XIN_ENG_20061115.0007

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

NEWSMAKER: Tie Ning: First woman to head China's literary world

by Xinhua Writer Chang Ai-ling

BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- As the first woman writer elected as president of the Chinese Writers Association, 49-year-old Tie Ning broke the stereotype of the government-sponsored organization.

"It ends the era of a literary world dominated by great masters and ushers in the age of common people," fellow writer Sun Yunxiao wrote in his blog, commenting on Tie's election.

Born in 1957, Tie was elected president of the association on Sunday at the seventh congress of the association in Beijing, becoming China's top literary official.

The association, founded in 1949, is a non-government body made up of outstanding Chinese writers to encourage Chinese literary activities and promote exchanges between the Chinese and foreign literary circles.

Compared with predecessors -- Mao Dun (1896-1981) and Ba Jin (1904-2005) -- who made their names before the founding of New China with works attacking the feudal society, Tie comes from another age.

"I belong to the generation of writers who grew up with China's economic reform and opening up process," Tie said in an interview with China's major news website sina.com.cn, before the election.

China's literary world has become increasingly diversified since the 1980s, leaving behind the era when the literary landscape was dominated by several great masters who were admired by an awestruck public.

Tie published her first story in 1975. At the age of 25, she won a national acclaim for her prize-winning short story "Ah, Xiangxue," which relates the adventures of a country girl who yearns to know about the outside world and gets on a train by mistake.

Her novel "The Red Shirt Without Buttons" and short story "June's Big Topic" won her another two national awards in 1984. Since the 1980s, Tie has published a number of collections of short stories and novels and become one of China's most well-known writers.

In 1996, 38-year-old Tie was elected vice president of the Chinese Writers Association. Meanwhile, she also served as president of the Hebei Provincial Writers Association.

To many of her colleagues, Tie, who has never been married, is a smart and nice-looking lady, who "has a positive attitude towards life and literature". Her election seemed to be warmly welcomed by Chinese writers, especially of her generation.

"First of all, she is a real writer. Her books demonstrate her talents and creativity. Secondly, she is of good character and is influential among writers," Sun said.

Other writers hope the woman president will introduce "new vitality" into the 57-year-old association.

"Some people may think that a writer of our generation is less weighty than the literary masters as Mao Dun and Ba Jin. But I personally support the election of a young, capable and vigorous writer as the new president," writer Hai Yan was quoted as saying by the China News Service.

"The president of the writers association should not be viewed as a figurehead," Hai said.

The Chinese Writers Association has been criticized for its "officialdom" by writers in recent years and is under huge pressure for institutional reform. Chinese writers have also frequently been chastised by the public for their lack of social responsibility, shallow understanding of social changes, ignorance of history and deliberate avoidance of social conflicts.

The Southern Metropolis Daily commented that compared with Mao Dun and Ba Jin, who either held too many titles to focus on the association or were too old and weak to deal with the association's affairs, Tie was subject to much higher expectations.

The newspaper said it expected that Tie, after the promotion, will continue to write good novels and use her position to reinforce Chinese writers' professional consciences.

Although Tie has turned down all media requests for interviews since the appointment this week, her position in both the literary and political arena, as well as her earlier words and deeds, might still belie her would-be agenda for the organization with more than 7,600 member writers.

In 2002, Tie was elected to the powerful Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as an alternate member at the Party's 16th National Congress.

Responding to questions on her "dual identity", Tie said early this year that she dosen't think that being an official limits her freedom of writing.

"First of all, I personally don't put them at opposite sides. Secondly, being a writer is my job, my duty and my focus," she said. "As a writer, my soul is free. My writing is independent. Nobody forces me to write, neither am I restricted by anyone."

While serving as president of the Hebei Provincial Writers Association, Tie was said to have devoted great efforts to help young writers and create more opportunities for them. She also successfully raised enough money to build a provincial literature center and set up a provincial institute for literature.

But she admitted that being an official is a challenge because she had to get used to mixing administrative issues and writing. "I deal with the issues in the most efficient way and then get back to writing. Such a situation challenges a writer's perseverance."

"If I have certain so-called capability, then it is my ability to return to my soul under any conditions," she said.

Nov. 14 , 2006

Nov. 15

Sunday

the 1980s

the era

the 1980s

recent years

this week

early this year


XIN_ENG_20061128.0366

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Voluntary HIV tests on the rise in S. Africa

More South Africans are voluntarily getting counseled and tested for HIV with figures rising annually, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday.

A total of 1.715 million people in South Africa, one of the world's hardest hit countries by HIV/AIDS, utilized the free pre- HIV test counseling and 80 percent of them volunteered for HIV tests between April 2005 and March 2006, the ministry spokesman Sibani Mngadi said.

"The trend is that it seems to be doubling every year," he said.

About 35 percent, or 479,086 people, of those who tested were found to be HIV positive. But Mngadi said this did not reflect prevalence within the general population.

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

Mngadi said the government has launched a nationwide awareness campaign which encourages people to know their HIV status.

"The progress in increasing the uptake into VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) is largely attributed to the campaign," he said.

In 2004-05 one million participants were counseled and 866,000 tested. In the 2003-2004 period 690,000 people were counseled and 511,000 tested.

The uptake was also enhanced by the wide accessibility of VCT service across the country, Mngadi said. A total of 4,172 VCT service points are operational in both medical and non-medical sites in all nine provinces, and VCT is available in more than 90 percent of clinics.

A draft program for the World AIDS Day event on Dec. 1, issued by the health ministry on Tuesday, suggested that the South African government would launch a new HIV/AIDS-combating strategy in 2007-2011.

Local media revealed earlier this month that the strategy aims to halve the HIV-infection rate and provide treatment to 750,000 patients within the next five years.

Nov. 28 , 2006

Tuesday

April 2005

March 2006

every year

the 2003-2004 period

Dec. 1

Tuesday

this month

the next five years


AFP_ENG_19970422.0303

TOKYO, April 22 , 1997 (AFP)

Japan's troubled nuclear plant operator to privatise major work

The chief of Japan's scandal-hit state-run nuclear plant operator said Tuesday it planned to privatise its uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing operations following a series of accidents.

Toshiyuki Kondo, president of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp. (Donen), announced the plan during the House of Councillors Budget Committee.

Kondo said the plan was part of its restructuring scheme following the emergence of a scandal sparked by a string of nuclear leaks which officials kept secret.

"We are thinking of transferring our uranium enrichment operation to Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.," Kondo said. Japan Nuclear Fuel is a private entity owned mainly by Japan's nine major electric power companies.

Kondo also said Donen planned to transfer its nuclear fuel reprocessing functions now undertaken at a reprocessing plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, into private hands.

Kyodo News said the uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing operations were Donen's main functions, making it likely their transfer to the private sector would strengthen the argument that Donen be dissolved.

But the president denied the possibility of the complete disbandment of Donen, saying the state-run nuclear operator must continue its research into nuclear fuel cycle technology based on fast-breeder reactors and disposal of highly radioactive waste.

"Private entities cannot handle the two operations because they will cost a lot of time and money," Kondo said. "Therefore, the country would continue undertaking these two operations."

Last week, a special commission headed by Riichiro Chikaoka, minister in charge of the science and technology agency, began talks on measures to reform Donen.

Calls for revamping Donen mounted after a fire and explosion at its nuclear reprocessing plant in Tokai, northeast of Tokyo, which came 15 months after a massive sodium leak at its fast-breeder Monju reactor in the western city of Tsuruga.

The March 11 accident exposed 37 workers to low-level radiation and is considered to be Japan's worst nuclear accident.

Donen faced another crisis as heavy water leaked at the Fugen advanced thermal converter reactor in Tsuruga, boosting the air density of radioactive tritium to 18 times the normal level and leaving 11 workers exposed to low-level radiation.

The nuclear power plant operator has also come under fire for covering up incidents at Monju and Tokai.

Donen admitted last week that it had also failed to report "11 very low levels of leaks" at Fugen in the past three years.

Earlier in the day, the lower house voted to kill an opposition- sponsored no-confidence motion against the science and technology agency chief Chikaoka over the incidents involving Donen.

April 22 , 1997

Tuesday

now

Last week

15 months

March 11

last week

the past three years


AFP_ENG_19970414.0259

CAIRO, April 14 , 1997 (AFP)

Arafat in Cairo to ask Egypt's help (picture)

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived here Monday determined to ask Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to make "more" efforts to save the peace process from collapse.

"I will ask President Mubarak for more efforts and I will thank him for what he is doing to protect the peace process," Arafat told reporters before heading into talks with the Egyptian leader at the Ittihadiya presidential palace outside Cairo.

The Palestinian president said he will discuss with Mubarak ways of "saving" the peace process from collapse because of Israel's "persistence in violating the accords which were signed."

The talks are focused on Israel's settlement policy as well as the closure of Palestinian territories, Arafat said.

April 14 , 1997

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061109.0072

KATHMANDU, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Nepali government endorses SPA-guerillas latest pact

Nepali government endorsed Thursday the latest six-point agreement between the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and guerrillas.

The meeting of council of ministers was held on Thursday morning approving the pact singed on Wednesday midnight.

Prime Minister Koirala, on the occasion, briefed about the agreement to the ministers and sought their commitments to implement the pact.

Meanwhile, Koirala also informed about the agreement to the parliament on Thursday noon.

In his speech to the parliament he said that the pact had added extra responsibility to all parties involved and stressed on the need to work united.

He also warned of conspiracy that the reactionary forces might hatch to destroy the historic pact.

Koirala urged the guerrillas to create fearless environment as earliest as possible.

Nov. 9 , 2006

Thursday

Thursday morning

Wednesday

Thursday noon


XIN_ENG_20061115.0208

BEIJING, Nov. 15 , 2006 (Xinhua)

New method to ban bully giant retailors

Supermarkets and chain store giants who used to default payment to goods suppliers or bullied them into forking out unnecessary charges have to be careful as a new method took effect on Wednesday.

