Category: World

SYDNEY, August 21, 2008 (AFP) – Australia’s national airline Qantas Thursday reported a 44 percent increase in annual net profit to a record 969 million dollars (842.6 million US dollars). Revenue for the year ended June 30 rose 7.5 percent to 16.19 billion dollars after Qantas carried 38.6 million passengers, up 6.0 percent, the company […]

NEW YORK, August 20, 2008 (AFP) – Oil prices rose on Wednesday after a sharp spike the previous day as traders nervously mulled a larger-than-expected decline in US gasoline stocks. Prices closed higher in edgy trade, wiping out declines experienced earlier in the day, as traders assessed a weekly US inventory report for clues on […]

DHAKA, August 21, 2008 (AFP) – Bangladeshis abroad will pump close to nine billion dollars back into the nation’s economy this year, the foreign minister said Thursday, but warned migrant workers they were at risk of human trafficking.Itekhar Ahmed said that since January, migrant workers had sent 6.5 billion dollars back to Bangladesh, and the […]

SINGAPORE, August 21, 2008 (AFP) – Asia’s electronics manufacturing sector is holding up, despite a slowing global economy, because of sustained demand from Brazil, Russia, India and China, analysts said Thursday.The need for newer technology to put into cars, mobile phones and flat screen television panels should help drive demand for increasingly sophisticated electronics chips, […]

TOKYO, August 20, 2008 (AFP) – Japan’s Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Wednesday that it had developed a new way of predicting from a person’s DNA their response to medication and risk of developing disease. Matsushita, which is best known for its Panasonic brand, said it had developed a technology to electronically identify sequence variations […]

SINGAPORE, August 20, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices rose in Asian trade Wednesday on fresh supply concerns after key producer Venezuela indicated it could ask OPEC to cut output, dealers said. In afternoon trade, New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for September delivery, rose 40 cents to 114.93 dollars a barrel. The contract […]

SINGAPORE, August 19, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices fell further on Tuesday, dragged down by worries that weaker US oil demand could spread to Europe and Japan, analysts said.New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for September delivery, dropped 48 cents to 112.39 dollars a barrel. That came on top of a 90-cent drop […]

BEIJING, August 19, 2008 (AFP) – Greek runner Fani Halkia has been formally expelled from the Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Tuesday. The 29-year-old, who won gold in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Athens Olympics, failed the test while in Japan this month preparing for […]

LONDON, August 19, 2008 (AFP) – The world’s biggest miner BHP Billiton announced record annual net profits of 15.39 billion US dollars (10.46 billion euros), driven by soaring commodity prices and strong Asian demand. The Anglo-Australian resources giant, which was particularly boosted by higher earnings from petroleum and iron ore, beat last year’s net profit […]

JOHANNESBURG, August 17, 2008 (AFP) – Southern African countries launched a regional trade zone at a summit on Sunday that aims to eliminate import tariffs, with plans for a common currency by 2018. Eleven of the 14 countries that are part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will participate in the free trade area, […]

ISLAMABAD, August 18, 2008 (AFP) – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced in a televised address to the nation Monday that he had decided to resign after nine years in power to avoid the threat of impeachment.The former army chief, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, was under huge pressure from the governing […]

SYDNEY, August 17, 2008 (AFP) – Thousands of Pacific Islanders will be allowed to live and work in Australia under a new guest worker plan announced Sunday by the government.Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said the scheme would allow up to 2,500 people from Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to work here for […]