Category: World

BRUSSELS, June 19, 2008 (AFP) – Soaring fuel and food prices posed a stiff challenge to EU leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels on Thursday, amid clear divisions over how to respond to growing calls for intervention.Following Irish voters’ rejection of the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty last week, EU leaders are eager to demonstrate […]

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2008 (AFP) – Mozilla on Tuesday released an improved version of its Firefox web browser that has gained popularity as a free alternative to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Internet Explorer.Mozilla said Firefox 3 promises Internet surfing that is fast, secure, and easy to customize because it is designed to adapt to people’s online […]

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2008 (AFP) – A civilian Pentagon official in charge of the largest US military contract in Iraq was removed from his job in 2004 after refusing to pay one billion dollars to KBR Inc. because the company was unable to credibly justify its expenses, the New York Times reported Tuesday. KBR is […]

SINGAPORE, June 18, 2008 (AFP) – Lower costs are drawing more and more users to access the Internet via their mobiles, and opening up opportunities for advertisers, industry players said. Flat rates for data are becoming increasingly common, and mobile devices for accessing Internet content are more widely available, said Andre Levisse, of management consulting […]

YANGON, June 17 (Asia Pulse) – Most of the rice mills in Myanmar’s Yangon division, which were destroyed in a cyclone storm early last month, have resumed operation after prompt repair, the local weekly Flower News reported Tuesday. Of the 110 over-15-ton rice mills in Yangon division, nearly 100 have returned to normal operation since […]

SINGAPORE, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – Finnish telecom giant Nokia has launched two new email-capable handsets for business users and vowed to defend its position as the world’s leading mobile phone maker.Nokia said the E71 and E66 were pre-loaded with Microsoft’s popular email programme and would cater to business professionals who wanted easy and instant […]

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – Incidents of terrorism and human trafficking will spike due to the global economic slowdown led by surging prices for food and fuel, a top Malaysian minister said Tuesday. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who ovesees internal security, said spiralling inflation will cause serious hardship among Asia’s poor. “The […]

SINGAPORE, June 16, 2008 (AFP) – South Korea’s Samsung on Monday unveiled its latest smart phone, a touch-screen model to be commercially launched in Southeast Asia this week.The Omnia, which means “everything” in Latin, comes with a five megapixel built-in camera, 3.2-inch (eight-centimetre) screen as well as video functions, the company said. With its touch-sensitive […]

DUBAI, June 16, 2008 (AFP) – Britain has warned of a high risk of a terror attack in the United Arab Emirates, the booming oil-rich Gulf state and regional economic and tourst hub that is home to several million foreigners.“There is a high threat from terrorism.We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks […]

OSAKA, June 15, 2008 (AFP) – Group of Eight finance chiefs sent a warning signal to oil speculators this weekend, highlighting the inflation threat to the global economy in an attempt to cool red-hot energy prices, analysts said.Although the finance ministers said it was unclear how much influence speculators wield over energy markets, their remarks […]

BAGRAM, June 15, 2008 (AFP) – “I don’t really know what it is for,” says a salesman with some embarrassment, despite the explicit illustrations on the bottle of “Long Love Spray”.Alongside it on the shelf of a tiny shop in the bazaar at Bagram is a “special sex” gel as well as distinctive blue pills […]

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2008 (AFP) – The US airline industry is set to crash as record oil prices threaten to push several carriers into bankruptcy, threatening “our American way of life,” an industry study said. “As a consequence of the skyrocketing price of oil, the US commercial aviation industry is in full-blown crisis and heading […]