This first-ever method to secure fair trade between retailers and suppliers will empower suppliers, especially small and medium-sized ones,to defend their legitimate interests and report offense to relevant authorities.

The instrument came after nine high-ranking managers from bankrupt supermarket chain PriceSmart China were put on trial in October for allegedly stealing and defrauding a total of 120 million yuan from the corporation and individual stores and banks.

While a key chain warehouse of the PriceSmart Membership Shop in Beijing was shut last January to evade suppliers demanding delayed payment, protests culminated after nearly 100 suppliers picketed the shop gates and a drove of shoppers asked for refunds on their membership cards.

The verdicts are yet to come. Assistant Minister of Commerce Huang Hai said the document was tailor-made against such bully retailer.

The method jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and other four departments covering pricing, taxation, public securities and industrial and commerce forbids retailers, either local or foreign-invested, to solicit kickbacks from suppliers or force them to pay for the wear and tear of goods on shelf.

It provides detailed rules on the charges retailers may impose and suppliers and prohibits retailers from demanding unreasonable withdraw of goods by suppliers.

Song Ze, researcher of the China Academy of Social Sciences, said that the contradiction between retailers and suppliers have existed for a long time.

"The deep-rooted cause is that foreign large retailers took lead to use their distribution and capital advantages to withhold their payment to suppliers, which hindered the latters' cash flow and eventually sour the relationship," said he.

A survey from the Ministry of Commerce revealed that payment default by retailers has actually evolved into an industrial practice. And domestic retailers do not stay clean. In some cases, payment of goods can be delayed five to six months behind the schedule.

In China, the world's largest market boasting of a population of 1.3 billion, a saying widely spread in the business circles is that who controls the distribution channels is the King.

There are quite a number of "Distribution Kings" in China, the U.S-based Walmart, France-based Carrefour, UK-based B, Lotus Supermarkets from Thailand and local ones like Merrymart and Hualian.

A supplier said that it was right time to rectify their malpractice. Describing the method as "only a first move", he said that dethroning the Kings would be "difficult".

"If we reported offenses, who guaranteed the problematic retailers would be immediately punished and what are the other options to sell our products?" he asked.

Song Ze said the supplier's concern reflects the next move Chinese authorities must take-- to tighten supervision and strenghthen enforcement.

As five different departments are involved, he suggested officials of trade, public securities, taxation, pricing and industry and commerce establish a regular coordination mechanism to share information and launch joint crackdown on major transgression.

"Suppliers are not the only victims of the unfair trade---People working for suppliers, banks extending loans and shoppers having to pay higher prices for the extra costs that cash-strained producers refused to pay." Song said.

Nov. 15 , 2006

Wednesday

October

last January

five to six months


XIN_ENG_20051112.0141

BINH DUONG, Vietnam, Nov. 12 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Dong Tam Long An Tile, Binh Duong from Vietnam enter soccer final

Vietnam's Dong Tam Long An Tile downed Singapore's Tamin Rovers 2-0 here Saturday, while hosts Binh Duong beat Da Nang 8-7 at the semifinals of the International Binh Duong Television Cup.

Local half-backer Ly Lam Huy and Brazilian striker Antonio of Dong Tam Long An Tile, defending champion of Vietnam's professional league, scored one apiece in the 74th and 84th minute, respectively, offering their team a final triumph of 2-0 over Tamin Rovers, defending champion of the Singapore league.

Binh Duong from Vietnam's southern Binh Duong province had a hard-earnt victory over Da Nang from the country's central Da Nang city with the final score being determined by penalty shots. They tied a draw of 2-2 after full time with the first goal scored by a Da Nang striker in the 25th minute, the equalized goal in the 32nd minute, the third by Binh Duong in the 41st minute, and the fourth by Da Nang in the 75th minute.

With penalty kicks, Binh Duong took the lead of 6-5, grabbing the rights to clash with Dong Tam Long An Tile in the final game on Monday.

The International Binh Duong Television Cup, taking place from Nov. 5 to 14, features eight teams from China, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam. The champions will get a cash prize of 20,000 US dollars.

Nov. 12 , 2005

Saturday

the 74th and 84th minute

the 75th minute

Monday

Nov. 5


XIN_ENG_20051122.0340

WARSAW, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Poland to set timetable to join euro zone in two or three years: PM

Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said here Tuesday his country would decide on its schedule to join the euro zone in two or three years.

To set the date now is "unrealistic" and could bring about much negative impact, said the leader at a symposium on Poland's investment environment, adding this could be "bravely" done in two or three years' time.

Marcinkiewicz said his government would primarily ensure the stability of public finance, be more dedicated to reducing budgetary deficit and strive to meet, in four years' time, the criteria set by the Maastricht Treaty for the adoption of the European Union's common currency, the euro.

The so-called Maastricht convergence criteria require euro candidates to meet strict macroeconomic targets including low inflation and interest rates and a public spending deficit limit of lower than 3 percent of GDP.

Poland is the only country among the 10 new EU members that has not set the schedule for joining the euro zone.

Earlier this month, the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, expressed unease over Poland's uncertainty on the single currency and urged it to set a deadline for adopting the euro.

Marcinkiewicz responded that it would be unnecessary for Poland to join in the euro zone within four years.

Nov. 22 , 2005

Tuesday

two or three years

now

two or three years

four years

Earlier this month

four years


AFP_ENG_20061211.0334

KAMPALA, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

Australian cardiologist acquitted of wife's murder in Uganda

A Ugandan court on Monday acquitted a Ugandan-born Australian physician of murdering his estranged lawyer wife last year at the end of a long-running high-profile trial.

Kampala High Court Justice Opio Aweri said prosecutors had failed to prove their case against Aggrey Kiyingi, 51, a Sydney cardiologist, who had vehemently denied any role in the July 2005 killing of his wife, Robinah.

The judge also found two other suspects in the murder -- a police officer and a businessman, along with a soldier who was later found dead in prison -- not guilty in the shooting death of Robinah Kiyingi, a well-known Kampala attorney.

"Taking the prosecution evidence in totality, my mind is left nagging," Aweri said. "The evidence was not established and court needs to be certain beyond reasonable doubt of the evidence to convict the accused persons."

"I find the accused persons not guilty of the offence and they are accordingly acquitted," he said, adding that while Kiyingi may have been the prime suspect "suspicion alone cannot a basis on which to convict a person."

The suspects could have faced the death penalty if convicted.

Kiyingi, 51, was arrested after attending the funeral of his 54-year-old wife, a prominent anti-corruption advocate, who was shot several times in her car in the driveway of her home.

He and the co-defendants had been accused of conspiring to have Robinah Kiyingi killed.

The trial had been filled with surprise allegations and witness testimony, as well as the death in custody of the accused soldier.

Last month, Ugandan trial "assessors," who function like jurors but whose rulings are not binding on the court, recommended that Kiyingi be acquitted, citing insufficient evidence.

Dec 11 , 2006

Monday

last year

July 2005

Last month


AFP_ENG_20051210.0338

RENNES, France, Dec 10 , 2005

French police, youth clash over party ban

Police clashed with youths in this northwestern French city on Saturday after authorities banned a rave party due to be held on the sidelines of a rock music festival.

Youths set fire to rubbish bins, smashed car windows and hurled bottles at police after authorities banned the party due to a lack of security, witnesses said.

No one was injured in the mid-afternoon melee which police said involved some 500 youths and 200 officers. Ten people were held for questioning.

Dec 10 , 2005

Saturday


XIN_ENG_20051122.0359

MACAO, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Macao's retail sales rises year-on-year in Q3

Macao recorded an estimated value of 2.2 billion patacas (275 million US dollars) in retail sales in the third quarter, a year-on-year rise of 23 percent, according to official statistics issued here on Wednesday.

The figures from the government-run Statistics and Census Service (SCS) showed that motor vehicles sales accounted for 16 percent of the total estimated value of retail sales in the quarter,followed by sales of goods in supermarkets (11 percent) and in department stores (11 percent) and sales of watches, clocks and jewelry (10 percent).

The SCS attributes the rocketing retail sales growth mainly to "the marked increases" in the sales of motor vehicles.

Around 85 percent of the local retailers forecast increased or flat sales prices for the fourth quarter, according to the SCS statistics.

Nov. 23 , 2005

the third quarter

Wednesday

the fourth quarter


AFP_ENG_20061210.0161

LONDON, Dec 10 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - INCORPORATES Britain-Russia-spy-wife ///

The widow of former Russian secret agent Alexander Litvinenko on Sunday accused Moscow of involvement in his murder, as the probe into who administered the fatal dose of radioactivity widened.

In her first public interviews since her husband's death on November 23, Marina Litvinenko backed his apparent death-bed accusation that he was killed by a Russian "hit squad" because of his openly critical views of the Kremlin.

"Obviously it was not (Russian President Vladimir) Putin himself, of course not," the 44-year-old told the Mail on Sunday. "But what Putin does around him in Russia makes it possible to kill a person on British soil.

"I believe that it could have been the Russian authorities."

Alexander Litvinenko, who according to his wife became a British citizen on October 13 this year, died in a central London hospital on November 23.

Large quantities of the highly radioactive isotope polonium 210 were found in his urine.

Marina Litvinenko told British Sunday newspapers that he immediately suspected he had been poisoned when he first fell ill on November 1, the sixth anniversary of their arrival in Britain.

Anti-terrorism officers from London's Metropolitan Police said this week they were treating the death of the former lieutenant-colonel in the Federal Security Services (FSB) as murder.

Litvinenko and his father Valter's accusations of Putin were supported Sunday by the former agent's friend, Vladimir Bukovsky, who told the BBC he was convinced of "clear" Russian involvement.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph said a jailed Russian dissident, Mikhail Trepashkin, had named a serving FSB colonel as a key figure in Litvinenko's poisoning, but Moscow had refused to allow British police to question him.

A parallel Russian inquiry has been launched into Litvinenko's death and according to the Sunday Times, investigators there want to interview the exiled billionaire Boris Berezovsky and Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev.

