XIN_ENG_20051124.0239

TOKYO, Nov. 24 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Chinese ambassador says Shrine-visiting hurts Sino-Japanese ties

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi said Thursday that the issue featuring the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine is the major stumbling block to the development of Sino- Japanese relationship.

Wang said at a press conference that China always abides by the policy of good-neighborliness and friendship with Japan.

Chinese leaders have made it clear that they hoped, based on the three joint political documents, the two countries will coexist peacefully, be friends from generation to generation and conduct mutually-beneficial cooperation for common development, Wang added.

But it is regrettable that the view on history issues featuring the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine is still preventing healthy development of bilateral relations.

Wang noted that the core of the Yasukuni Shrine issue is that the facility enshrines Japan's Class-A war criminals who masterminded and commanded Japan's aggressive war.

The shrine, however, still sticks to the point that the war launched by Japan in Asia was for self-defense and that the Pacific War was for countering offensives from foreign countries including the United States. The shrine also challenges the legitimacy of the ruling made by the International Military Tribunal of the Far East by claiming the war criminals were innocent, he said.

How to deal with the issues concerning the Class-A war criminals is not only Japan's internal affair, but also is related to the political foundation for the resumption of Sino-Japanese relations, to the purpose of Japan's post-war reconstruction and the international order established after World War II, Wang said.

At the same time, the issue not only concerns China and Japan, but also involves other Asian countries plagued by Japan's aggressive war as well as the international community at large, Wang said.

The ambassador pointed out the Chinese people are tolerant. The Chinese government released Japanese war prisoners jailed in China and waived the claim for damages.

China has no objection to visits to the shrine by ordinary Japanese people to hold memorial ceremonies for their deceased relatives. Yet, if Japanese leaders pay homage to the shrine honoring the war criminals, they will greatly hurt the feeling of the Chinese people and damage the political foundation of the two countries' diplomatic relations, the ambassador said. Their practice is obviously unacceptable to the Chinese side, he added.

He said China has opposed the visits by Japanese leaders since it came to light in 1985 that the shrine honors Class-A war criminals.

In 1986, the then Japanese chief cabinet secretary, on behalf of the Japanese government, made an official statement, saying that Japan's prime minister would give up the practice due to comprehensive considerations, Wang said, adding that on history issues, Japan should keep moving forward rather than retreating from its stance made nearly 20 years ago.

Nov. 24 , 2005

Thursday

nearly 20 years ago


AFP_ENG_19970406.0138

TOKYO, April 6 , 1997 (AFP)

US defense chief flying into storm over US military in Okinawa by Shigemi Sato

US Defense Secretary William Cohen flies into Tokyo on Monday straight into a political storm over a government move to force landowners in Okinawa to continue leasing land to US forces.

Protests over the government bill, introduced Friday after the government won the support of the main opposition party, continued Sunday with some 2,500 people braving heavy rain to march in the capital.

Organisers of the rally, which included civic group members, anti-war landowners and other campaigners, said in a statement that they could not "forgive this outrageous act," by the government.

They marched through a nearby shopping district, carrying banners saying "We don't allow US occupation" and "Abolish US bases".

The demonstration followed a rally on Saturday by about 3,000 people in the Okinawan capital of Naha in the southern part of the Japanese archipelago.

The rallies are part of continuing moves to force the US forces off Okinawa where locals have grown increasingly resentful claiming that the use of their land by the military prevents the island from developing economically.

Feelings were raised to boiling point following the rape of a 12-year- old school girl by three US servicemen in 1995.

But Cohen and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto are expected to commit themselves to strong military ties to cope with fears of instability in East Asia, particularly on the Korean peninsula.

During a three-day stop here, Cohen will be assured by Hashimoto that the bill will pass allowing US forces to continue running 12 facilities in Okinawa on land owned by 3,000 people who have refused to renew leases which expire on May 14.

"From the standpoint of ordinary people, it may seem cruel," Hashimoto commented on the decision to extend the leases which he said was necessary to uphold Japan-US defence links. "But it is a question concerning the faith of politicians."

The bill has been opposed by the Social Democratic Party which holds a swing vote in parliament and usually supports the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The party has instead called for a reduction of US troops in Okinawa.

The demand has been flatly rejected by the US administration, which vows to maintain some 100,000 troops in the Asia-Pacific region due to uncertainty on the Korean peninsula.

Around 27,000 of the 47,000 US troops in Japan are based in Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6 percent of Japan's land area, but accommodates three-quarters of US military facilities in the country.

Hashimoto had hoped to enact the bill before leaving for the United States on April 24 for talks with US President Bill Clinton. The premier said it was "not an appropriate time" to talk about a troops reduction.

When Clinton visited Tokyo a year ago, the two leaders agreed to study the expansion of defence cooperation into "areas surrounding Japan" while they endorsed plans to cut back by 20 percent land used by US forces in Okinawa.

Hashimoto's legislative gamble over Okinawa has shaken Japan's political landscape and could lead to a possible realignment among parties.

On Thursday, Ichiro Ozawa, who heads the main opposition New Frontier Party (NFP), promised to support the bill in parliament. Hashimoto's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the NFP have a combined 385 votes in the 500-seat lower house.

Ozawa, a former LDP strongman, bolted from the scandal-tainted conservative party, helping to end its 38-year grip on power in 1993.

LDP secretary general Koichi Kato said Saturday the LDP would stay aligned with the SDP and the centrist New Party Sakigake in parliament "while seeking to discuss each individual policy with different parties."

On Wednesday, Cohen will fly on to South Korea where he will meet with the commander of the 35,000 US troops there and top Korean leaders to discuss developments in the Stalinist North Korea, hit by worsening food shortages.

April 6 , 1997

Monday

Friday

Sunday

Saturday

May 14

April 24

a year ago

Thursday

Saturday

Wednesday


AFP_ENG_19970421.0458

NEW YORK, April 21 , 1997 (AFP)

China Energy begins trading on American Stock Exchange

Shares of China Energy Resources Corporation, which has a majority stake in a Chinese joint venture company, began trading on the American Stock Exchange here Monday.

China Energy, a holding company based in the British Virgin Islands, owns 80 percent of Mishan Hua Xing Coke Limited, a foreign equity joint venture operating in China.

A local Chinese government entity controls the remaining 20 percent in the joint venture, which began operations in October 1995.

China Energy Resources opend at six dollars on 100 shares early Monday, followed by 4,900 shares at the same price.

The American Stock Exchange, the second largest US market after the New York Stock Exchange, specializes in small to medium-sized companies, notably in the oil and gas sector.

April 21 , 1997

Monday

October 1995

Monday


XIN_ENG_20061103.0011

KATHMANDU, Nov. 3 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Nepal to host regional psychiatrists meeting

Psychiatrists of South Asian countries will meet in Nepal on Nov. 17-19 to share knowledge and information about mental health problems in South Asian region.

Kapil Dev Upadhyaya, chairman of the Psychiatrists Association of Nepal, said on Friday that participants of the 2nd international conference of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Psychiatrists Federation will get to learn more about ways to cope with challenges.

"Thousands of people have been affected due to the conflict and many more are suffering from mental health problems. The conference will help us understand the problems and will find ways to solve them," Upadhyaya was quoted as saying by Nepal's leading news media group's website, thehimalayantimes.com.

The meeting, with the theme of "Social, Conflict and mental health challenges to Psychiatrists", is organized by the World Psychiatrists Association, the Nepali Department of Psychiatrists and Mental Health, and Psychiatrists Association of Nepal

According to Upadhyaya, around 300 participants from Pakistan, India, Nepal and other SAARC countries will take part in the conference.

According to a survey, 2-3 percent of the world populations suffer from severe mental disorder.

The first SAARC psychiatrists meeting was held in Agra, India last year.

Nov. 3 , 2006

Nov. 17-19

Friday

last year


XIN_ENG_20051115.0394

KATHMANDU, Nov. 16 , 2005 (Xinhua)

western Nepal

At least six people were killed and nearly 36 others were injured when three passenger buses collided in mid-western Nepal on Tuesday, local police office said Wednesday.

The accident took place at around 5:30 p.m. local time (1145GMT) at Orahi khola of Royal Bardiya National Park in Bardiya district, some 700 km west of Kathmandu, local police office said in a statement.

A passenger bus traveling from Dhangadhi to Nepalgunj collided with another bus that was on its way to Dhangadhi from Kathmandu. A third bus that was heading to Mahendranagar from Kathmandu also collided with the two buses, the statement noted.

The injured people have been taken to Kohalpur and Nepalgunj for treatment, the statement added.

The cause of the accident could not be immediately known. Details are still awaited.

Nov. 16 , 2005

Tuesday

Wednesday

around 5:30 p.m. local time


AFP_ENG_19970416.0081

ROME, April 16 , 1997 (AFP)

Italian factory prices up 0.8 percent in February

Italian factory prices edged up 0.8 percent in February from 12 months earlier, the Italian statistics institute Istat said Wednesday.

Wholesale prises rose by only 0.5 percent from February 1996, confirming a downward trend in the country's inflation.

April 16 , 1997

February from 12 months earlier

Wednesday

February 1996


XIN_ENG_20061123.0035

LUSAKA, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Zambia's electoral system has loopholes:  observers

There are a lot of loopholes in the electoral system in Zambia, an international independent review team has said, Times of Zambia reported on Thursday.

Team that was tasked by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to conduct a review of the last elections held on September 28 this year urged Zambian government to seal the loopholes in the next elections.

Group leader Ron Gould said here on Wednesday that both the government and ECZ would abide by the recommendations that would reflect in their report to be handed to ECZ in two weeks time.

"This is the last group we are meeting today, we have already met politicians, and government officials, police and civil society, and all the meetings are confidential to help come up with a lot of information," he said.

The team collected other reports from both local and international observers, according to Gould.

He said any country holding elections must respect the local monitors because they are always on the ground and reflect what more transparent than international monitors who only observed the counting.

Nov. 23 , 2006

Thursday

September 28 this year

Wednesday

two weeks time

today


XIN_ENG_20051108.0340

HAVANA, Nov. 8 , 2005 (Xinhua)

UN resolution calls on US to repeal economic embargo on Cuba

Cuban media interrupted their normal program on Tuesday to show a live vote in the United Nations General Assembly, which called on the United States to unconditionally lift the economic embargo against Cuba.

