XIN_ENG_20051118.0333

VIENNA, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

IAEA report demands Iran do more to clarify nulcear plans

Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei presented a report on Friday, saying the Iranian government has improved its cooperation with the IAEA on its nuclear issue but still needs to do more to clarify its nuclear plans.

The report, presented to the 35 members of the IAEA governing board in Vienna, said Iran is still denying access to sensitive sites and information of its nuclear plans, officials close to the UN watchdog said.

"Iran's full transparency is indispensable and overdue," the report said.

The IAEA has been given nuclear documents that Iran got from people linked to the black market set up by Abdul Kadir Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, it said.

The report urged Iran to provide more information and documentation related to the procurement of dual use equipment and allow visits to locations linked to sites such as Lavizan, which was closed before IAEA inspectors could go there.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, a charge rejected by Tehran as politically motivated.

The European Union has rejected a Russian proposal for talks with Iran in Moscow due to Teheran's resumption of uranium conversion in its Isfahan plant.

The governing board of the IAEA is to meet on Nov. 24 in Vienna for renewed discussions of Iran's nuclear policies, including whether the case should be brought before the UN Security Council.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said earlier that he assumed ElBaradei would deliver a "rational and clear report" on Iran because the IAEA was "taking positive steps" recently on the Iranian nuclear issue.

However, Larijani warned that Iran would "resort to other means "if the EU "wants to waste opportunities" by prompting a resolution against Iran at the IAEA meeting.

Iran resumed uranium conversion activities, a preparatory step for uranium enrichment, in early August, a move that scuttled nuclear negotiations with the EU which started after Tehran suspended all activities related to uranium enrichment in November 2004.

In response, the IAEA in late September urged Tehran to re-suspend all enrichment-related activities in a EU-drafted resolution, saying Iran's refusal will risk a referral of its case to the UN Security Council.

Nov. 18 , 2005

Friday

Nov. 24

early August

November 2004

late September


XIN_ENG_20051118.0018

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

African trade ministers to meet in Tanzania

Trade ministers from over 50 African countries are scheduled to meet in Arusha of northern Tanzania next week to prepare for the coming World Trade Organization (WTO) convention.

According to reports reaching here from Arusha on Friday, the ministerial meeting will be held on next Wednesday when participants are expected to work out a common stand for the sixth WTO ministerial meeting to be held in Hong Kong of China in mid- December this year.

The Arusha meeting will be organized by the African Union, the WTO and the Netherlands-based Common Fund for Commodity.

High on the agenda of the Arusha ministerial meeting will be issues concerning commodities which are the backbone of the economy of the majority of sub-Saharan African countries.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy and Chairman of the Common Fund for Commodity Ali Mchumo will attend the Arusha ministerial meeting which will be opened by Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa.

The forthcoming Hong Kong round of the WTO ministerial meeting is expected to settle the issues that will shape the final accord of the Doha Development Agenda.

Nov. 18 , 2005

next week

Friday

next Wednesday

December this year


AFP_ENG_20061222.0387

ROME, Dec 22 , 2006, 2006

right-to-die campaigner

The Italian Catholic Church on Friday said right-to-die campaigner Piergiorgio Welby cannot have a religious funeral because his assisted death was against Church teaching, Italian television reported.

Dec 22 , 2006

Friday


AFP_ENG_20061204.0685

HAMBURG, Germany, Dec 5 , 2006, 2006

CSKA look to slip past hapless Hamburg

Goal-shy CSKA Moscow's Champions League fate is out of their hands as they head into Wednesday's group G match against SV Hamburg.

CSKA, who have scored just two goals in their five games, are two points behind Arsenal and FC Porto, who defeated them 2-0 in their last match, and the 2005 UEFA Cup champions must defeat German side Hamburg to have any chance of reaching the last 16.

If CSKA win and there is a winner in the Arsenal and Porto match the Russians will progress but a draw in the other match in Portugal will see them eliminated.

For 1983 European champions Hamburg pride is at stake after five straight defeats in Europe's flagship competition.

Hamburg are in this competition for the first time since 2001 after finishing third in the Bundesliga last season but it has been an immediately forgettable campaign.

Along with Levski Sofia, the Germans, second from bottom of the Bundesliga, are the only team yet to register a point in this season's Champions League.

"We know it has been a disappointing season but all we can do is try to make things better from now on," said Hamburg coach Thomas Doll.

"My future has been talked about for the past few weeks so I do not think I need to add anything else."

If Hamburg, who have won just once in 15 league matches, fail to get even a draw against CSKA they will become only the seventh team in Champions League history to end up without a point in the group stage.

Dec 5 , 2006

Wednesday

the last 16

the past few weeks


XIN_ENG_20061107.0395

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

President

Visiting Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva said on Tuesday that the excellent Portugal-Brazil relations will continue through the second administration of Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Cavoco Silva said the two countries' entrepreneurs are in very close contact and mutual investments have been growing.

"Entrepreneurs from Brazil see Portugal not only as a 10-million-inhabitant country, but also a country that takes part in the European Union (EU), which has over 500 million consumers with high purchasing power," he said.

Cavaco Silva made the remarks in Brazilian city Sao Paulo after he attended the 16th Ibero-American Summit in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo.

He noted that the relations between the EU and the South American Common Market (Mercosur) was one of the most frequently raised topics at the summit, and he had promised to try to unblock the free trade agreement between the two groups when Portugal takes over EU Presidency in the second half of 2007.

"We count on Brazil because it can help overcome difficulties that exist in the relationship between Mercosur and Europe," Cavaco Silva added.

Oct. 7 , 2006

Tuesday

the second half of 2007


AFP_ENG_19970430.0436

BONN, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

Bonn "verifying" Tehran ambassador rebuff

The German foreign ministry on Wednesday said it would not make a statement before "verifying" Iran's decision not to allow the German and Danish ambassadors to return to Tehran.

"It is too early for a reaction," said ministry spokesman Horst Freitag. "We are trying to clear up the situation."

He would not say whether German authorities had contacted Tehran to discuss the matter.

The ambassadors, plus counterparts from other EU countries, were withdrawn after a German court ruled that senior Iranian officials were involved in the 1992 murder of four Iranian Kurds in a Berlin restaurant.

Iran earlier said it was halting all dialogue with the European Union. It also ruled out the early return of German and Danish ambassadors in retaliation for the EU's latest measures against the Islamic republic.

The foreign ministry announced in a statement that it would break off "all talks on human rights, terrorism and arms control."

On Tuesday, EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg banned ministerial visits to or from Iran over Tehran's alleged involvement in the 1992 killings.

In Paris, foreign ministry spokesman Jacques Rummelhardt said EU governments were holding discussion on how to react to Iran's decision.

He said that in principle the ambassadors should "return normally to their posts."

"If they are being labelled persona non grata, that is something else," he added.

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20061104.0207

LONDON, Nov. 4 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Manchester United beat Portsmouth to move atop in Premiership

Manchester United moved atop of the English Premiership with three points clear on Saturday after they beat Portsmouth 3-0 at the Old Trafford.

Chelsea, however, can pull level on points with them at the top of the table provided that they beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Thanks to a brace from inspired Dirk Kuyt, the resurgent Liverpool chalked up their fourth successive win after comfortably overcoming Reading 2-0 at Anfield, while Darren Bent scored his seventh goal of the season to give Charlton a 1-0 home win over Manchester City.

Watford secured their first win of the season as they capitalised on some woeful defensive lapse from Middlesbrough to score a 2-0 home win.

Louis Saha opened the scoring from the penalty spot after only three minutes to set the tone of the thrashing which celebrated Sir Alex Ferguson's 20 years as manager in style.

Cristiano Ronaldo then scored a superb free-kick, while David James denied Gary Neville three times in the match.

Niko Kranjcar missed a great chance for Pompey before Nemanja Vidic headed his first goal at Old Trafford.

Ferguson celebrates two decades at the helm on Monday - and must be extremely satisfied with the calibre and form of his current crop of players.

Wigan scored their third consecutive win on when they beat hosts Bolton 1-0 thanks to Lee McCulloch's goal.

A dour first half saw few chances and little entertainment, but the second period was much more worthy of a derby.

And with 11 minutes left, McCulloch fired home with his right foot from 18 yards after a clever Wigan build-up.

Claus Jensen's deflected second-half strike awarded Fulham a 1-0 victory over visiting Everton.

The sole goal of the Premiership game came in the 65th minute when Jensen's angled shot from 20 yards flew off Tim Cahill and beyond Everton keeper Tim Howard.

It completed the transformation of a game Everton had completely dominated for the first half.

In a later game, Danny Webber scored Sheffield United's first Premiership away goal of the season as the Blades leapfrogged Newcastle and out of the bottom three.

The precious goal arrived in the 68th minute as Webber stooped to head home Nick Montgomery's cross to inflict the Magpies' third home League defeat.

Nov. 4 , 2006

Saturday

Sunday

three minutes

20 years

Monday

current

the first half


AFP_ENG_20061230.0030

SYDNEY, Dec 30 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS reax from opposition, Iraqi expats ///

Australia, which opposes capital punishment, said Saturday it respected Iraq's decision to execute former dictator Saddam Hussein, calling it a "significant moment" for the war-torn country.

"No matter what one might think about the death penalty, and the government of Iraq is aware of the Australian government's position on capital punishment, we must also respect the right of sovereign states to pass judgement relating to crimes committed against their people, within their jurisdictions," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement.

"He has been brought to justice, following a process of fair trial and appeal, something he denied to countless thousands of victims of his regime."

Australia contributed troops to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the ouster of Saddam. It still has about 1,300 troops involved in operations in the area.

Downer said it was a credit to the people of Iraq that Saddam has been granted a fair trial for crimes against humanity involving the execution in 1982 of 148 Shiite men and boys in the village of Dujail.

"The people of Iraq now know that their brutal dictator will never come back to lead them," the foreign minister said.

"While many will continue to grieve over their personal loss under his rule, his death marks an important step in consigning his tyrannical regime to the judgement of history and pursuing a process of reconciliation now and in the future."

