XIN_ENG_20051124.0278

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

S. Africa's Mbeki congratulates Liberian new woman president

South African President Thabo Mbeki has personally telephoned Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to congratulate on her election as the first woman president of Liberia as well as of Africa.

Mbeki said the election process in Liberia, in spite of a hard- fought and even bitter contest, had shown the world that democracy and free elections were becoming the norm on the continent, according to a statement issued by South Africa's Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

He appealed to all concerned to accept the confirmed outcome of the election, to concentrate on national unity and development, and to pursue any remaining disputes through the available machinery set up for the purpose.

Mbeki also expressed the hope that Liberia would achieve stability after a bitter and debilitating civil war, the ministry said.

"The government and people of South Africa join Liberians and the international community in celebrating your election as the first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa," he told Johnson Sirleaf.

"Your election is indeed a victory not only for Liberian women in particular, but also represents a beacon of hope for women in Africa and the world in general. It most eloquently makes the unequivocal statement that, indeed, a new dawn has arrived for African women," he said.

Liberia, a country with a unique and compelling history, could be assured of the continued support of the government and people of South Africa in its government-led efforts to pursue a sustainable reconstruction and development program and to play a positive role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development, not only in its own region but in Africa generally, he said.

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061222.0461

LONDON, Dec 22 , 2006, 2006

Hudson ends Sunderland's undefeated run

Mark Hudson scored the only goal as hosts Crystal Palace ended Sunderland's seven-match unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory in the Championship at Selhurst Park here on Friday.

Defeat left the Black Cats in 11th place but only three points off the play-off places as they seek a return to the Premiership at the first attempt following last season's relegation from English football's top-flight.

Sunderland, managed by former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane, had plenty of possession but failed to take their chances and Hudson's half-volley strike four minutes before half-time saw Palace take all three points.

Victory saw the Londoners climb further away from danger, the Eagles now nine points clear of the relegation zone ahead of Saturday's matches.

Dec 22 , 2006

Friday

now

Saturday


AFP_ENG_19970416.0318

MANILA, April 16 , 1997 (AFP)

Philippine, US carriers near decision on international accounting rate

The Philippines and the United States are near a decision on changing the accounting rate for long-distance telephone calls between the two countries, it was announced here Wednesday.

Art Samson, senior vice-president of Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Co. (PLDT), said PLDT and the US firm, American Telephone and Telegraph (AT et T), may reach a decision this month on lowering the accounting rate over five years.

Samson said the negotiations would likely result in an agreement to lower the US-Philippine telephone rates from the present one dollar a minute to about 38 cents.

Samson said they may agree to a 10 to 15 percent reduction every year until the 38-cent rate is reached.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) set the parameters for the PLDT-AT et T talks which will be a benchmark for all other US and Philippine carriers.

The FCC has been pressing other countries to lower the accounting rate of long-distance calls between them and the United States in order to bring down the cost borne by US consumers.

However the NTC has said this will threaten the viability of Philippine telephone companies since they rely on international calls for most of their profits.

The NTC has said several new telephone companies that have sprung up in recent years following the deregulation of the industry would be particularly hit since they had expected their international operations to subsidize local expansion.

As part of an effort to make Philippine carriers less dependent on international services, the NTC is considering proposals to raise long-distance domestic rates.

The NTC is also considering a system of metering all telephone calls, instead of the flat rate that most Filipinos are charged.

Samson said PLDT relies on international calls for 56 percent of its income but that this will eventually go down to 33 percent when the rates are changed.

PLDT president Antonio Cojuangco said in a speech at the PLDT annual stockholders meeting Wednesday that the company had already prepared for the rate change.

Cojuangco said PLDT, which has 1.52 million telephone lines, would add another 1.7 million lines and change to a purely digital system by 2000.

PLDT posted a net income of 6.44 billion pesos (247 million dollars) in 1996, up 8.8 percent from its 1995 figure.

April 16 , 1997

Wednesday

this month

five years

every year

recent years

Wednesday


WSJ891026-0025
 = 891026
 891026-0025.
 Business Brief -- Philip Morris Cos.:
@  Defense Measure Is Adopted
@  By Foods, Tobacco Concern
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 MO
 TOBACCO PRODUCTS (TOB)
FOOD PRODUCTS (FOD)

   Philip Morris Cos., New York, adopted a defense measure designed to make a hostile takeover prohibitively expensive.

   The giant foods, tobacco and brewing company said it will issue common-share purchase rights to shareholders of record Nov. 8.
Under certain circumstances, the rights would entitle Philip Morris holders to buy shares of either the company or its acquirer for half price.

   The board is n't  aware of any attempts to take over Philip Morris, the company said.
As of Sept. 30, Philip Morris had 926 million shares outstanding.
In composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Philip Morris shares closed yesterday at $43.50 each, down $1.

Nov. 8

Sept. 30

yesterday


AFP_ENG_19970413.0342

BOGOTA, April 13 , 1997 (AFP)

URGENT Hostage release under way in Colombian prison seige

The 11 hostages who have been held by rioting inmates in a prison in Valledupar, Colombia, since April 3 were released Sunday under a deal negotiated with the prisoners.

April 13 , 1997

April 3

Sunday


AFP_ENG_19970424.0280

NICOSIA, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

UN Security Council to meet on Cyprus

UN Security Council permanent members are to hold a special session Tuesday on efforts to relaunch direct peace talks on this divided island, a UN official announced Thursday.

Gustave Feissel, the UN representative in Nicosia, said that "senior persons" from the United States, Britain, France and Russia would take part in the meeting.

Diplomats said David Cavanaugh, who is in charge of Southeast Europe at the US State Department, Britain's special envoy Sir David Hannay and senior French foreign ministry official Claude Martin would be among those taking part.

"It will provide a good opportunity to review the situation ... and coordinate their own approach to the effort and support" the Security Council, he told reporters after a meeting with President Glafcos Clerides.

Feissel told reporters that the permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- would be briefed "about what we have been doing and where things are."

Clerides, who heads the Greek-Cypriot community, and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash have been "willing and able to be available whenever I thought we ought to get together, so I think their attitude has been good," he said.

The United Nations aims to bring together the two leaders, who have not met since October 1994, by mid-1997.

Feissel welcomed the Greek-Cypriot side's decision to suspend overflights by Greek warplanes during war games early next month as a goodwill gesture during his shuttle mediation between Clerides and Denktash.

"I think it's a good step, it shows that there is an effort being made to create the best possible climate to facilitate what we are in the process of doing," the official said.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last week appointed Diego Cordovez, an Ecuadoran diplomat who helped negotiate the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, as his special adviser on Cyprus.

The island has been divided since 1974 when Turkish mainland troops invaded and occupied the northern third of Cyprus in response to a coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the country with Greece.

April 24 , 1997

Tuesday

Thursday

October 1994

next month

last week


AFP_ENG_19970420.0013

HONG KONG, April 20 , 1997 (AFP)

Armed Chinese police take control of southern town: reports

More than 2,000 Chinese armed police and soldiers have taken over a town in southern China after a revolt there against plans to switch it to another municipality, reports here said Sunday.

The armed police surrounded the town of Wuyin, in southern Guangdong province, Saturday after townsfolk injured and threw out members of an official working group sent in to solve the long-running row over the boundary change.

The villagers, mainly ethnic Chiu Chow, are angered by the plan to switch jurisdiction of Wuying to Kaxi municipality, mainly peopled by another Chinese minority group, the Hakka, according to a report in the China-backed Wen wei Po published here.

Around 10,000 people in Wuyin turned out for a protest recently, calling on the authorities to allow them to remain within the boundaries of Luhe municipality.

The argument has been raging since 1960 when the authorities first mooted the idea of change the jurisdiction of Wuyin which has rich natural resources.

A similar confrontation happened in 1991, but no-one was injured.

The Kaxi area is poorer and the Hakka people are considered China's gypsies.

According to the Oriental Daily News on Sunday, 86 percent of people in Wuyin oppose the proposed boundary change.

April 20 , 1997

Sunday

Saturday

recently

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061113.0238

BERLIN, Nov 13 , 2006 (Xinhua)

German chancellor rejects sending troops to Afghan hotspots

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday ruled out sending German troops to the more volatile regions in southern Afghanistan despite growing international pressure.

"Germany has a strong presence in Afghanistan. We have taken responsibility for the North," Merkel said on Monday after meeting New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark in Berlin.

"We have a mandate that allows us in emergencies to help in the south but we believe this mandate should not be altered," she added.

About 2,800 German soldiers were stationed in the relatively stable northern part of Afghanistan, though the United States and Britain have been urging Berlin to send soldiers to the more dangerous southern part.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a recent commentary in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that individual NATO members should allow commanders to deploy the troops anywhere in the country.

"We need to better configure our forces in Afghanistan," Scheffer wrote. "That also means removing the limitations individual nations have placed on their troops."

About 31,000 NATO troops from 37 countries are serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Germany currently has around 9,000 troops deployed around the world on peacekeeping missions, including Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa.

Nov 13 , 2006

Monday

Monday

currently


XIN_ENG_20061106.0148

MANAGUA, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Preliminary results show leftist leader leads Nicaragua vote

Leftist Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, a U.S. Cold War foe, is heading for victory in Nicaragua's presidential elections, with a partial count on Monday giving him a lead strong enough to return to power.

With around 15 percent of polling stations counted, Ortega had 40 percent of Sunday's votes, which would secure him a first-round win.

Trailing behind was Eduardo Montealegre, of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance, who got about 33 percent of votes counted.

Ortega needs at least 35 percent of the vote and an advantage of 5 percentage points over his closest rival to avoid a runoff in December.

The race, 16 years after a U.S.-backed rebellion helped force him from office, was Ortega's fifth consecutive presidential campaign.

Ortega's victory, if confirmed by final results, would give Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a strong ally in the region.