Some 182 countries voted for the document which urged the United States to end the 44-year-old commercial and economic embargo on Cuba, while only four countries voted against it and one abstained.

The blockade was costly both to the United States as well as Cuba, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said, referring to a recent study by the University of Alabama which said repealing the blockade can generate 100,000 new jobs and 6 million US dollars for the US economy.

"Silence cannot fool all the people all the time," the foreign minister criticized the United States for not taking part in the vote by citing Abraham Lincoln's words, one of America's most famous presidents.

The economic embargo on Cuba prevents it from receiving financial aid from the World Bank and the InterAmerican Development Bank, which respectively offer loans of 4.4 billion dollars and 4.5 billion dollars each year.

The Cuban government said the blockade has cost Cuba 80 billion dollars since the United States imposed it on the Caribbean country more than 40 years ago.

Nov. 8 , 2005

Tuesday

each year

more than 40 years ago


XIN_ENG_20061110.0204

BERLIN, Nov. 10 , 2006 (Xinhua)

German parliament extends mandate for "Enduring Freedom" troops

The German parliament Friday voted to extend the mandate of about 300 troops serving in the U.S.-led anti-terror "Operation Enduring Freedom."

The Bundestag, parliament's lower chamber, achieved the one- year extension after 436 deputies voted for, 101 against and 26 abstained. As many as 300 German naval troops are stationed in the Horn of Africa under the mandate.

Last month, the parliament extended the deployment of around 2, 800 German soldiers in Afghanistan serving in the 31,000 NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

ON the same day, the German Defense Ministry confirmed that members of Germany's elite Kommando Spezialkraefte (KFK) are operating in Afghanistan under ISAF command.

Nov. 10 , 2006

Friday

Last month

the same day


AFP_ENG_20061227.0137

TOKYO, Dec 27 , 2006, 2006

Japanese share prices extend gains

Japanese share prices closed up 0.31 percent Wednesday, extending gains after Wall Street's overnight post-Christmas rebound, dealers said.

They said share prices continued to be supported by the strong dollar, which boosts Japanese exporters, and by growing expectations that the central bank will not hike interest rates soon.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225 gained 53.96 points at 17,223.15. The broader TOPIX index of all first-section companies rose 4.50 points or 0.27 percent to 1,676.95.

Gaining shares beat decliners 983 to 598, with 130 stocks flat.

Volume rose to 1.66 billion shares from 1.72 billion shares Tuesday.

US stocks rebounded overnight on a sharp drop in oil prices, bringing more holiday cheer to the Tokyo market.

Hideyuki Suzuki, strategist at SBI Securities, said that the market tone remained bullish despite the thin trade at the end of the year with many foreign investors absent.

"Looking at the details, shares which have increased too rapidly were weighed down as investors locked in profits," Suzuki said. "But the blue-chip shares were bullish, leading overall share prices higher."

Hiroaki Hiwada, a strategist at Toyo Securities, said the weakening of the yen against the dollar had supported market expectations about the earnings of exporters.

He said automakers helped drive the market, while steelmakers, a key factor in gains Tuesday, were hit by profit-taking.

Toyota Motor was up 150 yen or 1.9 percent at 7,920 after it confirmed its chief had held talks with struggling US giant Ford amid speculation of a tie-up.

Other auto shares were also higher. Isuzu rose 23 yen or 4.3 percent to 557, Mazda climbed 21 yen or 2.6 percent to 818, Honda Motor advanced 50 yen or 1.1 percent to 4,630 and Yamaha Motor was up 50 yen or 1.4 percent at 3,720.

Steel makers shed on profit-taking. JFE Holdings lost 140 yen or 2.3 percent at 6,090, Sumitomo Metal Industries fell 13 yen or 2.5 percent to 510 and Kobe Steel shed 11 yen or 2.7 percent to 399.

Dec 27 , 2006

Wednesday

Tuesday

Tuesday


XIN_ENG_20051114.0179

BEIJING, Nov. 14 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Bird flu vaccine supply can meet demand in major areas, ministry

China's Ministry of Agriculture said here on Monday that the country now produces more than 100 million doses of bird flu vaccine every day, which can meet the demand in major areas for epidemic prevention and control.

A press release on the ministry's website says the ministry has enhanced the research, manufacture and quality supervision of bird flu vaccine to guarantee supply.

China has the capacity of producing 16 billion doses of bird flu vaccine a year, which can meet the national demand in general, but as the local demand increased recently, some places have reported short supply.

The ministry said it will help accelerate production of the vaccine and expand production capacity. After using new technology, the production cycle has been shortened to 34 days from previous 44 days.

Under the arrangement of the ministry, two more factories have joined in the production of vaccines for water fowls.

The ministry also gave full support to the Harbin Veterinary Institute, which is now researching and developing new types of vaccine of high efficiency.

It is said that such research work is going smoothly, and the new-type vaccine is expected to put into use at the end of this year.

The ministry also enhanced crackdown upon counterfeit vaccines and issued 8.2 million fake-proof labels for this purpose.

Nov. 14 , 2005

Monday

now

a year

previous 44

now

the end of this year


XIN_ENG_20051111.0161

BEIJING, Nov. 11 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Beijing unveils 2008 Olympic mascots (updated)

Beijing unveiled a set of five doll mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games Friday evening, exactly 1,000 days before the event's opening ceremony.

The long-anticipated mascots, which embody the natural characteristics of four of China's popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame, were presented at a grand televised ceremony inside the Workers' Gymnasium.

It is the first time more than three images share Summer Olympic mascot duty.

The 2000 Sydney Games featured three animal mascots -- Olly the Kookaburra, Syd the Platypus and Millie the Spiny Anteater.

"We decided to produce five mascots instead of one, because we think no single figure can embody China's profound and diversified culture," said Han Meilin, chief of the mascot designers' group.

Each of the Beijing Olympic mascots has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When these names are put together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing".

The five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- can be found in their origins and headpieces, all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.

Each of the mascots also symbolizes a different blessing -- prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck.

The unveiling of the Beijing Olympic mascots also ended a year-long race of hundreds of candidates.

Since the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) launched a worldwide solicitation in August last year, competition was hot as a handful of areas were vying to have their local symbols picked.

The country's western Qinghai province was pushing the endangered Tibetan antelope. Fujian province presented the South China tiger. Gansu favored the mythical dragon and Jiangsu promoted the legendary Monkey King.

Dozens of artists and designers were called to cut the initial list of mascot entrants from 662 to 56 and finally to six, with the final choice selected by the BOCOG. The International Olympic Committee approved the choice in August.

The first mascot to appear at an Olympic Games was in the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France. But Schuss the skier was not official. The first official mascot was Waldi the Dachshund, who appeared at the Munich Summer Games in 1972.

Nov. 11 , 2005

Friday evening, exactly 1,000 days

August last year

August

1968 Winter


XIN_ENG_20051101.0293

NEW YORK, Nov. 1 , 2005 (Xinhua)

US shares edge down over Fed rate hike

US shares edged down Tuesday while the Federal Reserve hiked US interest rates to their highest level in more than four years.

The US Federal Open Market Committee decided Tuesday to boost the federal funds rate by another one quarter percentage point to expected 4 percent, the highest level since 2001.

This was the 12th consecutive action that the central bank had taken to tighten credit since last June.

The Fed said that "the cumulative rise in energy and other costs have the potential to add to inflation pressures; however, core inflation has been relatively low in recent months and longer- term inflation expectations remain contained."

Crude edged up but still remained below 60 dollars a barrel amid concerns that warmer-than-normal weather in the United States and Europe may cut heating oil consumption. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, added nine cents to close at 59.85 dollars a barrel.

In company news, Dell, the world's biggest personal-computer maker, reported third-quarter sales of 13.9 billion dollars, which trailed the company's prediction of 14.1 billion dollars to 14.5 billion dollars. Sales also missed Dell's forecast in the second quarter. Dell slumped 2.64 dollars to 29.24 dollars.

Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate that owns MTV, CBS and the Paramount movie studio, reported third-quarter earnings of 45 cents a share, compared with a loss of 28 cents a year earlier. Excluding some costs, profit was 47 cents a share, topping the 45- cent average estimate in a Thomson Financial survey of analysts. Its stock rose 56 cents to 31.61 dollars.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33.30, or 0.32 percent, to 10,406.77.

Broader stock indicators also dropped. The Standard  Poor's 500 index fell 4.25, or 0.35 percent, to 1,202.76, while the Nasdaq composite index was dragged down by Dell, slipping 6.25, or 0.29 percent, to 2,114.05.

Decliners outnumbered advancers by more than 8 to 7 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume was 1.79 billion, down from 1.90 billion at the same time Monday.

Nov. 1 , 2005

Tuesday

more than four years

Tuesday

another one quarter

last June

recent months

December

third-quarter

the second quarter

third-quarter

a year earlier

Monday


XIN_ENG_20051129.0231

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 29 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Johannesburg stock ends negative

The Johannesburg Security Exchange finished in negative territory for the second successive day on Tuesday, weighed down by a relatively strong rand and soft world markets.

Traders said fresh long-term highs by both gold and platinum were countered by the rand while the market also witnessed some profit-taking.

The JSE also showed no reaction to gross domestic product data released on Tuesday morning which, although good, was much in line with expectations.

The all share and industrial indices ended down 0.97 percent and 0.95 percent respectively. The resources index was off 1.37 percent and the gold mining index was 1.90 percent weaker, with the platinum mining index 2.18 percent lower.

The financial and banking indices were down 0.33 percent and 0. 54 percent respectively.

Nov. 29 , 2005

the second successive day

Tuesday

Tuesday morning


XIN_ENG_20051128.0158

HANOI, Nov. 28 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Vietnam issues anti-corruption law

The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam approved the anti-corruption law at its working session on Monday, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Under the law, a central steering committee on anti-corruption led by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai will be set up. The government will take responsibility of annually informing the NA about its work on the issues.

The law also regulates that media agencies and reporters have the rights of asking relevant organizations to provide documents relating to corruption. In the cases that the organizations are unable to response, they have to give reasons in the form of documents.

