Category: Other

NEW YORK, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) – The dollar weakened against the euro and other world currencies Wednesday after a British newspaper report claimed China’s government may “liquidate” its large holdings of US assets if Washington imposes threatened trade sanctions on Beijing. The dollar did gain against the Japanese yen, however, rising to 119.72 compared […]

LONDON, Aug 9, 2007 (AFP) – A soldier was arrested at the elite Sandhurst British military academy on suspicion of sexual assault, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said on Thursday.“The MOD can confirm that a soldier at Sandhurst has been arrested by the police on suspicion of sexual assault,” the spokeswoman, speaking on customary condition […]

SEOUL, Aug 9, 2007 (AFP) – South Korea Thursday raised its key interest rate for the second time in as many months in an attempt to soak up liquidity and keep inflation in check. But he added that “problems could arise if the BOK is forced to further increase interest rates in the future.” The […]

WASHINGTON, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) – The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday it was keeping US interest rates unchanged at 5.25 percent as it acknowledged concerns about tightening credit and a persistent housing market slump.The central bank has now kept US interest rates steady for just over 13 months since June of 2006.The 10 policymakers of […]

LONDON, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) – The doors to the biggest pub in the world swing open Tuesday as the 30th Great British Beer Festival gets underway. The annual bash, which raises a glass to finely-crafted ales from around Britain and the globe — and hurls bland, fizzy lager straight down the sink — promises […]

COLOMBO, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) – Two senior Maldivian ministers have quit the cabinet accusing President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of obstructing reform, officials and dissidents said Monday.Attorney General Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel quit Sunday blaming Gayoom, Asia’s longest-serving ruler, of blocking reforms ranging from a new constitution to independence of the judiciary. […]

SYDNEY, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) – An Australian interest rate rise Wednesday is almost a certainty, according to economists, creating a political headache for Prime Minister John Howard’s conservative government. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will announce the results of Tuesday’s monthly monetary policy meeting early Wednesday, with most economists tipping a 0.25 point […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) – Asian low-cost airline pioneer Tony Fernandes looks set to score a major coup with British businessman Richard Branson coming on board to help get his struggling, high-risk long-haul venture off the ground, analysts said Tuesday.Branson of Virgin Group is to take a 20 percent stake in Malaysia’s AirAsia […]

LANGKAWI, Malaysia, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, internationally condemned for his nation’s economic meltdown and human rights abuses, was given a warm welcome Monday at an anti-poverty summit in Malaysia, delegates said.While he has proved elusive to the packs of journalists and photographers staking out the venue, he was said to […]

WASHINGTON, Aug 4, 2007 (AFP) – A US soldier was sentenced Saturday to 110 years in jail for raping and killing a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and slaying her family, the army said.That investigation focused a critical light on the US military’s controversial rules of engagement in Iraq.“Private First Class Jesse Spielman was sentenced to 110 […]

MUSINA, South Africa, Aug 5, 2007 (AFP) – James Diop rings up another sale and then contemplates his good fortune to work in a supermarket in South Africa as the stores across the border in Zimbabwe grow emptier by the day.“We’ve had a 300 percent increase in sales since June which is unprecedented … and […]