Category: Other

WASHINGTON, September 25, 2008 (AFP) – US President George W. Bush will host White House rivals John McCain and Barack Obama, as well as top lawmakers, for economic crisis talks on Thursday, a spokesman said Wednesday. Bush, who telephoned Obama around 7:30 pm (1130 GMT), hopes “to work on driving toward a bipartisan and timely […]

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2008 (AFP) – A battle over the US government’s financial rescue package heated up in Congress Tuesday, with top finance officials urging its swift passage and lawmakers digging in their heels. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, testifying to Congress after proposing the 700-billion-dollar bailout just days ago, […]

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2008 (AFP) – The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing allegations of fraud by 26 Wall Street firms including several investment giants whose collapse sent world markets into turmoil, US media said Tuesday. The FBI has set its sights on investment titan Lehman Brothers, mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac […]

KUALA LUMPUR, September 24, 2008 (AFP) – Malaysia Wednesday announced another 3.9 percent cut in petrol prices, following recent declines in world oil prices. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the price of petrol will be cut by 10 sen to 2.45 ringgit (0.72 dollars) while diesel prices will be cut by the same amount […]

LONDON, September 22, 2008 (AFP) – IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn welcomed Tuesday the “bold steps” taken by the United States to stabilise the financial system, but warned global steps were required to get past the crisis. “I welcome the bold steps being taken in the US and look forward to their effective implementation,” the […]

WASHINGTON, September 22, 2008 (AFP) – Doubts emerged Monday about a gargantuan 700-billion-dollar US bailout of the finance system, plunging markets into renewed turmoil, as oil prices surged, the dollar slid and stocks faced fresh pressure. US and European markets fell hard as anxious investors waited on lawmakers to pass the measure and President George […]

BRUSSELS, September 23, 2008 (AFP) – Business activity in the 15 nations sharing the euro slumped in September to the lowest level since just after the attacks on the United States in 2001, according to a survey on Tuesday, fuelling fresh recession fears. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ […]

BERLIN, September 23, 2008 (AFP) – Stopping practices such as cronyism and embezzlement can save lives in poor countries, a graft watchdog said Tuesday as Somalia, Iraq and Myanmar again came bottom in its global corruption rankings. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 “In the […]

WASHINGTON, September 22, 2008 (AFP) – US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is a wealthy former Wall Street CEO and free-market thinker who has made a radical turn to help engineer the most extensive government bailout of the US economy in decades. Paulson, 62, two years ago swapped his post as CEO of the venerable Goldman […]

BEIJING, September 22, 2008 (AFP) – Nearly 53,000 children in China have been sickened by milk powder contaminated by an industrial chemical, the government said Monday, dramatically ramping up its previous figures.A total of 52,857 children had been brought to hospitals after falling ill, a health ministry spokesman told AFP. Most had “basically recovered” but […]