Montealegre, who was Washington's favored candidate, refused to concede defeat and insisted he would force a runoff vote next month.

"In a democracy, that is unacceptable ... We are going to a second round," he told supporters.

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

Sunday

December

16 years

next month


AFP_ENG_20061221.0514

CAMP PENDLETON, California, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

civilians

Two US Marines are to face murder charges in connection with the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha last year, defense lawyers and relatives of the men said Thursday.

Sergeant Frank Wuterich is to face 13 counts of murder, his lawyer said, while Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt has been told he will face three murder charges, his father told reporters.

Dec 21 , 2006

last year

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051117.0148

HARARE, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Malaysia to strengthen bilateral relations with Zimbabwe: envoy

Malaysia is committed to strengthening bilateral relations with Zimbabwe, especially in the area of agriculture, outgoing Malaysian ambassador to Zimbabwe Shaharuddin Som said here on Thursday.

He said this while addressing journalists after paying a courtesy call on Vice President Joseph Msika to bid him farewell at the end of his four-year tour of duty.

"Zimbabwe is one of the countries that we are seeking to enhance cooperation with. We are looking at various areas of cooperation, especially agriculture," he said.

During the meeting, Som, who is expected to leave at the end of the month, also assured the vice president of Malaysia's support for the country, especially in addressing colonial imbalances.

Malaysia and Zimbabwe enjoy strong economic relations that encompass areas such as agriculture, transport and communications and information technology.

Zimbabwe has benefited immensely from the experiences of Malaysia in developing small and medium scale enterprises.

The Zimbabwean government has adopted a deliberate policy to move away from traditional markets in the West and establish new ones in the East in the wake of soured relations with the former as a result of the land reform program, which the country embarked on in 2000 to rectify imbalances emanating from the colonial era.

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed was in the country last week on a three-day official visit, which saw him meeting President Robert Mugabe and delivering a lecture on civil service reforms.

Nov. 17 , 2005

Thursday

the end of the month

last week


AFP_ENG_19970406.0247

MOSCOW, April 6 , 1997 (AFP)

Chechen president to complete hajj

Aslan Maskhadov, the president of the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya, is planning a pilgrimage to Mecca this year, Russian television reported Sunday.

Maskhadov's hajj, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia's second holy city Medina, will be his first foreign trip since he was elected president in January.

Interfax news agency said Maskhadov wanted to meet Arab leaders during his trip and "draw their attention to the difficult situation Chechnya is in."

The president also planned to warn Arab states not to give money to every Chechen envoy who asks for it. "This money is then used to finance different armed gangs whose aim is to undermine the Chechen state," he said.

Maskhadov did not specify who he meant.

The president, who plans to also drum up financial aid for his republic, ruined by 21 months of war against Moscow forces, did not say when he would leave, but Interfax said April 11 was a probable date.

The Chechen and Moscow authorities have agreed to reach an understanding on the status of Chechnya by 2001. While Chechens already consider that they have de facto independence, Moscow still views Chechnya as a part of Russia.

April 6 , 1997

this year

Sunday

January

21 months

April 11


XIN_ENG_20061130.0119

HANOI, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Vietnam's stock market index ends higher

Vietnam's stock market index, VN- Index rose 16.47 points, or 2.67 percent, to 633.05 on Thursday, with 241.052 billion Vietnamese dong (VND) (15.16 million U.S. dollars) worth of shares and investment certificates being traded.

A total of 2,669,710 shares worth 221.183 billion VND (13.91 million dollars), and 667,780 investment fund certificates totaling 19.868 billion VND (1.25 million dollars) changed hands at the Ho Chi Minh City Securities Trading Center on Thursday. Meanwhile, no bonds were traded.

Vietnam currently has 57 kinds of listed shares, 372 kinds of listed bonds, mostly government bonds, and one listed investment fund totaling over 67,324 billion VND (over 4.23 billion dollars).

Nov. 30 , 2006

Thursday

Thursday

currently


XIN_ENG_20051113.0178

AMMAN, Nov. 13 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Urgent: Woman suicide bomber confesses to bomb attack

The woman suicide bomber in Wednesday's Amman hotel bombing attacks confessed that she was told to carry out the suicide attack, the official Jordanian TV channel reported Sunday.

Nov. 13 , 2005

Wednesday

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20051125.0341

ULAN BATOR, Nov. 26 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Mongolian president vows to boost bilateral ties with China

Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, who will start a week-long visit to China on Sunday, said here that his country is willing to promote bilateral relations with China.

"Mongolia's major foreign policy is to boost bilateral relations with China and Russia. Mongolia attaches importance to ties with China," Enkhbayar said in an interview with Xinhua before his trip to China.

"The political relationship between Mongolia and China has developed healthily," he noted.

He also said the bilateral economic and trade cooperation had seen rapid development and that his government is implementing big projects funded by Chinese loans.

Enkhbayar said that during his visit, the two sides would discuss how to expand cooperation in economy, trade and other fields.

He expressed his hope that China will participate and invest in Mongolia's infrastructure construction, such as railway, road and power facilities.

According to Enkhbayar, a delegation of Mongolian entrepreneurs will accompany him to China and will hold talks with their Chinese counterparts in the hope of attracting more Chinese investment.

Nov. 26 , 2005

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061111.0042

OSAKA, Japan, Nov. 11 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Brazil sweep Germany 3-0 in women's volleyball championship

Brazil rocked Germany in three straight sets here on Saturday in 2006 women's volleyball World Championship.

It took Brazil 70 minutes to gain their eighth victory in the tournament with 25-16, 25-22 and 25-15.

Sheila Castro scored 11 points for Brazil while Welissa Gonzaga had 13 and Fabiana Claudino 10.

Captain Angelina Grun scored nine points to lead the Germany team, Birgit Thumm and Corina Ssuschke each contributed five points.

Brazil will face Russia on Sunday to decide the top team of the group. Both teams, who kept an unbeaten record in the tournament until now, had gained the berth for the semifinal.

Nov. 11 , 2006

Saturday

Sunday

now


XIN_ENG_20061128.0270

TAIYUAN, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Six coal mine blast victims discharged from hospital in N.China

Six victims in a colliery gas blast in north China's coal-rich province of Shanxi left hospital on Tuesday after treatment.

The other two survivors are still in hospital because of serious injuries, said Xinli hospital in the city of Linfen.

Investigators said a power failure earlier on Sunday afternoon and an ensuing gas explosion after the electricity restored 10 minutes later caused the accident.

"I'm so scared. I'll never do this job any more."said Li Hongjun, a hospitalized miner.

The electricity often breaks down in the colliery. Nobody asked the miners to get out of the well when the power was cut off, said Li.

The accident occurred at around 6:40 p.m. at Luweitan Colliery in Yaodu district in Linfen on Sunday. Twenty-four people were dead and eight injured.

Luweitan colliery is designed to produce 150,000 tons a year, but its production permit and safety license have both expired.

Police have detained the mine owner but its general manager is on the run.

Three days of colliery disasters in four provinces have left 85 Chinese workers dead since Saturday.

Chinese coal mines suffer frequent explosions, flooding and cave-ins, claiming about 6,000 lives a year.

Unsafe small coal mines account for two-thirds of the total fatalities in mine accidents, government figures show.

Nov. 28 , 2006

Tuesday

Sunday afternoon

Sunday

a year

Saturday

a year


APW19980227.0494
 NEWS STORY
 02/27/1998 08:17:00

w2399 Cx1f wstm-
r i Cx13  Cx11  BC-Russia-Ukraine 1stLd-Writethru   02-27 0647

 BC-Russia-Ukraine, 1st Ld-Writethru

Russia, Ukraine sign plan, Yeltsin claims progress in major

disputes QL
UR Eds: UPDATES throughout with joint statement of two presidents,
UPGRADES attribution, CORRECTS in graf 14 that An-70 is cargo
plane. QL
UR By ANNA DOLGOV QC
UR Associated Press Writer QC

MOSCOW (AP) _ Presidents Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine and Boris
Yeltsin of Russia signed an economic cooperation plan Friday, and
Yeltsin claimed they resolved even more nagging problems.
Russia and Ukraine share similar cultures and languages, and
Ukraine was ruled from Moscow for centuries. But while the two
Slavic neighbors see themselves as natural partners, their
relations since the breakup of the Soviet Union have been bedeviled
by a number of disputes _ Black Sea naval bases, border problems
and Ukraine's natural gas debts.
``We have covered the entire list of questions and discussed how
we will be tackling them,'' Yeltsin was quoted as saying by the
ITAR-Tass news agency. ``I must  say there are no unsettled problems
any more. We have solved them all.''
But his sweeping statement contained no details, and gave no
indication of how the disputes could be resolved. Their solution
would require a compromise between the two nations' parliaments.
A major dispute concerns a broad political treaty calling for
border demarcation, which the two presidents signed last May.
In effect, the treaty amounts to Russian recognition of
Ukraine's sovereignty and borders, and the Ukrainian parliament has already ratified it. However, Russia has stalled ratification,
trying to tie it to an agreement that would permit the Russian navy
to use a naval base on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula for at least 20
more years.
In their joint statement issued after the talks, Yeltsin and
Kuchma called for the fastest possible ratification of the treaty,
saying it would create a ``strong legal foundation'' for bilateral
ties and help stability in Europe.
Kuchma assured Yeltsin that Ukraine would not join NATO,
Yeltsin's spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky said, according to the
Interfax news agency. The Russian leadership has staunchly opposed
the western alliance's expansion into Eastern Europe.
In their joint statement, released by the Kremlin, the two
leaders also pledged to consult each other regularly on their
approaches to relations with NATO and, in particular, their action
within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
Last year, Russian officials assailed Ukraine for holding joint
naval exercises with NATO in the Black Sea _ an area Moscow
considers its own turf.
Kuchma has said repeatedly that Ukraine would remain neutral for
the foreseeable future.
Yeltsin and Kuchma also called for developing the stagnant
relations between the members of the Commonwealth of Independent
States, a loose coalition of former Soviet republics. In the past,
Russia has often claimed that Ukraine was undermining efforts at
closer cooperation within the CIS.
A major goal of Kuchma's four-day state visit was the signing of
a 10-year economic program aimed at doubling the two nations' trade
turnover, which fell to dlrs 14 billion last year, down dlrs 2.5
billion from 1996.
The two presidents on Friday signed the plan, which calls for
cooperation in the metallurgy, fuel, energy, aircraft building,
missile, space and chemical industries. A major project is joint
manufacturing of An-70 cargo planes, the Kremlin statement said.
The program also calls for coordination of economic reforms and
joint improvement of social programs in the two countries, where
many people have become impoverished during the chaotic post-Soviet
transition to capitalism.
Kuchma also planned to visit Russian gas giant Gazprom, most
likely to discuss Ukraine's dlrs 1.2 billion debt to the company.
(pvs/vi/ji)