Litvinenko had close contacts with both men, who are also strongly critical of Russia and Putin. On the day he fell ill, Litvinenko was said to have been told that he and Berezovsky were on a Russian "hit list".

But Marina Litvinenko told the Mail on Sunday she had more faith in the British investigation.

The British government has not directly accused Russia of involvement. Prime Minister Tony Blair reportedly told senior ministers last week he feared the affair had the potential to cause a long-term diplomatic fall-out with Moscow.

Bukovsky said Sunday that Britain should take a stronger line, describing the death as a "direct challenge to (British) sovereignty" and a "casus belli" because of the involvement of a foreign state.

"A British citizen was cowardly and brutally murdered on British soil," he told the BBC.

Marina Litvinenko told the Sunday Times she and her husband thought they would be safe from their Russian enemies in Britain and that the man she called "Sasha" never felt he would become a target because of his outspoken views.

A British Channel 4 television report this week quoted a senior British police source as saying that they believed the radiation was poisoned at the central London hotel where Litvinenko met three Russian contacts on November 1.

The Russian authorities have said that one of the men, businessman Dmitry Kovtun, was also suffering from radioactive poisoning, while another former agent Andrei Lugovoi was undergoing tests in Moscow.

Traces of polonium were found on a number of planes the men used to travel between London and Moscow before and after Litvinenko fell ill, while German investigators have found traces of polonium 210 at two flats linked to Kovtun.

Kovtun has been interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives but the questioning of Lugovoi has been put back indefinitely.

Dec 10 , 2006

Sunday

November 23

Sunday

October 13 this year

November 23

November 1

this week

Sunday

Sunday Times

the day

Sunday

last week

Sunday

Sunday Times

this week

November 1


AFP_ENG_20061228.0036

SYDNEY, Dec 28 , 2006, 2006

Australian share boosted by resources to fresh record highs

Australian share prices closed at fresh record highs Thursday, as firmer base metal and gold prices boosted major mining stocks, dealers said.

The benchmark SP/ASX 200 rose 17.3 points or 0.31 percent to 5,660.5, beating the previous record closing high of 5,643.2 struck Wednesday.

Meanwhile the broader All Ordinaries Index advanced 17.7 points to a record 5,634.0, beating Wednesday's record of 5,616.3.

Dec 28 , 2006

Thursday

Wednesday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20061222.0142

TOKYO, Dec 22 , 2006, 2006

Japan's Avex to invest in China's priciest film

Japanese entertainment group Avex Group Holdings said Friday it will invest in John Woo's "Battle of Red Cliff," which is set to be China's most expensive ever film.

Avex, a music label that has expanded its business to movies, said it would invest 20 million dollars with China's Chengtian Entertainment International in the latest film by Woo, who directed the second "Mission Impossible" movie.

"Battle of Red Cliff" will narrate the fiercest battle of the Three Kingdoms, the turbulent era in the third century AD that was turned into a classic of Chinese literature.

At a total estimated cost of 50 million dollars, the film would be the most expensive ever made by the Chinese film industry, Avex said.

Avex, which will obtain exclusive distribution rights to the movie, said in a statement it expected the "Battle of Red Cliff" to be "the biggest masterpiece of Chinese film history".

The state-run China Film Group would produce the movie, which would begin production in the spring, it said.

The film will star Hong Kong actors Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung, and South Korean actor Jeong U-Seong.

Woo, 60, became one of the first Asian directors to win success in Hollywood with his 1997 action film "Face/Off" starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.

He also directed "M:I-2," the second film in the "Mission Impossible" series starring Tom Cruise.

Dec 22 , 2006

Friday

the third century

the spring


XIN_ENG_20051128.0219

QITAIHE, Heilongjiang, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

N. China coal mine blast

The death toll of the northeast China coal mine blast rose to 134 as of 8:00 p.m. Monday, while the rescuers are sparing no efforts in searching for the other 15 missing.

Altogether 221 miners were working underground when the blast went off at 9:40 p.m. Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine run by the Qitaihe branch of the Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. in Heilongjiang province, said Zhang Chengxiang, director of the provincial coal mine safety bureau.

A 380-member rescue team has been going all-out to search for the miners trapped beneath the coal mine shaft after the blast.

Seventy-two miners were rescued, among whom 38 are still receiving medical treatment in local hospitals.

Investigators said the tragedy was caused by coal-dust explosion, which knocked out all ventilation systems in the pit. The main ventilation system resumed operation Monday morning.

The disastrous coal mine blast aroused great attention of the central government.

Senior officials of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and the State Council ordered relevant departments to save the trapped miners at all costs and carefully treat the injured.

Li Yizhong, head of the National Bureau of Production Safety Supervision Administration, and the major senior officials of the province are organizing the rescue operation at the accident site.

Li urged the rescuers to quicken their search operation and asked the local government to carefully examine all the coal mines in the province so as to remove all the hidden dangers.

The Heilongjiang provincial government held an emergent videophone conference on Monday afternoon, which ordered production safety checkup in all the mines.

The mines which do not meet the criteria of production safety will be immediately closed down.

Nov. 28 , 2005

8:00 p.m.

Monday

9:40 p.m.

Sunday

Monday morning

Monday afternoon


XIN_ENG_20051111.0216

BELGRADE, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Croatian, Libyan leaders pledge to revitalize economic ties

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader met his Libyan counterpart, Shukri Ghanem, in Zagreb on Friday and the two leaders pledged to revitalize economic ties between the two countries, the Croatian news agency HINA reported.

Ghanem, secretary of the General People's Committee of Libya, arrived in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Thursday as the first Libyan head of government to visit Croatia.

"While it was a part of Yugoslavia, Croatia particularly developed relations with Libya and Croatian companies were involved in major business projects in Libya. We want this to happen again in the future," Sanader said at a joint press conference after the talks.

"Today there is great interest on Croatia's part, because Libya has launched numerous infrastructure projects, and we want to take part in them," he said.

Croatian construction company INGRA and petrochemical company DIOKI are already present in Libya and many companies want to join them, including shipyards which are interested in building ships for Libya, Sanader said.

The talks also focused on cultural and scientific cooperation.

Ghanem said that his visit was a follow-up to Croatian President Stjepan Mesic's visit to Libya in August 2003.

He said that it was in the interests of both countries to maintain good relations because Croatia could serve as Libya's gateway into Europe and Libya as Croatia's gateway into Africa.

Ghanem said that possibilities for cooperation between Libya and Croatia were great, both on the political and economic level, citing the possibility of creating joint ventures.

Nov. 11 , 2005

Friday

Thursday

the future

Today

August 2003


XIN_ENG_20061121.0276

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 21 , 2006 (Xinhua)

UN chief shocked at murder of Lebanese senior official

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was shocked at the murder of a senior Lebanese official, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.

In a statement released by his spokesman, Annan said he was shocked to learn the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, the Minister of Industry of Lebanon and one of the leaders of the March 14 movement, who believed strongly in an independent, democratic and united Lebanon.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns this murder, which happened one day after the Security Council considered the report on the establishment of the special tribunal for Lebanon, Dujarric told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

"Such acts of terrorism undermine Lebanon's stability, are unacceptable and have no place in a democratic and open society," Annan was quoted as saying by his spokesman.

"The perpetrators and instigators of today's attack must be brought to justice to ensure an end to impunity," Dujarric said, adding that the UN chief calls upon all parties to maintain national unity at this critical moment.

Gemayel was shot dead on a street in the suburb of Beirut on Tuesday. The 34-year-old Gemayel was a Christian leader in Lebanon and son of former president Amin Gemayel. He was a supporter of the anti-Syrian parliament majority.

Nov. 21 , 2006

Tuesday

March 14

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970409.0172

TEHRAN, April 9 , 1997 (AFP)

Iran warns Bonn over Kurd trial but pledges to protect German interests by Mehrdad Balali

Iran warned Wednesday of a threat to relations with Germany over the outcome of a trial of five men accused of the murder of Iranian Kurd opposition leaders in Berlin, but pledged to protect German lives and interests here regardless.

On Tuesday, the German foreign ministry advised its nationals against travelling to Iran because of anxiety over a possible negative verdict Thursday in the trial of one Iranian and four Lebanese accused of killing four Kurd leaders in a Berlin restaurant in 1992.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati told a press conference here: "Any speculation on such threats is pure fantasy.

"Iran has always demonstrated a dignified attitude in its foreign relations, even if subjected to hostile acts," Velayati said.

"In our foreign policy, we always take into account our interests and Islamic dignity and decency," he added. "They are suffering from illusions to think the whole world is going to crumble down because of this affair."

Around 500 German nationals, including diplomats, live in Iran.

German prosecutors have linked Iranian political and spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani with the 1992 assassinations.

A warrant has already been issued for Iranian intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, who is accused of ordering the killings.

The affair has deeply strained ties between Iran and its main trade partner Germany, and the prosecutors' charges provoked angry reactions in Iran, including massive protests in front of the German embassy last November.

Referring to the trial, Velayati said his country would "wait and see" the outcome of the "unfortunate situation."

Apparently forecasting problems with Bonn in the event Tehran is condemned by the court, he said Iran had "no need" of relations with a country which makes it trample on its Islamic dignity and principles."

"Future relations depend on Germany. We want good relations based on mutual respect and equal rights. But a friendship can not be one- sided, or it can not last," he said.

But Velayati acknowledged that the German government is "independent" of its judiciary. "This we know. What we have objections to is why the Berlin court has not preserved its independence and become politicized."

"How can they use some fugitive and criminals like Bani Sadre as a witness? A witness should be unbiased" he said, referring to exiled former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani Sadre.

"This is a malicious political act. The court is tainted with political considerations," he said.

Iran, meanwhile, is taking its own measures against Germany, planning to sue 24 German firms which allegedly supplied Iraq with chemical weapons technology during its 1980-1988 war with the Islamic republic and "certain" German officials who approved such exports.

