Category: World

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Sept 2, 2006 (AFP) – Bangladesh’s trade shipments ground to a virtual halt Saturday as shipping firms refused to use the nation’s main port in a protest over container fees. “Most of the private shipping companies have today (Saturday) suspended transporting cargoes to and from Chittagong port,” Chittagong Port Authority chairman Shahadat Hossain […]

NEW DELHI, Sept 2, 2006 (AFP) – India should make the rupee more freely convertible over the next five years to realise the country’s “maximum” economic potential, a central bank committee has urged. Such a move to loosen curbs on trading the rupee against other currencies would rank as one of India’s biggest economic reforms. […]

NEW DELHI, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) – Millions of Indian television viewers will pay a maximum five rupees (11 cents) a month for each pay channel under a new system to take effect by the end of the year, the telecommunications regulator said. The introduction of the conditional access system or CAS will mark a […]

PARIS, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) – Only a week after Pluto was stripped of its status as a full-fledged planet of the Solar System, rebel astronomers have launched a campaign to have it restored in pomp and glory.A petition already signed by more than 300 professional researchers is attacking the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decision […]

TOKYO, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) – The IMF executive board has agreed to far-reaching reform of the institution to give more influence to dynamic developing economies including China, managing director Rodrigo Rato said.Under the plan, China, South Korea, Turkey and Mexico will all see immediate increases in their fund quotas to reflect the shifting balance […]

DEARBORN, Michigan, Aug 31, 2006 (AFP) – Troubled US auto giant Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it was looking to sell its British sports marque Aston Martin. Chief executive Bill Ford said that as part of its strategic review, the US company had decided that Aston Martin “may be an attractive opportunity to raise capital […]

LONDON, Aug 30, 2006 (AFP) – They are an integral part of British tea-time, but councillors in one city are having to forgo biscuits with their daily cuppa to deal with the growing problem of aggressive seagulls.Bristol City Council in the west of England has calculated it could save 25,000 pounds (37,000 euros, 47,500 dollars) […]

BUSAN, South Korea, Aug 29, 2006 (AFP) – Asian workers are missing out on the region’s stellar growth, facing longer hours and lower pay than elsewhere and this imbalance has to be addressed, the UN Labor agency said Tuesday.International Labor Organization (ILO) Director General Juan Somavia told a regional meeting here that the gains of […]

KUMAMOTO, Japan, Aug 27, 2006 (AFP) – A Japanese bank is doing its bit to raise interest over global warming, in more ways than one. The Kumamoto Family Bank on the southern island of Kyushu has taken eco-consciousness to a new level by basing its interest rate on the average temperature, giving customers a reason […]

NEW DELHI, Aug 25, 2006 (AFP) – The Wall Street Journal said Friday some of its pages will appear in a business newspaper soon to be launched in India by the country’s second-largest print media company, HT Media.HT Media Ltd earlier this year announced plans to launch a national business newspaper aimed at “global Indian […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25, 2006 (AFP) – Malaysia’s deputy premier has called for a “toilet revolution” in the country, saying dirty facilities frighten away tourists and reflect poorly on the country.Opening the nation’s first ever “toilet expo” on Thursday, deputy prime minister Najib Razak said the cleanliness and beauty of a country’s toilets were a […]

NEW DELHI, Aug 24, 2006 (AFP) – Barbara Rao, an American software designer of Indian descent, relies on reason in her job, but, like tens of thousands of other Hindus, is now seeking answers of a different nature.“Hey man, this is faith,” said the Santa Fe resident, as she offered milk to a statue of […]