The Australian government, along with its coalition allies, would continue to "support the struggle of the vast majority of Iraq's people to preserve and build upon the progress which has been achieved, where even the cruellest of dictators can be tried and brought to justice", said Downer.

But the leader of the opposition Labor party, Kevin Rudd, called the government's support for Saddam's execution hypocritical, given it regularly seeks clemency for Australian nationals facing the death penalty overseas.

"It is not possible in our view to be selective in the application of this policy," Rudd said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sydney resident Issam Abdulla, who fled Iraq more than 20 years ago, said he had "no feeling at all" about the former dictator's death, saying it had come too late to remedy his homeland's spiralling violence.

"It's not making me happy but it's making me feel sorry why all this has happened," said the 55-year-old.

"The damage is done."

However other Iraqis living in Australia, some of whom said they had lost family during Saddam's reign, welcomed the news, making plans to celebrate late into the night in the Sydney suburb of Auburn.

Dec 30 , 2006

Saturday

now

now

20 years ago


AFP_ENG_20061223.0200

VIENNA, Dec 23 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS quote ///

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency will press ahead with its investigation of Iran's nuclear program, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said after the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Tehran.

The International Atomic Energy Agency "will implement the relevant parts of the UNSC (UN Security Council) resolution that relates to its work," Elbaradei said in a statement posted on the IAEA's web site.

Dec 23 , 2006


AFP_ENG_20051204.0116

BAGHDAD, Dec 4 , 2005

= (PICTURE) =

The trial of Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein resumes on Monday with mounting pressure for the process to accelerate after two earlier adjournments limited court time to just two brief sessions.

Officials close to the court are hoping that this time a full four days of hearings is possible before the court adjourns again in time for Iraq's parliamentary elections on December 15.

Several witnesses are set to appear in the trial of Saddam and seven of his deputies for the massacre of 148 people from the Shiite village of Dujail in 1982, for which all the accused could face the death penalty.

With the trial yet to hit its stride, no witness has yet given testimony in person in the court. Amid fears over their security, tribunal sources say some witnesses could appear masked or hidden to protect their anonymity.

Saddam's lawyers, who now include former US attorney general Ramsey Clark and former Qatari justice minister Najib al-Nuaimi are looking to force further delays in a bid to give the defense more time to prepare its case.

They hope to schedule a court briefing "to discuss key issues in the case like the legality of court, independence of court and the impartiality of judges," said Clark.

The whole process, which is closely watched around the world and was called the "Trial of the Century" by one Iraqi paper, has had a slow beginning with a brief opening session on October 19, followed by a 40 day delay and then a two hour session on November 28, and then a week-long adjournment.

The trial has been plagued by a range of problems since its inception, including minor ones like intermittent sound in the first session and a broken elevator in the second session, to the more serious issues of security.

Between the first two sessions, police announced they discovered a plot to assassinate the court's top investigative judge, while two of the defense lawyers were assassinated.

The latest delay came after Taha Yassin Ramadan, a close associate of Saddam and his former vice president, refused to use the lawyer the court appointed after his advocate was shot dead.

The trial takes place in an unfinished palace once used as the headquarters for Saddam's Baath party inside the Green Zone and amid very heavy security. Attendees receive full body X-rays and are not allowed to bring their own paper and pens.

The previous session was dominated by Saddam Hussein's complaint to the judge that his American guards had taken away his pen and paper. When the judge said he would tell them to return it, Saddam exploded into a nationalist speech.

"Don't tell them, order them. You are an Iraqi, you have sovereignty, they are in your country, they are foreigners, they are invaders," said Saddam.

But the chief judge, Rizkar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd, has largely taken these outbursts in his stride.

Aside from Saddam and Ramadan, the defendants include Barzan al-Tikriti, Saddam's half brother and head of intelligence at the time of the massacre, and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, head judge of the revolutionary court.

There are also four little known Baath officials who worked in Dujail at the time of the massacre, which took place after an assassination attempt against Saddam's convoy. All have pleaded not guilty.

As the defense complains they have not had enough time to prepare for the case, there is growing frustration among Iraqis, especially among Shiites and Kurds who suffered the most under Saddam, at the constant delays.

Both Iraqi and US officials have accused the defence team of playing for time in a bid to derail the landmark trial, but the judges are under strong international pressure to ensure that Saddam enjoys the justice he is accused of denying his compatriots for so long.

In the last session, the court was shown testimony from wheelchair-bound Waddah Ismail al-Sheikh, a former intelligence official, who implicated Barzan in the Dujail massacre. The official died after the recording was made.

Iraqi officials have said they chose to start with the Dujail case because it is relatively straightforward and well documented.

But critics charge the case was chosen because it lacked the potential of the other cases for stirring up political controversy for Washington which backed Saddam's regime through the 1980s.

Dec 4 , 2005

Monday

full four days

December 15

October 19

November 28

the first two sessions

the 1980s


XIN_ENG_20061107.0088

BANGKOK, Nov. 7 , 2006 (Xinhua)

with S. China in marine fishery

HAIKOU, Nov. 7(Xinhua)-- Seychellois President James Alix Michel showed great interest in cooperation with south China's Hainan Province in marine fishery after visiting the Hainan Provincial Fisheries Research Institute on Tuesday.

Li Xiangmin, director of the research institute briefed the president on the development of the fishery industry of Hainan, expressing his hope to cooperate with Seychelles in fishery.

Michel said Seychelles is an island country, and has lots of similarities with Hainan in natural resources.

There is a big potential for cooperation between the two sides, especially in fishery, he said.

He expressed his hope for further exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the future, so as to benefit from each other.

Michel visited the aquatic products breeding base and showed great interest in its sea-water breeding and cultivation.

Hainan's marine fishery boasts professional experts, advanced technologies and successful experience, said Michel, expressing his confidence in future cooperation in sea water breeding and cultivation.

The president also visited the permanent site of the Boao Forum for Asia.

James Alix Michel on Monday arrived at Haikou, capital city of south China's Hainan Province, and started a 3-day visit to Hainan.

Michel kicked off his state visit to China on Nov. 1 and attended the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held from Nov. 4 to 5.

Nov. 7 , 2006

Nov.

Tuesday

the future

Monday

Nov. 1

Nov. 4


XIN_ENG_20061109.0227

LONDON, Nov. 9 , 2006 (Xinhua)

British troops to continue to stay in Iraq: FM

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said on Thursday that British troops would continue to stay in Iraq as long as they are required.

Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think tank in London, Beckett said "the situation in Iraq is one which is dangerous and volatile."

"We are at a critical juncture which the fate of that country hangs in the balance. There is the very real risk of even greater instability and bloodshed than we have already seen," she said.

British troops would "stay as long as that government asks us to do so." she said, adding that "we will leave when they are confident that they can take the role of security in the country on their own shoulders."

Beckett warned against any "precipitate" moves to withdraw British troops from Iraq.

"I ask those who are calling for more precipitate action to consider the consequences of such action," she said.

"We would be leaving the Iraqi government without the means to prevent a further escalation in the violence, without the tools to enforce the rule of law and without the authority to prevent their country from turning into a base for terrorism," she said. "We must not let that happen."

Currently, Britain has some 7,200 troops deployed in southern Iraq, most in the southern Basra area and about 800 in Maysan province. Since 2003, the number of British troops killed in Iraq has increased to 121.

Nov. 9 , 2006

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061121.0151

KABUL, Nov. 21 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Pakistani foreign minister to visit Afghanistan next month

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri would pay an official visit to Afghan capital Kabul early next month, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said Tuesday.

"His Excellency Mr. Kasuri is going to visit Kabul from 7th to 9th December," Spanta told newsmen here.

The agenda of his talks with Afghan officials would cover holding the peace Jirga or grand assembly, and boosting bilateral cooperation in all fields including the war on terror, he added.

President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharaf reached an agreement in front of U.S. President Bush to hold a grand assembly of the elders and chieftains of the two neighboring countries in order to find a viable solution to militancy.

Nov. 21 , 2006

early next month

Tuesday

7th to 9th December


XIN_ENG_20051114.0302

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Ethiopian parliament votes for independent commission to look into recent riots

Ethiopia's House of People's Representatives on Monday ruled that recent riots in the capital Addis Ababa and some other cities in the country should be looked into by an independent inquiry commission.

The lower house of parliament settled on the establishment of an independent inquiry commission with majority vote after thorough discussions on a report presented to it by federal police commissioner Workineh Gebeyehu.

The police report said the recent riotings were "well-organized " by the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) .

The ruling came during the parliament's first extraordinary session with 334 votes for, one vote against and 72 abstentions.

According to the ruling, the commission to be established will look into the cause of the riotings as well as into whether the measures taken by security forces were excessive.

The commission will also take up the task of determining the casualties and property damage incurred, said the ruling.

During the street violence two weeks ago, in which police clashed with CUD supporters, at least 46 people died. Between Friday and Saturday police released 4,138 people, but many were still in custody.

The violence began Nov. 1 amid protests over a disputed May 15 parliamentary elections.

CUD has been boycotting the lower House of People's Representatives (HPR), saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the parliamentary elections.

The final election results indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF), which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547- seat HPR, enough to form the federal government.

CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively.

The two opposition parties accuse the ruling party of massive electoral fraud.

Nov. 14 , 2005

Monday

two weeks ago

Friday

Nov. 1

the past 14 years


XIN_ENG_20051123.0260

ATHENS, Nov. 23 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Greek stocks close lower

Greek stocks eased slightly on Wednesday as investors took profits after the Athens Stock Exchange hit new five-year highs on Tuesday, traders here said.

The composite index fell 0.38 percent to end at 3,491.56 points with turnover a heavy 238.7 million euros (281.4 million US dollars).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks eased 0.43 percent, while the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index and the FTSE/ ASE SmallCap 80 index fell 0.05 percent and 0.06 percent respectively.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 176 to 91 with another 66 issues unchanged.