The Iranian judiciary said Monday the defendants would be called to appear in a Tehran court shortly following complaints from more than 1,000 relatives of victims of chemical attacks during the war.

In an unexpected move, the Iranian parliament's foreign relations subcommittee discussed late Tuesday prospects for future relations with Bonn, but postponed any decision pending more information.

The German government said Monday the outcome of the trial could lead to a complete review of relations with Iran.

Iranian newspapers have also stepped up pressure on Germany, warning its judiciary against issuing any verdict biased against Iran.

"Iranian workers are following the case with special sensitivity. In case of a biased verdict, we won't remain silent," warned Kar-va- Kargar, a radical daily representing the state labor union.

The union staged street protests against Germany in November.

April 9 , 1997

Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

last November

Monday

Tuesday

Monday

November


AFP_ENG_19970408.0277

BEIJING, April 8 , 1997 (AFP)

China warns countries backing human rights motion

Beijing warned Tuesday that all countries supporting an anti-China motion submitted by Denmark to the UN Commission on Human Rights would "adversely affect" their relations with the Asian giant.

"Supporting this resolution will not be beneficial to any nation's ties with China," said foreign ministry spokesman Shen Guofang.

"We hope that these European countries can look at overall bilateral relations and not continue with confrontation on the human rights issue."

Denmark sparked sharp criticism from China on Monday after it announced plans to sponsor a motion condemning Beijing at the annual sitting of the human rights commission in Geneva.

"If the Danish government does not listen to China's advice and continues with its motion, this will definitely deteriorate bilateral relations and will affect all areas of exchange and cooperation," Shen said.

"This issue can only be solved through discussion, and confrontation is not a solution. Whoever proposes this motion will in the end be the greatest loser," he added.

Denmark announced Saturday it would put forward a motion critical of China's human rights record after the European Union was unable to agree on a joint position.

The EU had previously sponsored a critical resolution on China in Geneva every year since the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in 1989, but the common stance this year was blocked by France.

France was supported by at least four of other European nations, prompting criticism that they were putting trade with China before moral considerations.

"France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece and Japan have decided not to support the anti-China resolution at the United Nations human rights commission. We think this decision is sensible," Shen said.

"We hope that those countries that continue to support the anti-China resolution will carefully examine the majority view in the commission or they will adversely affect their China ties," he warned.

The Danish motion is expected to have the backing of at least 11 EU states as well as the United States.

Beijing showered Paris and Rome with compliments Monday for their stance, and in a bid to show that dialogue was the way forward, announced to visiting French Defence Minister Charles Millon that China would sign at least one UN human rights convention before the end of the year.

President Jiang Zemin committed China to sign the UN convention on economic, social and cultural rights before the end of the year, and said a second UN convention on civil and political rights was under consideration.

Human rights groups reacted guardedly Tuesday to Jiang's reported promise.

"One has to see it as positive, but at the same time note that they (China) said the same thing at the same time last year. ... We would first like to see it happen," said Robyn Kilpatrick, Amnesty International's spokesperson in Hong Kong.

Kilpatrick also cautioned that China had already signed up to other covenants, covering the rights of the child and elimination of discrimination against women and of the use of torture, but had still been repeatedly accused of abuse.

Paul Harris, chairman of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, said he felt "total skepticism."

"The timing is obviously designed to influence thinking at the human rights commission. I'm extremly doubtful as to whether it will happen," he said. "I think this is just a statement designed to fool a few gullible people."

Both Kilpatrick and Harris agreed, however, that if Jiang did carry out his promise, it would be good news for Hong Kong.

It would oblige Beijing to follow the British tradition of reporting to the convention's committee every two years on the situation in the territory, they said.

April 8 , 1997

Tuesday

Monday

Saturday

every year

this year

Monday

the end of the year

the end of the year

Tuesday

last year

every two years


XIN_ENG_20061117.0389

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 17 , 2006 (Xinhua)

China's water pricing urged to hold water (2)

Thus, pricing and demand management now plays a growing role in water governance in China. "Citizens should pay more money for the water they use. So should they for the cost of treating the wastewater they produce and the cost of building facilities for exploring water resources," said Zhang Kunmin, vice-president of Chinese Association on Sustainable Development.

He said the water price in Shanghai in the 1970s was 0.5 yuan (6 U.S. cents) per cubic meter against the average 50 yuan (6 U.S. dollars) monthly income. "So my mother-in-law valued each drop of water by mopping the floor with the water used to wash face," he said. However in Beijing, the water price by then was 0.05 yuan (0.6 cents) per cubic meter, "it is common to see water dripping from the pipes in the public."

While the authority believes the NDRC pricing regulation can help to supervise the water cost and save water, the public doubts about what is behind the rises.

"I am wondering the relation between the rise of my water bill and that of the staff salary of water utilities," said Kuang Fei, a 37-year-old civil servant in Beijing. "Although the welfare and hospitality cost are imposed quotas in the regulation, I am afraid those 'swollen costs' are not truly necessary for water supply and maybe shifted secretly to other costs, which in the end are shouldered by us consumers,"he said.

Average wage income of workers in China's monopoly sectors, such as telecom, finance, tobacco and water industries, has reached three times the national average, while non-wage income of workers in these sectors enlarged the gap with the national average up to 10 fold as much, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Dr. Shen Dajun, research fellow with China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, agreed that the consumers need transparency for the money collected from their water bills.

"They need to be told that the fees they have paid for treating the wastewater have indeed been used for that purpose and the money to build facilities for the more efficient use of water resources has really been used in that area," he said.

He noted that a good regulation alone would not solve all the problems. An independent auditing is indispensable and cost information should be made available to the public to prevent water suppliers from manipulating pricing, he said.

Ma Jun, an environmental consultant and the author of the book "China's Water Crisis, believes most people could afford water at a realistic price, and they would use the resource more prudently and efficiently if it came at a higher cost.

But these solutions presuppose vast expenditures of capital, and such solutions "do not automatically address the needs of the poor, who are unable to pay for that capital," he said.

His worry was echoed in the 2006 Human Development Report, which emphasizes an increased financing and a reorientation of public spending to find viable ways of getting potable water to those who can least afford to pay.

The report advocates for all governments to go beyond vague constitutional principles in enabling legislation to ensure the human right to a secure, accessible and affordable supply of water. At a minimum, this implies a target of at least 20 liters of clean water a day for every citizen -- and at a very low price or at no cost for those too poor to pay.

Dr. Li Yuanhua with the Ministry of Water Resources was glad to see 67 million rural populations had been provided with clean water by the end of 2005, with a government assistance of 402 yuan (50 US dollars) for each.

"In 2006, the government plans to invest 12 billion yuan (1.5 billion US dollars) to solve the water shortage problem of more than 29 million rural population. In 2007, the target population is 32 million. In 2015, the situation for all the 379 million rural population who suffered from water shortage will be improved," Dr. Li said.

In the urban areas, the water price may continue to rise by 50 to 100 percent over the next five years to curb the squandering of scarce water resources, according to Qiu Baoxing, vice construction minister.

But Qiu said the rise of water prices would be gradual. He noted that water costs of 5 U.S. dollars per cubic meter in Boston, or 2.5 euros in France, would not work in China.

"People's income in China is very low, and we have to think about their ability to accept (a price rise)," Qiu said. "We are not preparing for a large price increase."

Nevertheless, the work has paid off, at least from a consumption standpoint. Beijing used 4.06 billion cubic meters of water in 2001, but in 2005 the figure dropped to 3.45 billion cubic meters.

Nov. 17 , 2006

now

the end of 2005

the next five years


XIN_ENG_20061104.0193

FELIXSTOWE, Britain, Nov. 4 , 2006 (Xinhua)

World's largest container ship arrives in UK with tons of China-made Christmas gifts

The world's largest container ship, loaded with nearly 45,000 tons of China-made Christmas presents and fare for the holiday season, arrived Saturday in Felixstowe in southeastern Britain's Suffolk.

The Emma Maersk, 400 meters long (1,300 Ft), 56 meters wide and 60 meters high, cruised into the UK's biggest deep-water harbor. The ship, dubbed the SS Santa, will unload more than 3,000 containers for supermarkets and stores before heading to Netherlands for its mainland Europe Christmas gifts tour.

The SS Santa, loaded with 11,000 containers of crackers, DVD players, toys, puzzles, lamb meat, clothes and even pet food, was greeted by hundreds of British from the harbor town and other parts of the country.

"It's like a dream to see such a mountain-like ship floating on the sea, and all the more incredible to learn that the ship is bringing Europeans with Christmas made mainly in China," a man who gave his name as David said on the beach.

"Everybody seems to be talking about economic globalization, and this may be a great example," the man who waited over two hours on the beach to see the huge ship said.

Nov. 4 , 2006

the holiday season

Saturday

two hours


XIN_ENG_20061114.0116

CHENGDU, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

cubs in one year

A record 28 pandas have survived so far this year after being born using artificial insemination techniques, a Chinese panda expert said here Tuesday.

A total of 31 panda cubs were born via artificial insemination this year, including 11 pairs of twins and one born to mother panda Lun Lun at the Atlanta Zoo of the United States, said Zhang Zhihe, director of the China Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee.

Despite the early deaths of three cubs, this is the biggest baby boom for the endangered species since China's first attempt to artificially breed giant pandas in the 1960s, he said.

"We expected to get 10 cubs this year, but, as you can see, we were too conservative," he said.

Twenty-six of all the surviving panda cubs were bred by zoologists in southwest China's Sichuan Province: 17 were born at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center and nine at the Chengdu Research Base.

Five-year-old Ya Ya gave birth to two cubs at Chongqing Zoo in neighboring Chongqing Municipality in September, but the careless mother crushed one in her sleep. The other one was sent to Wolong and is healthy, said Li Desheng, an expert at the Wolong Center.

More than 30 female pandas nationwide were inseminated in spring, including one at Beijing Zoo and one in northwest China's Shaanxi Province,said Zhang Zhihe.

