Category: World

Burundi cop, Sri Lanka professors win Swiss human rights prize GENEVA, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) – A policeman from the central African country of Burundi and two university professors from Sri Lanka have been named as the top human rights defenders for 2007 by a Swiss-based rights group. Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a former policeman turned […]

LONDON, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) – The high-flying euro, which last week soared from record to record against the dollar, has sparked sharply contrasting reactions in France and Germany, with Paris complaining and Berlin applauding.The single currency, shared by 11 other European nations besides France and Germany, shot to a new all-time high of 1.4263 […]

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 […]

GABORONE, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – The IMF will continue to shun Zimbabwe until its central bank stops meddling and the government starts managing its natural resources properly, a senior official said on Thursday. “Zimbabwe must put in place the proper economic policies and gradually they will see the IMF coming on board,” International Monetary […]

Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) – A home-made bomb ripped through a crowded park in the Maldivian capital Male Saturday, wounding 12 foreign nationals, tourism minister Mahamood Shougee told AFP.Since then, Britain had been helping the government and opposition groups sink their differences and work towards democratic reforms.Two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese were wounded […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]