Category: World

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19, 2008 (AFP) – Malaysia will deploy an elite police squad along with 1,000 police officers to protect the troubled Olympic torch relay amid fears that protesters will disrupt the leg, a report said Saturday.The torch arrives early Sunday, Malaysian Olympic officials said, ahead of Monday’s relay.It will be kept at an […]

TEHRAN, April 19, 2008 (AFP) – Even at 115 dollars a barrel, oil is priced too low, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in comments published on Saturday adding that the commodity “should find its real value”.“Oil at 115 dollars a barrel in today’s market is a deceiving figure, oil is a strategic commodity and should […]

SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – Tough times in the US economy play into Google’s strength as businesses trust the Internet giant to best target their precious advertising dollars, analysts said Friday.While the US economy staggers and the dollar sinks, Google’s profits defied worries and soared to 1.31 billion dollars in the first three […]

FRANKFURT, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – More than one German in five works in the “low wage” category, a higher proportion than in Britain but below that in the United States, a press report said Friday.The left-of-centre Frankfurter Rundshau quoted researcher Gerhard Bosch as saying the trend was “worrying.” “The conclusions for Germany are worrying,” […]

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Google reported Thursday that its profits surged more than 30 percent to 1.31 billion dollars in the first three months of the year, erasing fears of sagging online advertising revenues. Google’s stock leaped more than 17 percent to 526 dollars a share in after-hours trading on the news. […]

QUITO, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – President Rafael Correa said Thursday Ecuador was close to revoking some 4,000 mining concessions granted since 2004, many of them to US and Canadian companies, that have been idle and used solely for speculation.A government-sponsored bill revoking about 80 percent of mining concessions in gold, silver and limestone deposits […]

NEW DELHI, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Hundreds of Tibetan demonstrators were arrested in India and neighbouring Nepal Thursday as thousands of police and soldiers defended the Beijing Olympic torch on a suffocating run through New Delhi.The heart of the Indian capital was sealed off for the most sensitive leg of the protest-hit global relay […]

HONG KONG, April 18, 2008 (AFP) – China has imposed further curbs on visitors, just weeks after it stopped issuing multiple-entry visas, Hong Kong travel agents said Friday, sparking concern among the business community.“You now need a copy of your travel ticket both in and out of the country and a hotel voucher before they […]

NAIROBI, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Kenya’s massive 42-member power-sharing cabinet, named to help restore stability after a bloody post-poll dispute, risks becoming crippled by inefficiency, analysts said.President Mwai Kibaki on Sunday appointed political rival Raila Odinga as his prime minister under a February 28 power-sharing deal that ended months of political violence sparked by […]

NEW YORK, April 16, 2008 (AFP) – Oil prices streaked into new record territory for the second straight day Wednesday, boosted by a decline in US energy reserves and as the weakening dollar drew investments in commodities.New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, crossed 115 dollars a barrel for […]

SINGAPORE, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – Asia’s top security forum should consider building strategic oil and gas stockpiles as part of efforts to ensure steady supplies in emergencies, officials recommended after a meeting ended Thursday.Senior officials of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held two days of talks in Singapore devoted to the issue of energy […]

PARIS, April 17, 2008 (AFP) – The head of Societe Generale’s corporate and investment banking is to step down along with about a dozen other managers following the rogue trading scandal at the French bank, the Mediapart online newspaper reported Thursday.Jean-Pierre Mustier, a close ally of Societe Generale chairman Daniel Bouton, is expected to leave […]