(PROFILE
(WS SL:BC-Russia-Ukraine, 1st Ld-Writethru; CT:i;
(REG:EURO;)
(REG:BRIT;)
(REG:SCAN;)
(REG:MEST;)
(REG:AFRI;)
(REG:INDI;)
(REG:ENGL;)
(REG:ASIA;)
(LANG:ENGLISH;))
)

AP-NY-02-27-98 0817EST

02/27/1998 08:17:00

Friday

centuries

last May

at least 20
more years

Last year

the past

four-day

last year

Friday


AFP_ENG_20061209.0223

RAMALLAH,  West Bank, Dec 9 , 2006, 2006

Palestinian leadership urges early elections

The executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization recommended Saturday that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas call early parliamentary and presidential elections to resolve a spiraling political crisis, committee members said.

"The exectuive committee, chaired by Abbas, decided to call on Abbas to hold early parliamentary and presidential elections," executive committee member Saleh Rafaat told AFP.

Dec 9 , 2006

Saturday


XIN_ENG_20061124.0024

BEIJING, Nov. 24 , 2006 (Xinhua)

first photography auction

The iconic photograph of China's most prestigious charity program - Project Hope - was the most expensive picture sold at China's first photography auction held in Beijing on Thursday.

The 1991 photograph, popularly known as Big Eyes, captures the innocent eyes of a girl and is credited with persuading millions of Chinese to donate to Project Hope which helps school drop-outs in rural areas to return to class.

Bidding on the 51 cm by 34.8 cm photograph by Xie Hailong opened at 240,000 yuan (30,000 U.S. dollars). It finally sold for 308,000 yuan (38,500 U.S. dollars), the highest price paid at the Beijing auction, where more than 130 photographs were sold.

Xie said he would donate the proceeds to help pay for the construction of a Project Hope primary school in Tibet.

Many of the other photographs sold for 10 times more than their reserve prices.

"Photographs worth collecting should be of special significance and be a record of history," said Xu Jianing, an official with the auction house -- Huachen Auctions.

Nov. 24 , 2006

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20051205.0326

TEHRAN, Dec 5 , 2005

= (PICTURE) =

Iran on Monday warned Israel of "heavy consequences" if its nuclear installations were attacked by the Jewish state, after a former Israeli premier suggested Israel should take an aggressive stance toward Iran.

"The Islamic republic is a tough target and there would be heavy consequences," said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

He was speaking after former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel needed to "act in the spirit" of the late premier Menachem Begin, who ordered an air strike on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.

"I view the development of the Iranian nuclear (programme) as a paramount threat and as a real danger to the future of the state of Israel," Netanyahu told the Yediot Aharonot newspaper.

"Israel needs to do everything to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear threat against it," said Netanyahu.

But Larijani said Iran, which maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful, was not afraid of an attack.

"Comparing Iran and Iraq is an error, because Iran is not an easy target. You should not pay attention to such rude comments by Israeli officials," he told a news conference.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi also said Iran's response to such an attack would be "devastating and unbearable".

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu's arch rival, said last week that Israel would never allow its arch-enemy Iran to come into possession of nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad caused an international backlash in October when he called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map".

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in September found Iran in non-compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, paving the way for the matter to be referred to the UN Security Council if Iran does not halt nuclear fuel work and cooperate fully with an IAEA investigation.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is merely designed to meet domestic energy needs.

Dec 5 , 2005

Monday

last week

October

September


AFP_ENG_20061213.0081

PARIS, Dec 13 , 2006, 2006

percent for 2006

The Bank of France on Wednesday estimated that fourth quarter gross domestic product will grow by 0.6 percent from the third quarter, unchanged from its previous estimate a month ago.

It foresees GDP for the full year rising by 2.0 percent, also unchanged from its previous estimate. This would be at the low end of the government's forecast range of 2.0-2.5 percent.

In its monthly report, the central bank also said its business climate indicator stood at 106 in November, unchanged from October.

The national statistics institute INSEE said Tuesday that the French economy should expand by 2.1 percent this year, thanks to a rebound in the fourth quarter, and appeared likely to resist a slowdown in global momentum expected in early 2007.

INSEE economist Eric Dubois said the stagnation in the French economy in the third quarter was a surprise and should be corrected by growth of 0.9 percent in the final three months of the year, powered by a pickup in the manufacturing industry.

INSEE in early October predicted French growth in 2006 of 2.3 percent.

In its twice-yearly forecast late last month the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development foresaw growth in France this year of 2.1 percent.

Dec 13 , 2006

Wednesday

the third quarter

a month ago

the full year

November

October

Tuesday

this year

the fourth quarter

early 2007

the third quarter

the final three months

the year

October

late last month

this year of 2.1 percent


XIN_ENG_20051117.0070

COLOMBO, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Voting underway in Sri Lanka, turnout rates mixed

Sri Lanka's presidential election Thursday was marked by low polling in the Tamil minority north and eastern areas while high and brisk voting was recorded in the Sinhala majority dominated south, election officials and polls monitors said.

After five hours of voting, only 516 people had voted in the northern capital of Jaffna. The city was observing a protest shutdown with less people seen on the streets.

There was no polling in the Tamil Tiger held areas with not a single voter turning out to vote in the polling stations, polls monitors said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) urged the Tamil minority to stay away from the poll, claiming that they had no faith in both leading candidates, the incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

In the eastern province, the polling has been good in the Muslim dominated pockets while the Tamil community was showing less enthusiasm, officials added.

Two more explosions rocked the polling stations in the eastern Batticaloa town following two explosions on Wednesday night, police said. At least two policemen were injured in the attacks.

In the Muslim dominated town of Kalmunai, the opposition parties complained of intimidation of voters.

In the rest of the country, in areas dominated by the Sinhala majority, over 50 percent polling had taken place on average by noon.

Over 13.3 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election to appoint a President for a six-year term.

And 10,486 polling stations are open throughout the island from 07:00 to 16:00 local time (0100 to 1000 GMT).

Nov. 17 , 2005

Thursday

five hours

Wednesday night


XIN_ENG_20051127.0142

MOSCOW, Nov. 27 , 2005 (Xinhua)

security

Chechen voters started casting their ballots Sunday morning to elect a parliament as tens of thousands of police and security forces fanned out to ensure a smooth ballot in the war-ravaged region.

A total of 600,000 voters have been registered in Chechnya for the polls, which will elect 58 deputies to the bicameral parliament -- the 18-seat Republican Council (upper house) and the 40-seat People's Assembly (lower house). The election has drawn 342 candidates from eight parties.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) amid heightened security in the volatile region, where separatist rebels have frequently targeted security forces as well as civilians in bombing attacks for much of the past decade, Russian news agencies reported.

The Interior Ministry has deployed 24,000 police and troops to provide security on the election day, the Itar-Tass news agency said.

A regional Interior Ministry official told Itar-Tass that no breach of order or incidents had occurred by 1:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).

"Metal detectors have been set up at the entrance to each polling station to prevent weapons and explosives from being carried into the building," a ministry official told Itar-Tass on the eve of the election.

Chechen President Alu Alkhanov pronounced the poll valid about four hours into voting, citing reports of voter turnout reaching the threshold for validity.

"Based on reports we have received from the heads of districts and territorial election commissions, I can officially announce that the Chechen parliamentary elections are valid," Alkhanov told Interfax on Sunday.

Voter turnout had exceeded 25 percent by 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) and the voting was proceeding quietly, said Alkhanov.

The polls will close at 3 p.m. (1500 GMT) and preliminary results are expected no earlier than Monday.

President Vladimir Putin has called the parliamentary election a "milestone" that will boost stability in the republic and the whole North Caucasus region.

About 20 observers from international groups including the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States visited polling stations to monitor the vote.

Alkhanov met with international observers Sunday, saying the election will "confirm Chechnya's path of construction, peace and cooperation with those who share these guidelines."

"Democratic processes in the republic will become more dynamic, as we will have the power body crowning the republican statehood," Alkhanov said.

Chechnya's First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov wanted the parliament to focus on ending war in the republic.

"We have a goal of termination of the warfare. Our mission will be complete when shooting ceases and abductions stop," Kadyrov said.

Nov. 27 , 2005

Sunday morning

8:00 a.m.

past decade

1:00 p.m.

Sunday

Monday

Sunday


WSJ891102-0030
 = 891102
 891102-0030.
 Business Brief -- Hadson Corp.:
@  Company Expects to Report
@  Deficit for Third Quarter
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 HAD

   Hadson Corp. said it expects to report a third-quarter net loss of $17 million to $19 million because of special reserves and continued low natural-gas prices.

   The Oklahoma City energy and defense concern said it will record a $7.5 million reserve for its defense group, including a $4.7 million charge related to problems under a fixed-price development contract and $2.8 million in overhead costs that wo n't be reimbursed.

