoD spokeswoman said.

Since Kenya gained independence in 1963, the British Army has maintained a permanent garrison there, known as the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), with up to 4,000 British troops training there annually.

Dec 14 , 2006

Thursday

a 55-year period

Times

now


XIN_ENG_20061123.0301

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

S. Africa confirms over 300 cases of killer TB

A total of 303 cases of extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) have been confirmed across South Africa, the country's Health Ministry said on Thursday.

This form of TB was first identified in South Africa at Tugela Ferry region in KwaZulu-Natal province earlier this year and showed a high mortality rate, with 52 of the first 53 patients dying.

The disease has raised intensive concerns in South Africa because it can be complicated by the presence of HIV/AIDS. More than 5.5 million South Africans, or 11 percent of the population, are infected with HIV. This number is the second largest in the world, only after India.

The World Health Organization has defined XDR-TB as tuberculosis that is resistant to the main first-line TB drugs and to three or more of the six second-line drugs.

Nov. 23 , 2006

Thursday

this year


XIN_ENG_20061128.0062

BAGHDAD, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Iraqi governor survives suicide attack

Abdul-Rahman Mustafa Fattah, governor of Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, escaped unscathed a suicide bombing attack on Tuesday that killed one person and wounded 20 others, local police said.

"A suicide bomber wearing an explosive-belt threw himself at the convoy of Abdul-Rahman Mustafa Fattah, the governor of Kirkuk, who escaped unhurt in the center of the city," Brigadier Burhan, police chief of Kirkuk City told Xinhua by telephone.

However, one civilian was killed and 20 others, including one of the governor's bodyguards, were wounded in the attack, Burhan said.

Nov. 28 , 2006

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20061214.0783

SEOUL, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

minister

North Korea may stage a second nuclear weapons test to strengthen its hand during upcoming negotiations on scrapping its nuclear programme, South Korea's new defence minister warned Friday.

Kim Jang-Soo, a former army chief of staff, ordered the 650,000-strong military to step up combat-readiness to deter possible aggression from the North, the defence ministry said.

"We have to be thoroughly prepared to counter the possibility of a second or third nuclear test by North Korea and a possible hostile act by it in the process of negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme," Kim said in a message to troops.

The six-nation nuclear talks are set to resume in Beijing on Monday, 13 months after the North walked out. They involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

The North staged its first nuclear test on October 9, sparking international condemnation and United Nations sanctions.

Later that month North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il told China that he had no plans for a second test but that increased international pressure could trigger "further measures".

Defence minister Kim issued his letter after a closed-door meeting of 130 senior commanders, including General Kim Kwan-Jin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the army, navy and air force chiefs of staff.

The defence minister also urged no further delay in the planned relocation of US bases to Pyeongtaek south of Seoul.

The defence ministry said this week that South Korea would not be able to complete a major relocation of US military bases by 2008 as scheduled, due to protests by residents and a dispute over cost-sharing.

The US forces want to consolidate 35 US bases scattered across the nation into two hub bases by 2008, including one at Pyeongtaek.

Some 29,500 troops are stationed in the country, a legacy of the Korean War. The number is set to drop to 25,000 by 2008.

Dec 15 , 2006

Friday

Monday, 13 months

October 9

Later that month

this week


XIN_ENG_20061123.0120

ZHENGZHOU, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China's most populous province rules out second child restrictions

The government of China's most populous province has rejected proposals to ease the one-child rules and allow couples who were themselves single children to have a second child.

The huge population prevented Henan province from loosening the birth control restrictions, said Deputy Governor Wang Jumei.

The population of Henan reached 97.68 million at the end of 2005. Henan had entered a fourth birth peak, with 1.1 million babies born each year, said Wang.

The net increase in the population was more than 500,000 a year, equal to the population of a medium-sized county, added Wang.

Henan avoided a 32.6-million population increase between 1971 and 2004 due to the birth control policy, according to the provincial family planning and birth control committee.

Some local authorities in China have enacted regulations allowing couples who were themselves only children to have a second child.

Deputy head of Beijing Municipal Population and Family Planning Committee Li Yunli said in September that she hoped all "only child" couples would have a second child to help solve labor shortages and deal with challenges represented by the aging population.

East China's Jiangsu province had such a policy as early as 1985.

According to the 11th five-year plan (2006-2010) on aging, China's senior population will top 174 million by 2010, accounting for 12.78 percent of the total population, compared with 143 million at present.

China could not rely on more births to solve aging population issues, said Yu Xuejun with the State Population and Family Planning Commission.

The best solutions were to boost economic development and build an effective social security system, especially in rural areas, Yu said.

China's family planning policy encourages couples, apart from those of ethnic minority groups, to have only one child to restrain population expansion. Couples that meet certain conditions can have a second child.

The central authorities have delegated policy-making power on the issue to local governments.

Nov. 23 , 2006

the end of 2005

each year

a year

September


WSJ891030-0160
 = 891030
 891030-0160.
 Automatic Data Processing
 10/30/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 AUD
 BUYBACKS, REDEMPTIONS, SWAP OFFERS (BBK)
 ROSELAND, N.J.

   Automatic Data Processing Inc. plans to redeem on Nov. 16 its $150 million of 6.5% convertible subordinated debentures due March 1, 2011.

   The computing-services concern will pay $1,059.04 for each $1,000 face amount of debt.
The conversion price for the debentures is $41.725 a share.
In New York Stock Exchange composite trading Friday, Automatic Data closed at $46.50 a share, down $2.25.

   If all the debt is converted to common, Automatic Data will issue about 3.6 million shares; last Monday, the company had nearly 73 million shares outstanding.

   Automatic Data is redeeming the bonds because the after-tax cost of the interest on the bonds is higher than the dividend yield on the common, a spokesman said.

Nov. 16

March 1, 2011

Friday

last Monday


XIN_ENG_20061127.0366

LUSAKA, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Zambian president nods predecessor's evacuation to S. Africa for medical treatment

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa issued on Monday a letter giving green light to former leader Frederick Chiluba for him to travel to South Africa where he is expected to receive medical treatment for heart problem.

In the letter delivered by chief government spokesperson Vernon Mwaanga, Mwanawasa said arrangements should be made immediately for Chiluba's evacuation to South Africa to receive medical treatment at government expense.

The president has however instructed that Chiluba should surrender his passport to Zambia's High Commissioner to South Africa upon arrival in that country.

He further noted that Chiluba's wife Regina would not accompany him to South Africa as she was facing criminal charges at home.

Chiluba was supposed to leave for South Africa two weeks ago after the government okayed his trip, which was however suspended later.

Mwaanga, who is also Minister of Information, explained that the suspension of Chiluba's trip was because of the contradictory medical recommendations issued by a local experts team and Chiluba 's doctors in South Africa.

Chiluba however accused that the government was blocking his trip in a bid to fail his health, an accusation denied by the Zambian government.

Chiluba, who ruled Zambia between 1992 and 2001, has been under investigation since 2003 after president Mwanawasa appointed a task force to investigate his theft of 488,000 U.S. dollars public funds during his tenure.

He has previously been denied to go abroad as the government feared that he would not come back to face charges.

Chiluba first left for South Africa for medical treatment in March this year after the Zambian government lifted the ban on his trip abroad.

Nov. 27 , 2006

Monday

two weeks ago

tenure

March this year