Nov. 23 , 2005

Wednesday

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051108.0312

LONDON, Nov. 8 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Xavier B sample tests positive for steroid

Middlesbrough defender Abel Xavier has again tested positive for a banned substance in the B sample of his original test, a UEFA spokesman said on Tuesday.

The spokesman said: "The B sample has confirmed the original findings."

The 32-year-old, who was tested after Boro's UEFA Cup game at Xanthi, is set to face a Uefa hearing on 17 November and could be banned for a year.

Xavier has denied any wrongdoing and said last month: "I am convinced there is a harmless explanation."

And the Portuguese star has been suspended from all competitions while an investigation takes place.

Reports have suggested the banned substance found in Xavier's test was the anabolic steroid dianabol. UEFA guidelines recommend a ban of 12 months for a first doping offence.

If Xavier is found guilty of taking a performance-enhancing drug he would be the first Premiership player to do so, although others have been found guilty of using recreational drugs.

They include former Chelsea players Adrian Mutu and Mark Bosnich, who tested positive for cocaine, and Lee Bowyer and Chris Armstrong, who tested positive for cannabis.

Current Tottenham midfielder Edgar Davids was banned for four months in 2001 for taking the steroid nandrolone when he was a Juventus player.

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren, who signed former Everton and Liverpool defender Xavier as a short-term replacement for Michael Reiziger in the summer, is supporting the player.

"He is protesting his innocence vehemently at the moment," said McClaren, who has said Xavier is elsewhere in Europe preparing for his UEFA hearing.

Nov. 8 , 2005

Tuesday

17 November

a year

last month

12 months

four months

summer


AFP_ENG_20051212.0554

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 , 2005

quotes ///

The United States expressed outrage Monday at the murder of an anti-Syrian newspaper chief in Lebanon and called it an "act of terrorism" aimed at perpetuating Damascus' dominance of its neighbor.

Washington said the car bomb that killed Gibran Tueni highlighted the need to enforce UN demands that Syria stop interfering in Lebanon and cooperate in the probe of February's killing of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement she was "outraged" by the assassination of Tueni, which she called "a vicious act of terror against a Lebanese patriot and a voice of freedom."

"Together we in the international community will confront and defeat those who seek to terrorize and subjugate a proud, independent Lebanon," Rice said.   "Syrian interference in Lebanon continues, and it must end completely," Rice added.

US officials said it was too early to pin the powerful bomb that killed Tueni, a newly elected member of parliament, and three other people in a Beirut suburb directly on Syria.

But they expressed little doubt about the motive.

"I think that his murder is another act of terrorism aimed at trying to subjugate Lebanon to Syrian domination," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters accompanying President George W. Bush to Philadelphia.

"It's clear this savage attack is clearly intended to intimidate those in Lebanon who would courageously and openly speak their minds," McClellan said. "It's also a violent and direct assault on freedom of press in Lebanon.

"The attack is a reminder that all of us in the international community must continue to insist on enforcing the Security Council resolutions aimed at ending Syria's interference in Lebanon once and for all."

The bombing followed the handover of a report by UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his probe into the murder of Hariri, an attack blamed on Syria.

The State Department would not say whether the United States supported a call by the Lebanese government for a similar UN inquiry into the Tueni killing as well as the murders of other Syrian opponents in Lebanon.

"We will certainly look at that idea, work with the people of Lebanon, the government of Lebanon and all those who want to see accountability for this crime and for past crimes," said deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.

He said Rice discussed the Tueni killing Monday by phone with Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy of France, which has helped Washington spearhead the move to end Syrian influence in Lebanon.

"The secretary and Douste-Blazy discussed the importance of accountability for this crime (and) continued support for the Mehlis investigation," Ereli told reporters at the State Department.

"We will continue to work with the French and others, and the Lebanese, in order to make sure that not only do we know what happened to Mr. Tueni, but that we all act effectively to preserve Lebanese sovereignty and independence."

But US officials said they were still discussing whether to expand the scope of the Mehlis probe to include the other killings, perhaps set up a new body or come up with some other solution.

"The modalities of that are going to be a point of discussion with us, with the Lebanese, with the Security Council," Ereli said.

Dec 12 , 2005

Monday

February


XIN_ENG_20061129.0455

LUANDA, Nov. 29 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Mediator in Angola's Cabinda calls for adhesion to peace process

The President of the Cabinda Forum for Dialogue (FCD), Antnio Bento Bembe has called for the adhesion to the peace process underway in the region.

According to Angola Press Agency ANGOP on Wednesday, the FCD president appealed for the contribution of people with good faith for the consolidation of peace in the heroic province.

"The time is for reconciliation; let us forget the past," he said.

He considered positive the first phase of implementing the Memorandum of Peace, defending with the fact that 95 percent of the troops have already been stationed.

Cabinda, which produces 60 percent of Angola's oil, is a sliver of land sandwiched between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An armed conflict for secession led by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) has occurred in the territory since Angola's independence in 1975. In 2004, FLEC, the Church and others set up the FCD to enter into dialogue with the Angolan central government for peace in Cabinda.

The Angolan government and FCD signed the memorandum of understanding for peace on August 1 this year.

Bembe said that at the moment his board is working for the closing of the first phase, which will end with the integration of FLEC soldiers in the Angolan Armed Forces and in the National Police.

Nov. 29 , 2006

Wednesday

August 1 this year


AFP_ENG_20051206.0088

BAGHDAD, Dec 6 , 2005

ATTENTION - ADDS quotes ///

The court trying former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Tuesday called a 10-minute break to sort out a technical problem over how a woman witness could best testify without her voice being identified.

The woman sat in court behind a green curtain and began to give her testimony relayed with her voice disguised for security reasons, but defence lawyers protested and charged that her testimony was incomprehensible.

Judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin then ruled that the audio feed to journalists in the tribunal's press box be cut, allowing a woman -- identified only as witness A -- to speak without her voice being identified.

"Cut the audio to the outside and let the witness speak with her normal voice," said Amin.

Journalists following the court hearing are sat behind a glass window, but Amin then ordered a 10-minute break to decide how best the woman could speak.

"Everyone has to hear," Amin said.

Dec 6 , 2005

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051124.0147

BAGHDAD, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Roadside bomb kills two Iraqi soldiers north of Baghdad

A roadside bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing two soldiers, a local source told Xinhua.

"The explosion occurred in Baiji, around 200 km north of Baghdad. Another seven Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the blast," the source from the US-Iraqi Joint Coordination Center in Tikrit said.

Insurgents frequently target US and Iraqi military patrols with car bombs and roadside bombs in a bid to topple the US-backed government formed in April.

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday

April


AFP_ENG_19970430.0153

MOSCOW, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

Russian Chechnya negotiator calls for calm, attacks Kulikov

Russia's top negotiator in Chechnya, Ivan Rybkin, opened new peace talks Wednesday despite a series of bombings and criticised Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov for his attack on the Chechen separatist leadership.

Rybkin, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said Kulikov's comments on Monday's bombing of a railway station in Pyatigorsk, southern Russia, were an attempt to disrupt the eight-month peace process.

"However many stars they have on their shoulders, people should not choke on their own ambitions. ... Those who fight organised crime should not break up the peace process and make political statements," Rybkin said on arrival in the Chechen capital Grozny, Interfax reported.

On Tuesday, Kulikov announced that two Chechen women had been arrested for the bombing in Pyatigorsk, which killed two people and hospitalised 15, and declared that the bombing showed the Chechen government was not in charge.

The women have been transferred to prison in Moscow, Russian news agencies said.

The Chechen government denied any involvement in the bombing, accusing the Russian security forces of carrying it out to disrupt negotiations, which began at the end of the 21-month war last August.

Rybkin was met at Grozny airport by the chief Chechen negotiator, first deputy prime minister Movladi Udugov, the head of the Chechen YUNKO oil company, and other officials, ITAR-TASS said.

Interfax reported earlier that Rybkin would meet with President Aslan Maskhadov.

Boris Berezovsky, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, accompanied Rybkin.

Meanwhile President Boris Yeltsin, on holiday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, met with Kulikov.

The Chechens, who declared independence in 1991, drove out Russian troops in the war, which killed tens of thousands of people and left the tiny republic in ruins.

Moscow continues to insist Chechnya is part of Russia and talks on future relations and economic aid for Chechnya have bogged down over the last few months. Throughout the war, Kulikov was one of the key backers of a military solution.

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

Monday

Tuesday

last August

the last few months


AFP_ENG_19970418.0574

VATICAN CITY, April 19 , 1997 (AFP)

Two Chinese scientists to join Vatican academy

Pope John Paul II on Friday appointed two Chinese scientists -- one from Taiwan, the other from the mainland -- to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The two are Chin Ningyang, 74, from Hefei in China, the 1957 Nobel Physics Prize winner and son of a mathematics professor at Beijing university.

Chin emigrated to the United States in 1945, but resumed contacts with China in 1972.

Since 1986 he has taught both in the United States and in Hong Kong. He is also a member of China's Academy of Sciences.

Te-Tzu Chang, 70, graduated in the United States and is well-known among scientists for his genetical research which revolutionized rice production in Third World countries.

He was born in Shanghai but lives in Taiwan.

April 19 , 1997

Friday


AFP_ENG_20061214.0206

DOHA, Dec 14 , 2006, 2006

China's Li Yan wins Asiad cycling points gold

China's Li Yan won the Asian Games women's cycling points gold medal on Thursday.

South Korea's Lee Min Hye took silver with Nontasin Chanpeng of Thailand winning bronze.

Dec 14 , 2006

Thursday


WSJ891101-0099
 = 891101
 891101-0099.
 Letters to the Editor:
@  Innovators Overlooked
 11/01/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 MUTUAL AND MONEY-MARKET FUNDS (FND)

   I was pleased to note that your Oct. 23 Centennial Journal item recognized the money-fund concept as one of the significant events of the past century.
Actually, about two years ago, the Journal listed the creation of the money fund as one of the 10 most significant events in the world of finance in the 20th century.
But the Reserve Fund, America's first money fund, was not named, nor were the creators of the money-fund concept, Harry Brown and myself.
We innovated telephone redemptions, daily dividends, total elimination of share certificates and the constant $1 pershare pricing, all of which were painfully thought out and not the result of some inadvertence on the part of the SEC.