A panda cub born at Beijing Zoo but died prematurely and no pregnancy occurred in Shaanxi, he said.

China's forestry administration said about 1,590 giant pandas are living in the wild, mainly in China's Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. But Chinese and British scientists announced in June that there could be as many as 3,000, after a survey that used a new technology to profile DNA from giant panda feces.

More than 180 pandas have been bred in captivity at zoos worldwide.

Giant pandas have a very low fertility rate because they are sexually inactive. Female pandas become pregnant only once every year and deliver two cubs at most each time.

The fertility of captive giant pandas is even lower because they do not move much, experts said.

Nov. 14 , 2006

this year

Tuesday

this year

the 1960s

this year

September

spring

June

every year


XIN_ENG_20061110.0236

HARARE, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Zimbabwe issues long-term land lease agreements to farmers

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has presented 99-year land lease agreements to 125 large-scale commercial farmers, confirming the government's commitment to ensure that lands return to the hand of its rightful owners, the majority Zimbabweans, Newsnet reported on Friday.

The historic development has received widespread applause from interest groups across the country as it comes to make a strong statement to the international community about Zimbabwe's seriousness on the land issue, the official media said.

The issuance of the agreements to the commercial farmers known as A2 farmers is a legal and constitutional development which brings land ownership to farmers while at the same time ensures confidence in the farming industry, the report said.

It added that the lease agreements stipulate and guarantee land ownership to farmers and provide collateral security to them while ensuring that lands remain a state property.

Shadreck Chipanga, chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on justice legal and parliamentary affairs, highlighted the major difference between a lease agreement and a title deed.

"The 99-year lease agreement is an agreement that has been entered between the government and a farmer while a title deed is a document which shows proof of ownership after buying certain items," Chipanga said.

Nov. 10 , 2006

Friday


AFP_ENG_19970408.0707

WASHINGTON, April 8 , 1997 (AFP)

North Korea wants more missile talks with US

The State Department said Tuesday it would hold a second round of talks "quite soon" on North Korea's missile exports, to be held at Pyongyang's request.

"The North Koreans have indicated to the United States their willingness to hold a second round of United States-North Korean missile talks very soon," State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said.

"We are currently working on the exact date and location for such a meeting, but I think it will be held quite soon," he said.

The first such talks occurred in Berlin last April. Curbing the spread of North Korean missile technology remains a top US condition before Washington will ease its 47-year-old embargo against Pyongyang.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Robert Einhorn will lead the US delegation to the upcoming missile talks, Burns said.

April 8 , 1997

Tuesday

last April


XIN_ENG_20061130.0384

ROME, Nov. 30 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Italian troops stay in Iraq for final hours

The Italian flag was scheduled to be lowered on Friday at the American military base near Nassiriya in Iraq, signaling the definitive withdrawal of the nation's peacekeeping contingent from Iraq.

The red, white and green flag was due to return to Italy on Saturday, along with Gen. Carmine De Pascale, commander of the last 60 Italian soldiers to serve in the Iraq mission, according to reports on Thursday.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was expected to be at Rome' s Ciampino airport, along with other top government officials, on Saturday for a ceremony marking the troops' return.

At its height, the Italian contingent numbered 3,200, most of whom were based in the southern Iraqi town of Nassiriya.

Italy, which did not take part in the United-States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, sent a contingent afterwards to help reconstruction, perform peacekeeping duties and contribute to the training of Iraqi security forces.

During the run-up to spring elections, Prodi promised the withdrawal of Italian forces from Iraq, arguing that they should not have been sent in the first place.

The previous government of Silvio Berlusconi, which sent the troops, had also planned to withdraw soldiers by the end of the year.

Prodi said earlier this week he had informed U.S. President George W. Bush about the return of Italian troops. "He said he was sorry but that he knew we were leaving because I said so in the election campaign."

Nov. 30 , 2006

Friday

Saturday

Thursday

Saturday

the end of the year

this week


AFP_ENG_20061228.0213

MOSCOW, Dec 28 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS EU comment, Belarus analysts ///

The tense countdown to Russia's threatened cutting of gas supplies to Belarus, which could also hit deliveries to western Europe, entered its final hours of confrontation over pricing on Thursday.

Negotiations continued in Moscow, said Sergei Kupriyanov, spokesman for Russia's state-controlled monopoly Gazprom.

He refused to give details of the talks, slightly more than three days before a deadline laid down by Russia which is causing concern in the European Union.

Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller has warned that gas supplies to Belarus will be turned off at 10:00 am in Moscow (0700 GMT) on Monday if Belarus, an ex-Soviet republic, does not agree to a more than doubling of price.

With Gazprom and Belarus both warning of a knock-on effect for western European customers who rely on Belarus as a transit point for Russian gas, the crisis increasingly resembles the showdown between Russia and Ukraine at New Year's 2006.

"A second gas war has been declared," said the respected Vedomosti business daily in Moscow. "Belarus will be cut off, like Ukraine."

The European Union, where Russian imports accounted for 24 percent of total gas requirements in 2005, is watching closely.

"I call on the two parties to reach as soon as possible a satisfactory agreement that does not put in question gas transits to the EU," Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a statement.

"The Commission is following the situation very closely since it may affect gas supplies to the European Union."

Gazprom accuses Belarus of preparing to siphon off gas destined for Europe in the event of a cut to its domestic supplies and has warned that compensation for a loss in volumes might be impossible.

Belarus argues that if it is unable to agree with Gazprom on a new contract for its domestic supplies in 2007, then the contract governing transit of Russian gas westward will also become void.

Gazprom says the price increase would bring Belarus' fee closer to international standards and away from Soviet-style subsidies, while critics accuse the giant company of using energy as a weapon to bring neighbouring countries under Kremlin dominance.

Ironically, the dispute pits Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko against the one major country that supports his authoritarian regime.

In contrast, Gazprom's strong-arm tactics in Ukraine 12 months ago, culminating with the brief cut-off in gas, were widely seen as part of a Kremlin strategy to weaken strongly pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko.

The current crisis is on a smaller scale than the Ukraine episode, since just 20 percent of Russian gas exports to Europe go through Belarus, compared to 80 percent through Ukraine.

Last winter was also one of the coldest recorded in Europe.

So far, this winter is one of the mildest and so demand for energy is lower. According to the European Union, reserves are big enough to deal with any temporary shortfall.

Russia's media predicted that Belarus, a country of 10.3 million people sandwiched between Russia and the European Union, will find the cost too high to maintain defiance for long.

"Unpredictable he may be, but Lukashenko will not continue the conflict with Russia for long," Vedomosti quoted an unnamed Kremlin official as saying, suggesting that Lukashenko might accept a compromise in which Belarus took a loan from Moscow that covered the increased gas price.

However, commentators in Belarus said the country was ready to stand firm.

"In the end they will come to a deal. Belarus has its own cards in this fight -- transit, Russian military bases stationed on its territory, political relations," said analyst Andrei Fyodorov.

Belarus currently pays Gazprom a highly subsidised 46.68 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres of gas and Gazprom originally demanded an increase to 200 dollars, which is closer to western European prices, unless Belarus agreed to sell 50 percent of its pipeline operator Beltransgaz.

This would give the Russian state-owned giant an important strategic foothold on the European Union's eastern border.

Gazprom has since reduced that demand to 105 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres -- 75 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres in cash payments, plus the equivalent of another 30 dollars in shares of Beltransgas.

Belarus is so far refusing to accept the deal.

"Russia is not only after extra revenues, but wants to take under control certain parts of the property in neighbouring countries," Belarussian parliament deputy Anatoly Krasutsky said. "The government should have diversified its energy sources earlier, but you learn by your mistakes."

Dec 28 , 2006

Thursday

three days

Monday

Ukraine 12 months ago

Last winter

currently


XIN_ENG_20051111.0217

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

DeLay informed about campaign fund transfers leading to his indictments: report

Former US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was informed about and expressed his support in 2002 for transfers of 190,000 US dollars in mostly corporate funds from his Texas political committee to an arm of the Republican National Committee in Washington and then back to Texas, The Washington Post reported Friday.

DeLay, who has been indicted on three charges - conspiracy concerning campaign finance, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering, made the acknowledgment during a meeting on Aug. 17 this year with Texas persecutor Ronnie Earle, the Post quoted anonymous sources as saying.

In late September, the Post reported, DeLay's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to head off felony criminal indictments against him on charges of violating Texas campaign law by signaling that DeLay might plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

The lawyer's principal aim was to try to preserve DeLay's leadership position under House Republican rules that bar lawmakers accused of felonies from holding such posts. DeLay was forced to step down as the House majority leader on Sept. 28 after the first of two grand jury indictments.

The last-minute negotiations between the lawyers and Earle were arranged after DeLay made what Earle considered a seriously damaging admission about his fund-raising activities during the Aug. 17 meeting, the report said.

The transfers were at the heart of the prosecutor's investigation of the alleged use of corporate funds in the 2002 Texas elections, in violation of state law. In the prosecutor's view, DeLay's admission put him in the middle of a conspiracy not only to violate that law but also to launder money, the report said.

Nov. 11 , 2005

Friday

Aug. 17 this year

late September

Sept. 28

Aug. 17


AFP_ENG_20061203.0232

NEW YORK, Dec 3 , 2006, 2006

Torcetrapib

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

In a statement released Saturday, the company said it was in the process of notifying all clinical investigators and regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration.

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

The company is in the process of asking all clinical investigators involved in the program to inform patient participants to stop taking the medication immediately.

"While the DSMB information we received today was both surprising and disappointing, our focus is on the best interests of patients and making sure all this information is communicated to appropriate medical and regulatory authorities as quickly as possible," said Pfizer chief executive officer Jeffrey Kindler.

He added the drug maker understood "the challenge that this represents and we will respond quickly and aggressively to it."

Dec 3 , 2006

Saturday

today


AFP_ENG_19970417.0009

MANILA, April 17 , 1997 (AFP)

Manila shares close 1.1 percent lower

Philippine share prices fell 1.1 percent Thursday on fears of further US interest rate hikes, analysts said.

