Category: World

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 […]

LONDON, June 9, 2008 (AFP) – Crude oil prices pulled back Monday from last week’s record highs as the dollar firmed against the euro and OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia stressed its willingness to meet any increase in demand.New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, slid 4.19 dollars a barrel to […]

KATHMANDU, June 10, 2008 (AFP) – Nepal’s ousted king is thought to have close to 200 million dollars stashed away inside the country and even more abroad, according to an author who has probed royal finances.Surya Thapa, a journalist who has written three books on the Himalayan royals, said ex-king Gyanendra is unlikely to feel […]

LONDON, June 10, 2008 (AFP) – Uganda is benefiting from the current hike in world food prices because it is a net producer of goods like bananas, its President Yoweri Museveni said here Tuesday.“We are very happy with the food crisis. Why? Because we produce a lot of food, and our problem has been the […]

TOKYO, June 9, 2008 (AFP) – Japanese shares were trading sharply lower early Monday after falls on Wall Street on Friday and a record surge in crude oil prices combined with a sharp jump in US unemployment. The benchmark Nikkei-225 index fell 343.04 points or 2.37 percent to 14,146.40 about fifteen minutes after the opening […]

SINGAPORE, June 9, 2008 (AFP) – World oil took a breather Monday from spiralling prices seen hitting 150 dollars which have prompted consumer nations to urge a production increase amid warnings of a global recession. New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, eased 1.06 dollars to 137.48 dollars a barrel […]

MUMBAI, June 9, 2008 (AFP) – Indian shares fell 4.66 percent to under 15,000 points in morning trade Monday in the wake of a Wall Street plunge triggered by surging oil prices and a sharp jump in US unemployment, dealers said. The benchmark Mumbai 30-share Sensex index fell 726 points to 14,846.18, a near-three month […]

TOKYO, June 8, 2008 (AFP) – As world oil prices skyrocket, thousands of households in energy-poor Japan are taking part in an ambitious experiment to use fuel cells to light and heat their homes.Since the prime minister’s official residence became the first house in the world to be equipped with a domestic fuel cell in […]

HANOI, June 8, 2008 (AFP) – Vietnam’s economy, until recently a darling of foreign investors, has overheated and may be sliding into a boom-and-bust cycle that could require IMF-style assistance, analysts say. The economy widely hailed last year as Asia’s next tiger has been battered by double-digit inflation, a ballooning trade gap, a tanked stock […]

TEHRAN, June 8, 2008 (AFP) – The price of crude oil is set to rise even further to 150 dollars a barrel by the end of summer, Iran’s representative to the OPEC oil cartel warned on Sunday.“I foresee the price of oil reaching around 150 dollars a barrel by the end of the summer,” the […]

NEW YORK, June 6, 2008 (AFP) – The dollar tumbled Friday after a US government survey revealed a much higher-than-expected jump in the nation’s unemployment rate during May to 5.5 percent. Analysts said the report underlined lingering economic woes but noted the Federal Reserve’s precarious position because further interest rate cuts could spur inflationary pressures […]

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – Serotonin plays a key role in regulating emotions such as aggression and impulsivity during decision making, according to British research appearing Thursday in the United States. Neurologists and psychiatrists have long linked serotonin, a hormone that transmits chemical messages between nerve cells, and social behavior, but its precise role […]