The law developed from an ordinance on the issue is an important legal document for Vietnam's fight against corruption, NA Chairman Nguyen Van An, said, adding that the government, especially Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, the NA, and the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, need to vigorously act to help the law implemented effectively.

Last weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reaffirmed Vietnam's determination to combat corruption. The government has instructed relevant agencies to effectively increase management over land-related issues and the use of public prosperity, the two domains which have involved in most corruption cases, and accelerated restructuring state-owned enterprises, he said.

The 8th session of the 11th National Assembly, which kicked off on Oct. 18, is scheduled to conclude on Nov. 30. During the session, it plans to pass 14 bills, including those on intellectual property, electronic transactions, housing, anti- corruption, tender, and amendment and complement to some articles in the law on value-added tax and the law on luxury tax.

Nov. 28 , 2005

Monday

Last weekend

Oct. 18

Nov. 30


AFP_ENG_19970405.0095

PRETORIA, April 5 , 1997 (AFP)

Zaire peace talks open in Pretoria

The first face-to-face peace talks between Zaire's warring parties officially opened here Saturday, chaired by the United Nations and South Africa, UN envoy Mohamed Sahnoun said.

Sahnoun told journalists and diplomats at the state Union Buildings here that Zaire's government delegation, led by Foreign Minister Kamanda wa Kamanda and special envoy Honore Ngbanda Nzambo, made opening speeches along with the rebels, led by Bizimana Karaha.

South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad was present at the ceremony, which is the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since rebels led by Laurent-Desire Kabila launched an insurgency aimed at toppling long-time Zairean ruler President Mobutu Sese Seko.

Sahnoun is also the representative of the Organisation of African Unity.

April 5 , 1997

Saturday


XIN_ENG_20051110.0134

BEIJING, Nov. 10 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Some 20,000 tons of copper to be auctioned to ease domestic supply

The State Reserves Bureau under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is going to auction 20,000 tons of copper reserves in a bid to ease tight supply in domestic market, China Daily reported on Thursday.

The auction will be held on Nov. 16 and the sign-up date for the auction will close on Nov. 14, the paper said, quoting a notice posted on the website of the NDRC, a State Council department responsible for the macro-regulation of the national economy.

The bureau's move confirmed long-circulating speculation in the market that it would sell copper reserves to bring down the runaway copper price.

The high copper prices, spurred by the large demand, have jumped from 1,779 US dollars per ton in 2003 to 3,328 dollars per ton in the first half of this year.

Industry analysts estimate the bureau has about 200,000 tons of copper stockpiles, the exact figure is treated as a State secret in China.

The soaring copper prices, which has increased profit margin in the copper smelting industry, has led the government to fear the making of an investment bubble, prompting the NDRC to announce last month that the government will soon introduce a slew of measures to rein in the investment in the copper smelting industry.

Analysts, however, said the bureau's latest move will be effective in the short term, but not in the long-term if the demand remains robust in the domestic market.

Nov. 10 , 2005

Thursday

Nov. 16

Nov. 14

the first half of this year

last month


XIN_ENG_20061123.0289

DOHA, Nov. 23 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Asiad soccer draws

Following are the men's and women's soccer draws at the Asian Games:

Men's draw:

First round (qualification)

Group A: Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Macao of China

Group B: Singapore, Syria, Indonesia and Iraq

Second round:

Group A: Qatar, UAE, Uzbekistan and Winner A

Group B: South Korea, Bahrain, Vietnam and Bangladesh

Group C: Thailand, Kuwait, Yemen and Palestine

Group D: Iran, India, Hong Kong of China and Maldives

Group E: China, Oman, Malaysia and Winner B

Group F: Japan, DPR Korea and Pakistan

(Note: 22 qualify directly into Round 2. The eight remaining teams, who did not participate in the last Asian Games, are divided into two groups of four, and play in Round 1. The winner of each group joins the 22 in Round 2.)

Women's draw:

Group A: China, Japan, Maldives and Jordan

Group B: DPR Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam

Nov. 23 , 2006

Round 2


AFP_ENG_20051215.0683

SACRAMENTO, California, Dec 15 , 2005

= (PICTURES) =

Complete with proud smiles and self-conscious glances, Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko's seventeen children were introduced to the world on Thursday.

Cradled delicately in Vladimir Chernenko's thick arms was his baby, David, whose birth on December 7 gave the Ukrainian-American family the largest brood in the United States, according to the Russian language newspaper The Speaker.

"When we got married back in the Ukraine, for six month we had no children and thought we wouldn't have any kids at all," Vladimir told reporters at a celebration in Bethany Slavic Missionary Church in Sacramento.

"I never thought I would have such a family."

Vladimir said he was serving in the Ukrainian army when his wife wrote in a letter that she was pregnant.

"I said how could this happen, me in the army and she is at home pregnant?" he recalled with a laugh. "I was young then and didn't take into account we had lived together a while."

The family emigrated and settled in California seven years ago, the couple said. Vladimir is a security and maintenance worker for a charter school and the family lives in a seven-room house in Sacramento.

"It's a lot of work, and we all get tired, and it's difficult from financial point of view," Zynaida Chernenko conceded when asked if having such a large family was difficult.

"But, we overcome the fear by looking forward to our children with love."

The children, the eldest of which is 22, share duties and responsibilities, with the older ones filling in for their parents at times, the mother said.

"It takes a great deal of work to raise all of the children, on each level," Vladimir said. "Education and upbringing plays a large role, but the most important thing is love and a big heart."

It also helps to have a 15-seat mini-van and a huge dinner table, the family confided.

"I talk to my friends, and they are worried their family has only one child or two," said 18-year-old Dimitry Chernenko. "They go home to nothing. I come home from school and I'm never bored. You always have something to do."

Part of that is by parental design, the mother explained, because she and her husband make certain the children keep busy with school, chores or other tasks.

"Our goal is to raise the children so when they grow up they will not be afraid of anything in life," Zynaida said. "I think if every family approaches it that way, we will have a very healthy society."

The siblings do not squabble about portion sizes, television channels or other matters because their dad has driven home the importance of putting aside selfishness in order to survive as a family, 17-year-old Anatoliy said.

"We sit all together, put out the food and eat like a regular family," said 16-year-old Lyudmila "Sometimes we wait for each other to finish, and then feed the little kids."

The father and mother said it was difficult to estimate how much they spend weekly on food, because the money goes out as quickly as it comes in.

"It's impossible to say how many diapers we've changed, because back in the Ukraine we didn't have those things," Vladimir said. "We used other means."

The huge family group appeared to be thrilled by the presence of reporters and the notion of being on the television news.

Two-year-old Timofey, however, napped in a sister's lap as the family fielded questions and posed for pictures.

"It's cool to be called the biggest family in America."

The couple expressed thanks for the support they have received from Russian and American business people, along with their church.

When asked whether David would be her last baby, Zynaida replied: "I can't say."

"I am grateful for all my children, my wonderful husband, my friends. And, I'd like to thank my doctor."

Dec 15 , 2005

Thursday

December 7

six month

together a while

seven years ago


AFP_ENG_19970424.0102

SHANGHAI, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

Shanghainese develop taste for expensive imported fruits

Shanghai's residents have developed a taste for expensive imported fruits, some as exotic as the thorny durian from Malaysia, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The Shanghai Youth Daily said that despite their high prices, imported fruits have made their way into the homes ordinary families, which buy them as gifts or just because they like the taste of the exotic.

Until several years ago, Shanghai's market was closed to imported fruits but now shoppers can buy durians for 60 yuan (7.2 dollars) a kilogram (2.2 pounds), Thai lychees for 68 yuan a kilogram and Sunkist oranges for 12 yuan a kilogram.

Some Shanghai parents buy only imported fruits for their only child while tourists from the provinces consider imported fruits as something special to bring home from Shanghai, the report said.

Wholesalers can mark up the price of imported fruits 100 percent and retailers add another 20 to 50 percent, while the products face duties of 50 percent and value added tax of 13 percent.

April 24 , 1997

Thursday

several years ago

now


XIN_ENG_20051118.0240

ATHENS, Nov. 18 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Greek stocks close slightly higher

Small gains were the order of the day on Friday at the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), traders here said.

The composite index rose 0.65 percent to end at 3,509.20 points. The turnover was modest at 214.5 million euros (252.7 million US dollars).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 0.59 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index jumped slightly 0.27 percent and 0.21 percent higher respectively.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 135 to 131 with another 59 issues unchanged.

Nov. 18 , 2005

Friday


AFP_ENG_20061201.0580

LONDON, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

Tests confirm polonium 210 in body of Russia ex-spy's contact

Mario Scaramella, an Italian contact of dead former Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, was admitted to hospital on Friday after tests detected radioactive polonium 210 in his body, a University College Hospital spokesman said.

"Tests have detected polonium 210 in Mr Scaramella's body but at a considerably lower level than Mr Litvinenko," the spokesman added.

"He is currently well and shows no symptoms of radiation poisoning. He is receiving further tests over the weekend."

Dec 1 , 2006

Friday

the weekend


AFP_ENG_20051210.0151

CHENNAI, India, Dec 10 , 2005

= (PICTURES) =

Jamie Dwyer scored two goals as Olympic gold medallists Australia opened their Champions Trophy campaign with a fluent 4-1 win over revamped Germany here on Saturday.

Dwyer, whose sudden-death goal against the Netherlands in Athens last year gave Australia their first Olympic title, began the gold rush by flicking in a pass from the right in the 15th minute.

Nathan Eglington broke through the middle in the 31st minute and scooped past German goalkeeper Ulrich Bubolz to help Australia go into half-time 2-0 ahead.

Dwyer, the International Hockey Federation's reigning player of the year, made it 3-0 two minutes after the resumption when he deflected in a penalty corner hit by Luke Doerner.

World Cup champions Germany, who are rebuilding after eight top players retired at the end of the Athens Olympics, could not contain the rampaging Aussies.

Australia earned a penalty stroke in the 40th minute when Dwyer was stick-checked inside the circle and Brent Livermore coolly pushed home to make it 4-0.

