Category: World

MUMBAI, Jan 14, 2007 (AFP) – Tirandaaz Irani’s morning shift at the Yazdani Bakery and Restaurant in Mumbai’s historic Fort district is pretty much the same every day, and he’s hoping to keep it that way even as the city changes drastically around him. The nearly century-old bakery, set amid crowded streets lined by massive […]

GENEVA, Jan 13, 2007 (AFP) – Switzerland is the world’s third largest asset manager with over 6,900 billion Swiss francs (5,532 billion dollars, 4,280 billion euros) deposited in the country’s bank accounts, the Swiss Bankers Association said on Saturday Switzerland has a nine percent share of the global market, just below the United Kingdom with […]

DUBLIN, Jan 11, 2007 (AFP) – Irish researchers found traces of cocaine on every single banknote contained in a random sample tested in a study of drug contamination of currency, Dublin City University (DCU) said on Thursday. Researchers voiced suprise at the 100 percent figure, which compares for example to a recent US study which […]

NEW DELHI, Jan 10, 2007 (AFP) – The New York Stock Exchange and investment bank Goldman Sachs are among investors who plan to buy an unspecified stake in India’s National Stock Exchange, a report said Wednesday.The Economic Times business daily said that two Indian financial firms, ILandFS and IFCI, plan to sell to overseas investors […]

HARARE, Jan 10, 2007 (AFP) – Inflation in Zimbabwe hit a new record high of 1,281 percent on Thursday, puncturing government hopes of reining in the galloping rate which has left households struggling to make ends meet. Figures released by the central statistics office (CSO) showed that the year-on-year inflation rate had risen by 182 […]

GENEVA, Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this month will enter the virtual reality of web-based Second Life in a bid to open up the elite meeting of political and business leaders, the organisers said Tuesday. After being televised, webcast and podcast […]

BAN NAM KHEM, Thailand, Dec 26 (AFP) – With prayers and flowers and tears, from Thailand’s beaches to the islands of India, mourners paid tribute to their loved ones Tuesday on the second anniversary of the Asian tsunami. Emotional ceremonies across the region recalled the day when giant waves killed 220,000 people in a sweep […]

BERLIN, Dec 24, 2006 (AFP) – Germany said Sunday it will not offer the Sri Lankan government new aid until the peace process in the country advances and called on other nations to increase the pressure on Colombo. Overseas Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul told Berlin’s daily Tagesspiegel that Germany had been frustrated that its aid […]

MUMBAI, Dec 23, 2006 (AFP) – India’s economy will continue to boom in 2007 but analysts say demand will slow as its central bank hikes interest rates to curtail consumer spending and higher prices. India’s one-billion-plus population are buying more cars, phones, homes and goods than ever before and its companies have expanded quickly to […]

HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2006 (AFP) – Malfunctioning democracies and legal systems are the main causes of violations of human rights and the rule of law in many countries around Asia, a new rights report says. The study said respect for human rights had worsened in most countries in the region and that people had […]

KOLKATA, Dec 21, 2006 (AFP) – Rising sea levels have submerged two islands in the Sunderbans, where tigers roam through mangrove forests in the Ganges River delta, and a dozen more islands are under threat, scientists say. A six-year study of the impact of future climate change on the world natural heritage site that India […]

BEIJING, Dec 21, 2006 (AFP) – From the oil fields of Africa to the living rooms of American homes and Asia’s shopping malls, virtually every part of the world felt the impact in 2006 of China’s ongoing, spectacular transformation. China’s successful courting of Africa during the year, which resulted in a strengthened alliance of some […]