Category: Other

HANOI, Feb 28, 2008 (AFP) – Vietnamese consumer prices rose more than 15 percent year-on-year in February, according to official figures released Thursday, heightening inflation concerns especially for the poor. The General Statistics Office (GSO) said the consumer price index (CPI) for February rose 15.67 percent compared to the same period last year. The figure […]

WASHINGTON, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) – A US regulator on Wednesday said it would lift mortgage portfolio limits on two government-backed companies, raising the prospects of increased capital for the distressed housing market. Shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rallied after the government removed the size restrictions on their portfolios, but subsequently lost steam. […]

NEW YORK, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) – The dollar slumped to an all-time low against the euro Wednesday as Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the US central bank was prepared to cut interest rates further to ward off a severe economic slump.The US currency was quoted at 1.0630 Swiss francs, down from 1.0752. The […]

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 26, 2008 (AFP) – Google’s stock price sank Tuesday in the wake of a report hinting that boom times may be over for the Internet darling’s money-making online advertising. The number of click ads in January was essentially the same as it was in the same month a year earlier, and dipped […]

BEIJING, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) – China has raised its inflation target for 2008 to 4.8 percent due to steeper-than-expected price rises last year and the impact of the worst winter in 50 years, state media said Wednesday. Inflation is a key concern for the political leadership, and the central bank has warned it may […]

SINGAPORE, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) – The Singapore dollar climbed on Wednesday to a fresh 11-year high against the US dollar which also slid against other regional currencies following weak US economic data, dealers said.Details of the trading band are not made public to prevent speculation in the Singapore dollar. They said Asian currencies gained […]

LONDON, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) – The dollar plunged Wednesday to another record euro low thanks to a stream of negative US data, while the tumbling greenback helped crude oil and gold prices hit historic highs, analysts said. The US currency also slid ahead of US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke’s testimony before Congress later […]

SYDNEY, Feb 25, 2008 (AFP) – Indian paceman Ishant Sharma has been fined 15 percent of his match fee after clashing with Australia’s Andrew Symonds in their latest tri-series match, spiking tensions between the sides again.“As long as it doesn’t boil into a major issue then it should be OK. The aggressive nature can bring […]

JERUSALEM, Feb 25, 2008 (AFP) – The Bank of Israel governor on Monday cut base interest rates by a half point, lowering them to 3.75 percent, as the shekel continued its rise against the dollar, the bank said.Governor Stanley Fischer had been under pressure from employers and the Histadrout, the Israeli trade union congress, to […]

NEW DELHI, Feb 26, 2008 (AFP) – Giant state-run Indian Railways, once on track for bankruptcy, posted a record 6.3-billion-dollar surplus on Tuesday, announced new lines and cut fares in a populist budget with elections looming. “The world today acknowledges I’ve done a tremendous job,” said the wisecracking Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, presenting his […]

SEOUL, Feb 24, 2008 (AFP) – Nearly six million North Koreans are in chronic need of foreign food aid this year with children, nursing and expectant mothers and the poor most at risk, the World Food Programme said Sunday. A Seoul official and media reports said this month however that South Korean rice aid intended […]

LONDON, Feb 24, 2008 (AFP) – The first flight by a commercial airline to be partly powered by biofuels and billed as heralding a eco-friendlier and cheaper era of airline travel took place on Sunday, Virgin Atlantic said.Airlines meanwhile also see biofuels as cheaper alternatives to kerosene, whose price is soaring as oil futures strike […]