The young Germans were rewarded for a late assault on the Australian defence when Christopher Zeller scored a consolation goal for his side.

"It's nice to return to the Champions Trophy with a win," said Australian coach Barry Dancer, whose side missed last year's event in Lahore, Pakistan due to security concerns.

"This is just the start we needed because every point earned will count in the tournament," Dancer said.

"As Olympic champions we are one of the favoured sides to win the title and we are focused on that goal."

German coach Bernhard Peters conceded the Aussies were too good.

"Ours is a young team without much experience in world hockey so this was a good learning experience for all," he said. "What we have learned here will help us in the remaining games."

Defending champions Spain take on hosts India and the Netherlands clash with Pakistan in the remaining matches of the opening day in the elite six-nation event.

Dec 10 , 2005

Saturday

last year

the 15th minute

the 31st minute

the 40th minute

last year


XIN_ENG_20061125.0132

DOHA, Nov. 25 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Draws for women's table tennis team event of Asian Games

Following are the draws for the women 's table tennis team event of the 15th Asian Games here released on Saturday:

Group A: DPR Korea, Uzbekistan, India

Group B: China, Hong Kong of China, Vietnam, Kuwait

Group C: Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, Mongolia

Group D: Singapore, Thailand, Macau of China, Tajikistan

Note: Top two finishers advance to the next stage. The women's team event of the Doha Asiad is slated from November 29 to December 3.

Nov. 25 , 2006

Saturday

November 29

December 3


AFP_ENG_20061213.0683

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 13 , 2006, 2006

Microsoft, HP target business market with 300-mln-dollar alliance

Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard said on Wednesday they would jointly invest 300 million dollars in a three-year partnership to become the go-to source for business computer systems.

Microsoft software expertise would be combined with HP hardware savvy to tailor networks to meet individual company needs from e-mail and voice mail to video conferencing and infrastructure, executives said at a news briefing.

"It's a perfect time to go to market as one single stack of the best combination of hardware and software available today," said HP senior vice president John McCain. "It is a great opportunity."

Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner said the partnership was aimed at winning a major share of the business network market, which is predicted to exceed 50 billion dollars in 2007.

"We are very excited about this partnership and where we can take it," Turner said. "It is about driving hardware sales and services for HP and selling more Microsoft technology."

The partnership was an extension of a decades-old relationship between Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft and California-based HP, according to the executives.

"This builds on 20 years of successful partnering by the companies," said HP executive vice president Ann Livermore. "Our sales forces are ready. We could begin tomorrow."

The alliance announced on Wednesday made HP the first "global partner" in a Microsoft People-Ready Business program that was described as being focused on giving people technology tools needed to excel at their jobs.

"We ought to be able to cover almost the whole world between the resources we have and what Microsoft has," Livermore said.

"In some cases the solution might be a simple server and some software, and in others more complex software. The power is we can come at this from many different standpoints."

Dec 13 , 2006

Wednesday

today

20 years

tomorrow

Wednesday


XIN_ENG_20051102.0113

COLOMBO, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Colombo stocks close up

Share prices on the Colombo Stock Exchange closed up Wednesday with the key Colombo All Share Price Index rising 9.25 points to close at 2525.72 points.

On the other hand, the highly capitalized Milanka Price Index gained 17.24 points to close at 3337.81 points.

A total turnover of 319 million rupee (3.19 million US dollars) was recorded during the day with a volume of 8.8 million shares being traded.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

the day


AFP_ENG_19970402.0349

BAGHDAD, April 2 , 1997 (AFP)

Iraq issues fresh call for lifting of UN sanctions

Iraq appealed again to the UN Security Council Wednesday to lift the sanctions against it, on the eve of a visit here by the head of the UN Special Commission on disarming the country (UNSCOM).

Foreign Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf said in a message to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan: "The embargo was imposed and is kept in place to serve US policy goals, not any legal consideration.

"And it goes against international law and the UN charter," the message said, according to Baghdad newspapers.

"Maintaining the sanctions became a policy of vengeance by the known parties to wipe out an entire people and deprive them of their right to life," the message said.

UNSCOM chief Rolf Ekeus was expected to arrive in Baghdad Thursday. He visits the Iraqi capital on routine missions every two months to monitor the progress of UN inspections and to question the Iraqis on missing arms data.

On March 3 Ekeus accused Iraq of continuing to hide biological weapons and said that doubts about Baghdad's destruction of its medium-range missiles remain.

Under the UN resolutions imposed on Iraq at the end of the 1991 Gulf war, the UNSCOM inspectors must verify that Baghdad has destroyed all its weapons of mass destruction before the international embargo against it can be lifted.

April 2 , 1997

Wednesday

Thursday

two months

March 3


XIN_ENG_20061122.0192

WARSAW, Nov. 22 , 2006 (Xinhua)

At least 8 killed, 15 missing in Polish mine explosion

At least eight coal miners were killed, 15 others missing, when a methane gas explosion took place in a coal mine in southern Poland on Tuesday evening, officials said on Wednesday.

The explosion was the largest mine accident in Poland this year, increasing the number of miners killed in 2006 in the country to 28, according to reports.

Rescue teams had recovered six bodies from the scene of the explosion  1,030 meters underground in the Halemba coal mine in the southern Polish city of Ruda Slaska, said Zbiegniew Madej, a spokesman for the Weglowa company, which operates the mine.

Another two bodies had been located but could not be reached because of the high concentration of methane gas, he said.

The fate of the other 15 was unknown. Locator devices carried by the missing miners emitted no signals, said Madej.

As the ventilation facilities had been destroyed, the miners who remained buried underground were in a very dangerous situation, he said.

A small reconnaissance team sent deep into the mine on Wednesday to locate the missing miners had to withdraw temporarily because of high gas levels.

"The rescue managing staff decided that it cannot expose the health and the life of the rescuers to danger," he said.

"This is probably the most difficult and dangerous rescue action in Poland in many years," Dominik Kolorz, a miners' trade union official, said on TVN24.

However, the rescuers would never give up their efforts, said Madej.

Nov. 22 , 2006

Tuesday evening

Wednesday

this year

Wednesday

many years


XIN_ENG_20061115.0475

BEIJING, Nov. 16 , 2006 (Xinhua)

subsidiaries

The Chinese government is encouraging foreign banks to incorporate locally and set up subsidiaries to minimize risks for Chinese customers, a senior official said here Thursday.

China-registered subsidiaries will be corporate entities, said Song Dahan, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council at a press conference here.

If a foreign bank continued to run its Chinese operation as branches operated from overseas, the range of services it could offer customers would be limited, he said.

Song said linking the range of services a foreign bank can offer to its corporate status would help safeguard the interests of Chinese customers.

According to international practice, when liquidity risks occur, domestic customers are given priority in withdrawing funds. Chinese individuals who deposit money in branches operated from overseas could find their assets at risk if the parent bank experienced a crisis.

In a globalized world, financial risks can be passed from one country to another. But China-registered corporate entities, which are supervised by Chinese banking authorities, will take measures to minimize risk and ensure domestic financial stability, he said.

Song said the policy favoring Chinese corporate status complied with WTO rules, which allow its members to adopt measures of prudence when opening up the banking sector.

Prudent measures include policies that protect customers' interests, prevent risks to the bank and safeguard the stability of financial markets.

As of December 11, China will accept applications from foreign banks who wish to convert their branches into a locally incorporated bank.

"The Chinese government will do everything it can to facilitate the conversion process, which will take one to three months," said Wang Zhaoxing, assistant chairman of the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission at the press conference.

Wang said he is confident the government departments involved -- the judicial department, the industrial and commercial administration, and the banking regulatory commission -- will work together in an efficient and well-coordinated manner.

The length of the conversion period also depended on the preparation work carried out by the foreign-funded banks, he said.

Wang said locally incorporated bank will not be regarded as new institutions. The date on which the foreign bank established its first branch in China will be regarded as the beginning of its period of operation.

He gave the example of a foreign bank that has been operating in China for five years. This bank can convert its branches into a locally incorporated bank after December 11, but this will not affect its period of operation which will still be deemed to be five years.

Nov. 16 , 2006

Thursday

December 11

three months

five years

December 11


XIN_ENG_20061106.0144

ATHENS, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Greek proposal to aid smaller firms endorsed by OECD: minister

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adopted a Greek proposal to aid small and medium-sized enterprises, Greek Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said on Monday.

Under the government proposal, a mechanism would be created to provide an information and cooperation link that would allow smaller firms to learn about access to global markets from multinationals, Sioufas said.

Sioufas made the remarks at the opening of a three-day conference in Athens sponsored by the OECD, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Development Ministry.

"Although small and medium-sized enterprises are less well equipped to make use of opportunities on an international level in comparison with large firms, they have tremendous potential. It has been estimated that if they employ all their resources for exports, they will achieve the same exports volume as large companies," he noted.

"But an outward-looking approach is required to ensure their competitiveness and viability. That is why the Greek government proposed the mechanism, which has been accepted by the OECD's deputy general secretary," the minister said.

The conference aims to identify cost effective mechanisms to remove barriers to market-access, and promote internationalization of the enterprises.

Best-practice support programs put in place by governments, at both national and local levels to assist in dealing with the impediments, will be reviewed.

The conference is part of the OECD Bologna Process on small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship policies. The Athens meeting follows an OECD ministerial conference in June 2004 in Istanbul, where ministers adopted a declaration pledging cooperative action in reducing barriers to access. The declaration also invited the OECD, working with countries and international organizations, to identify ways in which barriers could be lifted.

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

June 2004


WSJ891102-0014
 = 891102
 891102-0014.
 Xerox Will Lay Off 300
@  At Personal Insurance Unit
 11/02/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 XRX

   Xerox Corp.  has told employees in its Crum amp Forster personal insurance operations that it  is laying off about 300 people, or 25% of the staff.

   A spokeswoman for Crum amp Forster said employees  were told early this week that numerous staff functions for the personal insurance lines  were going  to  be centralized as a cost-cutting move.

   She said the move would result in a after-tax charge of less than $4 million to be spread over the next three quarters.
By comparison, for the first nine months, Xerox earned $492 million, or $4.55 a share, on revenue of $12.97 billion.

