Category: World

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 […]

TOKYO, June 11, 2008 (AFP) – Japanese pharmaceutical group Daiichi Sankyo Co. said Wednesday that it had agreed to buy a majority stake in India’s top drug company Ranbaxy Laboratories for up to 4.6 billion dollars. The deal reflects growing efforts by the world’s pharmaceutical giants to cope with fierce competition from generic drugmakers based […]

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 […]

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 […]