Category: Other

YANGON, Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) – UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in military-ruled Myanmar on Saturday and headed straight to the junta’s isolated capital for what he said he hoped would be “a very fruitful visit.” Deployed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon after this week’s bloody crackdown against pro-democracy protesters, Gambari landed in the […]

Sept 29, 2007 (LBO) – Police in the Indian Ocean Maldives Islands have sought foreign help to probe a blast that injured 12 tourists Saturday, as authorities feared a hit on the country’s top revenue earning industry, reports said. The incident had shattered the islands’ image as a tranquil tourist destination, which had helped the […]

NEW YORK, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – US businesses have pledged to spend more than four billion dollars on environmental, educational and humanitarian projects a New York summit organized by former president Bill Clinton. By Thursday, the second day of a three-day summit, several firms had stepped forward with pledges at the Clinton Global Initiative […]

WASHINGTON, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – The World Bank on Thursday pledged a record 3.5 billion dollars to aid the world’s poorest countries as it cut the interest rate on loans to big developing countries. The roughly quarter-point lowering of loan rates was a concession by the World Bank as it stepped up efforts to […]

Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan navy destroyed three Tamil Tiger boats off the island’s northeast coast, killing over a dozen rebels, the defence ministry said Friday.The clashes took place late Thursday when a naval patrol sighted 20 boats off Pulmoddai, near the de facto state the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE), […]

LONDON, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) – The price of gold surged Friday to the highest level since January 1980 as the precious metal was boosted by the sliding US dollar.On the London Bullion Market, gold prices leapt as high as 739.90 dollars per ounce. Analysts said that gold is winning support from the weak US […]

LONDON, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – The euro set another record high against the dollar on Thursday as dealers waited nervously for the latest round of data on the United States economy. The European single currency hit 1.4166 dollars, beating its previous record of 1.4162 that was set on Wednesday. Dealers said the foreign exchange […]

MOSCOW, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – The Russian subsidiary of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, an international accounting firm, lost an appeal on Wednesday against a back tax bill of 10.4 million dollars (7.4 million euros). In a separate case earlier this year, PWC was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine for helping Yukos to avoid […]

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – Microsoft on Thursday began phasing in a slick new version of its Live Search service in a bid to gain ground on leading Internet search rivals Google and Yahoo. Microsoft’s improved Live Search will be available throughout the United States in a week and globally by the […]