The Philippine Stock Exchange composite index fell 33.1 points to close at 2,927.87 points.

April 17 , 1997

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051118.0100

BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

S. Korean president protests Koizumi's visits to war shrine

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, strongly protesting the latter's repeated pilgrimages to a controversial war shrine.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum here.

Koizumi, however, defended his position that the visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including war criminals, are not aimed at paying homage to the war criminals but to repent for the past.

Nov. 18 , 2005

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051117.0001

BOGOTA, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Colombian cyclist to receive Olympic medal in special ceremony

Colombian cyclist Maria Luisa Calle, who has been cleared of doping charges following an appeal with a sports arbitration body, will get back the bronze medal she won at the Athens Olympics in a special ceremony, her lawyer Andres Charria told reporters on Wednesday.

The bronze medal arrived in Colombia on Wednesday, Charria said, adding that a ceremony will be held for the medal presentation according to a fax from the International Olympic Committee(IOC).

"The IOC fax that I saw said there will be an Olympic ceremony... I believe it will be a large ceremony," he said.

The IOC has asked Mario Vasquez, president of the Pan-American Sports Organization to deliver the medal. Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is also expected to attend the medal presentation.

In October the Court or Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reinstated Calle as the bronze medalist from the women's point race in Athens and overturned her disqualification by the IOC, saying the headache medication she took did not contain banned substances. The IOC had ratified the decision by the CAS.

Nov. 16 , 2005

Wednesday

Wednesday

October


XIN_ENG_20051125.0185

GENEVA, Nov. 25 , 2005 (Xinhua)

misunderstanding: WHO expert

Raising public awareness of bird flu need eliminate misunderstanding: WHO expert

by Li Xing

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Raising public awareness of bird flu need to eliminate people's misunderstanding on this epidemic, said an expert with the World Health Organization (WHO) here on Friday.

"There was a high degree of fear of H5 bird flu virus both in animals and humans." said Dr. Julie Hall, coordinator of epidemic alert and response in WHO Beijing office, when referring to WHO's mission in central China's Hunan Province.

There were misunderstandings that the people may remain infectious after they recover from bird flu, which they don't, and fears if the disease would spread very quickly between people, which no evidence can prove at the moment, Hall said in an interview by Xinhua.

Therefore these things need to be addressed, such as giving people accurate information, telling people very clearly what to look for in terms of early finding of the symptoms, what to do to protect themselves, and what to do if animals are getting sick, she said.

"So on the trip to Hunan, we recommended a good public education campaign and suggested the authority give people actual, practical and mutual information and help them reject misunderstandings," she said.

Based on her observation, Hall also noted that when someone has died, there appeared to be misconception that the body itself might be infectious and pose risk to people so it must be cremated quickly.

"We believe that it is important to address the people of those misunderstandings so the families can go through proper graving and burial process or cremation. There is no need to cremate body too quickly," she said.

WHO will be working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on developing some guidelines on this issue, Hall said, "hopefully it will be culturally sensitive and acceptable to the relatives, enable some samples to be taken to make a correct diagnosis, and enable the families to grave and bury the dead in a way they would like."

Earlier this month, five WHO experts went to central China's Hunan Province to look into three pneumonia cases at invitation of MOH. MOH later announced one of the three cases -- a nine-year-old boy -- was a confirmed human case but he has recovered, and his sister who died was a suspected case.

So far, China has reported three confirmed human cases of bird flu, including two fatalities and one recovered case.

WHO experts has been invited again to take part in a joint mission to probe the two confirmed human deaths from bird flu in east China's Anhui Province, which will set off fairly soon, according to WHO Beijing office.

MOH has reported all confirmed cases of bird flu to WHO because of the potential significance of the disease, as other countries do, but they are actually reporting more than they need to and doing more than they have to. "That we feel is very encouraging," said Hall.

Nov. 25 , 2005

Nov. 25

Friday

Earlier this month


XIN_ENG_20051122.0059

BEIJING, Nov. 22 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Hushen index down -- Nov. 22

The Hushen 300 Index reflecting the whole fluctuation of China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges closed at 869.62 points on Tuesday, down 14.25 points from the previous close.

About one fifth of the total shares listed in the two markets have been chosen as samples of the Hushen 300 Index, accounting for 60 percent of the market value in China's stock market.

Nov. 22 , 2005

Tuesday


WSJ891031-0138
 = 891031
 891031-0138.
 International:
@  Courtaulds PLC
@  Plans to Spin Off
@  Textiles Business
@  ----
@  By Craig Forman
@  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
 10/31/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 COU
 DIVIDENDS (DIV)
STOCK MARKET, OFFERINGS (STK)
TEXTILES AND APPAREL (TEX)
 LONDON

   Courtaulds PLC announced plans to spin off its textiles operations to existing shareholders in a restructuring to boost shareholder value.

   The British chemical and textile company's plan, which requires shareholder approval, would create a new, listed U.K. stock with a probable market capitalization between #300 million ($473 million) and #400 million, analysts said.
The establishment of the separate company, to be called Courtaulds Textiles, could be effective as early as next year's first quarter.

   Investors welcomed the move.
Courtaulds' shares rose 15 pence to 362 pence, valuing the entire company at about #1.44 billion.

   Courtaulds' spinoff reflects pressure on British industry to boost share prices beyond the reach of corporate raiders.
Courtaulds' restructuring is among the largest thus far in Britain, though it is dwarfed by B.A.T Industries PLC's plans to spin roughly off #4 billion in assets to help fend off a takeover bid from Anglo-French financier Sir James Goldsmith.
The divested Courtaulds textile operations had operating profit of #50 million on #980 million in revenue in the year ended March 31.

   Some analysts have said Courtaulds' moves could boost the company's value by 5% to 10%, because the two entities separately will carry a higher price earnings multiple than they did combined.
In addition, Courtaulds said the moves are logical because they will allow both the chemicals and textile businesses to focus more closely on core activities.

   Courtaulds has been under pressure to enhance shareholder value since takeover speculators -- including Australian financier Kerry Packer -- surfaced holding small stakes last year.
Though Mr. Packer has since sold his stake, Courtaulds is moving to keep its institutional shareholders happy.
Even without a specific takeover threat, Courtaulds is giving shareholders "choice and value," said Julia Blake, an analyst at London stockbrokers Barclays de Zoete Wedd.

   In a statement, the company said: "Both parts can only realize their full potential and be appropriately valued by the market if they are separately quoted companies.
The sharper definition and the autonomy which each will thereby gain will benefit shareholders, customers and employees."

   Courtaulds Chairman and Chief Executive Sir Christopher Hogg will remain in both posts at the surviving chemical company after the spinoff.

next year's first quarter

the year

March 31

last year


XIN_ENG_20051116.0376

LONDON, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

World Cup lineup complete

All the 32 teams for next year's World Cup finals in Germany have been known after the qualifying campaign finally came to the end on Wednesday.

Australia, Spain, Trinidad  Tobago, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic completed the 32-team lineup for the World Cup finals.

Australia reached the World Cup for the first time in 32 years by beating Uruguay 4-2 from the spot after a 1-0 extra time win saw the playoff end 1-1 on aggregate.

It was also a historic day for the Czechs, who beat Norway 1-0 in Prague for a 2-0 aggregate to qualify for their first ever World Cup finals.

Trinidad  Tobago will also make their debut in the premier soccer tournament after pulling off a spectacular comeback in the qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Bahrain in Manama for a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Switzerland, who had won 2-0 in the first leg in Bern, lost 4-2 in Istanbul to Turkey to level the tie at 4-all on aggregate, but still qualified for the World Cup on away goals, ending a 12-year absence from the finals.

Spain reached their eighth successive World Cup since 1978 with a 1-1 draw in Slovakia for a 6-2 aggregate win.

The 2006 World Cup will kick off on June 9 in Munich and ends on July 9 in Berlin. The draw takes place in Leipzig on December 9.

Nov. 16 , 2005

next year

Wednesday

32 years

June 9

July 9

December 9


AFP_ENG_19970412.0310

LONDON, April 12 , 1997 (AFP)

London marathon runners warned to beware of terrorist attack

Runners and spectators at this weekend's London marathon were warned Saturday by police to be vigilant against terrorist attack.

Up to 27,000 runners are expected to take part in Sunday's race around London, with a crowd of 500,000 lining streets to cheer them on.

The warning comes in the wake of last weekend's alert when the Grand National horse race had to be postponed and a 70,000 crowd cleared from the course at Aintree in northwest England after hoax bomb warnings by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

A terrorist expert said it was clear the IRA had embarked on a policy of causing maximum disruption and intimidation on the British mainland in the run-up to the general election on May 1.

But neither Scotland Yard nor the organisers of Sunday's race would comment on whether security had been increased to take into account the IRA's apparent switch to targeting sporting events.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: "We always ask people to be vigilant. If they see anything suspicious they should report it."

Professor Paul Wilkinson, a terrorist expert in the International Relations department at Saint Andrew's University in Scotland, said: "It would be wrong to assume that the IRA has switched tactics. We cannot discount any target."

April 12 , 1997

this weekend

Saturday

Sunday

last weekend

May 1

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20061117.0393

JAKARTA, Nov. 18 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Indonesia's missing aircraft found but no survivals

A Twin Otter aircraft which had been missing since Friday morning in Papua province of Indonesia, have been found on Saturday morning with 12 passengers and crew seems to have died, a police officer said.

The plane was found broken to pieces in a deep ravine by a group of missionaries while traveling from Wamena regency to Mulia regency, all people on board predicted to have died, said provincial police spokesman Kartono Wangsa Disastro.

"The plane has been found, the missionaries said logically no one safe from the accident," Disastro told Xinhua by telephone from the province.

Bad weather and mountainous field were the cause of the accident, he said.

"After the plane lower its height preparing for landing, the weather changed to dark, afterwards, the plane crashed to a mountain," he said.

Disasto said that evacuation still can not be done, due to a poor weather condition.