   In addition, Hadson said it will write off about $3.5 million in costs related to international exploration leases where exploration efforts have been unsuccessful.

   The company also cited interest costs and amortization of goodwill as factors in the loss.

   A year earlier, net income was $2.1 million, or six cents a share, on revenue of $169.9 million.

third-quarter

A year earlier


AFP_ENG_20061211.0352

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

South African lifespans cut short by AIDS

South Africa, which has the world's second heaviest caseload of HIV/AIDS, has seen average life expectancy fall by 13 years since 1990 to 51, a new study has said.

A survey by the Medical Research Council and Actuarial Society of South Africa, based on epidemiological and demographic data, said life expectancy this year was "estimated to be 49 years for males and 53 years for females" or an average of 51.

"By 2005, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has already taken about 13 years off life expectancy," it said.

Senior MRC Researcher Debbie Bradshaw said life expectancy in South Africa was on average 64 years in 1990 and had now dropped to 51.

A mathematical AIDS model was used to determine how much the disease contributed to the decline in population figures.

South Africa is second to India as the country with the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world.

Around 5.5 million people in a population of 47 million are living with HIV or AIDS.

The government has come under fire for delays in rolling out lifesaving antiretroviral drugs.

According to government figures for September, 213,000 infected people now benefit from a government-funded antiretroviral plan, and 11,000 more join each month.

The study said that without the ARV programme "the decrease in life expectancy would be nearly 19 years by 2015, with an average life expectancy of less than 48 years.

Based on a scenario developed by researchers that by 2015 50 percent of those needing treatment will be receiving it, the impact of AIDS deaths could slow down in the coming years.

"With the programme, the difference is expected to reduce below 16 years, giving a life expectancy of 50 years."

Dec 11 , 2006

13 years

this year

53 years

13 years

64 years

September

now

nearly 19 years

the coming years

16 years

50 years


XIN_ENG_20061125.0085

CAIRO, Nov. 25 , 2006 (Xinhua)

TV

Visiting exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal warned Saturday that the Palestinian authorities could collapse and there would be a third intifada (uprising) if the international community couldn't find a political vision to a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders within six months.

Meshaal, who arrived here on an unannounced visit on Wednesday night, made the remarks at a press conference broadcast live on the Doha-based al-Jazeera Arabic channel.

The international community has six months to work out a real political solution for a Palestinian state, and such a state should be based on the 1967 borders, said Meshaal, now exiled in the Syrian capital Damascus.

There is a historic opportunity for such a political solution, but if the demands are not met, the Palestinians will seal off all political files and start a third intifada, he warned.

Meshaal also warned that there would be more Palestinian resistance groups like Hamas, which is bent on Israel's destruction, without such political vision to a Palestinian state within six months.

The first intifada witnessed a series of violent incidents between the Palestinians and Israel between 1987 and 1990.

The second intifada, or called the al-Aqsa intifada, is the wave of violence that began in September 2000. The second intifada never ended officially, but the relative success of the Sharm el- Sheikh Summit and the low levels of violence during 2005, were considered by many to mark its effective end.

The Sharm el-Sheikh Summit occurred in February 2005 when four leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories met in Egypt's Red Sea resort in order to declare their wish to work towards the end of the four-year intifada.

The four leaders were Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordanian King Abdullah II, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Nov. 25 , 2006

Saturday

six months

Wednesday night

six months

now

six months

September 2000

February 2005


AFP_ENG_20061215.0091

TOKYO, Dec 15 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details ///

Japan on Friday created a full-fledged defense ministry for the first time since World War II, when the United States stripped the defeated country of its right to a military.

The upper house voted by a majority, with support from the main opposition Democratic Party, to create the defense agency. The lower house had earlier passed the bill, meaning it becomes law, a parliamentary official said.

Post-war Japan has had a "Defense Agency" with lower standing than full-fledged ministries as the 1947 constitution declared the country to be pacifist.

Despite calling its troops the "Self-Defense Forces", Japan has one of the world's biggest military budgets at 4.81 trillion yen (41.6 billion dollars) a year.

Dec 15 , 2006

Friday

a year


AFP_ENG_20061205.0189

FRANKFURT, Dec 5 , 2006, 2006

German new car registrations up in November

Automobile sales in Germany rose sharply in November, reinforcing expectations for full-year growth, the VDA auto industry federation said on Tuesday.

The number of new car registrations -- a key yardstick of domestic demand in the sector -- jumped by 18 percent to 326,000 vehicles last month, VDA said in a statement.

And that put the industry on target for a three-percent rise in sales to 3.4 million vehicles for the whole of 2006, the VDA said.

Dec 5 , 2006

November

Tuesday

last month


XIN_ENG_20061117.0007

PARIS, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

France's Royal wins Socialists' presidential candidate

Segolene Royal from France's Socialist Party (PS) won a resounding victory in the party's primary on Friday, taking her closer toward becoming France's first female president, PS spokesman Stephane Le Foll said.

In a ballot of some 220,000 Socialist Party (PS) members, Royal won slightly over 60 percent of the vote, well over the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a second round in the primary against her two experienced rivals, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Laurent Fabius.

There will be only one round of voting and Segolene Royal will be the presidential candidate of the Socialist Party in 2007, said Le Foll.

According to preliminary results, Strauss-Kahn collected 20.8 percent of the vote and Fabius 18.5 percent.

The figures may change slightly when the results of overseas French voters are added, but no big change is expected.

Royal, who voted Thursday afternoon in the western town of Melle, acknowledged victory shortly before midnight.

"I would like to express all the happiness I am feeling. I am living this moment of happiness with intensity," she said.

Royal, who represents Poitou-Charentes regional council, a rural district in western France, and who is largely untested in electoral politics, emerged as a national candidate last year amid a blizzard of publicity.

Royal, mother of four children and partner of the PS leader Francois Hollande, would lead the opposition Socialist Party challenge at April's election, standing a strong chance of becoming France's first woman president.

Nov. 17 , 2006

Friday

Thursday afternoon

last year

April


AFP_ENG_19970402.0390

ROME, April 2 , 1997 (AFP)

Pressure mounts to get multi-national force into Albania

International pressure mounted Wednesday to deploy the Italian-led, 5,000-strong multi-national force to Albania on the ground "quickly," as food stocks there dwindle to dangerously low levels.

"It has to be done quickly," the head of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) humanitarian mission to Albania, Franz Vranitzky, said after talks in Rome with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini.

Albanian Prime Minister Bashkim Fino, speaking after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi in the rebel-held southern Albanian town of Gjirokaster, said: "Albania is ready, the other countries are ready, we must not waste any more time. Each day lost damages Albania."

However Dini said the force's deployment, which "not yet been decided, will be decided in common."

Their comments came before a meeting in Rome of the countries which will supply the force's troops, whose mission is to protect humanitarian aid channels in the chaos-torn country.

In Brussels, EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Emma Bonino added to the calls, warning that food supplies in Albania had reached alarming levels.

"There is no famine yet but we are are concerned that stocks have been reduced below safety levels," she told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee.

Bonino said EU food and medical aid could be sent to Albania quickly using logistical structures established in the former Yugoslavia. "But only if we can solve the protection problem."

The proposed international force's role would be strictly confined to protecting the humanitarian convoys, Bonino noted. "There is no mandate for disarming rebels or anything else of that nature," she said.

"The United Nations have given us three months," Vranitzky, Austria's former chancellor, told journalists, adding that the soldiers should be on the ground "in the space of 10 or 14 days."

Italy is expected to provide 2,000 soldiers; France said Tuesday it was sending 1,000; Greece has promised up to 700 troops; Turkey, 500; Romania, 400. Hungary on Wednesday ruled out sending troops, but Slovenia, Spain and Portugal are considering doing so.

The force's mission, approved by the UN Security Council March 28, involves securing roads, junctions, warehouses and aid depots, as well as in distributing the aid.

Military sources in Rome said it was unlikely Italian troops would be sent into southern Albania, where rebels are most active, although Dini said "there were clear signals Tuesday that Italian forces would be well-received."

Last Friday, a collision between an Italian warship and an Albanian refugee boat killed four people and left 83 missing.

Albania itself would set up a volunteer force of 3,000 "well armed" and "well paid" soldiers to support the European soldiers, Albanian Deputy Defence Minister Alfred Moisiu told AFP in Tirana on Wednesday.

Vranitzky also told journalists "we have a chance to avoid" the errors committed in the former Yugoslavia, where there was an initial lack of international coordination.

"If we're not in agreement this time, it will be impossible to convince the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to give us their support," he added.

"Albania has need of aid, of restoring public order, of economic reconstruction and in restoring confidence in its political system," Vranitzky said.

April 2 , 1997

Wednesday

three months

10 or 14

Tuesday

Wednesday

March 28

Tuesday

Last Friday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970422.0336

CANA, Lebanon, April 22 , 1997 (AFP)

Top Arab actor pays tribute to Cana victims

Adel Imam, the best-known comedy actor of the Arab world, paid tribute Tuesday to the 105 Lebanese killed by Israeli shelling in Cana in south Lebanon.

Dressed in a dark suit, the normally razor-sharp Egyptian comic was at a loss for words as he prayed and placed flowers on the graves of the victims in Cana village.

"I am incapable of saying anything standing here before these tombs," he told reporters, before greeting victims' relatives who turned out to see him.

Adel Imam has been in Lebanon since April 16 to perform his latest play, Az Zaim (The Leader), a satire on Arab politics.

Lebanon marked the first anniversary on Friday of Israel's shelling of a UN compound in Cana which killed 105 civilians taking shelter there during the Jewish state's Grapes of Wrath operation against Hezbollah guerrillas.

April 22 , 1997

Tuesday

April 16

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051110.0014

CANBERRA, Nov. 10 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Australian PM condemns Jordan bomb attacks

Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Thursday condemned the bomb attacks on three hotels in Jordan in which at least 57 people were killed and up to 300 wounded.

