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Iranian president to inaugurate Sri Lanka hydro-power project
April 19, 2008 (AFP) – Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Sri Lanka later this month to inaugurate construction of an Iranian-funded hydroelectricity project, the government said on Friday.Iran is paying for the 450-million-dollar Uma Oya power project which is slated to produce 100 megawatts of electricity annually. “The Iranian president will be arriving […]
‘s strengths: analysts
SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – Tough times in the US economy play into Google’s strength as businesses trust the Internet giant to best target their precious advertising dollars, analysts said Friday.While the US economy staggers and the dollar sinks, Google’s profits defied worries and soared to 1.31 billion dollars in the first three […]
Iran says oil price too low at 115 dollars a barrel
TEHRAN, April 19, 2008 (AFP) – Even at 115 dollars a barrel, oil is priced too low, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in comments published on Saturday adding that the commodity “should find its real value”.“Oil at 115 dollars a barrel in today’s market is a deceiving figure, oil is a strategic commodity and should […]
Malaysian special ops to protect Olympic torch: report
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19, 2008 (AFP) – Malaysia will deploy an elite police squad along with 1,000 police officers to protect the troubled Olympic torch relay amid fears that protesters will disrupt the leg, a report said Saturday.The torch arrives early Sunday, Malaysian Olympic officials said, ahead of Monday’s relay.It will be kept at an […]
Marks and Spencer agrees India joint venture
LONDON, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – Marks and Spencer said Friday it had entered into a joint venture with Reliance Retail of India in the hope of establishing the British food-to-clothes retailer as a “major retail brand” in South Asia. “Reliance Retail is the ideal partner for us to accelerate our expansion and create the […]
Bank of England to pump 100 bln dlrs into banking system: BBC
LONDON, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – Britain’s central bank is to pump an extra 50 billion pounds (63.4 billion euros, 99.9 billion dollars) into the banking system as early as the end of next week, BBC television said Friday. Without citing sources, the broadcaster said the Bank of England would issue one-year bonds over three […]
‘s Premier League cricket
NEW DELHI, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – Agence France-Presse (AFP) and other top news agencies have said they will not cover cricket’s inaugural Indian Premier League, which starts Friday, due to curbs on the distribution of photographs.IPL officials have prohibited news agencies from supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites for the eight-team, Twenty20 tournament. The London-based […]
Sri Lanka rice price controls fuels fears of black market
April 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan traders Friday said they had agreed to sell rice at the new government controlled price but many wholesale shops remained closed in key markets amid warnings of a shortage and emergence of a ‘black market’. Government officials said they would crack down on ‘unscrupulous’ traders who were trying […]
China imposes new visa restrictions
HONG KONG, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – China has imposed further curbs on visitors, just weeks after it stopped issuing multiple-entry visas, Hong Kong travel agents said Friday, sparking concern among the business community.“You now need a copy of your travel ticket both in and out of the country and a hotel voucher before they […]
Hundreds arrested as Olympic torch makes tense Indian passage
NEW DELHI, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Hundreds of Tibetan demonstrators were arrested in India and neighbouring Nepal Thursday as thousands of police and soldiers defended the Beijing Olympic torch on a suffocating run through New Delhi.The heart of the Indian capital was sealed off for the most sensitive leg of the protest-hit global relay […]
Ecuador set to revoke thousands of mining concessions
QUITO, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – President Rafael Correa said Thursday Ecuador was close to revoking some 4,000 mining concessions granted since 2004, many of them to US and Canadian companies, that have been idle and used solely for speculation.A government-sponsored bill revoking about 80 percent of mining concessions in gold, silver and limestone deposits […]
Google profits jump 30 pct despite worries over online ads
SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Google reported Thursday that its profits surged more than 30 percent to 1.31 billion dollars in the first three months of the year, erasing fears of sagging online advertising revenues. Google’s stock leaped more than 17 percent to 526 dollars a share in after-hours trading on the news. […]