   Earnings at Xerox's financial-services operations actually rose slightly, but that was largely because capital gains at Crum amp Forster offset Hurricane Hugo payments and the reserves set up  to cover future payments.

   Property/casualty insurance has been a tough business in recent quarters, as pricing has been cutthroat and natural disasters such as Hurricane Hugo and the California earthquake  have resulted in huge payments.

early this week

the next three quarters

the first nine months

recent quarters


AFP_ENG_20061201.0308

LONDON, Dec 1 , 2006, 2006

Britain hails Gibraltar backing for greater autonomy

Britain welcomed Friday a vote to support a new constitution for Gibraltar, modernizing ties between the British dependent territory and London and allowing greater local autonomy.

"I warmly welcome the people of Gibraltar's decision to accept the draft Gibraltar constitution," said Europe Minister Geoff Hoon, after the referendum on the "Rock" on Thursday.

"I look forward to working with the government of Gibraltar in the new, more modern and mature UK-Gibraltar relationship that it entails," he added in a statement.

The electorate of the tiny outcrop on Spain's south coast, population just 27,000, were called to back a greater degree of self-determination after seven years of negotiations aimed at modernizing ties between Gibraltar and Britain.

A clear majority, 60.2 percent, of voters backed the question: "In exercise of your right to self-determination, do you approve and accept the proposed new Constitution for Gibraltar?"

However, turnout was modest at around 60 percent -- 28 percentage points less than in a 2002 referendum where residents overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that Spain and Britain should share sovereignty over Gibraltar.

Dec 1 , 2006

Friday

Thursday

seven years


XIN_ENG_20061106.0203

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 , 2006 (Xinhua)

U.S. mourns death of former Turkish PM

The United States expressed sadness on Monday over the death of five-time Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit who died over the weekend at the age of 81.

"We were saddened to learn of the death of former prime minister Bulent Ecevit," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

"His commitment to Turkey's secular democratic institutions was something that we very much respected and, I think, was respected throughout the world," Casey said.

Ecevit, whose final term in office ended in 2002, was once a strong U.S. ally.

Nov. 6 , 2006

Monday

the weekend

the age of 81


AFP_ENG_20051205.0111

SEOUL, Dec 5 , 2005

ATTENTION - INSERTS president's quote ///

A South Korean broadcaster has admitted using coercion to obtain information critical of cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk and suspended airing a report alleging his breakthrough stem cell research was fabricated.

Seoul-based MBC issued a statement late Sunday admitting its investigative reporting team had violated journalistic ethics in reporting on Hwang for the weekly program PD Network.

The world-renowned researcher was forced to step down from his official posts and offer an apology on November 24, two days after the network broadcast allegations of ethical lapses in his research.

A second installment of the program, making more explosive claims concerning the validity of Hwang's research, was scheduled to air Tuesday.

"We have decided to suspend a plan to air a follow-up program about Hwang's research," a spokesman for MBC, South Korea's second largest TV network told AFP Monday. He said top executives were discussing when to air the program or whether to scrap it.

President Roh Moo-Hyun, who has closely followed the unfolding controversy, said the matter should now be laid to rest as he pledged continued government support for Hwang's research.

"I hope the issue of verifying the authenticity of professor Hwang's research results should be settled here," Roh told a meeting with senior advisors. "I expect it to be verified naturally by Hwang's follow-up research.

"The government will continue without fail to give support for Hwang's team to conduct its stem cell research," Roh added.

MBC became a target of national anger when it broadcast an initial report attacking Hwang, a national hero, two weeks ago.

The criticism of MBC continued after Hwang admitted the charges were true -- that some of the eggs used in his experiments had been paid for and that others had been obtained from members of his own research team.

International ethical standards frown on egg donations by researchers, especially junior staff who may be vulnerable to pressure.

MBC says it obtained information concerning the origin of the eggs from some of Hwang's own researchers.

It said that, based on interviews with them, it was going to broadcast a second report that would be far more damaging to Hwang's reputation, as it would claim he had faked landmark research findings earlier this year.

However on Sunday MBC was forced into an apology after two of Hwang's researchers told Seoul-based cable news television YTN the MBC team had misled them and used coercion to force them to give information unfavorable to Hwang.

"MBC sincerely apologize to the people," MBC said in the statement. "MBC will insist that those involved in the violations of the journalistic code of ethics take responsibility."

The two researchers deny MBC's contention that they said Hwang's research had been faked.

"I never made such a statement," one of the researchers, Kim Seon-Jeong, the source for the MBC report, said in the YTN interview.

He said he clearly told MBC that the allegations against Hwang concerning falsified research results were "not true."

Hwang's team said in its study published in May in the periodical Science that it had produced patient-specific stem cells from cloned human embryos.

To do this, a patient's somatic cell is planted into a human egg, the nucleus of which has been removed. The DNA of the stem cells produced by the experiment would genetically match the patient's cells.

However, MBC staff said they obtained samples of stem cells from Hwang's team and had them tested independently. Later MBC said the tests were not conclusive but showed there may be problems with Hwang's findings.

According to media reports, of 45 samples tested, only one was found to be readable, and it did not match the original donor cell.

MBC asked Hwang's team to conduct a new test to verify the results but the researchers dismissed MBC's findings and refused, according to media reports.

Dec 5 , 2005

late Sunday

November 24

two days

Tuesday

Monday

two weeks ago

earlier this year

Sunday

May


AFP_ENG_19970401.0006

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 , 1997 (AFP)

Malaysian share market falls 1.1 percent at midday

Malaysian share prices dipped 1.1 percent by midday Tuesday, with the market barometer falling below the 1,200 support level for the first time in three months following credit curbs and the Dow's fall.

"The overnight fall on Wall Street was a double whammy for the market, which was already reeling from the central bank's curbs on bank lendings," said Victor Wan, analyst at South Johore Securities.

Wan said investors were selling banking and property stocks in anticipation of lower earnings.

The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange's 100-share weighted composite index tumbled 13.68 points to 1,189.42 at the close of the morning session, after touching a low of 1,183.17.

The central Bank Negara Tuesday imposed new lending limits on shares and luxury properties to thwart excessive market speculation and quell soaring property prices.

Bank lending to the property sector was limited to 20 percent of all loans, excluding residential units costing 60,000 US dollars and below, infrastructure facilities and industrial buildings.

Rules for lending against stocks and unit trusts were also redefined.

Trading volume in the morning session was 162.178 million shares worth 1.175 billion ringgit (470 million dollars).

Falling stocks outnumbered those rising 401 to 187, with 142 unchanged and 131 untraded.

Top bank, Maybank, led the fall in banking stocks with a 75 sen lost to 27.50 ringgit, Public Bank was flat at 3.56 ringgit while Arab- Malaysian Merchant Bank declined 70 sen to 19.90 ringgit.

Both national powerhouse Tenaga Nasional and gaming giant Genting eased 10 sen each to 12.00 ringgit and 16.70 ringgit respectively.

Telekom Malaysia shed 20 sen to 19.10 ringgit.

April 1 , 1997

Tuesday

three months


AFP_ENG_19970425.0364

BRUSSELS, April 25 , 1997 (AFP)

Belgian paratrooper arrested for alleged sadism in Somalia

Belgian gendarmes have arrested a third paratrooper accused of sadism against Somali people during a multinational operation in the war-torn country in 1993, judicial officials said.

The officer, named as First Sergeant-Major Rudy, was arrested Thursday after allegedly being recognised in a photograph published in the press last week, which showed a Belgian soldier urinating on a wounded Somali.

He had commanded a mortar team at Tielen in Somalia.

The officer was brought back from mission in the Congolese capital Brazzaville and is due to appear before the Brussels Court Martial, which has already charged two other soldiers with sadism.

One of them, accused of badly treating children, has been locked up.

Among other allegations made by former paratroopers was a claim that a young Somali caught stealing food died when he was put in a crate for two days.

Belgian Defence Minister Jean-Pol Poncelet has promised to cashier those responsible and dissolve their whole military unit should the alleged brutality prove to consist of more than isolated incidents.

The soldiers were part of a failed UN-sponsored mission called Operation Restore Hope, which had sought to bring peace and protect food deliveries in Somalia, wracked by clan fighting and starvation.

Foreign troops eventually pulled out without an end to the conflict and after bloody battles with Somali movements.

April 25 , 1997

Thursday

last week

two


XIN_ENG_20061114.0138

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 14 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Six Cambodians drown after their floating house capsizes

Six local people, including four children, drowned after their floating house capsized as the cable that tied it to a tree on the bank of Bassac River became broken, a police officer told Xinhua by phone on Tuesday.

"The cable was too old and the house roof was made from heavy clay. So, it forced the floating house to turn upside down," said En Savuth, deputy police chief of Sa-ang District, Kandal Province, some 25 kilometers south of the capital city.

As the tragedy happened on Tuesday, the two adults, 35 and 65 years old, and the four minors, 2, 7, 10 and 12 years old were having lunch, he said.

"When the floating house collapsed, the river had high currents and people could not survive in them," he added.

However, in the family of seven, one boy survived by jumping to the bank before the house collapsed, he said.

The house was built on a platform supported by 10 oil barrels. The only stabilizing force was a rope that tied it to the tree on the bank.

The capsized house floated some 300 meters away from the original place, creating panic for other floating house residents on the river, said Savuth.

Some riverside Cambodians tend to live in floating houses in order to easily fish and enjoy convenience of sanitation. Such a lifestyle can also help them save money for constructing house on land and escape the taxation and population management of the government.

Nov. 14 , 2006

Tuesday

Tuesday

65 years


XIN_ENG_20051102.0315

LONDON, Nov. 2 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Barcelona and Arsenal into final 16 while Man Utd future uncertain

Barcelona and Arsenal progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League with group wins on Wednesday while Manchester United's future hangs in the balance after they lost to Lille 1-0.

Samuel Eto'o grabbed a hat-trick as Barca hammered Panathinaikos 5-0, Mark van Bommel and Lionel Messi also getting on the scoresheet.

The game of the night was in Bremen where Werder beat 10-man Udinese 4-3. Miroslav Klose, Frank Baumann and Johan Micoud scored for the hosts while an Antonio di Natale pair and a Christian Schulz own goal replied.

