Category: Other
‘s upgrades China, Hong Kong, Macau ratings
HONG KONG, July 26, 2007 (AFP) – International ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service said Thursday it has upgraded its currency ratings for China, Hong Kong and the gambling haven of Macau.It has raised China’s long-term foreign currency bond rating to “A1” from “A2” on the back of the exceptional strength of its external payments position, […]
Indonesia issues tsunami alert after 6.6-magnitude quake
JAKARTA, July 26, 2007 (AFP) – Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning Thursday for the province of North Maluku after a 6.6-magnitude quake hit the area, a meteorology official said.The earthquake was centered 57 kilometres (35 miles) under the seabed some 234 kilometres northwest of the town of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku, said […]
Sri Lankan agri-business offers support for farmers
July 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s National Agribusiness Council (NAC) has started a scheme to help farmers get better access to markets and other skills and resources. Representatives of farmer councils set up under the NAC’s aegis signed an agreement to form a federation at the Ag-Biz trade fair over the weekend. The aim […]
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SYDNEY, July 25, 2007 (AFP) – A New Zealander was jailed for 24 years Wednesday after being convicted of the first murder in 150 years on the tiny South Pacific territory of Norfolk Island.He will be eligible for parole after a minimum of 18 years. Glenn McNeill, 29, murdered Australian Janelle Patton and dumped her […]
Animal rescuers on red alert as it rains cats and dogs in Britain
OXFORD, England, July 25, 2007 (AFP) – It is not only humans who have been hit by Britain’s worst floods in 60 years — cats, dogs and donkeys are also suffering, prompting a rescue mission on an unprecedented scale. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has sent a third of […]
” trade deal
SOFIA, July 24, 2007 (AFP) – Six foreign medics sentenced to death then life imprisonment in Libya in a controversial AIDS case were free in the Bulgarian capital Tuesday after the EU struck a multi-million-dollar financial and trade deal with Tripoli.The five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor who also has Bulgarian citizenship were released […]
The high price of bullion; money printing Zimbabwe hikes gold by 760%
HARARE, July 25, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwe’s central bank on Wednesday increased the price of gold by 757 percent in a bid to curb rampant smuggling of the precious metal and cover soaring production costs, an official said. Zimbabwe’s gold production is this year expected to drop to about 8,700 kilogrammes from 11,354 kilogrammes last […]
Trying Hard
RIYADH, July 24, 2007 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan minister said on Tuesday he was seeking Riyadh’s help in obtaining clemency for a teenage maid condemned to death but he did not expect an immediate outcome to efforts to save her life.“We got a very good and patient hearing” from Saudi foreign ministry officials during […]
Japan to design stealth jet: report
TOKYO, July 24, 2007 (AFP) – Japan’s defence ministry hopes to make a prototype of a next-generation stealth plane, the first new fighter jet designed by the officially pacifist country in 30 years, a report said Tuesday.The design would not include installing weapons and it is unclear if Japan would actually produce the prototype due […]
Chinese style capitalism rattle Indian socialist democracy
MUNDHA KHERA, India, July 24, 2007 (AFP) – It’s a hot, humid Sunday morning in northern India, but the oppressive heat does not deter a group of about 15 farmers from trudging door-to-door, offering advice and sometimes warnings. “Do not sell your precious land. Even if you are offered millions of dollars, do not sell. […]
Bittersweet Battle
July 24, 2007 (LBO) – A former minister who oversaw Sri Lanka’s privatization commission has gone to court seeking to block the sell down of a defunct sugar firm to a private firm. Sooriyaarachchi also alleged that the liabilities of Hingurana Sugar were not transferred to the new company. Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, a rebel parliamentarian of […]
Chavez says nobody can be allowed to call him a tyrant
CARACAS, July 22, 2007 (AFP) – Venezuela’s fiery socialist President Hugo Chavez on Sunday vowed to kick out foreigners who brand him a “tyrant,” after a Mexican politician spoke at a forum here on sensitive democracy issues.“No foreigner can come here to attack us.Anyone who does must be removed from this country,” Chavez said on […]