   BRUCE R. BENT

   President

   The Reserve Fund

   New York

Oct. 23

about two years ago

the 20th century


XIN_ENG_20061124.0308

SANTIAGO, Nov. 24 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Chile rejoins CAN after 30 years

Chile on Friday rejoined the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) some 30 years after its 1976 exit, although it still remains an associate rather than a full member at the moment.

Chile's foreign minister, Alejandro Foxley, said his country will work hard for regional integration.

The foreign ministers of the CAN nations, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, agreed on Chile's reentry into the group, at the sidelines of the third foreign ministers' meeting of the Community of South American Nations in Chile's capital Santiago.

A CAN committee will decide in 180 days exactly how Chile will take part in the Andean Integration System's bodies and institutions.

Chile was a founder member of CAN but left it in 1976 following a squabble over foreign investment law provisions.

Venezuela left CAN at the beginning of this year in order to be qualified as a full member of the trading block, Common Market of the South (Mercosur). All CAN members, including Chile, are associate members of Mercosur.

Nov. 24 , 2006

Friday

some 30 years

180 days

the beginning of this year


XIN_ENG_20051104.0263

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

Demonstrations at Summit of Americas turns violent

Demonstrations against US President George W. Bush turned violent in the southern Argentine city of Mar Del Plata on Friday when protesters threw rocks at the police and smashed windows of buildings.

The demonstrators, chanting slogans such as "Bush, gets out of Argentina," "Bush is a fascist," set fire on a shop and burned a US flag. Throngs of police fired tear gas at the demonstrators.

Xinhua correspondent saw that a policeman was hit by rocks and was put on an ambulance.

The clash took place only several blocks away from the hotel where the Summit of the Americas is held.

Nov. 4 , 2005

Friday


XIN_ENG_20061114.0333

HARARE, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Czech to explore Zimbabwean tourism market: diplomat

Czech Ambassador to Zimbabwe Vaclav Jilek said on Tuesday that he would meet Zimbabwe's tourism authorities to find ways of exploring untapped opportunities that exist between the two countries.

Jilek said he would help Zimbabwe's travel agencies build strong ties with their Czech counterparts, setting the stage for mutual cooperation.

He said Zimbabwe boasts a number of attractive sites such as the mighty Victoria Falls and the Great Zimbabwe, which had the potential to attract thousands of visitors from Czech every year. "The recently held International Travel Expo in Harare was an eye- opener and I have since been talking to different players on how best we can cooperate," he said.

Czechs, like their European counterparts in the United Kingdom and France, are high spenders and usually travel in small groups and stay longer, he said, but owing to poor marketing strategies, the country has continued to register low arrivals from the Eastern European country.

Zimbabwe has, since the land reform program in 2000, experienced a decline in tourist arrivals mainly from its traditional markets in Europe and America because of negative media coverage that portrayed the southern African country as an unsafe tourist destination.

This prompted the government to adopt a Look East policy, which has of late paid dividends while efforts are also underway to revive the traditional markets.

According to statistics from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority ( ZTA), the country has already recorded an increase in arrivals in the first nine months this year, totaling 1.6 million, compared with about 1.5 million last year.

Nov. 14 , 2006

Tuesday

every year

the first nine months this year

last year


WSJ891102-0015
 = 891102
 891102-0015.
 Marketing Brief -- Sony Corp.:
@  Japanese Concern Completes
@  Offer for Columbia Pictures
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 SNE KPE GPEC WCI TL
 RECREATION, ENTERTAINMENT, TOYS, MOVIES, PHOTOGRAPHY, SPORTS (REC)
TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
MEDIA, PUBLISHING, BROADCASTING, ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING (MED)

   Sony Corp. completed its tender offer for Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc., with Columbia shareholders tendering 99.3% of all common shares outstanding by the Tuesday deadline.

   Sony Columbia Acquisition Corp., formed for the Columbia deal, will formally take ownership of the movie studio later this month, a spokesman said.
Sony is paying $27 a share, or $3.55 billion, cash and is assuming $1.4 billion of long-term debt.

   Still unresolved is Sony's effort to hire producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber to run the studio.
Sony's planned acquisition of Guber/Peters Entertainment Co. for $200 million is scheduled to close Monday.
Guber/Peters has been locked in litigation with Warner Communications Inc. in an attempt to get out of an exclusive production contract with Warner.
Both sides are in talks to settle the dispute.

Tuesday

this month

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061116.0110

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Cambodian Prince Ranariddh turns to head minor party

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the recently ousted president of Cambodia's co-ruling Funcinpec Party, here Thursday gave up his efforts to establish a new party, and turned to preside the rarely-known Khmer Front Party in anticipation of the upcoming communal and general elections.

"I must merge with other party to compete in the communal election in April 2007 and the general election in 2008, because the Interior Ministry has delayed my proposal to establish a new party," he told reporters at its headquarters.

"They raised the so-called technical points to delay the registration of my party. There is no technical reason, but political reason," he added.

In response, Sak Sitha, political party expert at the Interior Ministry told Xinhua by phone that he would not explain about this case and he had not seen the prince's requests yet.

Additionally, Khiev Sopheak, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, told Xinhua that he could not understand the prince's choice.

The old party should be dissolved if it merged with another party, he added.

Meanwhile, Suth Dina, former president of Khmer Front Party, told reporters that he and other party members were very happy to hand over the party to Ranariddh.

"We all approved of handing over this party to him in order to strengthen the royalist regime in Cambodia," he said, adding that the Khmer Front Party revised its by-law and changed its name to the Norodom Ranariddh Party on Thursday.

Ranariddh, son of former king Sihanouk who inaugurated Funcinpec, said that people would vote for him because they knew him when he President of Funcinpec.

"I am now the opposition party," he said, adding that the Sam Rainsy Party and Funcinpec currently shared the power with the ruling Cambodian People's Party headed by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"I am strong at the grass root level," he said.

The Norodom Ranariddh Party would care about freedom of expression, democracy, defense of royalist regime and territory, free multi-party system as well as respect for Cambodian Constitution, he said.

Ranariddh was expelled from Funicipec on Oct. 18 by his brother in-law Keo Puth Rasmey, Former Cambodian Ambassador to Germany, because he spent too much time abroad to care about the party and could not cooperate with Hun Sen.

Nov. 16 , 2006

recently

Thursday

April 2007

Thursday

Oct. 18


AFP_ENG_20061211.0789

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

=(PICTURE)=

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Russia Monday to cooperate fully with investigations into the mysterious radioactive poisoning of a former spy and critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We've been very clear with the Russia government that all of these issues need to be investigated and investigated thoroughly," Rice told AFP in an exclusive interview.

"We think total cooperation on this is necessary," she said.

The former spy, Alexander Litvinenko, died last month in London after being contaminated with the radioactive substance polonium-210.

Investigations have since found traces of the substance in locations around London that were visited by Litvinenko after he met with two Russian contacts.

German police subsequently found traces of the polonium in Hamburg, where one of the contacts, Dmitry Kovtun, stopped on his way from Moscow to London for the meeting.

Hamburg prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation against Kovtun for apparently bringing the radioactive substance into the country from Russia and said they considered him "more a perpetrator than a victim."

Litvinenko's widow said at the weekend she was convinced he was killed by a Russian "hit squad" because of his criticism of Putin and Russia's handling of the war in Chechnya.

Russia has strongly denied any role in Litvinenko's murder.

"Everybody ought to try to get to the bottom of it, because it has dimensions which are quite troubling given there are traces of (polonium) showing up in lots of different places," Rice said.

Rice, who first entered government as a policy expert on the Soviet Union in the 1980s, has in the past voiced concern about anti-democratic developments in Putin's Russia, including a string of politically motivated murders and the growing power of the Kremlin and its allies over the media and economy.

Dec 11 , 2006

Monday

last month

weekend

the 1980s

the past


XIN_ENG_20051103.0341

SANTIAGO, Nov. 3 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chile reaffirms sovereignty over disputed sea territories

Chile reiterated Thursday it will continue exercising sovereignty and jurisdiction over a disputed area in the Pacific Ocean, defying a recent bill approved by Peru's Congress that seeks to redraw maritime borders between the two countries.

"I've just handed over to the Peruvian Ambassador to Chile a diplomatic note of our country," said Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker ahead of a cabinet meeting.

The note reiterated "what already is known to all, in the sense that we will strictly abide by international law, exercising sovereignty and jurisdiction over what is Chilean territory," said the minister.

Earlier Thursday, the Peruvian Congress approved a bill that claims sovereignty over a sea area covering 35,000 square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean along the South American coastline, which currently belongs to Chile.

From 1879 to 1883, Chile fought the War of Pacific against Peru and Bolivia, winning Bolivia's only sea outlet Antofagasta.

According to the Chilean government, Chile's border with Peru was already resolved in the 1952 and 1954 treaties. But Peru claimed that it never signed any maritime demarcation pact with Chile. Relations between the two countries have been strained recently due to the sea border dispute.

On Wednesday, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos reaffirmed that "Chile will continue claiming sovereignty over its maritime territory."

Following the decision by the Peruvian Congress on Thursday, security has been tightened around the premises of the Peruvian Embassy in Santiago.

Nov. 3 , 2005

Thursday

Earlier Thursday

currently

Wednesday

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20051114.0158

BEIJING, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Passengers via Xiamen-Jinmen line to top 500,000 in 2005

BEIJING, Nov. 14(Xinhua)-- Passengers via the shipping line from Xiamen, a coastal city of Fujian Province that sees Taiwan across the sea, to Jinmen, will top 500,000 in 2005.

According to statistics of the Port of Xiamen, in the first ten months of 2005, passengers via this line reached 438,113 person-times, up 32.4 percent year-on-year.

