Category: World

BHUBANESWAR, India, April 12, 2007 (AFP) – India on Thursday test-fired a nuclear-capable medium-range ballistic missile which can reach the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai, defence sources said. The launch of the Agni-III missile took place from Wheeler Island, 180 kilometres (110 miles) northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital of eastern Orissa state. It was […]

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2007 (AFP) – World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz Thursday apologized for making a “mistake” over hefty pay rises given to his girlfriend at the development lender, but refused to say if he might quit. “I made a mistake, for which I am sorry,” Wolfowitz told a press conference as an uproar intensified […]

VATICAN CITY, April 8, 2007 (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday decried the “suffering in the world” in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) on Easter Sunday. “How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world! Natural calamities and human tragedies that cause innumerable victims and enormous […]

NAIROBI, April 7, 2007 (AFP) – Pirates have released a UN-chartered cargo ship and an Indian vessel they captured in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of Somalia, a maritime official said Saturday.Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers’ Assistance Programme said the hijackers freed the MV Rozen on Friday, more than a month after it was […]

NEW DELHI, April 3, 2007 (AFP) – China declared Tuesday that South Asia was on the brink of “historic opportunities” and sought stepped up cooperation with the region. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing made the statement as he welcomed Beijing’s new observer status at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). “We all belong […]

HONIARA, April 2, 2007 (AFP) – A powerful undersea earthquake unleashed a tsunami that pounded the Solomon Islands early Monday, flattening villages and killing at least six people and sparking scenes of panic, officials said.Witnesses said the wall of water triggered by the 8.0-magnitude quake was up to five metres (16.5 feet) high and swamped […]

NEW DELHI, April 2, 2007 (AFP) – South Asia’s expanding but underperforming SAARC grouping needs to work harder and overcome internal rivalries to boost regional cooperation, officials said Monday on the eve of a summit.“We are at a defining moment in SAARC history,” Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said ahead of the South Asian Association […]

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31, 2007 (AFP) – Malaysia’s top anti-corruption official, who is facing a police investigation into graft allegations against him, will not have his contract renewed, a report said Saturday.Malaysians believe their country has an “acute” corruption problem, international monitor Transparency International said recently, warning the issue could drive away foreign investors.Zulkipli Mat […]

LOS ANGELES, March 19, 2007 (AFP) – The giant Airbus A380 superjumbo landed on US soil for the first time Monday, dazzling large crowds gathered in Los Angeles and New York to catch a glimpse of the world’s biggest passenger plane. The 555-seat double-decker behemoth with a wingspan the size of a football pitch descended […]

DHAKA, March 20, 2007 (AFP) – A Kuwait-based company has joined Bangladesh’s leading air-cargo operator to launch the country’s second private passenger airline, a company official said Tuesday.Biman reported a record loss of 120 million dollars in the year to June last year. Aqeeq Aviation Holding has bought a 49 percent stake in Best Aviation […]

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16, 2007 (AFP) – Malaysia on Friday issued licences to four telecommunication operators to provide fourth generation (4G) wireless high speed Internet services nationwide this year.The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the winning bidders are Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, MIB Comm Sdn Bhd, Redtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd and Asiaspace Dotcom […]

HONG KONG, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets closed sharply lower Wednesday, hit by a fresh round of turmoil after Wall Street tumbled overnight on figures showed growing problems in the US housing market, dealers said.They said investors were already wary following their battering earlier this month when a dramatic sell-off in Chinese […]