To rub salt into their wounds Udinese had Giampiero Pinzi dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Arsenal secured their place in the last 16 with a convincing 3-0 victory at home to Sparta Prague in Group B.

French striker Thierry Henry opened the scoring before Robin van Persie came off the bench to bag a late brace.

Ajax broke FC Thun hearts with a 4-2 victory thanks to late, late goals from Nigel de Jong and Nourdin Boukhari.

Wesley Sneijder and Yannis Anastasiou twice put the visitors in front but Mauro Lustrinelli and Adriano Spadoto had replied for the home side.

Juventus went above Bayern Munich in Group A with a 2-1 victory in Italy.

David Trezeguet scored for Juve either side of a Sebastian Deisler leveller, while Juve striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off towards the end.

Club Brugge stayed in the hunt for qualification with an impressive 3-2 win over point-less Rapid Vienna.

Marek Kincl put the Austrians ahead in the first minute but Javier Portillo, Bosko Balaban and Gert Verheyen bagged before a Marcin Adamski consolation.

Manchester United's miserable recent form continued with a lacklustre 1-0 away defeat at Lille in Group D.

Former Spurs schemer Milenko Acimovic notched the only goal of the game seven minutes before half-time.

Spanish side Villarreal went top of a tight group after their 1-0 victory over Portuguese outfit Benfica.

It was a goal eight minutes from time that earned them three crucial points, Marcos Senna firing home for Manuel Pellegrini's team.

Nov. 2 , 2005

Wednesday

the last 16

the first minute


AFP_ENG_20051212.0081

JERUSALEM, Dec 12 , 2005

Mofaz defection gives further poll boost to Sharon

The defection of Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz from the right-wing Likud to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Kadima gave the Israeli premier's new party a further boost in the polls Monday.

The latest survey published by the Yediot Aharonot daily found that Kadima is on course to win 41 of the 120 Knesset seats in the March 28 election, 20 more than its nearest rival, the centre-left Labour party.

Likud, which won 38 seats at the last election, is set to see its representation tumble to just 11, one ahead of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, the survey found.

Kadima's projected number of seats has gone up two since the last such survey on December 9, indicating that Mofaz's defection has had an immediate bounce effect.

In contrast, the seats projection for both Labour and Likud has dropped by two.

Mofaz announced on Sunday that he had decided to pull out of the campaign to succeed Sharon as leader of Likud, which he said was veering towards right-wing extremism, and would instead link up with the premier's new centrist party.

The survey of 500 people was conducted by the Tel Aviv-based Dahaf institute and has a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Dec 12 , 2005

Monday

March 28

December 9

Sunday


XIN_ENG_20051125.0034

BEIJING, Nov. 25 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Beijing starts construction on Olympic media village

Beijing Olympic organizers Friday started construction on the media village for the 2008 Games.

The media village, situated to the northeast of the Olympic Green and the Olympic Forest Park in the north of the city, will be within ten minutes drive from the Main Press Center and major Olympic competition venues, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG).

The media village will provide up to 6,000 rooms to accredited media during the Games.

The whole project is due for completion at the beginning of 2008.

In line with the themes of "Green Olympics", "Hi-tech Olympics" and "People's Olympics", new technologies and green concepts are incorporated into the design and construction work of the media village, such as the utilization of geothermal energy and solar energy, green construction materials and a rain water-recycling system.

Aside from the new media village that just broke ground, two existing accommodation facilities have also been selected as media villages and will provide additional 2,500 rooms.

Moreover, 46 hotels in Beijing have been so far assigned as media hotels, making around 15,000 hotel rooms available for the accredited media.

Quick access to the Main Press Centre and major competition venues is one of the priorities for the organizers in the selection of media accommodation facilities.

Around 21,000 accredited media from all over the world are expected to come to Beijing to cover the 2008 Games.

Nov. 25 , 2005

Friday

ten minutes

the beginning of 2008


WSJ891031-0040
 = 891031
 891031-0040.
 Business Brief -- Dataproducts Inc.:
@  Lawsuit Is Filed to Block
@  DPC's Hostile Tender Offer
 10/31/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 DPC
 TENDER OFFERS, MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS (TNM)
COMPUTERS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (CPR)

   Dataproducts Inc. said it filed a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court to block a tender offer by DPC Acquisition Partners, alleging that the hostile offer violates a standstill agreement between the two concerns.

   DPC, an investor group led by New York-based Crescott Investment Associates, had itself filed a suit in state court in Los Angeles seeking to nullify the agreement.
Earlier this year, Dataproducts had rejected a $15 a share offer from DPC, saying it was n't adequately financed.
DPC last week launched a new, $10-a-share offer for the Woodland Hills, Calif.-based computer printer maker.

   DPC said it could n't comment on the suit.

Earlier this year

last week


XIN_ENG_20051112.0216

BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 13 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Bush to arrive in South Korea Nov. 16: US official

US President George W. Bush will arrive in South Korea Wednesday, one day before his planned bilateral summit with his South Korean counterpart Roh Moo- hyun, a US Embassy official said Sunday.

Roh and Bush have agreed to meet in the country's southeastern city of Gyeongju on Nov. 17, ahead of the Nov. 18-19 leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said. The forum opened in Busan on Saturday.

The US president is to arrive at Gimhae International Airport, the gateway to this host city of the 13th APEC forum, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bush is among the 21 Asia-Pacific Rim leaders expected to attend the APEC leaders' meeting.

Nov. 13 , 2005

Wednesday, one day

Sunday

Nov. 17

Nov. 18-19

Saturday


XIN_ENG_20051108.0025

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 8 , 2005 (Xinhua)

ICTR probe report sent to UN headquarters

The fate of an International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) official is now in the hands of those at the United Nations headquarters as his case was sent to New York already.

Local media quoted the Arusha-based UN court as saying that the report by a probe team on Roland Amoussouga having allegedly violated ICTR's conditions of appointment by assisting his friend to get a job in the UN court.

The probe team has been verifying the authenticity of recruitment electronic mails between the ICTR spokesperson and his French friend.

The registrar of the UN court, Adama Dieng, told the press that the report had been sent to New York.

The ICTR court, set up in 1994 in northern Tanzania that became operational in 1997, has its administrative matters taken care of in the UN headquarters.

The probe was prompted by leaked e-mail communication between Amoussouga and the candidate for a post of the head of the defense counsel management section.

The ICTR spokesperson not only allegedly tipped off the French lawyer about the qualifications needed for filling up the post and also allegedly informed his friend of the support to his candidature by other high-ranking officials at the tribunal.

The ICTR, whose mandate ends in 2008, has so far brought to trial 25 people while 26 others are currently on trial, with another 17 waiting to be taken to court.

Nov. 8 , 2005


XIN_ENG_20061124.0259

NAIROBI, Nov. 24 , 2006 (Xinhua)

World urged to help Cote D'Ivoire clean up toxic waste

The United Nations on Friday has urged the world to mobilize financial assistance to pay for the clean up and rehabilitation of contaminated sites in Cote D'Ivoire as a result of fresh reports that the final costs of a dumping incident in August could reach into the millions of dollars.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Steiner said in a statement issued in Nairobi that he had been informed by the Ivorian authorities that following initial emergency assistance, the country was now having to use its own public funds to pay a private company for the retrieval, shipment and processing of the toxic waste in France.

"Irrespective of who will or who will not be held liable for this incident, it is the people of one of the world's poorest countries who have already paid dearly for this irresponsible act of hazardous waste dumping, who are now being forced to actually pay the bill for removal and clean up operations," said Steiner.

The costs of this operation allied to the medium and long-term rehabilitation of affected sites could approach 30 million US dollars according to the Ivorian authorities.

Steiner said urgent assistance to meet Cote D'Ivoire costs was in the spotlight but emphasized that this was by no means a unique case.

He warned that cases like this could escalate unless existing international regulations on toxic wastes, including those under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), are properly enforced and gaps between various treaties closed.

"We must assist Cote D'Ivoire now, but it cannot end there. We must enforce existing laws in both OECD and developing countries alongside building the capacity for customs authorities and local waste management at ports and elsewhere to minimize the chances of such an incident occurring in the future," said Steiner.

"It would seem reasonable and sensible to considerably boost the resources of the emergency fund so that the international community can have a specific and well-funded response to hazardous waste dumping incidents that are occurring in Africa and other developing countries far too often," UNEP chief added.

He was speaking on the eve of an international meeting of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which begins in Nairobi next week.

The central theme of the meeting is the issue of electronic waste or e-waste as a result of the massive growth in the international traffic of obsolete products like computers and mobile phones.

But the issue of illegal shipments of hazardous materials to vulnerable countries by unscrupulous operators is also likely to be high on delegates' minds as a result of the Cote D'Ivoire case in which a ship sailing from Europe dumped wastes in the West African country.

Delegates from across the world are arriving in Nairobi for the next week's five-day-long Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, which was set up to deal with the issue of hazardous waste shipments.

Nov. 24 , 2006

Friday

August

now

now

the future

next week

the next week


XIN_ENG_20061101.0090

TEHRAN, Nov. 1 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Zambia's sugar output up

Zambia's sugar output up

LUSAKA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's sugar output in the first half production year ending Sept. 30, 2006 increased by 3,000 tons compared with the same period of last year, according to Zambia Sugar Plc.

The sugar production is expected to exceed 250,000 tons this year, Zambia Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.

Secretary of the company Lovemore Sievu said the company registered revenue amounting to 307. 4 billion kwacha (about 78.82 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year compared with 270.1 billion kwacha (about 69.26 million dollars) in the same period of last year.

The combination of cost and productivity improvements resulted in a slight improvement on operating margins, he said.

Exports and revenues have benefited from an additional EU quota allocations and also improved regional market prices, Sievu said.

The maintenance of operating margins and exchange rate will remain significant to the final profitability of the company for this year, the secretary added.

Nov. 1 , 2006

Nov. 1

year

Sept. 30, 2006

last year

this year

Wednesday

the first half of the year

last year

this year


XIN_ENG_20051103.0169

MANILA, Nov. 3 , 2005 (Xinhua)

2nd Ld-Writethru: 5 US marines accused of raping Filipino woman at Subic Bay

Five US marines have been accused of gang raping a 22-year-old Filipino woman at the former US navy base of Subic Bay earlier this week, throwing shadow over the annual joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines held under a visiting force agreement.