On Jan. 2, 2001, the passenger shipping line between Xiamen and Jinmen opened to direct passenger traffic between the two sides of Taiwan strait.

During these years, this line has become a golden traffic line, which facilitates people going across the strait, according to Zhou Qinghai, chief of the Administration Department of the Xiamen Municipal Port Authorities.

Statistics show that passenger throughput grew from 20,835 in 2001 to 406,883 person-times in 2004, a jump of almost twenty times.

Zhou said this line became more popular when the annual cross-Strait mechanical and electronic products trade fair held in April and when Lien Chan, then chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang party and James Soong, chairman of the People First Party visited the mainland in the first half of this year.

July witnessed a record-breaking passenger throughput of 50,813 person-times for a single month.

At present there are 12 voyages a day on the line, and the Port of Xiamen has an annual capacity of transporting one million people.

Ever since April 1997, experimental direct sailing between the two sides of the Taiwan strait has made Port of Xiamen one of most important ports to undertake mainland-Taiwan shipping.

Nov. 14 , 2005

Nov.

the first ten months of 2005

Jan. 2, 2001

these years

April

this year

July

a single month

April 1997


AFP_ENG_20061211.0264

DHAKA, Dec 11 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS opposition, diplomat reax ///

Four members of Bangladesh's interim government quit on Monday in protest at the president's decision to deploy the army to restore order ahead of January's elections.

The resignations came despite assurances from President Iajuddin Ahmed that calling in the military would not harm the democratic process in the country, paralysed for weeks by opposition protests and bloody clashes.

"We have sent our resignation letter to the president, because we think that no situation has been created in the country that warranted an army deployment," interim cabinet member Sultana Kamal said.

The president ordered the deployment late on Saturday in a bid to restore order and counter opposition threats to conduct non-stop protests to force electoral reforms.

The opposition, led by the Awami League, have alleged the January 23 polls will be rigged in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh National Party (BNP).

At least 34 people have also died in pre-election violence in the impoverished and politically polarised south Asian nation.

Kamal said all the president's 10 advisors, or cabinet members, had opposed the president's move to deploy the armed forces.

"But he did not care," she said. "The deployment of the army is against the democratic process ... it can provoke the political parties and create obstacles to holding a free and fair election."

The four cabinet members who quit included a former army chief, a former senior bureaucrat, a former foreign secretary and a human rights lawyer.

"The resignation of four advisers proves that a free and neutral election is impossible under President Iajuddin Ahmed," said senior Awami League official Tofail Ahmed.

"The president has been serving the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). I think unless he is removed as the head the caretaker government, we can not expect free and fair elections."

The opposition, meanwhile, vowed its protests would continue, even as thousands of troops fanned out across the capital and the country.

"We will hold protest rallies to press our demand for creating a level-playing field for the upcoming elections," opposition spokesman Abdul Jalil said.

"We will continue our movement until the caretaker government implements all our demands."

Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed said Sunday that the situation in the country did not warrant the army's deployment.

But in a televised speech to the nation late Sunday, the president sought to justify his move by saying the armed forces had been deployed by previous governments.

He also said he merely wanted to "ensure security and to create a congenial and peaceful atmosphere".

Soldiers have been deployed in Dhaka -- particularly around the presidential palace -- as well as in all districts and towns and the nation's ports.

"So far we have deployed nearly 16,000 army troops, 1,000 navy and 500 airforce personnel," armed forces spokesman, Colonel Anisur Rahman, told AFP.

"If the situation demands, the troops will move to sub-district towns," he said.

British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury said the resignations would create uncertainty in the present political situation ahead of next month's general election, according to the private UNB news agency.

"The resignation is unexpected. This is not a good development," he told reporters.

Analyst Ataur Rahman, a professor of political science in Dhaka University, said the walk-out was a "major blow" to the interim government.

"It opens up a serious crack in the country's caretaker government system. It deepens the country's political crisis and now raises questions about the democratic process," he said.

Dec 11 , 2006

Monday

January

Saturday

January 23

Sunday

late Sunday

next month

now


AFP_ENG_20061209.0030

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 , 2006, 2006

US Congress passes bill to normalize trade with Vietnam

The US Congress early Saturday gave its final approval to a bill to restore normal trade ties with Vietnam.

The bill granting "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) status to Vietnam was part of a large omnibus measure approved by the Senate 79-9 during an all-night session.

The US House of Representatives voted for it 212-184 late Friday.

Dec 9 , 2006

Saturday

212-184 late Friday


AFP_ENG_20051215.0093

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 , 2005

ATTENTION - ADDS activist quotes ///

Southeast Asia's new campaign for the Myanmar junta to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is unlikely to be successful any time soon, United Nations envoy Razali Ismail said Thursday.

Razali welcomed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decision to send their own envoy to the military-run state to check on the progress of promised democratic reforms and push for the release of political prisoners.

"It's a wonderful decision and it's good that the ASEAN countries have been able to persuade Myanmar to make this visit and I hope it will be a very meaningful visit which will clarify all aspects," he told AFP.

But Razali, the representative of UN chief Kofi Annan, warned that Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was unlikely to achieve any coups when he carries out his mission to Yangon, expected next month.

"There is a lot of expectation that commitments given by Myanmar to ASEAN will be lived up to and...the release of Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the commitments given," he said on the sidelines of a peace forum here.

"But I don't think it's something that can happen just like that," he said. "We'll have to allow the leaders of the military regime there to work something out, but it's not going to happen instantaneously."

Razali said the fact that Myanmar's ruling generals had agreed to the visit was positive.

"I'm hopeful that the foreign minister of Malaysia will be able to express the collective sense of impatience and concern about the Myanmar issue discrediting ASEAN, and hopefully this will have an impact on the Myanmar leaders to want to do something."

Razali said that although he has not been able to visit the country since March 2004, the United Nations was "happy" to continue its efforts to engage with Myanmar.

But he stressed that the world body would increasingly depend on regional nations to exert whatever influence they could on their neighbour, which has earned pariah status for refusing to end four decades of military rule.

ASEAN aired its new stand on Myanmar at this week's summit in the Malaysian capital, demanding progress on political reforms and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has spent 10 of the last 16 years in detention.

Myanmar's regime earlier this month confirmed that the current house arrest restrictions against her had been extended by six months.

Debbie Stothard, from the pressure group Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, welcomed the regional bloc's "long overdue" change of tack, which was a major departure from its policy of non-interference in other members' affairs.

"It's not going to be an easy job but we are hoping that if Syed Hamid Albar is backed by the rest of ASEAN then the regime will respect what he's representing and what needs to be done," she said.

Stothard said that rather than just securing the release of political prisoners, ASEAN should demand a genuine reconciliation dialogue between the pro-democracy opposition, ethnic leaders and the regime.

Otherwise, when the mood turned sour in Myanmar the generals would simply retrace their steps and haul all their opponents back to jail.

"Burma (Myanmar) has a habit of recycling political prisoners. They have this revolving door where they release people after a lot of pressure and re-imprison them later on when they think no one else is looking," she said.

Dec 15 , 2005

Thursday

next month

March 2004

this week

last 16 years

earlier this month

six months


AFP_ENG_19970413.0199

TIRANA, April 13 , 1997 (AFP)

Prodi gets warm welcome in Vlore, offers condolences

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi made a flying visit to the rebel- held southern Albanian town of Vlore on Sunday, telling townspeople that he "shared their pain," witnesses said.

Speaking from a balcony of the town hall, Prodi told thousands of residents: "I salute the people of Vlore. I offer my condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and I share their pain."

The Italian leader, accompanied by Albanian Prime Minister Bashkim Fino, was then whisked to Tirana aboard an Italian military helicopter for a meeting with authoritarian President Sali Berhisa.

Italy leads a 6,000-strong multinational force being sent to Albania to secure routes for humanitarian supplies pouring into the country wracked by weeks of anarchy.

The unrest blew into a full-scale armed uprising in the south, with the port town of Vlore at its hub.

Prodi told reporters: "Italy has an important mission to reconstruct Albania." He said the aim of the mission, codenamed Alba, was peaceful, noting: "Alba means dawn but it also means renaissance."

He said his government would provide additional "technical and financial assistance" to Vlore, and that an Italian consulate would be set up in the town. "It is only the beginning of aid to Albania," he said.

Three Italian military helicopters landed the two officials and their entourage earlier for a 90-minute visit to the town, during which they held talks with town leaders, journalists contacted by telephone from Tirana said.

The premiers met around 200 representatives of the town, including relatives of refugees who drowned when their overcrowded boat collided with an Italian naval vessel, an incident which sparked a wave of anti-Italian feeling in Albania.

Italy has received about 13,000 desperate Albanian refugee "boat people" who fled the lawlessness in the country, large parts of which are controlled by armed gangs.

April 13 , 1997

Sunday


AFP_ENG_20061201.0153

FRANKFURT, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS background ///

The European Central Bank said Friday it had sold 23 tonnes of gold in line with an existing international central banks' gold agreement.

"On November 30, the ECB completed gold sales amounting to 23 tonnes of gold. These sales are in full conformity with the central banks' gold agreement dated September 27, 2004, of which the ECB is a signatory," the bank said in a brief statement.

The ECB did not provide any further details.

The 2004 gold agreement, signed by the ECB, the 12 national central banks of the euro area, as well as the central banks of Switzerland and Sweden, limits combined gold sales to a maximum 500 tonnes per year over a five-year period, or a maximum 2,500 tonnes over all of the five years.

Dec 1 , 2006

Friday

November 30

September 27, 2004

five years


AFP_ENG_20061221.0099

LONDON, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

European shares fall at open: London FTSE down 0.16 percent

European stock markets declined in early trading on Thursday, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares losing 0.16 percent to reach 6,188.70 points.

In Frankfurt the DAX 30 index shed 0.21 percent to 6,573.37 points and in Paris the CAC 40 lost 0.27 percent in value to 5,499.43.