Howard said the attacks showed that terrorists had no regard for their victims, in this case mainly Muslim Jordanians.

"We have to again remind ourselves that terrorism is the enemy of all civilized societies," he told Sky News television.

"This was carried out in an Islamic country, the target, albeit three hotels frequented by westerners," he said.

"It's indiscriminate. It just shows that nobody can assume that they're immune," he said.

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer " unequivocally" condemned the bombings, which he described as " appalling."

"This was a cowardly and indiscriminate attack on innocent people as they were going about their lives peacefully in Amman," he said in a statement.

"It reminds us yet again that terrorism remains a serious threat,and that no country is immune," he said.

"And it underlines the importance of strong international cooperation in the fight against terror," he said.

"I extend my deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those killed and to those injured in this despicable act," he said.

Nov. 10 , 2005

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051117.0147

BANGKOK, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

McGinley confirmed for Royal Trophy

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley has been unveiled as the second European team player for the inaugural Royal Trophy tournament against Asia in Bangkok, Thailand in January.

The Irish ace, winner of the European Tour's season-ending Volvo Masters in Valderrama, Spain, last month, has given a massive boost to the pioneering event by confirming he will take part. He joins the winner of last week's HSBC Champions in Shanghai, David Howell, as confirmed players for the European team.

"I know from my Ryder Cup experiences what a thrill it is to represent Europe at team golf," said McGinley. "The Royal Trophy is a new and very exciting challenge and I'm delighted to be involved. I'm looking forward to going head to head with the best golfers in Asia and to fighting for Europe under Seve's leadership."

European captain Seve Ballesteros hailed McGinley's confirmation. "Paul is one of the very best players in Europe," said the Spanish legend. "He has been in great form this season and is a proven winner in team golf. He will be a huge asset to our European team."

McGinley will always be remembered as the man who holed the winning putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup against the United States at the Belfry in England. His 10-footer on the 18th green secured a half with Jim Furyk and with it the famous trophy for Europe.

He continued his Ryder Cup heroics last year, scoring two-and-a-half points out of three, including a final-day singles victory over Stewart Cink, as Europe retained the trophy in record-breaking fashion at Oakland Hills, Michigan.

The Royal Trophy, to be held on January 5-8 at Thailand's world-class Amata Spring Country Club, has been sanctioned by the Asian, Japan and European Tours.

Each team will comprise eight players, led by a non-playing captain, competing in a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and singles.

Six players on each team will be chosen according to each Tour's Order of Merit table and the world rankings, with the two remaining players on each side being captain's picks.

McGinley finished the year as the second-highest European player in the European Order of Merit standings after a season that saw him claim runner-up spot in both the BMW Championship and HSBC World Match Play Championship before ending the 2005 Tour on a high with a remarkable victory at Valderrama.

Five-time major winner Ballesteros, whose charisma and competitiveness were critical in turning the Ryder Cup into the most compelling viewing in world golf, will spearhead the European challenge as non-playing captain.

Masahiro "Massy" Kuramoto, one of Asia's most decorated golfers with 30 Japan Tour titles to his name, will captain the Asian team.

Nov. 17 , 2005

January

last month

last week

this season

last year

January 5-8

the year


AFP_ENG_19970424.0041

ALGIERS, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

URGENT Paper reports new massacre of 42 people in Algeria

A total 42 people were slain in a village in the Medea region south of the capital overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, the daily El Watan newspaper said on Thursday.

April 24 , 1997

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20051206.0716

WELLINGTON, Dec 7 , 2005

Australia make 322-5 batting first against New Zealand

Australia made 322-5 in their 50 overs after Andrew Symonds scored a magnificent 156 against New Zealand in the second match of the Chappell-Hadlee one-day cricket series at Westpac Stadium here Wednesday.

Symonds teamed up with Michael Clarke (82 not out) to put on 220 runs for the fifth wicket.

For New Zealand, Kyle Mills took 2-60 with all the bowlers suffering from Symonds' onslaught.

Dec 7 , 2005

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20061203.0332

DOHA, Dec 3 , 2006, 2006

Japan's Nakamura wins women's 200m backstroke gold medal

Japan's Reiko Nakamura won the women's 200m backstroke gold medal at the Asian Games here Sunday in a time of 2:10.33.

Zhao Jing of China took the silver with Takami Igarashi of Japan winning bronze.

Dec 3 , 2006

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061116.0059

BAGHDAD, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. soldier killed in Baghdad

One U.S. soldier was killed in a small arms fire in Baghdad on Tuesday, the U.S. military said Thursday in a statement.

According to the statement, the latest killing bring the number of U.S. soldiers killed on Tuesday to seven.

Late on Wednesday the military said that two U.S. soldiers were killed at approximately 11:30 p.m. (0830 GMT) on Tuesday when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in northwest of Baghdad.

Before that, four more soldiers, including three marines, were killed in Iraq's western Anbar province, said the military.

Since the U.S.-led war in Iraq broke out in March 2003, more than 2,850 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the war-torn country, according to media count.

Nov. 16 , 2006

Tuesday

Thursday

Tuesday

Wednesday

11:30 p.m.

Tuesday

March 2003


AFP_ENG_19970402.0459

LONDON, April 2 , 1997 (AFP)

Dollar rises against allcomers, save Swiss franc

The dollar firmed except against the Swiss franc on Wednesday, dealers saying the greenback had risen on technical factors and because US interest rates were relatively high.

In Frankfurt, meanwhile, most economists said that the central council of the Bundesbank was expected to hold its key rates at a meeting on Thursday.

The dollar opened weakly against the Japanese yen but then rallied. The initial weakness was in reaction to the Tankan report by the bank of Japan implying that industrial confidence was improving.

At James Capel economist Ian Morris explained that the dollar had then rallied because US interest rates were higher than Japanese rates.

Analysts said that they did not expect the Japanese central bank to increase its rates and noted that the bank itself expected confidence to falter in the next few months.

The lira rose against the mark on technical factors but was unlikely to maintain this position because "Italian manufacturing industry is suffering and this is likely to cause the bank of Italy to ease its rates," Morris said.

Sterling fell because of uncertainty surrounding a general election on May 1 and because of fears that inflation might emerge, analysts said.

Morris said that British interest rates would be increased after the election but that the market would judge this to be too little, too late.

The dollar was being priced at 1.6714 marks from 1.6698 here late on Tuesday, at 122.70 yen from 122.53, 1.4280 Swiss francs from 1.4395 and 5.6286 French francs from 5.6247.

The mark was at 3.3673 French francs from 3.3681, 992.0 lire from 998.0, 84.60 pesetas from 84.69, 0.8608 Swiss francs from 0.8629 and 73.42 yen from 73.48.

Sterling was at 1.6445 dollars from 1.6495, 2.7492 marks from 2.7544, 201.84 yen from 2202.11, 2.3643 Swiss francs from 2.3745 and 9.2559 French francs from 9.2779.

The price of gold firmed to 350.75 dollars an ounce from 350.25 dollars.

The three-month British interbank rate fell to 6.437 percent from 6.468 percent and the three-month eurodollar rate was unchanged at 5.687 percent.

April 2 , 1997

Wednesday

Thursday

the next few months

May 1

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970403.0575

CHICAGO, April 3 , 1997 (AFP)

Chicago Fed faces congressional scrutiny over alleged rule breach

The Chicago Federal Reserve, one of 12 regional bracnhes of the US central bank, is facing congressional scrutiny over charges that its president broke rules by inviting an outside consultant to attend secret briefing sessions on interest rate policies.

Representative Henry Gonzalez said Chicago Fed President Michael Moskow violated Fed rules by inviting Northwestern University economist Martin Eichenbaum to sit in at two briefing sessions in January and February.

Aides of Gonzalez, a Democrat from Texas who is a long-time critic of the Federal Reserve Board, slammed the move as a waste of money since the Chicago Fed employs 23 economists.

Last week, the policy-making Open Market Committee, of which Moskow is a voting member, moved to hike the federal funds rate to 5.5 percent from 5.25 percent, sparking a stock market sell-off.

"If someone knows what the members are going to do at the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting, it is highly exploitable and extremely valuable information," an aide to Gonzalez involved in the probe was quoted as saying Thursday.

"There was no breach of confidentiality," Moskow said in a terse statement.

The Chicago Fed said Eichenbaum attended two policy briefings in January and February and was 'bound by a strict coinfidentiality agreement."

"We have since taken steps to assure than only employees with specific clearance will participate in future Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago monetary policy briefings," a Fed statement said.

April 3 , 1997

January

Last week

Thursday

January

February


XIN_ENG_20051127.0091

HONG KONG, Nov. 27 , 2005 (Xinhua)

moon mission in 10 to 15 years: official

China expects to build up its capacity for manned space mission and building up a space station within 10 to 15 years, said Hu Shixiang, deputy commander of China 's manned spaceflight project on Sunday.

He made the remarks while meeting with chief editors of Hong Kong-based press.

Hu said, China has been developing a new variety of rocket with a carrying capacity three times as much as the present ones for achieving the two targets.

China plans to achieve extravehicular activity by astronauts and locking of spacecraft by 2012, basis for establishing the future space station and even the moon probing, he said.

The 30-strong Delegation of Shenzhou-VI Manned Space Mission arrived here earlier in the day and attended a variety show for welcoming the delegation at Hong Kong Stadium in the afternoon.

Hu said China is a country treasuring friendly relations with neighboring countries. The probing of space is the common target of the whole mankind and China would like to join with people from other countries in peaceful use of the outerspace and peaceful development of the mankind.

Nov. 27 , 2005

10 to 15 years

Sunday

the afternoon


XIN_ENG_20061121.0403

BEIJING, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China's rural women worry about children's education the most

China's rural women worry about their children's education the most, followed by their livelihood and health, according to a national survey.