"We wait for favorable weather for moving to the site," he said.

The plane belonging to Trigana Air Service lost contact with the airport 15 minutes after it departed from Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya regency on its way to Ilaga district on Friday, he said.

Mountainous terrain has been a serious threat for flight in the province, which has frequently caused accidents, the type of Twin Otter aircraft for instance has been four times smashed to the mountains.

Nov. 18 , 2006

Friday morning

Saturday morning

15 minutes

Friday


WSJ891026-0050
 = 891026
 891026-0050.
 Provigo Will Sell Non-Food Operations
@  To Concentrate on Grocery Business
@  ----
@  By G. Pierre Goad
@  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 T.PGI WNEWS
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
 MONTREAL

   In a stunning shift in direction, Provigo Inc. said it will sell all its non-food operations to concentrate solely on its retail and wholesale grocery business.
The non-food operations accounted for about 27% of Provigo's 7.38 billion Canadian dollars (US$6.3 billion) in sales in the latest fiscal year.

   In a related move, Pierre Lortie, chairman and chief executive, resigned.
Mr. Lortie joined Provigo in 1985 and spearheaded the company's drive to grow outside its traditional food business.
He could n't be reached for comment.

   Bertin Nadeau, newly appointed chairman and interim chief executive of Provigo, would n't say if Mr. Lortie was asked to leave.
"Mr.
Lortie felt less pertinent," Mr. Nadeau said, given the decision to dump Provigo's non-food operations.
"At this stage it was felt I was perhaps more pertinent as chief executive."
Mr. Nadeau also is chairman and chief executive of Unigesco Inc., Provigo's controlling shareholder.

   At a news conference, Mr. Nadeau said the sale of the three non-food businesses, which account for nearly half the company's C$900 million in assets, should be completed in a "matter of months."
The three units are a nationwide pharmaceutical and health-products distributor, a small sporting-goods chain, and a combination catalog showroom and toy-store chain.

   Investors and analysts applauded the news.
Provigo was the most active industrial stock on the Montreal Exchange, where it closed at C$9.75 (US$8.32), up 75 Canadian cents.

   "I think it's a pretty positive development," said Ross Cowan, a financial analyst with Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion Inc., of the decision to concentrate on groceries.
Mr. Lortie's departure, while sudden, was seen as inevitable in light of the shift in strategy.
"The non-food operations were largely Mr. Lortie's creation {and} his strategy did n't work," said Steven Holt, a financial analyst with Midland Doherty Ltd.

   Provigo's profit record over the past two years tarnished the company's and Mr. Lortie's reputations.
For the six months ended Aug. 12, Provigo posted net income of C$6.5 million, or eight Canadian cents a share, compared with C$18.1 million, or 21 Canadian cents a share, a year earlier.
Sales were C$4.2 billion compared with C$3.7 billion.
Last month, Canadian Bond Rating Service downgraded Provigo's commercial paper and debentures because of its lackluster performance.

   Analysts are skeptical Provigo will be able to sell the non-food businesses as a group for at least book value, and are expecting write-downs.
Mr. Nadeau said he could n't yet say if the sale prices would match book values.
He said all three non-food operations are profitable.

   Mr. Nadeau said discussions are under way with potential purchasers of each of the units.
He declined to confirm or deny reports that Provigo executive Henri Roy is trying to put together a management buy-out of the catalogue showroom unit.
Mr. Roy could n't be reached.

   Yvon Bussieres was named senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of Provigo, a new position.
Mr. Bussieres was president and chief operating officer of Provigo's Quebec retail and wholesale grocery unit.
Mr. Nadeau said he intends to remain Provigo's chief executive only until the non-food businesses are sold, after a which a new chief executive will be named.

the latest fiscal year

the past two years

the six months

Aug. 12

a year earlier

Last month


AFP_ENG_20061227.0207

CAIRO, Dec 27 , 2006, 2006

Egypt reports tenth bird flu death

A 26-year-old Egyptian man died Wednesday from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the health ministry in Cairo said.

Reda Abdel Halim Farid, from the central Nile Delta region of Zifta, is the tenth person to have died in Egypt after contracting the deadly strain, the ministry said.

H5N1 was first diagnosed in birds in Egypt in February, and the first case in humans was announced on March 18. In its most aggressive form, it has killed more than 150 people worldwide, the World Health Organization has said.

Dec 27 , 2006

Wednesday

February

March 18


XIN_ENG_20051107.0285

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Interest rates mixed at weekly US Treasury bill auctions

Interest rates on short-term US Treasury bills were mixed in auctions held on Monday with six- month bills rising to the highest level since March 2001.

The US Treasury Department auctioned 17 billion dollars in six- month bills at a discount rate of 4.155 percent, up from 4.125 percent last week. The rate was the highest since these bills brought 4.22 percent on March 19, 2001.

The department also sold 19 billion dollars in three-month bills at a discount rate of 3.870 percent, down from 3.890 percent last week.

Separately, the US Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills, a popular index for making changes in adjustable rate mortgages, rose to 4.32 percent last week from 4.26 percent the previous week.

Nov. 7 , 2005

Monday

six- month

March 2001

last week

March 19, 2001

last week

Monday

last week

the previous week.


XIN_ENG_20051119.0158

SINGAPORE, Nov. 19 , 2005 (Xinhua)

New guidelines on public toilet unveiled in Singapore

Singapore women will benefit from the new guidelines on public toilet unveiled by the National Environment Agency, Channel NewsAsia said on Saturday night.

Under the new guidelines, there will be five toilet cubicles for women in medium-sized establishments such as bars, equaling the total number of urinals and cubicles for men.

Women will have more toilet cubicles than men do in such places as convention halls and cinemas where a large number of people tend to use toilets concurrently in certain periods of time.

The new guidelines, as part of Singapore's celebration of the World Toilet Day on Saturday, are expected to change the situation of insufficient female toilets in some facilities in the city state.

In late August this year, Singapore announced the set up of the world's first Toilet College, which plans to offer courses like ecological sanitation, restroom maintenance, as well as toilet design and architecture.

Nov. 19 , 2005

Saturday night

Saturday

August this year


AFP_ENG_19970424.0574

BEIJING, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

URGENTFirst Taiwanese freighter docks in mainland port

A Taiwanese frighter docked in the southwestern Chinese port of Xiamen on Friday, the first to make the direct journey across the Taiwan Straits in nearly five decades, port authorities said.

April 24 , 1997

Friday

five decades


XIN_ENG_20061127.0029

CHONGQING, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Cities along Yangtze vows to safeguard interests of migrant workers

Representatives of 29 city governments along the Yangtze River, China's longest, have gathered in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to discuss and likely sign an agreement on the protection of rights of migrant workers.

The cities include Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing.

At the two-day conference which opened on Monday, the cities said they will put an end to regulations and employment practices that discriminate against migrant workers. They also plan to improve the social welfare system for migrant workers which will include covering medical services and providing injury insurance, according to an official with the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission.

The official said talks will be held on how to provide unified services to migrant workers who move from province to province. The 29 cities have vowed to do a better job in developing labor contracts, ensuring payment and providing community services for migrant workers.

"We work toward providing legal aid and schooling for their children,"the official was quoted by the local Chongqing Morning Post as saying.

The agreement to be signed will require each of the 29 cities to provide information about its labor force requirements on Internet which will be available to migrant workers from other cities.

Under the accord, training bases will be jointly built by the 29 cities and employment records will be kept.

The goal of the cities is to build a fair, unified labor force market for both urban and rural areas and establish an employment system based on fair competition.

Employers who treat migrant workers unfairly will be penalized, the official added.

Nov. 27 , 2006

Monday


AFP_ENG_19970420.0357

JERUSALEM, April 20 , 1997 (AFP)

Israeli opposition demands Netanyahu's resignation

Opposition Labor Party leader Shimon Peres called Sunday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign because of continuing suspicions over his role in the "Bibigate" scandal.

"The prime minister must draw the necessary conclusions and hand in his resignation," Peres told Israel radio.

Peres's statement came after attorney general Eliakim Rubinstein said corruption charges would not be pressed against Netanyahu because of lack of evidence.

The opposition leader demanded early elections and announced a national petition campaign.

Yossi Sarid and several other left-wing opposition MPs announced that they will file an appeal to the supreme court to force the attorney general's office to review its decision to close the file on Netanyahu.

Although the prime minister was not charged, Rubinstein said: "The very fact that these allegations have been sounded creates a cloud of suspicion and an unhealthy atmosphere, but one that does not amount to grounds for filing an indictment."

"There are certain grounds for bewilderment," he said, referring to Netanyahu's actions.

Rubinstein said that Justice Minister Tzahi Hanegbi, who also faced police recommendations that he be charged over alleged influence- peddling in the appointment of an attorney general, would not be indicted.

The prime minister's chief of staff Avigdor Lieberman however, will face further investigation, the attorney general added.

April 20 , 1997

Sunday


VOA19980303.1600.0917
 NEWS STORY

 Nigerian security forces clashed in Lagos with anti-government
 demonstrators who  were protesting calls for military leader Sani Abacha  to run for
 president.
 Meanwhile, as VOA West Africa Correspondent Purnell Murdock
 reports, General Abacha's supporters began a two day rally in the capital,
 Abuja,  to urge him  to compete in this year's election.

 Nigeria state radio says thousands of people began gathering in the capital
 Abuja early Tuesday for the two day rally supporting General Sani Abacha's
 candidacy.
 Organizers state the two days of music, dancing, and speeches  is expected  to draw some two million people.
 But as supporters of the military leader gathered in the north, riot
 police deployed in Nigeria's southern commercial capital Lagos,  to break up a
 protest rally called by the political opposition.
 Although General Abacha had not  publicly announced his candidacy, many
 people believe an Abacha presidency is a foregone conclusion.
 Some analysts say the outcome of a face off between the police and anti Abacha
 political groups will be a test of the opposition's resolve.
 Purnell Murdock, VOA News.

two day

this year

early Tuesday

two day

two days


XIN_ENG_20061124.0286

BAGHDAD, Nov. 24 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Urgent: Iraq's Talabani decides to postpones Iran visit

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Friday that he decided to postpone his planned visit to Iran due to airport close under curfew in Baghdad.

