Category: World

LONDON, June 13 (Asia Pulse) – In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, you no longer need to keep up with the Joneses but with the Patels. Analysis of buying behaviour among people with common surnames has found that those called Patel are most likely to own must-have gadgets. Based on 12 months of sales figures […]

MADRID, June 14, 2008 (AFP) – It will take the the United States a century to recover from the damage wreaked by President George.W. Bush, US writer Gore Vidal said in an interview published Saturday.“The president behaved like a virtual criminal but we didn’t have the courage to sack him for fear of violating the […]

BRUSSELS, June 12, 2008 (AFP) – ECB is preparing for a “moderate increase” in interest rates next month but not a series of hikes in the face of record inflation, governing board member and Belgian central banker Guy Quaden said. “What’s on the table for the month of July, is a moderate increase and not […]

Backyard gardener dies after inhaling fungal spores PARIS, June 12, 2008 (AFP) – An otherwise healthy 47-year-old man fell horribly ill and died within 10 days after inhaling fungal spores that had grown in a bag of gardening mulch, according to a study released Friday. The man, whose identity was not revealed, showed up at […]

OSAKA, June 13, 2008 (AFP) – The worst of the financial crisis appears to be over but the major economies are likely to grow sluggishly for the rest of this year, International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Friday. “We have good reason to think that the financial crisis is mostly behind us but it’s […]

BRUSSELS, June 13, 2008 (AFP) – The European Union will soon end preferential customs tariffs for imports of footwear from Vietnam, an EU official said Friday.EU ambassadors have struck an agreement that would do away with the tariffs but the decision still has to be endorsed by ministers, the official said on condition of anonymity. […]

NEW YORK, June 11, 2008 (AFP) – Wall Street tumbled Wednesday as the latest spike in crude oil prices undermined sentiment in a market already spooked by inflation and troubles in the finance sector. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 205.99 points (1.68 percent) to close at 12,083.77 and the Nasdaq composite slumped 54.93 points […]

KATHMANDU, June 12, 2008 (AFP) – Nepal’s former king Gyanendra on Thursday began life as a commoner after leaving his sprawling palace home and army of servants for the last time.He will have to adjust to living in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital, after leaving the Narayanhiti palace in the […]

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Asia Pulse) – India’s GSM cellular subscriber base touched 205 million in May with the addition of over 6.2 million new users during the month and Bharti Airtel capturing over one-third of the market.The subscriber figures excludes Reliance Telecom figures. In April, GSM operators had added 6.5 million new users against […]

MAJURO, June 12 (Asia Pulse) – The cost of living rose by more than 10 per cent in the Marshall Islands from January to March this year. This was more than double the inflation rate for all of fiscal year 2007, according to a report issued by the government’s Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office […]

SINGAPORE, June 11, 2008 (AFP) – Oil prices rose again in Asia on Wednesday as the world’s biggest oil producers and consumers prepared to meet to discuss record crude prices which have sparked fears for the global economy. New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, was 61 cents higher at […]

NEW YORK, June 10, 2008 (AFP) – Security scanners which can see through passengers’ clothing and reveal details of their body underneath are being installed in 10 US airports, the US Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday.A random selection of travellers getting ready to board airplanes in Washington, New York’s Kennedy, Los Angeles and other key […]