The All-China Women's Federation carried out the survey on the status of rural women's rights protection with 6,596 questionnaires distributed in 416 villages in eight provinces as well as 53 migrant worker residences in four major cities.

The survey showed 35.8 percent of respondents worried about their children's education, 34.5 percent about making a living and 14 percent about their health.

The survey also showed rural women wanted women's federations to help in better safeguarding women's rights, advice on improving their living standard and poverty relief assistance.

Mo Wenxiu, vice chairwoman of the federation and vice director of the survey group, said, "We found rural women's legal awareness enhanced, as 81.1 percent respondents knew the Law on Women's Rights Protection."

The survey showed 77 percent rural women and 68.7 percent of female migrant workers said they knew of or had accepted legal aid or judicial assistance.

Nov. 22 , 2006


NYT19980402.0453
 NEWS STORY
 04/02/1998 22:52:00

A0786 ampCx1f taf-z
u a ampCx13  ampCx11  BC-NJ-WOMEN-MURDER-PROBE     04-02 0319

 BC-NJ-WOMEN-MURDER-PROBE-NYT

TASK FORCE TO STUDY CASES OF 14 SLAIN WOMEN

(lb) ampQL
ampUR By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN ampLR  ampQC  ampQL
ampUR c.1998 N.Y. Times News Service ampLR  ampQC  ampQL

NEWARK, N.J. _ A new Essex County task force began delving
Thursday into the slayings of 14 black women over the last five
years in the Newark area, as law-enforcement officials acknowledged
that they needed  to work harder  to solve the cases of murdered
women.
The police and prosecutors said they  had identified different
suspects in six of the cases and had yet to find any pattern
linking the killings or the victims, several of whom  were believed
to be prostitutes.
State, county and local law-enforcement officials  have expressed
concerns in recent months about a possible pattern of murdered
women and a disproportionate number of unsolved cases.
Citing an example, Sgt. Derek Glenn, a spokesman for the Newark
Police Department, said that of nine women who  had  been killed last
year, suspects  had  been arrested in only four cases. But over all,
arrests  were made in more than 60 percent of murder cases, he said.
Eight of the 14 killings since 1993 were already under
investigation by the Newark Police Department, Glenn said. Of the
eight victims, three  were stabbed, two  were strangled, two  were beaten to death and one  was asphyxiated, he said, and these
different methods of killing and other evidence seem  to indicate
that the eight cases are not related.
But with the task-force investigation just getting under way,
officials have been careful not to draw any firm conclusions,
leaving open the possibility of a serial killer in some of the
cases. There have been no arrests in any of the slayings.
``I have n't seen a pattern yet ,  '' said Patricia Hurt, the Essex
County prosecutor, who created the task force on Tuesday. ``The
type of lifestyle these women have is extremely dangerous,'' she
said.

NYT-04-02-98 2252EST

04/02/1998 22:52:00

Thursday

the last five
years

recent months

last
year

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051129.0347

CARACAS, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

election "good"

Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vecente Rangel said Tuesday that Sunday's congressional elections will go ahead despite boycott from three opposition parties, saying the opposition's withdrawal was "good."

"The opposition says this election isn't clean. It's the cleanest in Venezuela's history, but they have interests opposed to the National Electoral Council," Rangel told local press. "The Democratic Action party has withdrawn... very good! "

Rangal's remarks came after three opposition parties -- the Democratic Action, the Project Venezuela and the Social Christian Party, or Copei, announced their pulling out from the elections.

The opposition said the National Electoral Council favored the ruling party candidates and has failed to correct the errors in the voter registry.

"Imagine what it means for a party like Democratic Action to say that today...under these conditions, we cannot participate in the electoral process, " said Henry Ramos of the Democratic Action, the largest opposition party in the country.

Polling firms said the ruling Fifth Republic Movement of President Hugo Chavez will win a sweeping victory in Sunday's elections. If the ruling party reaches its goal of getting a two-thirds majority, it can begin to make constitutional reforms.

Analysts said one of the possible reforms might be lifting the restriction limiting presidents to two six-year terms. Chavez's term will not expire until 2012 if he is re-elected next year.

Venezuela's opposition parties, including the three parties that boycotted the upcoming elections, now hold a total of 79 seats in the 165-seat National Assembly, while the rest 86 seats are taken by pro-Chavez lawmakers.

Sunday's election will be the first time when both Democratic Action and Copei have no candidates since 1958 -- when Venezuela's last military dictatorship ended. Venezuelans will elect 167 deputies to the National Assembly for five-year terms.

Nov. 29 , 2005

Tuesday

Sunday

Sunday

next year

now

Sunday


AFP_ENG_20051216.0019

JAKARTA, Dec 16 , 2005

Indonesian police ask churches to dig bomb disposal holes

Police in the Indonesian district of Solo said Friday they had ordered churches in the area to dig holes into which suspected bombs could be tossed, amid fears of Christmas attacks.

The police chief in Central Java's Solo told church officials to dig holes one metre (yard) cubed outside their buildings, local policeman Supran Yoga said.

"This is in anticipation of bombings," he told AFP.

The Koran Tempo newspaper also said police would scour all 61 churches in Solo, located about 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of the capital Jakarta, looking for bombs before services on Christmas Eve.

Raids were carried out on several houses in Solo after the triple suicide bombings on the resort island of Bali on October 1, which killed 20 bystanders.

Malaysian bomb-maker Azahari Husin, who was tracked down and killed by police in November, as well as his on-the-run compatriot Noordin Mohammad Top, were both linked to the bombings and are believed to have spent time in Solo.

Indonesia's intelligence agency warned last week that information indicated extremists may be planning attacks over the Christmas-New Year period in large cities across the sprawling archipelago.

Jakarta police have said they will deploy 18,000 officers across the capital during that time.

Nineteen people were killed when Islamic extremists launched a coordinated nationwide bombing campaign targeting churches and priests on Christmas Eve in 2000.

The attacks were blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, which has also been blamed for a string of deadly attacks in Indonesia since then, including the 2002 Bali bombing, which left 202 people dead.

Azahari and Top were believed to be JI members but experts say the pair may have split off to form an even more hardline group.

Dec 16 , 2005

Friday

Christmas

October 1

November

last week

Christmas


AFP_ENG_20051207.0424

KATHMANDU, Dec 7 , 2005

Nepalese king rings the changes

King Gyanendra of Nepal reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday shortly after returning from a foreign trip during which Maoist rebels and opposition parties lined up against him.

"His Majesty the King has reshuffled the present 22-member Council of Ministers to 35 members," said a statement from the royal palace read out on Nepali television.

The king brought in several new faces and dropped senior ministers including those in charge of the home and finance ministries.

His announcement came days after his return from a three-week trip to Africa and amid growing criticism from opposition parties angered by his failure to restore democracy in the Himalayan kingdom.

Maoist rebels, who have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since 1996, on Friday extended their three-month unilateral ceasefire by one month.

The Maoists and seven mainstream opposition parties agreed last month to form an anti-royal alliance to restore democracy, setting out a 12-point plan and calling for an end to fighting and for elections held under UN auspices.

Under the agreement, the Maoists would lay down their arms under UN or other international supervision while a new constitution was drafted.

Nepal has been shaken by repeated strikes and protests since the king assumed total control in February, a move he justified by saying the government had failed to quell the Maoist revolt.

The violence and the royal takeover has brought international condemnation for both sides as well as reviews of military and humanitarian aid from several countries, including the United States, Britain and India.

The Maoist conflict has killed more than 12,500 people.

Dec 7 , 2005

Wednesday

days

Friday

one month

last month

February


XIN_ENG_20061117.0113

BEIJING, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China holds major human rights exhibition in Beijing

A major human rights exhibition kicked off in China's capital on Friday, showcasing the country's efforts to protect human rights.

The ten-day exhibition, the largest of its kind ever held in Beijing,features more than 700 pictures, 250 legal documents, 330 books on human rights and 24 diagrams, which "truthfully record China's efforts to promote and safeguard the people's right to life and right to develop and, more broadly, their political, economic, social and cultural rights," organizers said.

"We hope the exhibition will give people a more comprehensive and objective understanding of human rights in China, a clearer picture of how human rights have developed in the Chinese context and more confidence in China's commitment to human rights as it builds a socialist harmonious society," said Cai Wu, director of the Information Office of the State Council, at the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Museum of Nationalities.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is also 15 years since China issued its first white paper on human rights.

"The exhibition reflects China's recognition of and respect for the UN bill on human rights and basic international human rights principles," Cai said.

"Adhering to the principle of respecting and safeguarding human rights, and promoting the progress of human rights, are important governing concepts in China," he said.

"I believe the exhibition will help promote human rights in China and boost exchanges between China and the outside world," said Dong Yunhu, vice chairman of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

Nov. 17 , 2006

Friday

This year

15 years


XIN_ENG_20061127.0181

BANGKOK, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Thai deputy PM recommends actions against Thaksin over lottery

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula Monday recommended legal actions against former prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, his Cabinet members and senior officials over the two and three- digit lottery.

Pridiyathorn asked the National Counter Corruption Commission and the Assets Examination Committee to take the actions on ground that Thaksin and others had allegedly committed malfeasance and negligence.

The deputy premier said at the press conference here that the Finance Ministry's reports are based on the Council of State's ruling on November which ruled that the government's decision the two and three-digit lottery violates in 2003 the Government Lottery Act 1974.

Pridiyathorn said that the first group of those subject to the charges are senior officials at the Government Lottery Office.

Nov. 27 , 2006

November


XIN_ENG_20051124.0071

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Tanzanian electoral body removes 10,000 voters from register

Tanzania's National Electoral Commission has removed more than 10,000 people from the country's permanent voters register.

These people therefore will not be eligible for the country's general elections slated for December 14 this year.

