Category: World

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

MUMBAI, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Indian share prices fell 3.17 percent on Wednesday in line with a wave of selling that has swept global markets on fears of a US economic slowdown, dealers said. “The markets expectedly opened weak due to global weakness in a knee-jerk reaction,” said Atul Mehra, managing director of capital […]

CHENNAI, India, Feb 26, 2007 (AFP) – Japanese automaker Nissan on Monday tied up with French partner Renault’s Indian venture to build a 902 million dollar plant, joining a race with rivals Toyota and Honda for a slice of the South Asian nation’s expanding car market.For decades after independence India’s roads were dominated by two […]

GUWAHATI, India, Feb 25, 2007 (AFP) – Spurred by a Guinness World Records nod to the local “ghost chili,” a woman from India’s northeast hopes to set a new record by eating a massive quantity of the world’s hottest pepper.Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old mother, is headed from Assam to London at the invitation of […]

LOS ANGELES, Feb 22, 2007 (AFP) – The US tax man has helped put a stop to the 100,000-dollar goodie bags, but celebrities will still be showered with an eye-popping array of lavish gifts at this year’s Oscars.“This is just a thanks for making great movies.These are the people who help put a smile on […]

HARARE, Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwe’s state-run media lavished praise on veteran President Robert Mugabe on the 83rd birthday of Africa’s oldest-serving leader Wednesday, while stores in the capital Harare ran out of bread.“President an unparalled visionary,” read the headline of The Herald newspaper, which dedicated 16 pages to pictures and congratulatory messages to […]