The five US marines were prevented from boarding their amphibious warship, USS Essex, to leave the Philippines on Thursday after a Filipino woman accused them of gang raping her in a van in Olongapo City near Subic Bay on Nov. 1, the All Saints' Day which is an important Catholic festival here for mourning the dead.

The US marines, who were from the US military bases in Okinawa, Japan, were later turned over to the US embassy here by the Philippine authorities, according to Philippine officials in charge of supervising the just-concluded military exercises named "Talon Vision" held at the Subic Bay, in which 4,500 US marines and navy sailors participated.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said in a statement that he has asked the US Embassy to make sure that the accused soldiers do not leave the country and that they be made available to Philippine police and judicial authorities.

"I am deeply concerned by this report and I have instructed the VFACOM (Visiting Forces Agreement Committee) to fully assist the victim of this crime and to support all efforts by our authorities to investigate, prosecute and try this case," said Romulo.

"The perpetrators of this heinous crime shall be brought to justice," he added.

The VFACOM is a US-Philippine joint institution charged with supervising the annual US-Philippine military exercises being held under a mutual defense agreement and a visiting forces agreement.

The acting US embassy charge d'affaires Paul Jones said the five US marines are under the responsibility of the embassy but assured they will be made accessible to local authorities.

"They are under American responsibility. I conveyed how seriously the US takes this accusation. We have an important agreement we make them available to Philippine investigators," he told local media.

But he said the US authorities are conducting separate probes into the case and justice will be done if the Americans are found guilty.

"While the charges are very serious, they are innocent unless proven guilty. If they are proven guilty, we obviously find this an outrageous crime," he said.

In a separate statement, the US embassy said the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) , signed in 1998 between the Philippine and US governments to allow US troops return to the Philippines after they pulled out in 1993, provides the mechanism for US and Philippine authorities to work together to determine the facts of the case and to ensure that accused individuals are available to both Filipino and US investigators.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the alleged victim was invited by the Americans to go with them in a rented van after they met in a video-OK bar, where people drink and sing. A few hours later, the woman was seen dumped unconscious on a road from the van.

Under the VFA, US troops who take part in joint exercises in the Philippines are provided with special legal protection for actions taken as part of the war games but are given less protection for crimes committed while on leave.

US troops pulled out of the Subic Bay and Clark airfield military bases in 1993 after the Philippine Senate voted to take back the bases built during US rule in the Philippines from the beginning of 20th century until World War II.

Nov. 3 , 2005

this week

Thursday

Nov. 1

A few hours

leave

the beginning of 20th century


AFP_ENG_19970418.0581

FRANKFURT, Germany, April 19 , 1997 (AFP)

Film-maker Kusturica plans gypsy comedy set in Serbia

Yugoslav film-maker Emir Kusturica is to start work at the end of next month on a comedy with a gypsy background set in Serbia, he said here Friday.

The film, entitled "Black Cat, White Cat," will cover the joyful attitude to death in the gypsy community, Kusturica said. It will recount the efforts of an old man's many relatives to restore him to life after he has died.

Kusturica has twice won the Golden Palm at the Cannes film festival, in 1985 for "When Father was away on Business," and in 1995 for the controversial "Underground," accused by critics of being too pro-Serb.

In between, he was voted best director at Cannes for an earlier gypsy film, "Time of the Gypsies."

Kusturica is currently making a short film on support for AIDS sufferers in Frankfurt. It is to be shown in two different versions, for cinema and for television.

April 19 , 1997

the end of next month

Friday


XIN_ENG_20051117.0344

MADRID, Nov. 17 , 2005 (Xinhua)

Spain to give 2.3 mln dlrs to Americas Cup promotors

The Spanish government will give two million euros (around 2.3 million US dollars) to the organizers of the Americas Cup, the sailing event hosted by the Spanish city of Valencia in 2007, local media said on Thursday.

The plan was approved on Thursday in a ceremony attended by Jordi Sevilla, Spain's minister of public affairs, and Ricard Perez Casado, Americas Cup president.

The money will be used to launch an international publicity campaign promoting Valencia and the Americas Cup. Casado and Sevilla approved the marketing plan drawn up by the Americas Cup coordination committee at the same time as approving the deal.

Nov. 17 , 2005

Thursday

Thursday


XIN_ENG_20061128.0168

BEIJING, Nov. 28 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Beijing's water supply suffers worsening pollution: report

Water from the Guanting reservoir, Beijing's fourth largest source of drinking water source, is not fit for human consumption or even irrigation, according to a report from the city's environment watchdog.

At level five on the water pollution index water is only suitable for irrigation. At below level five, water from the Guanting reservoir is not fit for growing agricultural produce.

With 21 reservoirs, the city of 16 million faces grave water supply problems as the Zhaitang, Taoyukou, Niantan and Daning reservoirs have all dried up, said the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau in its first monthly report on water quality.

Miyun, Huairou and Yanqinggucheng reservoirs, the capital's other major drinking water sources, are still providing clean, potable water, said the report which is posted on the bureau's Web site.

Water quality levels between one and three are considered potable.

The report also said nearly half of Beijing's sightseeing lakes and ponds are so polluted their water also can't even be used to irrigate the park landscape that surrounds them.

The report said water quality in seven of Beijing lakes, such as the Winter Palace Lake and Taoranting Lake, is below level five. Only four lakes could be used to supply drinking water, while water from the other lakes is only fit for industrial use.

The watchdog has earlier blamed too much untreated waste water, industrial effluent and agricultural pollution for the deteriorating water qualities in the lakes.

Nov. 28 , 2006


AFP_ENG_20061220.0626

LONDON, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

by Steve Griffiths

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba admitted he has a soft spot for the League Cup after dumping Newcastle out of the competition in the quarter-finals.

Drogba scored with a superb free-kick just 11 minutes from full-time at St James' Park on Wednesday to seal a 1-0 win that kept Chelsea's bid to win all four major trophies on course.

The Ivory Coast star, who had also hit the winner against Newcastle in the Premiership last week, knows all about League Cup glory after scoring in Chelsea's 2005 final win over Liverpool.

That victory was Drogba's first taste of success in English football and, with Chelsea through to the last four, he is determined to savour the winning feeling again.

"Everyone knows how important this competition is to me because it was my first trophy in England and I scored in the final," Drogba said.

"The team want to win every game because we want to be champions again and to win this trophy."

Drogba has been suffering from a thigh injury recently but he came on for the lacklustre Andriy Shevchenko with 17 minutes left and made an instant impact.

Nicky Butt fouled Arjen Robben and Drogba stepped up to curl the free-kick past Shay Given for his 17th goal this season.

He is in the form of his life after grabbing the decisive goal in each of Chelsea's last three matches, but he put that impressive run down to the hard work of his team-mates.

"Sometimes you have a good period like this," Drogba said. "But if I score it is because everyone is doing a good job and maybe their defence is tired. Sheva, Salomon Kalou and Arjen all did well.

"I am giving my best and I think everyone is happy with me not just because I am scoring goals but also because I am working for the team.

"It is difficult to come on as a substitute because the pace is very high in the English game.

"Frank Lampard came on and made a difference as well and so did Michael Ballack. It's very important to have a strong bench for different competitions."

Newcastle were unlucky not to take the lead in the first half when Obafemi Martins' long-range shot cannoned off the crossbar and onto the goal-line.

The assistant referee ruled the ball had not crossed the line and Drogba came on to make Glenn Roeder's side pay for failing to turn their possession into goals.

Roeder said: "We were doing more than holding them in the first half and had some good chances. I thought the boys were fantastic."

Chelsea were joined in the last four by Tottenham after Jermain Defoe's extra-time winner earned a 1-0 win against Southend at White Hart Lane.

Southend goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan produced a string of fine saves to take the tie into an additional 30 minutes.

But England striker Defoe pounced from close range as he just beat the offside trap to tap-in Mido's cross in the 115th minute.

League Two Wycombe had shocked struggling Premiership side Charlton on Tuesday as Jermaine Easter's goal clinched a 1-0 win at The Valley.

Liverpool will play Arsenal in the last quarter-final on January 9 after their match on Tuesday was postponed due to heavy fog.

Dec 21 , 2006

Wednesday

last week

the last four

this season

the last four

an additional 30 minutes

the 115th minute

Tuesday

January 9

Tuesday


AFP_ENG_19970403.0221

TOKYO, April 3 , 1997 (AFP)

Japan's Tomen buys 19 percent of Koppert

Japan's Tomen Corp. said Thursday it had bought a 19 percent stake in Koppert Biological Systems BV, a Dutch company that breeds benign insects to protect vegetables against insect pests.

The Japanese trading house has been a sales agent in Japan for the world's biggest breeder of benign insects since 1992 and sold for two years a type of bee that kills insects that thrive on tomatoes and strawberries.

Tomen said its capital tie-up with the Rotterdam-based Koppert would help breed and market types of benign insects peculiar to Japan.

It plans to sell 12 other types of insects to farmers for use in greenhouses.

April 3 , 1997

Thursday

two years


AFP_ENG_20061221.0096

MOSCOW, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

Turkmen opposition plans return from exile: report

Turkmenistan's exiled opposition is preparing a return to the Central Asian country following the death Thursday of President Saparmurat Niyazov, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a leader in exile.

"We will definitely fly there in two or three days," Nurmukhammed Khanamov, head of the exiled Republican Party, was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.

"An opposition coalition government must be formed," he also said, adding that the three main opposition parties abroad were preparing to unite so that "there will not be anarchy and conflict in the country."

"The most important thing is to do this all by the law," he said.

Niyazov died earlier Thursday of a heart attack, according to an official statement. During his 20-year rule he allowed no political opposition.

Dec 21 , 2006

Thursday

two or three days

Thursday


AFP_ENG_20061205.0287

BEIRUT, Dec 5 , 2006, 2006

=(PICTURE)=

Thousands of mourners marched on Tuesday behind the coffin of a young Shiite Muslim killed during mass opposition rallies, chanting for the fall of the Lebanese government.