Dec 21 , 2006

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061202.0413

MOSCOW, Dec 2 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS details, background ///

A meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany is planned for Tuesday to discuss a United Nations resolution on Iran's nuclear programme, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, contradicting an earlier statement.

"As a result of the work and efforts undertaken among others by Russia, the meeting of political directors of the six (countries) will take place on Tuesday," Lavrov was quoted as saying by news agencies.

Earlier, Lavrov had been quoted by the news agencies as saying that the meeting had been cancelled due to differences between the six countries.

The so-called P5-plus-one group -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- has been trying for weeks to agree on what sanctions to impose on Iran for its refusal to comply with an earlier UN resolution requiring it to freeze a uranium enrichment program.

Shortly after Lavrov made his first statement the French foreign ministry also said a meeting was still planned for early next week.

While all six states have agreed in principle to impose some sanctions until Iran agrees to suspend the enrichment and enter into negotiations on its nuclear program, Russia and China have balked at the terms of a draft resolution drawn up by Britain, France and Germany.

The United States and its European allies are seeking sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which legally obliges all UN members to comply with the punitive measures.

A draft resolution circulated by Britain, France and Germany would have barred trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and slapped financial and travel restrictions on persons and agencies involved in the sectors.

But Russia and to a lesser extent China, which have extensive economic and energy ties with Iran, have tried to water down the resolution, while Washington, which fears that Tehran is trying to develop a nuclear weapons programme, hoped to beef it up.

Dec 2 , 2006

Tuesday

Saturday

Tuesday

weeks

early next week


XIN_ENG_20051116.0277

BRUSSELS, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

EU Parliament nods EU-wide airline blacklist

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved the introduction of a European Union (EU)-wide blacklist of unsafe airlines, in a package of measures to bolster air safety on the continent.

Under the proposed regulation, airlines, whether they are based in the EU or not, which fail to meet certain safety requirements will be subject to an operating ban throughout the EU, the parliament said in a press release.

Passengers will be informed of the blacklist and will have the right to compensation should the carrier they have made reservation with be included in the blacklist, it said.

The EU deputies voted by 577 in favor and 16 against the measures, which also include proposals to boost EU aviation authorities powers in areas such as licensing pilots.

The blacklist will be drawn up by the EU's executive body the European Commission after consulting member states and air carriers concerned will have the opportunity of being heard. The list will be published on the Internet and in the EU's official journal.

At least every three months, the commission should verify whether it is appropriate to update the list, either adding or removing air carriers from it.

EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot said Tuesday that such a blacklist could be in place by as early as January 2006, as there is already broad agreement between the commission, the European Parliament and national authorities on this issue.

Transport ministers of EU member countries are expected to adopt the regulation on December 5 and the list could be made public early in the new year.

Currently there is a patchwork of rules on suspect airlines in Europe. France and Belgium have this year introduced blacklists of banned airlines, following Britain and Switzerland which already have such lists.

The incoherence of current rules was highlighted in May when a Turkish airline, suspended by four European countries, simply redirected its flights to Belgium which had no ban.

A European Commission spokesman responsible for transport said Wednesday airlines blacklisted have the right to appeal the decision by the EU executive.

Nov. 16 , 2005

three months

Tuesday

January 2006

December 5

the new year

this year

May

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970430.0572

WASHINGTON, April 30 , 1997 (AFP)

White House hails Zaire talks as the road to democratic regime

The White House hailed the Zairean peace talks announced Wednesday as major progress toward ending the civil war and paving the way toward democratic rule.

"This is a very significant step forward in our goal of attempting to mediate a resolution of the conflict between the two factions," White House spokesman Michael McCurry said.

Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko will meet with rebel leader Laurent Kabila Friday for their first face-to-face talks on board a South African ship in a deal brokered by the US mediator, UN Ambassador William Richardson.

"Our hope, of course, is that discussions can lead to some cease-fire, to a suspension of the violence that has led to the displacement of so many refugees and so many deaths of innocent civilians in Zaire," McCurry said.

Kabila's rebels have captured more than half the country since they launched their offensive over six months ago to topple Mobutu, who has ruled Zaire for 32 years.

McCurry added that the United States also hopes "these discussions will begin the transitional process that can lead to a government that will be elected in free and fair elections."

April 30 , 1997

Wednesday

Friday

six months ago

32 years


AFP_ENG_20061218.0393

GENEVA, Dec 18 , 2006, 2006

More relief workers leave Darfur

Some 124 nongovernmental and United Nations employees have left Darfur in the latest evacuation of relief workers from Sudan's turmoil-torn region, the Swiss humanitarian group Terre des Hommes (TDH) said Monday.

"It's a decision that's been pushed back for some time and carries heavy consequences for populations enduring the planet's most serious humanitarian crisis," the group's relief director Ignacio Packer said in a statement about the relief workers flown out of Darfur Sunday.

Violent incidents have been on the rise lately in Darfur, a vast western region of Sudan where the humanitarian situation has steadily deteriorated. At least 200,000 people have died of the combined effect of war and famine since fighting there erupted almost four years ago, the UN says, although others offer far higher tolls.

TDH, which evacuated 5 employees Sunday, has suspended its Darfur operations until January, although it retains a skeleton staff in the region.

"The violence is peaking," the group warned, as it denounced attacks by government-backed Arab militias in Darfur. "Incidents and attacks are multiplying against displaced people and humanitarian personnel."

The evacuations follow the exodus from Darfur of 250 employees of international non-governmental organisations, announced Friday by the relief agency Oxfam International.

Dec 18 , 2006

Monday

some time

four years ago

Sunday

January

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051107.0109

COLOMBO, Nov. 7 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Sri Lankan gov't budget not election related: official

Sri Lanka's government budget for the year 2006 would be a "pro poor, pro-growth" budget and not election related, the Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama said here Monday.

The budget is to be presented in parliament on Tuesday amidst protests by the main opposition United National Party (UNP).

Amunugama said the Sri Lankan economy was now ready to take off from 6 percent growth and with the country's per capita income of 1,034 US dollars, Sri Lanka now had a place in the list of countries with "lower end of middle range income."

Referring to the pledges by both main candidates in the Nov. 17 presidential poll to achieve 8 to 10 percent growth, Amunugama said the foundation has been laid for such growth in the past year.

"Our emphasis will be on developing education, health, social benefits and better infrastructure," Amunugama said, adding that the preparation of the budget commenced long before the announcement of the presidential poll.

"The elections were not talked about when preparations began and it went through the normal routine process," Amunugama said.

The UNP charges that the budget would provide undue advantage to the ruling party candidate, the incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

The main opposition challenger and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe met President Chandrika Kumaratunga asking to delay the presentation of the budget until after the election.

The UNP spokesman Tissa Attanayake told reporters here Monday that the government move was undemocratic and illegal but his party would not stage a boycott of the parliamentary session.

Nov. 7 , 2005

the year 2006

Monday

Tuesday

now

Nov. 17

the past year

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061126.0226

BEIJING, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

URGENT: RMB breaks 7.85 mark against U.S. dollar

The value of the Renminbi (RMB) against the U.S. dollar hit a new high on Monday, with the central parity rate at 7.8402 yuan to one dollar, breaking the 7.85 mark.

This signifies RMB value has risen by 5.31 percent after China's reform of the exchange rate system on July 21, 2005.

Nov. 27 , 2006

Monday

July 21, 2005


XIN_ENG_20061115.0337

SOFIA, Nov. 15 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Sofia seeks long-term settlement with Russian gas

Bulgaria is negotiating with the Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom for a long-term agreement on gas supply and transit, the country's Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov told the parliament's Energy Committee on Wednesday, reported BTA.

He stressed that Sofia seeks strategic partnership with Gazprom in order to ensure sufficient amounts of natural gas for Bulgaria. If the effective agreements, which will expire in 2010, are not renegotiated, gas prices will increase at least 40 percent after that year and gas transit via Bulgaria will be reduced, he said.

He refuted media predictions about a remarkable price raise of Russian natural gas at the beginning of 2007.

Ovcharov noted that his country does not have many opportunities to diversify its gas supply sources.

At the end of the month, the minister will report to the leadership of Bulgaria's ruling coalition on the outcome of the talks. A decision will then be made whether to sign new long-term agreements or to go by the current agreements.

Under the contract for gas supply from Russia to Bulgaria signed in 1998, the Balkan country pays some 257 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cube meters of gas and receives 83 dollars for transit. Though the agreement has a term until 2010, the two countries are expected to start talks to review the terms of supply.

More than 97 percent of gas consumed in Bulgaria comes from Russia.

Nov. 15 , 2006

Wednesday

that year

the beginning of 2007

the end of the month


XIN_ENG_20061129.0208

BEIRUT, Nov. 29 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Lebanese PM vows to remain in office to prevent civil war

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he would remain in office to prevent the outbreak of a civil war as political parties were turning the country into a battlefield for regional conflicts, local Daily Star reported on Wednesday.

"We have turned Lebanon into a battlefield for regional conflicts ... This logic is suicidal," Siniora told Al-Arabiya television news channel in an interview on Tuesday.

The premier vowed to prevent civil war from breaking out again in Lebanon, which is still reeling from the devastating 1975-1990 civil war between rival sects battling each other with the support of an array of foreign powers, said the report.

"We want to avoid discord. My presence here (in the government), and that of many others will prevent discord and civil war because even if there is war ... in the end, we will have to sit back together" to settle disputes through dialogue, he said.

"I still have hope, and continue to seek that there will be no street protests," he said. "We are constantly working to prevent the outbreak of any clashes." he added.

Lebanon, long been divided between opponents and supporters of Syria, saw a political crisis blew up in full force following the resignation of six pro-Syrian ministers from Hezbollah and its allies, hours after all-party roundtable talks collapsed and the assassination of an anti-Syrian minister last week.

The Shiite group and its pro-Syrian allies had been demanding a greater say in the anti-Syrian forces-dominated government led by Siniora. They have warned of street protests if the demand was not met.

