Category: World

SEOUL, March 13, 2007 (AFP) – South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun said Tuesday his government could scrap free trade talks with Washington if Seoul’s economic interests are not properly reflected in a final deal. Roh instructed his cabinet to consider “real economic benefits” in forging a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, saying […]

BEIJING, March 13, 2007 (AFP) – Police poured into a central Chinese city to quell riots sparked by rising bus fees, residents said Tuesday, in the latest incident to highlight rising social pressures in the fast-changing country. Detachments from the People’s Armed Police joined local security forces in Yongzhou city in Hunan province overnight Monday, […]

NEW YORK, March 8, 2007 (AFP) – Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is still the richest man in the world, but his lead over other entrepreneurs is narrowing, according to Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires published Thursday. Despite Gates leading the rich list for a 13th straight year with a tidy nest egg of 56 billion […]

LONDON, March 8, 2007 (AFP) – European stock markets moved higher on Thursday, following bumper gains earlier in Tokyo, as investors regained confidence after a recent slump in global equities, dealers said. However, trading was cautious ahead of crucial interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE). London’s […]

KOLKATA, India, March 8, 2007 (AFP) – Hundreds of people have rushed to a village in eastern India to see a male calf defy its herbivore nature by eating live chicks. In majority Hindu India, the cow is revered as a sacred animal. Ghosh said his calf has now been named Lal (‘Red’), after the […]

CHENNAI, India, March 8, 2007 (AFP) – An Indian woman convicted along with her Sri Lankan husband in the 1991 killing of former premier Rajiv Gandhi has secured Indian citizenship for their daughter. A court in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday gave the federal government four weeks to issue an entry permit […]

BANGKOK, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Five Thai fishermen died and two were taken to hospital after inhaling gas released by rotting fish in the hold of a trawler, police said Tuesday.They fainted at the smell of the decomposing fish kept in the bottom of the trawler along the Andaman coast of southern Thailand on […]

LONDON, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – European and Asian share prices rebounded on Tuesday following recent heavy falls as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson reassured that Asia’s two biggest economies, Japan and China, remained sound. On Wall Street, shares closed lower Monday following declines across Europe and Asia, with the Dow Jones index shedding 0.53 […]

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Iran has mooted the idea of an international court focussing on Islamic human rights issues, a report said Tuesday. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroud, Iran’s chief of judiciary system, said during a visit to Malaysia that his country has formed a secretariat to look into the matter, the New […]

TOKYO, March 5, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets came under fresh selling pressure in early trade on Monday, tracking Wall Street lower amid continued anxiety about the health of global markets, dealers said.They said that investors in the region were keeping a close watch on the Shanghai market where share prices extended losses in […]

NEW YORK, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Global stock markets steadied Wednesday a day after the worst slide in years as Wall Street nerves were calmed by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and Shanghai clawed back some of its massive losses. Latin American markets meanwhile rebounded on Wall Street’s coattails. Brazil’s Bovespa index shot up 1.73 […]

SINGAPORE, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Singapore share prices opened 4.82 percent lower Wednesday, in line with continued falls in regional markets. The Straits Times Index opened down 155.89 points or 4.82 percent at 3,076.13. Blue chips were among the big losers, including Singapore Airlines, down 4.32 percent and Singapore Press Holdings down 4.37 percent […]