Sisti Cariah, IT manager of the electoral body, told local media that some of these people were either under-age or not bona fide citizens while others had either passed away or were in prison.

The National Electoral Commission removed these people after a general review and the electoral body promised to accept some 4, 000 of-age voters who were not eligible for the general elections originally scheduled for October 30.

This year's general elections, the third multi-party polls in the country since 1995, will be held on December 14 which is already rendered a public holiday through a special presidential decree to facilitate voting.

The general elections had to be postponed in the wake of the death of a presidential running mate from the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) party on October 26.

The CHADEMA presidential running mate, Jumbe Rajab Jumbe, died of heart attack on October 26.

Nov. 24 , 2005

December 14 this year

October 30

This year

December 14

October 26

October 26


AFP_ENG_19970423.0361

JOHANNESBURG, April 23 , 1997 (AFP)

Police trumpeter asks human rights committee to save his dreadlocks

A rasta-loving policeman who faces disciplinary action for wearing his hair in dreadlocks, has taken his case to the South African Human Rights Commission, officials said Wednesday.

D.P. Sass, a trumpet player in a police band, faces suspension or dismissal for sporting long, twisted tresses, but has protested the ruling on the grounds that it infringes on his religious freedoms, the SAPA news agency said Wednesday.

Sass became a follower of Rastafarianism (also known as 'rasta'), a philosophical movement originating in Jamaica and the Antilles, a year after joining the police in 1992, the commission said in a statement.

Police admit their regulations contradict Sass' religious rights, but say the measures are necessary in order to maintain standards of neatness and integrity, the commission added.

In a similar case, a Cape Town high school student appealed to the commission after his school refused to allow him to write exams because he would not hide his dreadlocks, the statement said.

April 23 , 1997

Wednesday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970421.0449

GENEVA, April 21 , 1997 (AFP)

Kofi Annan urges rapid action on Zaire refugee repatriation by Tani Freedman

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the rapid repatriation of up to 100,000 Rwandan refugees stranded and sick in camps in eastern Zaire, saying imminent action was needed to save lives.

Annan, in a statement issued in Geneva before he returned to New York after a 24-hour visit, called on an "all parties to stop fighting and allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population caught in the conflict."

UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata, who discussed the refugee crisis with Annan, also called on the Kisangani authorities to "take urgent action to airlift Rwandan refugees home," insisting that delays would lead to more deaths and that repatriation was the only solution for these people.

A first batch of Rwandan refugees was supposed to be airlifted out of Kisangani on Friday, but Zairean Tutsi rebels who control the city blocked the move.

They apparently fear that cholera plaguing the Kasese and Biaro camps south of Kisangani, which shelter some 80,000 individuals, would contaminate the city. Relief workers on the ground, claiming the cholera outbreak is containable, said there was no such risk.

They want to begin a major operation to fly refugees from Kisangani more than 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeastwards to Goma, on the border with Rwanda, for repatriation, the but the exercise has been postponed indefinately. Goma is the "capital" of rebel-held eastern Zaire.

"I hope repatriation and air-bridge operations will start very soon to save the lives of the vulnerable women and children needing better care," Annan said.

Outbreaks of violence over the last four days among the local population, including the looting Monday of a relief train carrying 120 tonnes of food south of Kisangani, have interrupted aid agency operations in the camps.

"Since Friday a series of security incidents, including the looting of foodstocks, has blocked our access to the camps. Today the military told us that we would not be allowed in the camps because of a security operation in the area," Ogata said.

"This is not good enough. We must have access and we must begin the airlift. Every day's delay means more lives lost. Repatriation is the only solution for these people, the only way to guarantee their safety."

The UNHCR is calling for security guarantees for its staff to carry out their urgent humanitarian work in the camps and to help defuse tensions between the refugees and the local population which is clamouring to benefit from humanitarian agency assistance.

In Goma, UNHCR spokesman Filipo Grandi on Monday told AFP that "the (rebel) military authorities have asked humanitarian organizations to stop all their operations in the camps until further notice.

"No agency can go to the left bank" of the Zaire river, to which they need access to reach the camps, Grandi added. "We are extremely concerned about the deterioration in the security situation, which has prevented humanitarian agencies from providing help to the camps and nearby villages for the third time in four days."

Last week's attack on UNHCR vehicles led to the first suspension of assistance, which resumed on the weekend.

The refugees went on a five-month trekking odyssey following the launch of the rebels' offensive against President Mobutu Sese Seko's army in October.

They escaped to Zaire following the civil war in Rwanda in 1994 in which Tutsi rebels toppled the governing Hutu regime after Hutu extremists massacred half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

April 21 , 1997

Friday

the last four days

Monday

Friday

Today

Monday

four

Last week

the weekend

October


XIN_ENG_20061109.0182

BEIJING, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

facilitate bilateral investment

China and Russia signed eight agreements in Beijing on Thursday to boost bilateral investment, trade and technical cooperation.

The signing of the agreements, covering sectors such as trade, energy, car production and development of infrastructure, marked the beginning of Sino-Russian Investment Promotion Week.

Two of the eight agreements relate to joint mining exploration. The other agreements include the setting up of a car assembly factory, a glass factory and wood processing facilities.

The contracted investment volume from the Chinese side is 800 million U.S. dollars.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said the China-Russia trade volume was expected to reach 60 billion to 80 billion U.S. dollars by 2010, and China's total investment volume in Russia will reach its target of 12 billion dollars before 2020.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice Director with the State Development and Reform Commission, said the two countries' cooperation in energy would increase in the future.

Speaking at a Sino-Russian trade forum in Beijing, Zhang said the energy cooperation between the two countries had entered a new phase, especially the joint oil exploration project in Veninsky Block of Sakhalin region and the joint operation of Udmurtneft Petroliem Company.

The government encourages Chinese firms to engage more in the joint exploration of ores of iron, zinc, lead, and copper in regions such as Chita Oblist, and Tuva Republic, Zhang said.

Trade volume between China and Russia reached 29.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2005. In the first nine months of this year, the bilateral trade volume totaled 24.64 billion dollars, up 18.8 percent on the previous year.

The Sino-Russian Investment Promotion Week will feature 13 promotional activities aimed at boosting bilateral investment, as part of the "Year of Russia" in China which is scheduled to conclude on Thursday evening.

More than 200 activities were held during the "Year of Russia", which helped strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries and push forward the China-Russia strategic partnership.

Nov. 9 , 2006

Thursday

the future

the first nine months

this year

the previous year

Thursday evening


XIN_ENG_20051102.0067

SEOUL, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

S.Korean, Japanese FMs to meet on sidelines of APEC meeting: report

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki- moon will hold one-on-one talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.

Yonhap quoted a source from the government as saying that Ban and Taro agreed to meet during a telephone conversation earlier in the day.

But the exact date of the meeting has not been fixed. The APEC summit meetings are to take place in the third week of this month in South Korea's southern port city of Busan.

"They will exchange views on bilateral ties including ways of addressing the current strained relations," the unnamed official was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

The two neighbors' relations have been strained since Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 2 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A Criminals of the World War II.

The South Korean government, political parties and non- governmental groups have made strong reactions to the latest shrine visit, the fifth since Koizumi took office in 2001.

The ties between South Korea and Japan did not turn better although Ban made a trip to Japan last week.

Public anger in South Korea even deepened as Koizumi brought in some hawkish officials, including Shinzo Abe as chief Cabinet secretary and Taro Aso as foreign minister, in his latest cabinet reshuffle on Monday.

It is still unclear whether South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will hold a summit with Koizumi during the APEC event, the official said.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

the third week of this month

last week

Monday


AFP_ENG_19970428.0246

LONDON, April 28 , 1997 (AFP)

Researchers say dogs susceptible to "mad cow" disease

Government researchers found six years ago that dogs were susceptible to a form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow" disease, from eating contaminated pet food, press reports Monday said.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, commenting on the report in The Independant, confirmed the results of the 1992 study were never published and that no follow-up was done.

At the time, government scientists had studied the brains of 444 hunting hounds that had died after showing signs of distress associated with BSE, and found abnormalities called fibrils, tiny fibres first noticed by scientists studying scrapie, a spongiform encephalopathy in sheep.

The presence of fibrils, said the scientists, confirmed that some of the brains showed signs of a canine equivalent of mad cow disease.

Consultant microbiologist Stephen Dealler, a leading critic of government handling of the BSE crisis, said it was "incredible that this experiment was known about before the last general election."

The test results were reported verbally to the Government's advisers on BSE in 1992, he said, but then chairman of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, David Tyrell, said the dog study should not be taken further.

A ministry spokesman said the study was halted because no danger to public health had been ascertained.

"You can be absolutely certain that the presence of scrapie associated fibrils shows these dogs had the disease," said Dealler.

Last week, Norwegian scientists said they thought an 11-year-old golden retriever had died from spongiform encephalopathy, and linked the dog's death to pet food made from cattle remains imported from Britain.

But British health sources said it was unlikely the Norwegian dog could have picked up the disease after September 1990 when bovine offal was banned from pet food in Britian.

Cats, however, are known to be affected by spongiform encephalopathy and at least 75 of them have already died from the feline version of the disease.

April 28 , 1997

six years ago

Last week

September 1990


AFP_ENG_19970403.0346

ANKARA, April 3 , 1997 (AFP)

Turkish defence minister's Israel visit postponed

A planned trip by Turkish Defence Minister Turhan Tayan to Israel has been postponed to a later date as it coincides with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy's visit to Ankara, Turkish diplomats said Thursday.

According to a schedule announced last month, Tayan would visit Israel between April 7 and 9 and Levy would be in the Turkish capital on April 8 and 9.

"Tayan's visit will now be rescheduled for late April or early May," a foreign ministry official told AFP.

Turkey and Israel, whose relations remained dormant during decades of the Arab-Israeli conflict, boosted their ties to a strategic level last year.