The militant Lebanese Hezbollah on Sunday renewed their threats of "surprise" street protests aimed at toppling Siniora's government, one day after Lebanon's cabinet approved a plan for setting up an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, overriding objections from Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian factions.

The anti-Syrian ruling parliamentary majority led by Siniora has accused Hezbollah and Amal movement, the main pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Shiite groups, of doing Damascus's and Tehran's bidding and seeking to undermine the formation of the tribunal.

Nov. 29 , 2006

Wednesday

Tuesday

last week

Sunday

one day


XIN_ENG_20051108.0010

PARIS, Nov. 7 , 2005 (Xinhua)

global energy demand to soar by more than 50 percent by 2030: IEA

The global energy demand will soar by more than 50 percent by 2030, amounting to 16.3 billion tons of oil, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Monday in its 2005 World Energy Outlook.

By 2030, the global demand for oil and coal will increase by 1.4 percent every year, while the annual demand for natural gas will grow by 2.1 percent. If the energy output does not largely increase by that time, the price of energy will rise sharply, estimated the IEA.

There are adequate oil and natural gas reserves to meet such demand in the world, especially in north Africa and the Middle East. However, some new investments of 17 trillion euros (20 trillion US dollars) will be urgently needed to transfer the energy supply to the consumer market, the IEA said.

Under the IEA's reference scenario, along with the increasing output of oil, the international oil price will decrease to 35 dollars a barrel by 2010. Nevertheless, the price will rise back to 39 dollars a barrel by 2030, 10 dollars higher than the price the IEA had estimated in 2004.

The Outlook also added that the global refining industry would face new challenges in the future, due to the drop of surplus production capacity and weakness of production flexibility resulting from the lack of investment.

Nov. 7 , 2005

Monday

every year

the future


XIN_ENG_20061128.0275

DOHA, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Uzbekistan eyes on more than 15 golds from Doha Asiad

Uzbekistan expected to win at least 15 golds from the Doha Asian Games slated for Dec. 1-15.

Bahodir Husan Hodjaev, chef de mission of the Uzbekistan delegation, said they are confident of winning more golds this time than four years ago in Busan.

"Last time we finished fifth with 15 golds in Busan, and this time I believe we can win more golds" said Hodjaev.

"Wrestling and boxing are our medal hopeful sports. Besides them we are expected to do well in athletics, chess and Gymnastics, " added he.

Uzbekistan has a long and distinguished sporting history. Gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, now 31, is the only female gymnast in history to have competed in four Olympic Games. She finished second in the vault at the 2005 World Championships.

In athletics, javelin thrower Sergey Voynov won the 1998 Asian Games title and was third in Busan four years ago.

Uzbeckistan finished fifth on medal tally with 15 golds, 12 silvers and 24 bronzes in the Busan Asiad in 2002.

Nov. 28 , 2006

Dec. 1-15

four years ago

Busan four years ago


XIN_ENG_20061128.0177

NAIROBI, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

(China Sports) Qatar's Chinese chess queen Zhu feels no pressure

By Sportswriters Wang Zijiang and Zhao Renwei

DOHA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Forget Liu Xiang. The most popular Asian Games athlete picked by Chinese netizens is not even on the Chinese team.

Zhu Chen, former Chinese women's world chess champion who will represent her adopted country Qatar in the Dec. 1-15 games, has beaten the Chinese Olympic hurdles champion in an online popularity vote.

The 30-year-old chess beauty, who married to Qatari Grandmaster Mohammed Al-Modiahki in 2000, changed her citizenship to the oil- rich gulf country in early 2006 in a controversial transfer.

In Tuesday's telephone interview with Xinhua, Zhu said she felt relaxed representing Qatar.

"I don't have a specific goal for the Asian Games," she said. " Nobody pushes you as in China. I just want to have a normal performance."

Zhu, who grabbed her first world crown in 1988 at the World Under-12 Girls Championship, has won the world titles at all levels, taking the World Junior Girls Chess Championship in 1994 and 1996 and the World Chess Championship in 2002.

Zhu, born in east China's Zhejiang Province, has been living in a two-storied house in Doha with his husband in the past few years. To prepare for the games, she left their two-year-old daughter to her parents' care in China.

"I sent her back two months ago because I am very busy with training and I don't feel well sometimes," she said. "The other reason is that my parents missed her very much. She was brought up by my parents and my uncle and all of them cried when she moved here."

Zhu said that she is getting well along with her parents-in-law in Doha and has accustomed to living in the Arab country.

"My parents-in-law are very nice to me. They are both very open- minded. In general, all the Qatari people are very friendly. The only thing I cannot understand when I first came here is their slow-rhythm life. They do everything in a slow pace," she said.

Zhu gets up late everyday, trains with her husband every afternoon for four to five hours a day. She enjoys the leisure life by walking on the seaside, swimming and fishing.

"I also learned a little scuba-diving. We have barbecue in the farm. I don't feel bored here even though the life here is not as colorful as in China."

Nicknamed "Chess Beauty Queen" by Chinese fans, Zhu has felt pressure of age. "As a 30-year-old chess player, I feel pressure. Everybody will get old, no exception with chess players."

Zhu hopes that her appearance in the Asian Games for Qatar will give the country a boost in the mind sport.

"There are not many people playing chess in Qatar," she said. " Fortunately, the royal family of Qatar likes sports. They have put a lot of heart and resources in hosting the Asian Games and tennis, golf and table tennis tournaments. They will also stage chess competitions next year."

Zhu said she will bring her daughter back to Qatar as soon as possible after the Asian Games.

"It's difficult to juggle between chess and family," she said. "But I always remind myself that my family, including my parents, my daughter and my husband, is more important than playing chess. I want to spend more time with my daughter."

Zhu's switch of allegiance had caused resentment from a few Chinese, who called her "traitor", but her immense popularity remains undented.

"I know there are many people missing me and looking out for me. Their support is always important. I am very thankful," she said.

Zhu said that she still enjoys playing chess, which is part of her life.

"Maybe I will play in the Chinese Chess League next year, although playing in China will put me under a lot of pressure."

Nov. 28 , 2006

Nov. 28

Dec. 1-15

Tuesday

the past few years

two months ago

every afternoon

four to five hours a day

next year

next year


AFP_ENG_19970428.0054

HANOI, April 28 , 1997 (AFP)

Employees stage work stoppage at Vietnam Nike supplier

About 800 employees staged a work stoppage for several hours at a Nike supplier in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend to protest their contracts, a factory manager said on Monday.

Park Hyun Tae, general director at Korean-owned Sam Yang Company told AFP that "there was some small struggle" at the plant, but denied press reports of a massive strike involving more than 3,000 workers.

All workers had returned to work Monday, he said.

According to the Lao Dong newspaper, workers on April 25 walked off the job to protest labour conditions and accused management of behaving "arrogantly" in contract negotiations.

The officia labour newspaper also reported that when workers demanded a meeting with management, they were instead locked into a dining hall.

Park, who was reached by telephone, flatly denied the press reports, and said that labour representatives met with management in a boardroom to discuss their grievances.

Labour officials said Sam Yang was strong-arming employees into signing the contracts, according to Lao Dong. Sam Yang does not have unions, and each worker signs an individual contract.

Park acknowledged that management was negotiating new labour contracts with workers, but denied heavy handed methods.

"Nobody here makes less than the 45 dollar a month minimum, and we proposed an 8.6 percent wage increase after one year," he said.

Nike officials could not be reached for comment.

The incident at Sam Yang is the latest headache for Nike, whose suppliers in Vietnam have been embroiled in a number of labour problems.

In April 1996 Sam Yang hit the news when a Korean supervisor slapped 15 Vietnamese workers on the side of the head with a shoe upper as punishment for poor quality.

In order to make sure its suppliers toe the line, Nike appointed a dedicated labour practices manager in Vietnam to help oversee the roughly 35,000 workers turning out products made exclusively for Nike.

But problems have continued. In March a Taiwanese supervisor at Nike supplier Pou Chen Shoe Factory was suspended after forcing 56 women to run around the factory floor.

Earlier this month Nike's director of communications for the Asia Pacific Region Martha Benson flew into Vietnam from Hong Kong just days after a New York-based Labour activist group highlighted low pay and instances of corporal punishment at two of Nike's subcontracters in Southern Vietnam.

"We have had production managers who are Nike employees working in the factories (in Vietnam) since day one. But we recognise the need to increase the level of oversight, especially in working conditions and labour practices" Benson told AFP by telephone from Ho Chi Minh City at the time.   fb/djw

April 28 , 1997

the weekend

Monday

Monday

April 25

one year

April 1996

March

Earlier this month

days


AFP_ENG_20061220.0648

NEW YORK, Dec 20 , 2006, 2006

Pakistani convicted in US for aiding Sikh militants in India

A Pakistani man was convicted Wednesday for providing financial support to a Sikh militant group in India and could face up to 45 years in prison.

The federal jury in New York returned the verdict on Khalid Awan following two weeks of trial, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

Awan, who lives in New York, was accused of providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), a Sikh militant group fighting for a separate state in the Punjab region of India.

The group is branded a terrorist organization by Washington.

Held on federal credit card fraud charges, Awan reportedly made telephone calls to Paramjit Singh Panjwar, the KCF leader and one of 10 "most wanted fugitives" in India, the statement said.

"Awan faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison," it said, ahead of the sentencing scheduled on March 7, 2007.

Among evidence presented in court were statements by Awan admitting that he sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to KCF.

"The war on terror is a global battle," said US attorney Mauskopf Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York. "We will not permit individuals in our jurisdiction to finance terrorist groups responsible for murder and violence in any part of the world."

Dec 20 , 2006

Wednesday

two weeks

45 years

March 7, 2007


XIN_ENG_20051124.0072

PARIS, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

French rail services resume after strike

French rail services on Thursday returned to normal after trade unions scrapped a plan for a prolonged nationwide strike over pay, pensions and the possible privatization of state railway company SNCF.

The unions accepted the offer of an interim pay rise of 0.3 percent pending wage talks in January, and a promise that each employee will receive a bonus of at least 120 euros.