Nov. 24 , 2006

Friday


AFP_ENG_20061209.0458

MOSCOW, Dec 10 , 2006, 2006

URGENT  Second Russian hospital fire kills eight

At least eight people were killed by a fire Sunday in a clinic in southern Siberia, Russia's second lethal hospital blaze of the weekend, the Interfax news agency reported.

Dec 10 , 2006

Sunday

the weekend


NYT19980424.0421
 NEWS STORY
 04/24/1998 21:49:00

A3813 Cx1f taf-z
u k Cx13  Cx11  BC-EDIT-GENDER-STEREOTYP     04-24 0430

 BC-EDIT-GENDER-STEREOTYPES-NYT

EDITORIAL: THE COURT RETREATS ON STEREOTYPES

UR (af) LR  QL
UR c.1998 N.Y. Times News Service QC  LR  QL

The New York Times said in an editorial on Saturday, April 25:
The Supreme Court took a detour this week from the core
principle of gender fairness it vindicated two years ago in its
ruling invalidating the use of sexual stereotypes  to justify
denying women admission to the Virginia Military Institute. By a
6-3 vote, the court upheld a discriminatory immigration law that
gives a child born overseas to an unmarried American woman a better
chance at citizenship than a child born to an unmarried American
man.
Under the statute, a child born abroad to an unwed American
mother  is  automatically considered a U.S. citizen. But the child of
an unwed American father has no citizenship rights unless the
father takes the affirmative step of acknowledging paternity and
formally agrees  to provide support until the child turns 18.
The majority's views  were expressed in three separate opinions,
the most disquieting of which  was written by a liberal member,
Justice John Paul Stevens, and joined by a conservative, Chief
Justice William Rehnquist. The opinion, which found the gender
distinction reasonable, relied heavily on outmoded generalities
about family roles, including the flawed presumption that mothers
have a closer relationship to their children than fathers do. As
Justice Stephen Breyer asked in a strong dissent, ``what sense does
it make''  to apply citizenship barriers ``only to fathers and not
to mothers in today's world _ where paternity can  readily be proved
and where women and men both are likely  to earn a living in the
workplace?''
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy seemed to agree
that the law amounted to unconstitutional sex discrimination. Butinstead of providing the votes  to strike it down, they chose  to uphold it on the flimsy ground that because the sex of the parent
and not the child made the difference under the law, the plaintiff
did not have standing  to bring the case. The Justice Department,
which supported the statute, did not cover itself with glory
either. The department retreated from its position in the VMI case
when it argued that the government could not make policy based on
stereotypes ``even when those stereotypes reflect current
realities.''
As for the court, it managed with its splintered ruling  to cast
doubt both on the constitutionality of the immigration provisions
it upheld and on its true commitment to fighting gender
stereotypes.

NYT-04-24-98 2149EDT

04/24/1998 21:49:00

Saturday, April 25

this week

two years ago

current


XIN_ENG_20061122.0104

BAGHDAD, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Two policemen wounded in explosion in central Baghdad

Two policemen were injured when a homemade bomb planted near three bodies found in central Baghdad on Wednesday, an Interior Ministry source said.

"Our police patrols received information about three bodies in Haifa Street. A patrol headed to the scene to retrieve the bodies, but a homemade bomb went off, wounding two policemen," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Elsewhere, another body for a government employee was found in the southeastern Baghdad district of Amin, the source added.

Violence rages in Iraq as kidnappings, sectarian killings, car bombings, roadside bombs claim dozens of Iraqi lives daily.

Nov. 22 , 2006

Wednesday

daily


XIN_ENG_20061106.0280

BANGKOK, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Thai PM urges early completion of flood rehabilitation

Thailand's Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont Monday ordered that assistance and rehabilitation work for the flood victims must be completed in all flood-ravaged areas within three months.

During a three-hour meeting with Cabinet ministers and 15 central province governors at a Monday videoconference, the premier ordered government agencies to speed up assistance to flood victims and disburse compensation as appropriate.

Farmers whose lands carried excess waters to relieve Bangkok's flood threat will be given a high priority. He set a deadline to finish the task within three months, starting from November 15.

Surayud suggested to adopt raft-building techniques for houses in flood-prone areas so that in case of future floods the houses can float during high water periods.

The prime minister instructed the Armed Forces Development Command (AFDC) to apply its engineering expertise to major projects, and told officials to publicize governmental assistance so the public knows the government is serious about helping the people.

Permanent Secretary for Interior Pongpayom Wasaputi said his ministry will ask the Cabinet Tuesday to urgently pay 25 percent of compensation money to villagers affected by the floods.

If the Cabinet gives the go ahead, the government can proceed to pay the first round of compensation to flood victims immediately.

Prime Minister Surayud also set up a committee to direct and follow-up assistance to flood victims, Government Spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp told the Thai News Agency after the meeting.

Nov. 6 , 2006

three months

Monday

three months

November 15


XIN_ENG_20061102.0126

JAKARTA, Nov. 2 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Indonesian share index touches 1,600 level

The composite index in the Jakarta Stock Exchange breached the 1,600 points level for the first time ever Thursday supported by significant gains in banking shares.

The index rose by 17.8 points or 1.1 percent to close at 1,607. 7 points.

Turnovers totaled 1.8 billion shares worth 2.26 trillion rupiah (248.5 million U.S. dollars).

Gainers led losers 80 to 40, with 70 other issues left unchanged.

Nov. 2 , 2006

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061219.0351

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - RECASTS, ADDS commentary ///

US inflation made a surprise comeback in November with a surprising 2.0 percent rise in wholesale prices, the biggest monthly jump in 30 years, the government reported Tuesday.

The Labor Department's producer price index (PPI) was far ahead of Wall Street expectations of a 0.5 percent rise and showed strong increases in a wide range of goods.

The core index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was up 1.3 percent -- the largest increase in more than 25 years -- against expectations of a 0.2 percent rise.

The surprise jump in prices challenges expectations from economists and the Federal Reserve that inflation is under control.

But some analysts said the increase may be a one-month quirk.

"The November increases in producer prices should not be viewed with alarm, because of past monthly declines," said Peter Morici, economist at the University of Maryland.

"Over the last year, producer prices, including food and energy, have risen only 0.9 percent, and consumer price inflation is likely to moderate through the early months of 2007."

Because the PPI fell 1.6 percent in October, some said the latest report simply smoothes out the bumps.

"The two months are best viewed as a net 0.4 percent increase, or about 0.2 percent per month," said analysts at Briefing.com. "This doesn't change the overall outlook for consumer inflation."

The latest report showed energy prices rose 6.1 percent in the month, the sharpest gain since February 2003, just before the US-led invasion of Iraq. Within the sector, gasoline prices rose 17.9 percent, the biggest increase since June 2000.

Light truck prices rose a record 13.7 percent, shattering the prior record set in July 1980, when truck prices rose 4.9 percent.

Intermediate goods, which are partially processed materials, rose 0.7 percent in the month, the sharpest rise since May.

The PPI report is one factor considered by the Federal Reserve, which has held its base rate steady since August but has warned it may hike rates again if inflation remains a problem.

Some analysts say the Fed is in a bind because inflation remains troublesome despite soft economic growth.

But Stephen Gallagher at Societe Generale said that the PPI report was skewed by energy costs and auto prices at the wholesale level that may not affect consumers.

"Auto and light truck prices are soft at the consumer level and will remain soft for some time as auto companies work down currently excessive inventory positions," he said.

"The core we should be watching is ex-motor vehicles at 0.2 percent," he said. "This is what the Fed will consider and the Fed will view auto prices as tame."

Dec 19 , 2006

November

30 years

Tuesday

the last year

the early months of 2007

October

two months

the month

February 2003

June 2000

July 1980

the month

May

August


XIN_ENG_20061103.0196

TEHRAN, Nov. 3 , 2006 (Xinhua)

2nd lead: Iran test fires three new models of missiles in drills

Iran's Revolutionary Guards test fired three new models of missiles in the ongoing military exercises in the Gulf region, the state-run television reported on Friday.

The television footage showed the missiles were fired from mobile launching carriers on the shore and from warships, and the missiles hit the targets successfully.

According to the report, the new types of missiles, dubbed Nasr, Noor and Kowsar, had been extended of their range and now could cover a range of 170 km.

The missiles are made by Iran itself and could be used in land- to-sea or sea-to-sea warfare, and due to the extension of their range, the missiles are able to hit all potential targets anywhere in the Gulf region and in the sea of Oman, said the report.

"The missiles are suitable to cover all the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the sea of Oman," said Admiral Sardar Fadavi, the deputy navy chief of the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran started a new round of military maneuvers Thursday, during which the Revolutionary Guards also test fired ballistic Shahab-3 missiles with a range of more than 2,000 km.

Major General Seyed Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander-in-chief of the Revolution Guards, said on Wednesday that the 10-day military maneuvers, dubbed "The Great Prophet 2," would be carried out in the Gulf waters, the sea of Oman and 14 provinces of the country.

But he did not disclose the number of Iranian troops participating the drills.

Iran's maneuver was carried out shortly after the U.S.-led naval forces staged a two-day maneuver in the Gulf waters aimed at blocking smuggling of nuclear weaponry material and arms proliferation.

Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said on Monday that foreign military forces should not damage Gulf peace, saying durable peace and security would be restored through collective cooperation of all countries of the region.

This is the third round of military exercise in Iran this year, the country launched a large-scale military maneuver named " Zolfaghar Blow" in August, and the other drill named "The Great Prophet 1" was also staged in April, during which Iranian army said that it tested advanced weapons including missiles and torpedoes.

Nov. 3 , 2006

Friday

now

Thursday

Wednesday

Monday

this year

August

April