"Death to (Prime Minister Fuad) Siniora," chanted the crowd, marching on a main road leading to the Rawdat Ash-Shahidain (maryrs') cemetery in Beirut's Shiite southern suburbs.

Ahmad Mahmud, 20, was killed during street fights which erupted on Sunday in several Sunni Muslim-majority neighbourhoods near where the opposition has been holding mass protests since Friday to demand the government's resignation.

"The blood of the Shiites is boiling," shouted other angry mourners, raising the green flags of the Shiite movement Amal.

The incidents have prompted officials to call for calm amid fears of a descent into sectarian violence in a country still reeling from the 1975-1990 civil war.

At the funeral ceremony, Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan, interim president of the Higher Shiite Council, appealed for calm and unity amid the deep political division in the country.

"We present the martyr as a sacrifice for Lebanon's national unity," he said.

"It is forbidden for Shiites to kill Sunnis, for Sunnis to kill Shiites, for Christians to kill Muslims and vice-versa," said Qabalan.

Dec 5 , 2006

Tuesday

Sunday

Friday


XIN_ENG_20061113.0047

CAIRO, Nov. 13 , 2006 (Xinhua)

Xinhua Middle East news advisory -- Nov. 13

The following are some of major Mideast news stories due to be covered or pursued by Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

-- Monitoring the development on Iran's nuclear file as Tehran plans to install 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

-- Monitoring progress on the formation of a national unity government as Fatah has accepted a candidate nominated by the Hamas movement as the new prime minister.

-- Keep watching the latest Lebanese political crisis after six ministers resigned from the cabinet.

-- Monitoring the situation in Iraq as Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki on Sunday called for a major reshuffle in the cabinet.

-- Keep watching situation in the Palestinian territories as Arab foreign ministers called for a peace conference to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

-- The 4th High-level Group Meeting of Alliance of Civilizations Initiative will be held in Turkish largest city Istanbul with the participation of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as well as other senior officials.

Nov. 13 , 2006

Monday

Sunday


AFP_ENG_19970428.0103

KIGALI, April 28 , 1997 (AFP)

More than 70 arrested in northern Rwanda: Radio Rwanda

More than 70 people have been arrested and a number of guns found by the Rwandan security forces in the Ruhengeri region of northern Rwanda, Radio Rwanda said.

Thirty-seven people were arrested in the district of Ndusu, where two guns and 10 grenades were found, the radio said late Sunday. It did not say when the arrests took place.

Thirty-nine people were arrested in the neighbouring district of Nyamureta, where security forces found four guns, the radio said. It said that the local population had assisted the security forces.

The security forces appeared to be treating the men as members of the former Rwandan Hutu, or Interhamwe, and former Rwandan army (FAR).

Accused of taking part in the worst massacres in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which killed at least 500,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis, the former militia and army soldiers are believed by authorities to be carrying out attacks in northern and western Rwanda.

A large number of former militia members and ex-FAR soldiers returned to Rwanda at the end of last year from Zaire, among hundreds of thousands of returning refugees.

April 28 , 1997

late Sunday

the end of last year


WSJ891026-0152
 = 891026
 891026-0152.
 Chandler Insurance Earnings
 10/26/89
 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J)
 CHANF
 GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands

   Chandler Insurance Co. said it expects to report third-quarter net income jumped 97% to $2.8 million, or 51 cents a share.

   In the year-earlier quarter, the automobile and trucking insurer had earnings of $1.4 million, or 48 cents a share on a restated basis, on revenue of $16.5 million.
In an interview, W. Brent LeGere, chairman and chief executive officer, said he expects revenue in the latest quarter to total about $28 million.
The earnings-per-share figures reflect a 25% stock dividend in June 1989.

   Mr. LeGere attributed the earnings increase to growth in the company's longhaul trucking insurance lines and the ability to keep premium rates firm.

third-quarter

the year-earlier quarter

the latest quarter

June 1989


AFP_ENG_19970410.0659

TOKYO, April 11 , 1997 (AFP)

Moderate quake shakes central Japan

A moderate earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale shook Tokyo and surrounding areas Friday but no casualties or damage had been reported, the meteorological agency said.

The epicentre of the quake, which ocurred at 8:30 a.m. (2330 GMT Thursday), was in the northern part of Ibaraki prefecture, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Tokyo.

April 11 , 1997

Friday

8:30 a.m.

Thursday


AFP_ENG_19970424.0423

LIMA, April 24 , 1997 (AFP)

Peru's army, president mourn dead soldiers

Peru's army on Thursday honored the two soldiers who died in the raid to free 72 hostages from the Japanese ambassador's residence in an emotional ceremony before laying the bodies to rest.

Colonel Juan Valer Sandoval and Capitan Raul Jimenez died Tuesday in the bold attack on the mansion that freed 71 of the hostages.

One hostage, a judge, died of a heart attack after being shot and all 14 of the Tupac Amaru rebel commando inside the residence were slain.

Fujimori's son, Kenji wept as his father praised the two soldier's valor in facing a "cruel and fanatical enemy."

"What a great honor for a Peruvian soldier" to die in battle "but that does not impede us from crying" for the losses, Fujimori said.

Valer was in charge of Kenji Fujimori's personal safety during his vacations from university in Boston, Massachusetts. Kenji arrived in Lima late Wednesday.

Armed forces chief Nicolas Hermoza also wept as he remembered the fallen soldiers.

The president's son kissed the flag-drapped coffin of his protector and friend and placed a plaque on the casket.

Valer, 38, received gunshot wounds from rebel fire as he tried to protect Foreign Minister Francisco Tudela, one of the hostages, from the bullets. He is survived by his wife Luz Collado Escuza and two children.

Collado sobbed as she was handed the red and white Peruvian flag that had covered her husband's coffin as her two small children looked on sadly.

Jimienez, 27, was shot in the neck as he tried to usher other hostages out of the residence.

Valer and Jiminez were promoted post-humously to the ranks of colonel and captain, respectively.

April 24 , 1997

Thursday

Tuesday

late Wednesday


AFP_ENG_20061221.0365

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 , 2006, 2006

ATTENTION - ADDS commentary ///

The US economy grew at a 2.0 percent rate in the third quarter, the government reported Thursday in a slight downward revision of gross domestic product.

The Commerce Department, in its final revision of growth in the July-September quarter, notched down its earlier estimate of a 2.2 percent annualized pace.

Wall Street analysts had on average expected no revision from the 2.2 percent figure.

In any case, the growth was the slowest since the final quarter in 2005 and a deceleration from the 2.6 percent pace in the second quarter.

The revision came from a slight downward adjustment in the estimate of consumer spending growth in the quarter to 2.8 percent instead of 2.9 percent.

The department said the slowdown in consumer spending was driven by better data on medical care spending, which was revised lower, and by a steeper slump in real estate spending.

That offset slight upward revisions to durable goods spending.

The latest revision left unchanged the picture of an economy that has shifted to a slower growth pace, held back by slumping real estate but still underpinned by consumer and business spending.

Spending on residential property plunged 18.7 percent, revised from an earlier estimate of an 18 percent drop, the steepest drop since 1991.

"The downward revision in the third-quarter GDP data was almost entirely due to the recession in housing," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight. "The spillover effects to other parts of the economy continue to be limited."

Business investment grew 10 percent, unrevised from the last estimate.

An inflation index linked to GDP showed a 2.4 percent increase in prices, and was unrevised after a four percent jump in the second quarter.

Core prices excluding food and energy were up 2.2 percent, slightly ahead of the Federal Reserve's unofficial target but suggesting that the central bank's view of easing inflationary pressures is correct.

The Fed, which halted a string of rate increases in August, has indicated it may lift interest rates further if inflation kicks back up, but most economists see the next move as a rate cut to help stimulate flagging growth.

Robert Brusca at FAO Economics said the GDP report also lowered the estimate for US productivity.

"GDP is old news, but what stings in this report is the marginal lowering of already weak productivity growth that will result from weaker GDP," he said.

"Weak productivity growth is bad news, and even weaker growth is worse news -- even if it is a marginal revision. This revision does not obviate or reduce but rather worsen this new trend."

Dec 21 , 2006

the third quarter

Thursday

the July-September quarter

the final quarter

the second quarter

the quarter

third-quarter

the second quarter

August


XIN_ENG_20061127.0139

BEIJING, Nov. 27 , 2006 (Xinhua)

1st Ld: China set to issue regulations on organ transplants

China will issue its regulations on human organ transplants "soon", said an official of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

"The draft of the regulations has been submitted to the State Council for amendment," said Wang Jianrong, vice director of the MOH regulations department as quoted in Monday's Guangming Daily.

Under the new regulations, a new organization will be in charge of registering and allocating donated organs, and evaluating the quality of the organ transplant surgery.

Only the top-tier hospitals - usually located in provincial capitals - will be allowed to perform organ transplants once they have been approved by the MOH. It remains to be seen whether exceptions will be made in emergency cases.

Currently, China has no clear laws on human organ transplants. This has resulted in transplants being carried out by unqualified doctors with substandard medical equipment, leading to the death of some patients. It is also widely claimed that hospitals are preoccupied with the quantity of organ transplants rather than the quality.

"The MOH will strictly control the number of hospitals licensed to perform organ transplants and supervise the quality of the surgery," said Wang Jianrong.

Ministry of Health statistics indicate that China performed 34,726 organ transplants from 2000 to 2004, and at the end of 2004, 599 medical institutions did liver, kidney, heart and lung transplants.

Though organ transplants have been performed in China for 40 years, the absence of laws concerning organ transplants and irregular organ transplant practices in some medical institutions have hindered the promotion of organ transplants in the country, Huang Jiefu, Vice Minister of Health, told a conference on the management of organ transplants held in Guangzhou recently.

Meanwhile, China is still suffering a serious shortage of human organ donations.

"About 1.5 million people in China need transplants each year, but only around 10,000 operations can be carried out due to organ shortages,"

"Social customs are a big reason," Huang said, explaining that many Chinese are unwilling to donate organs because of traditional rituals and beliefs. Furthermore, education of the public about donation is lacking, he said.

Nov. 27 , 2006

Monday

the end of 2004

40 years

recently

each year