President Jacques Chirac pledged on Tuesday not to privatise SNCF, a move to fend off a prolonged strike that could further tarnish France's image after three weeks of rioting in the suburbs.

The strike, which began on Monday evening, left only one in three international high-speed trains (TGV) running at its peak on Tuesday.

Eurostar linking London and Thalys linking Brussels had four out of five trains running. Train service to Italy, Spain and Switzerland were also affected. Overnight trains between Paris and Barcelona were canceled Monday and Tuesday.

"It's over," SNCF Chairman Louis Gallois told France 2 television.

The strike had cost SNCF up to 30 million euros (35.3 million US dollars), said Galloise.

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday

January

Tuesday

three weeks

Monday evening

Tuesday

Monday

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_20061221.0548

NEW YORK, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

Dollar holds steady as US growth trimmed

The dollar held steady against the euro and other currencies on foreign exchange markets Thursday despite a slight downward revision to third quarter US economic growth.

At 22:00 GMT, the euro was changing hands at 1.3173 dollars, showing scarcely any change from 1.3175 dollars late Wednesday.

The US currency lost some ground to the Japanese yen, however, as it declined to 118.32 yen compared with 118.45 yen on Wednesday.

Although the government revised down third quarter US gross domestic product (GDP) to a 2.0 percent growth rate from a prior estimate of 2.2 percent, traders said the markets are looking forward to the economic prospects for 2007.

And while the world's largest economy has slowed considerably this year, they said the market is hopeful that the US economy will glide to a so-called soft-landing in the months ahead rather than pitching into a deeper slowdown.

"US GDP data played little role as headline growth rates slowed slightly but price measures edged up," said Jamie Coleman at IFR Markets.

At the same time, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, the core PCE, remained unrevised at the high rate of 2.2 percent.

An index of future US economic activity released Thursday suggested the expansion will continue, but at a sluggish pace, giving some support to the dollar, traders said.

The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.1 percent in November, the same increase as in October. The report was in line with Wall Street forecasts.

The leading index now stands at 138.2 from a 1996 base of 100.

"The slower economy of the second half of 2006 might continue into the first half of 2007. But it may not get any slower," said Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein.

Traders appeared to largely brush off an unexpected decline in the Philadelphia Fed Index, an industrial activity gauge, which dropped 4.3 percent in December against a gain of 5.1 percent in the prior month.

Some of the report's components were stronger than the headline reading suggested, however, as the index's new orders, shipments and employment readings improved.

The Swiss franc was quoted at 1.2165 dollars, compared with 1.2177 dollars late Wednesday.

The British pound meanwhile was priced at 1.9612 dollars, against 1.9647 a day earlier.

Dec 21 , 2006

Thursday

Wednesday

Wednesday

considerably this year

Thursday

November

October

now

the first half of 2007

December

the prior month

Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20061128.0441

CAIRO, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Cairo int'l film festival kicks off

The 30th Cairo International Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday with the opening film of Brazil's " Two Sons of Francisco" at the star-studded gala.

"Welcome to Egypt to enjoy the sunshine, especially in the winter, and (we) hope there is sunshine deep in everyone's heart," said Omar El Sherif, honorary president of the festival, at the opening ceremony at the Nile-side Cairo Opera House.

Egyptian Culture Minister Farouq Hosni inaugurated the festival, where a narrative film about the festival and its 30th edition was screened.

Meanwhile, a special documentary about late Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz was also screened in honor of the great Arab writer.

The ceremony awarded British actress Jacqueline Bisset, the leading role in many films such as "Domino" and "New Year's Day," and American actor Danny Glover, who starred in films like "Places in the Heart" and "Mandela," as well as Argentinean director Luis Puenzo, whose film won in 1985 "Best Foreign Film" in the Oscars and the Golden Globe.

Among those honored were Egyptian stars Yousra, Mahmoud Abdel- Aziz and musician Omar Khayrat.

This year's festival will be unique, said Ezzat Abu Ouf, the new head of the festival. "This year's session will witness the return of the Film Market, which used to attract many companies from around the world."

The main international competition of this year's festival will include 19 films from 16 countries, including three Egyptian films and a Chinese film "The Road" directed by Zhang Jiarui.

There will be more than 65 films screened as official out-of- competition films, which will be the main attraction for the general public, while Saudi Arabia and Oman will present their very first feature films at the Arab film competition section.

The guest of honor, Latin America, will present a peculiar, yet intriguing group of films at the festival which will last until Dec. 8.

Nov. 28 , 2006

Festival

Tuesday

the festival

This year

Dec. 8


AFP_ENG_20061201.0112

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

US considers ending Sunni reconciliation efforts in Iraq: report

US officials are looking into ending reconciliation efforts with Sunni insurgents as part of the ongoing review of US policy in Iraq, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing anonymous government officials.

The proposal, presented by the State Department, follows an internal review that says US efforts to reach out to Sunni dissidents have failed, the Post reported.

Such efforts may even have backfired and alienated Iraqi Shiites, the review said.

US policy up to now has been to support a unified Iraq based on its three main communities -- the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds. Washington would not drop the goal, but instead would let the Iraqis take leadership in reconciliation efforts, the Post reported.

US ambassador in Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and top military commanders believe that bringing Sunni insurgents into the political process is key to stabilizing the country, and strongly oppose the effort, according to the Post.

Sunnis, favored during Saddam Hussein's regime and for centuries the backbone of the ruling elite and middle class, make up about 20 percent of Iraq's population.

Dec 1 , 2006

Friday

now


XIN_ENG_20061116.0327

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

S. Africa suffers huge losses from gold theft: report

South Africa, the world's largest gold producer, suffers losses as huge as 2 billion rand ( 278 million U.S. dollars) each year due to gold theft from mines, a report revealed on Thursday.

The country's Chamber of Mines said that a report, compiled by the Institute of Security Studies, confirmed that about 1.8 billion rand to 2 billion rand worth of gold is stolen every year.

The report, focusing on the theft of precious metals from South African mines and refineries, also showed that theft of platinum and other precious metals was a problem, the SAPA news agency reported.

The chamber said gold production in South Africa in 2005 was 300 tons, 42 tons less than the 2004 production.

Johannesburg-based newspaper The Star reported on Wednesday that South African police have arrested 60 armed "gold mine pirates" who hijacked gold ores in shafts as deep as 2 kilometers below the surface.

Nov. 16 , 2006

Thursday

every year

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970426.0027

HANOI, April 26 , 1997 (AFP)

Vietnam to tighten security on "state secrets"

Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet has issued a directive calling on all levels of government to tighten vigilance against revealing state secrets, reports said Saturday.

According to the April 24 directive, portions of which were published in all daily Vietnamese-language newspapers, "the situation of revealing state secrets in a number of offices and localities is still serious," the Communist party's official mouthpiece Nhan Dan said.

The paper quoted the government as saying that since 1991 when the ordinance on Protection of State Secrets was issued much progress had been made, but there were "cases of abusing regulations on state secret protection."

Vietnam has nebulous laws on state security and press freedom that give the government a free hand in restricting the media. The laws allow for criminal prosecution and harsh prison terms for those who reveal state secrets or damage national interests.

The directive did not provide any list or description of what was included under state secrets.

Instead it called on "ministries, offices of ministerial level, government offices and People's Committees of provinces and cities under central authority to submit lists of state secrets to be approved by the prime minister before the third quarter of 1997," the paper said.

The directive also said the Ministry of Culture and Information needed to regulate news reporting in the press in order "to ensure both the spread of information to the public and the correct implementation of regulations on preserving state secrets."

The government has closed several newspapers in the past to punish them for their reporting. Though there are more than 500 journals and periodicals, the Vietnamese media is state-owned and subject to severe limitations on freedom of speech.

Last month the ministry of culture and information and the State Bank issued a circular aimed at curbing and controlling local media coverage of the banking industry, which included a list of information considered as state secrets in that industry.

Information is tightly controlled in Vietnam, and statistics jealously guarded. Economic data considered routine in other countries, such as the size of the government budget deficit, are not publicly known.

Last year several local journalists were investigated for revealing "national secrets in violation of Article 97 of the criminal code," after reporting possible mishandling of aircraft purchases by Vietnam Airlines.

April 26 , 1997

Saturday

April 24

the third quarter of 1997

the past

Last month

Last year


XIN_ENG_20061120.0043

BEIJING, Nov. 20 , 2006 (Xinhua)

this fall

The number of Chinese students pursuing Masters or Ph.D studies in American universities has gone up this fall, the first increase for the past three years.

20 percent more Chinese postgraduate students enrolled in the United States this year, making China second only to India, which saw growth of 32 percent, according to a survey conducted by the American Council of Graduate Schools cited by Monday's Beijing Morning Post.

Chinese postgraduate enrollment was 5 percent down in 2005 compared with the previous year, said the newspaper.

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dina H. Powell headed the first ever high-profile delegation of colleges and university presidents on a visit to China last week, aiming to attract more Chinese students to study in the United States.

Delivering a speech at Beijing Normal University on Thursday afternoon, Spellings said "For decades, we have attracted more students from China than almost any other country in the world."

There were over 62,000 Chinese students studying in the United States, according to Spellings.

Last year, the number of student and exchange visas the United States issued to international students reached an all-time high of nearly 600,000, she said, adding student visas were up 15 percent.

Foreign students have complained that, following Sept. 11, getting a visa to the United States was hard to come and usually took a long time.

"We've been working hard to make the visa process smoother, easier and more transparent," Spellings said.

She said more than 97 percent of qualified students could obtain their visas in a few days.

In addition, statistics show that more than 10,000 American students came to China last year, a 36 percent growth compared with 2004.

Asia remains the largest source of total U.S. international enrollments, accounting for 58 percent. With 76,503 students in the United States in 2005/06, India is the leading country followed by China with 62,582 students.

Nov. 20 , 2006

this fall

the past three years

this year

Monday

the previous year

last week

Thursday afternoon

Last year

Sept. 11

last year