They signed two major pacts on military and defence industry cooperation despite condemnation by radical Arab or Moslem states like Iran, Syria and Iraq.

In the largest-scale defence industry deal between the two countries, a 630 million agreement, under which a consortium led by Israel Aircraft Industries will upgrade Turkey's aging fleet of 54 F-4E Phantom aircraft, took effect last November.

April 3 , 1997

Thursday

last month

April 7

April 8

late April or early May

last year

last November


AFP_ENG_19970403.0403

PRETORIA, April 3 , 1997 (AFP)

Rare black gibbon born at Pretoria zoo

A rare black gibbon has been born at South Africa's national zoo in Pretoria, the zoo announced Thursday.

Some 31,000 black gibbons disappear each year, making it "extremely important ... to coordinate their breeding programmes," the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa said in a statement.

The tiny primates known for their agility were once common in China, but their numbers have dwindled steadily because of hunting and deforestation. They are now found only in the far south of China and east of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, the zoo said in a statement.

Since 1992, the Pretoria zoo has been home to the only pair of black gibbons in Africa. A total of 53 specimens of the vanishing species are in captivity around the world.

April 3 , 1997

Thursday

each year


WSJ891030-0143
 = 891030
 891030-0143.
 RJR Is Selling
@  Candy Brands
@  For $370 Million
@  ----
@  By Peter Waldman
@  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
 10/30/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 RJR Z.NES
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
FOOD PRODUCTS (FOD)

   RJR Nabisco Inc. said it agreed to sell its Baby Ruth, Butterfinger and Pearson candy businesses to Nestle S.A.'s Nestle Foods unit for $370 million.

   The sale, at a higher price than some analysts had expected, helps the food and tobacco giant raise funds to pay debt and boosts Nestle's 7% share of the U.S. candy market to about 12%.

   The candy businesses had sales of about $154 million last year, which was roughly 12% of total revenue for RJR's Planters LifeSavers unit, according to a memorandum distributed by RJR's owner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts amp Co., to bankers last December.

   The Nestle acquisition includes a candy plant in Franklin Park, Ill., which employs about 800 workers.

   The sale, which had been expected, is part of KKR's program to pay down $5 billion of a $6 billion bridge loan by February.
Roughly $2 billion of that debt has already been repaid from previous asset sales, and RJR expects to use another $2 billion from the pending, two-part sale of most of its Del Monte unit.
That sale, however , could still fall through if financing problems develop.
Thus, it remains crucial for RJR to obtain top dollar for its smaller assets like the candy brands.

   Louis Gerstner Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of New York-based RJR, called the sale a "significant step" in the company's divestiture program, as well as a "a strategic divestiture."
Since KKR bought RJR in February for $25 billion of debt, it has agreed to sell nearly $5 billion of RJR assets.
RJR's executives have said they will dispense with certain brands, in particular, that are n't  leaders in their markets.
"RJR Nabisco and Planters LifeSavers will concentrate more on our own core businesses," Mr. Gerstner said Friday.

   Baby Ruth and Butterfinger are both among the top-selling 15 chocolate bars in the U.S., but RJR's overall share of the roughly $5.1 billion market is less than 5%.
Nestle's share of 7% before Friday's purchases is far below the shares of market leaders Hershey Foods Corp. and Mars Inc., which have about 40% and 36% of the market, respectively.

   "This means Nestle is now in the candybar business in a big way," said Lisbeth Echeandia, publisher of Orlando, Fla.-based Confectioner Magazine.
"For them, it makes all kinds of sense.
They've been given a mandate from Switzerland" to expand their U.S. chocolate operations.
Nestle S.A. is based in Vevey, Switzerland.

   The new candy bars, "make an important contribution to our Nestle Foods commitment to this very important strategic unit," said C. Alan MacDonald, president of Nestle Foods in Purchase, N.Y.

last year

last December

February

February

Friday

Friday


XIN_ENG_20061116.0188

MANILA, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Philippines considers change of ASEAN summit venue from unfinished convention center

Despite repeated denials from Philippine government that there is no change of venue for the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be held in December in Cebu, a presidential palace official admitted Thursday that a change of venue for the summit is under consideration by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

A ranking palace official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government might go for Plan B which would transfer the venue of the summit from the unfinished Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) to a Shangri-La hotel.

The source said this was discussed during the cabinet meeting in Malacanang last Tuesday.

"This is what the cabinet have discussed because the construction of the CICC has not yet been completed," the official said.

The official said under a worst-case scenario, the government will activate Plan C, which will move the meeting to Manila from Cebu. But it's too late as delegates have already booked and paid for their hotel accommodations in Cebu.

ASEAN member-states, delegates and foreign media have expressed concern over the delay of completion of the convention center as meetings will formally start on Dec. 6 to be followed by the summit meetings from Dec. 10 to 13.

Leaders from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will be joined by their counterparts from China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand for an East Asian regional summit meeting in the wake of the ASEAN summit.

Other officials from Timor-Leste, France and the European Union will also be present in the meeting.

The construction on the huge center, estimated to cost 800 million pesos (16 million U.S. dollars), which began in April, was originally scheduled to be completed this month.

A police chief in charge of security for the summit meetings has first told foreign media that the venue of the summit will be transferred to Shangrila hotel from the unfinished CICC. But government officials maintained that meetings will still be held at the convention center.

The publisher of local daily "The Philippine Star", Max Solliven, has criticized the local government of Cebu for hasting the construction of the convention center at the cost of safety while urging the government to transfer the venue of the summit to a safer place.

Nov. 16 , 2006

December

Thursday

last Tuesday

Dec. 6

Dec. 10

April

this month


AFP_ENG_19970404.0429

TYRE, Lebanon, April 4 , 1997 (AFP)

Twenty-six Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon in 12 months: toll

At least 26 Israeli soldiers have been killed in south Lebanon since the Jewish state's offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in the region in April 1996, security sources said Friday.

Attacks against the Israeli-occupied "security zone" in south Lebanon, mainly by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, have also killed 13 members of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia, said the sources.

At least 83 Israeli soldiers have been injured in the attacks along with 34 members of the SLA.

The Islamic Resistance, Hezbollah's military wing, has launched 383 attacks on the buffer strip since last April's Israeli offensive -- dubbed Operation Grapes of Wrath -- according to the security service toll.

A total of 24 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the attacks, it added.

Israeli shelling in response to Hezbollah attacks killed three Lebanese civilians and wounded 36 others during the same period.

Israel's 17-day offensive, launched to stamp out Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel, killed 175 people and injured 350 others, mostly civilians, and also caused an estimated 500 million dollars of damage in south Lebanon.

A five-nation ceasefire monitoring committee set up under the terms of the April 26 truce agreement ending the Israeli offensive has met 14 times, and has received 12 complaints from Lebanon and eight from Israel.

Israel has occupied a "security zone" in south Lebanon since 1985 to protect its northern border from attacks by anti-Israeli fighters.

April 4 , 1997

April 1996

Friday

last April

the same period

April 26


XIN_ENG_20051116.0141

BERLIN, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Germany's incoming FM rules out change in Iraq policy

Germany will not change its Iraq policy under future Chancellor Angela Merkel, designated Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.

"I believe there won't be any fundamental changes," Steinmeier said in an interview with German public television broadcaster ARD.

The grand coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) had agreed there would be no major changes on the Iraq policy, the future foreign minister said.

Outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has refused to send any troops to join the US force to Iraq before and after the Iraq war broke out in early 2003.

Merkel, who is to be elected chancellor by parliament on Nov. 22, has indicated she would repair special partnership with the United States, which had been impaired in recent years over Iraq and other issues.

Steinmeier told ARD that he would make some efforts to improve relations with the United States.

"To do nothing would surely not be good advice," said Steinmeier.

However, Steinmeier ruled out any major changes in transatlantic ties.

"People are intelligent enough and know enough on the other side of the Atlantic to see that we are pulling our weight in global engagement and responsibilities," he said.

The future foreign minister noted that the transatlantic partnership and European integration are the two pillars of German foreign policy under the new government.

Steinmeier, Schroeder's close partner in the SPD, will be sworn in on Nov. 22.

Nov. 16 , 2005

Wednesday

early 2003

Nov. 22

recent years

Nov. 22


XIN_ENG_20061107.0358

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Japan make quarters in beach soccer World Cup

Japan's national beach soccer team became the second Group A team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the sport's World Cup, held on Copacabana beach in Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, though the team lost 5-8 to Poland on Tuesday.

Japan, the United States and Poland are equal on points, each with one win and two losses. Japan scraped through on goal-difference.

Japan, which qualified as second in Group A, will play France, the top team of Group B, in a repeat of one of the sport's semi-final matches, which was held on the same beach in 2005.

Nov. 7 , 2006

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970412.0123

FREETOWN, April 12 , 1997 (AFP)

Liberian security officials seize navy craft

Liberian security officials seized a craft belonging to the Sierra Leone Navy Friday after it was found to be carrying drugs, a Sierra Leone military spokesman said Saturday.

The spokesman said seven baskets of marijuana were hidden in the hull of the vessel when it berthed in the Freeport of Monrovia.

The vessel had travelled directly to Monrovia from Freetown carrying food and other logistics.

A Sierra Leone naval officer is now in detention and being questioned by military police of the West African Peacekeeping Force (ECOMOG). His name and rank have not been disclosed.

The military spokesman here described the incident as a "major embarrassment" but he did not say what charges were likely to be brought against the detained officer.

ECOMOG Field Commander Major-general Victor Malu quoted by Liberian radio said "this is not the first time that officers have betrayed the confidence" placed in them.

The arrested officer, diplomatic sources said, claimed to have been given the baskets by a woman trader in Freetown who told him that the consignment was foofoo - a starchy but edible foodstuff made up of pounded cassava - to deliver to a friend in Monrovia.

April 12 , 1997

Friday

Saturday

now